A letter to the Northstars

Dear current Havre Northstar players:

I know you will be focused on the task at hand tonight. Whether it is where to throw the ball with runners on first and third, or what pitch you might see on a 2-1 count, you have plenty of things to think about.

But sometime tonight when there is a lull in the game action do me a favor.

Look around for a moment.

Look at the emerald grass beneath your feet. Look at the sturdy wooden fence engulfing you. Look at the hundreds of people in the stands cheering you on.

Look around, and soak it in.

Because this doesn't happen often. Because this very moment is the culmination of hundreds of generous donations, thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of hours of volunteer work and millions upon millions drops of sweat and countless more tears shed in the process.

You are a part of something special, and what's even more amazing is you probably don't even realize it.

It wasn't that long ago that hosting a Class A state American Legion tournament at Legion Field wasn't a possibility. It wasn't even a consideration.

The last time Havre hosted a state legion tournament was in 1970.

Doesn't seem like that long ago? Really?

Your coach Mickey Williams played on that team along with your assistant coach, Steve Fanning's dad, Dave. That's about 10 years before most of you were born.

Legion Field was immaculate back then, according to Williams. It was only a couple of years old and the surface, the grass, everything was pristine.

But slowly over the next 20 years Legion started to erode due to constant use and just lack of funding to keep up with wear and tear. Slowly, the chain link fence started to bow and bend. Weeds started cropping up through the fence and onto the field. The burnt sienna colored dirt was slowly being replaced with nasty, mucky brown slop.

Legion Field was aging faster than a chain-smoker.

The low point came in 1993, when a team featuring a certain Havre Daily Sports Editor, suffered its way through a rain-shortened 32-game season. That summer it rained so much, you honestly saw people building arcs and rounding up pairs of animals to prepare for another great flood.

The field absolutely took a beating. Water had to be drained off the infield daily, and the grassy areas in front of both dugouts were so completely saturated with water and flooded, that sand and dirt had to be dumped on the grass to be able to play games.

It was sad really. The outfield was a like a cow pasture with weeds overrunning an area in right center and a large portion of centerfield had sunk about a foot lower over time. The jewel that once sat high on water tower hill had not only lost its shine, it was now an eyesore.

But back then, we still loved the place. We didn't know any better. We worked hard to make it playable and thought it was still a great place to play.

That year Fort MacLeod was a two-time Class A regional champion. The Royals came into Havre and got soundly beat by the Northstars. And the reward for such a big win? It was Coach Williams saying, "Good job, no running tonight, go ahead and go home."

After a brief cheer, he followed that up with, "Not before you set the pipes."

Setting the pipes meant the whole team dragging out at least 30 20-foot pieces of metal pipe with huge sprinkler heads attached to them and then attaching them in a pattern to water the outfield. It took about 30 minutes to set them. And the best part? You had to come back two hours later and reset them again. There were always complaints, but that's what you did.

But something happened after that year. Legion Field started to receive a facelift. The baseball board approved the installment of an underground sprinkler system. No more setting the pipes, no more returning every night to reset them, no more worrying about whether or not you got water in the right places.

That year was interesting. The sprinkler system process took a little longer than planned. The first two months of Northstars practice were spent using rakes and shovels, not balls and bats. The team couldn't hit early on, but it sure knew how to fill a sprinkler trench.

There were other additions that year. A return of the red dirt to the playing surface, hundreds of feet of sod laid on the sides of the field where weeds and dirt had taken over. It was a shocking change at first.

And it would only get better.

Barry Remus decided it was time for the chain link fence - if you could call it that - in the outfield to go. He organized a group of parents and buddies and "Da Fence Crew" was born. The crew liked to joke that the wood fence had 10,000 screws in it, one for every beer they drank while building it. The fence started in the outfield that first year and slowly worked its way around the field. Now it encloses the field, keeping the wind and the tumbleweeds out and the fans in.

It seemed like Legion was turning into Joan Rivers, receiving facelift, after facelift.

Still, as nice as the field was, the possibility of hosting state was inconceivable because of the lack of lights for night games.

That changed on a sad, yet monumental night. On April 1, 2001, it received light. Following the passing of one of the greatest Northstars baseball fans, Brian Fanning, the Brian Fanning Memorial Light Fund was born. The endowment raised helped raise the $85,000 needed to install lights with several generous contributions from local supporters and businesses. That night changed the field forever.

From then, Legion only got better. The addition of another batting cage, a redone concession stand, new buildings, newer maintenance equipment. An eyesore no more. The jewel on top of the hill seemed to shine brighter with every year.

That's why you current Northstars players need to take a moment to look around tonight, whether it's in warm-ups, during the game or afterwards when the automatic sprinklers kick on and the water rainbows appear in the glimmer of the stadium lights.

Take a look around and realize you have it pretty damn good.

And if all that you see - the emerald grass, the sturdy wooden fence, the cheering fans and the lighted darkness - doesn't inspire you, remember that all the money - close to $160,000 - that it took to make this happen, pales in comparison to the hours donated, the tears shed for loved ones lost and generosity of those in grief.

Savor this moment because they don't come around very often. Savor this moment because there are hundreds of former players who never got that chance. Savor this moment and be thankful for what you have and where you are playing at.

Sincerely,

Every former Northstar player who would gladly be in your place