Grass Roots

Many Timber Rattlers from the 2008 squad will be headed for High Desert in the California League in 2009. This is what they have waiting for them.

On a cool, sunny afternoon, Rick Radecki looks out onto the High Desert Mavericks’ ballpark and points out the cracked paint bordering the outfield walls and a dilapidated, shoddy field.

It’s a stadium that hasn’t been renovated since it was built nearly 20 years ago.

“It’s deteriorated season after season after season,” said Radecki, who’s been a loyal Mavericks’ fan for the past 11 years. “Everybody whines and everybody complains, and nobody wants to pick up the ball and do anything about it.”

So Radecki is stepping up to the plate — literally — launching a community campaign to upgrade the facilities of Stater Bros. Stadium. On his white T-shirt, Radecki’s printed the three, big, green words that sum up his mission: Save our grass.

The city of Adelanto, which owns the stadium and is responsible for its upkeep, concedes that the stadium is in need of many repairs. But the city simply doesn’t have the funds for renovation, Adelanto City Manager Jim Hart said.

“The fact that things at the stadium may not be up to par is a direct result of the fact the city itself doesn’t have sufficient revenues or finances to pick up in some of the areas that really need help,” Hart said.

There is one improvement that will stand out...

For the first time in at least the past four years, the city is re-sodding the entire field for this season, which should result in a more even playing surface that poses fewer safety hazards or strange ball bounces, Hart said.

But the broken scoreboard and field lighting, battered seats and chipped paint throughout the concourse will have to wait — which could cause the team itself to abandon the stadium.

For the city, which loses about $200,000 in annual maintenance costs for the stadium, it’s a matter of upgrading the facilities or spending that money on new police officers’ salaries, Hart said.

“We understand the stadium needs upgrades, and we also would like to be able to keep the Mavericks here,” Hart said. “We’re open to suggestions that will allow that to occur, but at the same time won’t take money away for the city to provide other critical services.”

There is a meeting and some ideas. The Mavericks will need those and a lot more.