This might come as a shock, but MLB grounds crews tend to be on top of what works and what doesn't when it comes to drying baseball diamonds. That's why you don't see infields at major league ballparks soaked in gasoline and lit ablaze after a rain delay.
People at Ciuccoli Field of Ridgefield High School didn't get that memo. It was lit on fire by some aspiring groundkeepers on Saturday, after rain had left the field a bit damp. Rather than letting the dirt dry, it was soaked in 25 gallons of gasoline and set ablaze. Here is the result.
It might shock you, but this did not dry the field. Instead it was left with more than $50,000 in damages, per The Ridgefield Press.
"The basepath -- the dirt part of the field -- was wet and it was evident that they'd have to relocate or cancel because of the conditions," Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi told The Press. "Someone had idea to put gas on the surface. Let it burn to dry up the water and make the field playable. Unfortunately, it was not a very good idea. In theory it sounded plausible, I guess, to those who participated."
This incident is not to be confused with a similar one from last week in which a Utah coach was placed on leave for attempting the same field-drying method. Much like the debacle in Utah, one of the concerns at Ridgefield is the environmental effect of dousing an area in gasoline. Soil from the diamond is being shipped out to be tested, and Ridgefield's chances of hosting games on that field will be determined once the samples are examined.
If you're going to try a new, potentially literally groundbreaking technique, just research it first. Google will usually say "lighting it on fire" is not the answer to almost any question.
