Former Andrew Warde High School Baseball & Football Star Helps Open Staples High School's New 'Field of Dreams' as Wreckers' Coach

When Andrew Warde High School Class of 1984 product Jack McFarland, pictured at left, took over as head coach of the Staples High School baseball team five years ago, his vision of what he wanted the program to become was lofty, to say the least. After all, the former Crimson Eagle achieved tremendous success on the baseball diamond and football gridiron.

McFarland was a member of Warde's back-to-back Class LL state finalist baseball teams, winning the state championship in 1981. As a pitcher at Warde, Jack received All-County and All-State recognition. He holds the school record (18) for most strikeouts in one game. McFarland went on to play his college baseball at Southern Connecticut State University, and he started his coaching career as an assistant baseball coach at Fairfield High School for three years.

Today, just like he does as an assistant coach of the state powerhouse Staples football team, McFarland will settle for nothing but the best. On the field, the Wreckers captured the FCIAC title last season with a young but talented group. This Spring, they are currently 8-3 overall and riding a four-game winning streak. However, McFarland felt that he was coaching a championship-caliber team on a second-rate diamond.

"We were 11-4 on the road last year and 5-5 at home," the former Crimson Eagles' star quarterback said. "That had a lot to do with the field conditions and our pride in the field. It was embarrassing. There was nowhere for the fans to sit. We felt more comfortable in the nicer fields around the league like Trumbull and Darien. Of the 19 teams in the league, our home field was probably 17 or 18 on that list."

Thanks to the efforts of the Staples Baseball Diamond Club and a total group effort by Westport's baseball community, the Wreckers now have a field they'll be proud to call home. Staples has put the final touches on a refurbishing project which has completely changed the look and feel of its baseball complex, one whose aesthetics and practicality should place it among the top diamonds in the FCIAC. The Wreckers will celebrate their new jewel during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to Monday's game against Wilton.

The upgrades to the baseball field include a completely replaced infield with new sod and dirt, the addition of a new irrigation and drainage system, new state-of-the art dugouts on each side of the diamond painted in Wrecker blue, a new batting cage behind the third-base dugout, a fenced-in bullpen with two mounds, outfield fencing from foul pole to foul pole, and perhaps the nicest amenity: a new set of bleachers cut into the hill on the first-base line that will hold 240 people.

There's even a tree-lined, brick-walk plaza near the edge of the parking lot where fans can gather before or during games. Finally, Staples has a field that mirrors the quality of its team. "We feel like we have a home field and a facility that matches what we need to compete in the FCIAC," said McFarland, who led Warde to a 26-6 1983 Thanksgiving Day football victory over Ludlowe during his senior year. "It's a beautiful field and a great place to watch a game."

"Jack has a very good vision for the program. He was hoping to improve the facility," said Mark Hennessy, a member of the Staples Baseball Diamond Club and one of the driving forces behind the refurbishment project. "I was so impressed by that, so I and a few others rallied around him and tried to figure out how we could help to make his vision a reality."

Staples has already played five home games on the field, and so far there's been nothing but rave reviews. The infield itself is a vast improvement over the old one, which often produced bad hops. "The infield before, we were just adding clay every year and trying to cut the lips out. We've been doing that for the past 34 years. It got to the point where it was almost dangerous last year," added McFarland, who resides in Monroe with his wife Norma, and four daughters - 12-year-old twins, Kelly and Kenzie, seven-year-old Megan, and Abby, who just turned three.

The dugouts feature 30 cubicles where players can store their equipment as well as bat racks and hooks for hats and jerseys. The bullpen is enclosed, making it safer than the previous warmup spot that pointed perpendicular to the field. "It's great," McFarland added. "You can get all your work done in the cage with both mounds facing in toward the plate. Before you were facing toward the foul line. Everything was done properly. We can get a pretty good practice in down there."

The fencing from the left field foul pole to center field is permanent. The fencing from center field to the right-field line can be broken down to accommodate soccer games. Fans will no longer have to plop down on the hill next to the first-base line in order to take in a game. A nice row of metal bleachers is now in its place, offering fans an unobstructed view of the action.

"No one ever had a place to watch the game before," McFarland said. "Now we actually offer a place to sit, which is great." The addition of the bleachers gives the field the look and feel of a mini stadium. "The bleachers give you an unbelievable view of the game because you're elevated above the playing field," McFarland said. "It reminds me of one of the fields up in Cape Cod. It's a great place to watch a game now."

Best of luck to Jack McFarland and his Staples Wreckers' baseball team as they play on their new "Field of Dreams."

Paul

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