Pasadena La Salle still awaiting county approval to use its home baseball field

First-year Pasadena La Salle baseball coach Mike Solar said he has spent more than 500 hours working on the team’s home field at Arcadia County Park. The only problem is, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department has yet to give clearance for the field to be used. The team has played 10 games, all on the road. All practices also are at other sites.

“It’s really been unique,” Solar said. “The county has just been on radio silence the last week.”

La Salle has hoped to at least play a couple of home games this season. Instead, players, coaches and parents have had to load up their cars and drive and drive. The city of Glendale has been a real hero to the program, letting the team practice on a field at Scholl Canyon Park. “They’ve really saved our practices,” Solar said.

Practices also have been held on the football field, at indoor batting cages in Monrovia andat fields in Glendale.

Solar commutes from Beaumont, itself a 70-mile drive one way. “I’m at the gas station three times a week,” he said.

La Salle is 5-5 and its coach long ago told players not to use the home field issue as an excuse.

“I told them from the beginning, ‘No excuses,’” he said. “When the umpire says, ‘Play ball,’ it doesn’t matter.”

He would like to hear from L.A. County, considering it’s now in the yellow tier. He said phone calls and emails aren’t being returned.

“We have no idea what’s going on,” he said.