Locos find a new home

So, the Lima Locos are packing up their bats and train whistles.
Good-bye Shawnee. Hello Simmons Field.
I feel much better about this move after talking with Locos general manager Steve Meyer. He told me the city leveled the outfield and re-seeded the infield last fall.
There is plenty more work to be done, but the city is ready to help out. The city will be moving the center-field fence and the light pole behind it back from 350 feet to 380.
The Locos will be painting the dugouts, grandstand and the new fence. There will also be a new scoreboard and a new batter's eye.
Parking could still be an issue. Sure, there is a grassy area near the field, but will that be enough?
I just hope the Locos continue to grill those same dogs and burgers that made Shawnee the top concession stand in the area.
The field may take a while to look like the Locos and the league wants it to.
But, eventually, it will be a nice place to play.
And, they will be selling beer. That should push the nightly gate over the 500 mark.
Right now, I'm not thinking of the last time I covered a high school tournament game (Coldwater vs. LCC) at Simmons. That's when the field had high grass, dandelions and ruts all over the outfield. It looked more like a junkyard than a ballpark.
Instead, I'm thinking of how nice the field looked the first time I saw it.
And how nice it could be again.