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June 22, 2005Beach Bums' ballpark 'awesome,' says commishStadium to seat 4,550 spectatorsByRecord-Eagle sports editor TRAVERSE CITY - Bill Lee has one word to describe the new baseball ballpark in Blair Township that will house the Frontier League's Traverse City Beach Bums. "Awesome," the league commissioner said. Lee was in town recently, touring the site and meeting with team owners John and Leslye Wuerfel. "That facility is going to be incredible," he said. "And the speed with which it is being built is equally impressive. Everyone in our industry agrees. Things like this usually don't move that quickly." Actually, work on Wuerfel Park, which will seat 4,550 fans between the foul poles, is "right on schedule," according to Leslye Wuerfel. Over the past few weeks, crews have been working on the first floor walls - and the elevator shaft - for the two-story structure. The stadium's appearance will change dramatically in the next month. By the end of July, Wuerfel said the stadium's roof trusses should be up - and work should begin on the grass portion of the playing field. "If you walk down on the field, and turn in a circle ... it's an awesome sight," Wuerfel said. "I've been to a lot of ballparks, and the line of vision (at Wuerfel Park) is tremendous." The stadium will feature 3,518 chair-back seats and a large outfield scoreboard equipped with an instant replay video board. The field dimensions will be 320 feet down the lines in right and left field and 400 to straight-away center. The clubhouse - which will include locker rooms, lounges, an exercise room and a media room - is nearly done. Wuerfel said they hope to have an occupancy permit for it by July 1. The Beach Bums will join the independent league next summer. They will play 96 games, 48 of those at home. There are currently 12 teams in the Frontier League, including Kalamazoo. The average attendance is about 2,500 fans per game, Lee said. The Beach Bums plan to hire a manager and director of baseball operations, probably after the current season ends in early September, Wuerfel said. She said the team will be looking at candidates with professional experience. The Beach Bums could start signing players as early as this fall. "We should have about 75 percent of our players signed by April," she said. Wuerfel said the Beach Bums will have an open tryout here in either April or May. The team will carry 24 players on its roster. "There's so much talent out there," she said, "that 24 rosters spots aren't that many."
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