An Ohio father spent nearly two years and around $30,000 building a baseball field in his backyard after his five-year-old son asked whether they could have one at home.
uncertain
they → spend → home
Jason Kidd, who lived in Brookfield, transformed part of his property into a playing field, with regulation bases, a raised pitcher's mound, professional-grade infield clay and foul lines that he painted himself.
asserted
he → live → that
The project that involved extensive land preparation, eventually attracted complaints from some neighbours, WSLS 10 News reported in 2019.
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News → involve → 2019
Kidd's son was playing with a T-ball set when he made the request, which his father initially dismissed.
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father → play → which
But the idea stayed with Kidd, who began considering whether the family had enough space for a baseball field.
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family → stay → field
The father, who owned a small aircraft management business, eventually started measuring his backyard.
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who → own → backyard
The property was not immediately suitable for a playing field and needed a lot of preparation.
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property → need → preparation
By the time the main construction was completed, Kidd had spent approximately $30,000.
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Kidd → complete → 30,000
Although the amount was considerable, he said it was close to what he had expected, and worth it to spend time with his son and introduce him to baseball.
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he → say → baseball
The biggest expenses came before the field was built
Preparing the property turned out to be one of the most demanding parts of the project.
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Preparing → come → project
Kidd could not begin laying the playing surface until he had cleared the space and changed the existing landscape.
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he → begin → landscape
The backyard contained numerous trees, while a hill occupied part of the area intended for the field.
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hill → contain → field
Both had to be removed before construction could proceed.
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construction → have → ?
Kidd later identified tree removal and insulation work as two of the largest expenses.
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Kidd → identify → expenses
The baseball surface accounted for only a fraction of the total spending.
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surface → account → spending
Kidd estimated that the clay cost between $5,000 and $6,000.
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clay → estimate → 5,000
Rather than using ordinary soil, he selected the type of material used on major league baseball fields.
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he → use → fields
"The field itself wasn't the most expensive," Kidd told Yahoo Lifestyle.
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Kidd → tell → Lifestyle
"It was five or six thousand dollars worth of clay, the same kind of clay they use on actual big league fields," he added.
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he → use → fields
The completed playing area included regulation bases and a raised pitcher's mound.
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area → complete → bases
Kidd also took responsibility for painting the straight foul lines himself.
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Kidd → take → lines
However, the $30,000 expenditure did not cover everything he wanted.
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he → cover → everything
A fence was still missing, even though he had expected it to be included within the original budget.
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it → miss → budget
Neighbours raised concerns about the backyard project
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Neighbours → raise → project
While neighbourhood children were excited about using the field, some residents were less enthusiastic.
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residents → use → field
One concern involved the possible effect on surrounding property values.
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concern → involve → values
Kidd recalled that a passer-by had made a negative remark to the contractors working at his home.
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by → recall → home
Another neighbour questioned whether rain could carry material from the playing surface into a nearby ditch.
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rain → question → ditch
Kidd disagreed with that concern, maintaining that the clay covering the field was too heavy to be washed away in the manner suggested.
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clay → disagree → manner
There were also worries about balls travelling beyond the playing area and breaking windows.
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balls → be → windows
Kidd said the field would be used for softball rather than hardball games.
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field → say → games
The complaints were not limited to conversations with neighbours.
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complaints → limit → neighbours
According to Kidd, a Brookfield Township trustee had received an anonymous complaint about the project.
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trustee → accord → project
More additions were planned for the baseball field
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additions → plan → field
Despite completing the main playing area, Kidd had not finished all the improvements he wanted to make.
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he → complete → improvements
His plans included a warning track, a fence and a scoreboard.
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plans → include → track
Installing the fence had become a logistical problem.
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Installing → instal → fence
Arranging for steel supplies and fencing contractors to be available together was proving difficult.
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supplies → arrange → ?
In July 2019, Kidd said he hoped the work could be completed within the next few weeks.
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work → say → weeks
Kidd, a divorced father who shared custody of his son, wanted a place where they could play together and where he could teach the boy about baseball.
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he → divorce → baseball
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
