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Keith's teammate, Michael Bracero, wants to be like Alex Rodriguez.
Thanks to renovations at Davey Arnold Field, the boys have a place where their dreams can grow as fast as the weeds that once choked the baseball diamond.
Arnold Field, located behind Washington Elementary School in Lancaster city, was named in 1967 for Davey Arnold, a man who dedicated his life to youth baseball in Lancaster. In the intervening decades, the field fell into disarray, with weeds eventually overspreading the property.
"There was fear in the community that the field would be plowed over because it wasn't being used," Dennis Walker, secretary of SALSA, or Spanish American Lancaster Sports Association, said.
But the ballfield looks better today than it has in decades, and many people say Sindo Lopez and other dedicated members of SALSA should get the credit.
Lopez formed SALSA in 1999, and the organization became the sponsor for youth baseball teams in Lancaster County Youth Baseball League.
Arnold Field would be SALSA's primary home, and Lopez knew there was a lot of work to be done.
"It looked pretty bad," Lopez said of his initial assessment of the field.
So he began to tackle many of the initial repairs himself, pulling weeds and mowing the grass so that the kids in the SALSA baseball program — today there are about 80 — would have a safe place to play.
Then, in early 2006, Lopez received word that School District of Lancaster — its facilities department maintains the grounds — had decided to renovate Arnold Field.
"It was really surprising" when the school district made the announcement, he said. "It had been so long since we had started playing there."
Working together, SDL, SALSA and the Lancaster Barnstormers completed various aspects of the project.
The Barnstormers organization was heavily involved in creating a new infield late last fall, bringing in 50 tons of Diamond-Tex — a mixture of sand, silt and clay — to rebuild it.
In addition to the infield, Arnold Field received new player seating areas and a backstop. Now the SALSA players have a home field of which they can be proud.
Walker said he doesn't believe the field would have been repaired without Lopez's determination.
"Mr. Lopez takes care of the whole field, and he recruited many of the coaches of the teams," Walker said. "He is involved every day."
Adam Aurand, public relations manager for the Barnstormers, said of Lopez, "What a great, great guy. My first impression of him was how passionate he was about what he was doing for the kids of Lancaster."
Kevin Mano, community relations manager for the Barnstormers, said of Lopez, "He obviously just wants to do the best he can for all the kids."
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Lopez, though determined to breathe new life into the ballfield, had his down moments.
Last spring, he learned he had colon cancer. Rejuvenating the field took a back seat to recovery.
"I was ready to call (the project) quits," he said.
Doctors wanted to operate immediately. But it was May, and the baseball season wasn't over.
"I said, 'No. I have 80 kids who still need me for two more weeks.' "
Eventually, doctors operated, and this was followed by chemotherapy.
In late February, Lopez was told the chemotherapy was successful. Now he is enjoying an improved Arnold Field, and he continues to do what he loves.
Earlier this week, families gathered to watch the 14-and-under Bulldogs take on a team from Manheim Township.
Players hustled around the bases of the clay diamond.
Outfielders sprinted over the manicured outfield seeking every fly ball.
Surely this is a field that would make Davey Arnold proud.
Lopez said he's proud to watch the players run onto the field with a true love for the game: "Others have told me that kids love to play on this field. They can't wait to play here."
Lopez still wants to fix an old storage shed that sits near right field. And he wants to raise the outfield fence so the park doesn't get the reputation as an easy place to hit a home run.
But above all, Lopez is thankful for the renovations that have taken place and for the strong SALSA program that has emerged.
E-mail: lfreeman@lnpnews.com
