This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
“I’m standing in the center field.”
Neil Herdan wants to make sure I can identify him when I arrive at Whitey Ford Field, so that’s the message he texts.
The Grape Dutches, a team in the Astoria Social Softball League, is supposed to have a playoff game, but it’s so early that the players haven’t arrived yet.
Advertisement
Neil is the only guy on the field.
And it’s a good thing because he’s not in center field. He’s smack in the middle of the pitcher’s mound. He apparently has no idea that there’s a difference.
At any rate, his mapping mistake would not have mattered much because even amid a sea of sports uniforms, he’s a standout on the diamond.
Advertisement
He’s the guy wearing the jeans and the Audubon baseball cap.
Baseball? Softball?
When it comes to those sports, Neil, a self-described “smallish” guy with spectacles, is the first to admit that he’s the odd man out, whether he’s in center field or on the pitcher’s mound.
Neil, the co-chairman of the volunteer advocacy group Friends of Whitey Ford Field, makes no apologies for this.
He’s British, so he never played the American-as-apple-pie ball game when he was a boy.
Advertisement
“I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no idea who Whitey Ford was,” he says. “Or that he was an Astoria native, a Baseball Hall of Famer and the greatest pitcher the Yankees ever had.”
Besides which, when Neil was growing up in the London suburb of Willesden Green, the home of prize-winning novelist Zadie Smith, he really was more interested in books than balls.
“When I was a kid, I did play rounders, which is a bat-and-ball game somewhat like softball, and I’ve always been a fan of football, which is what Americans call soccer,” he says. “And I’m still an avid supporter of London’s Chelsea Football Club.”
Neil, a former corporate librarian who is the founder of the prospect development consulting firm 31St Avenue Project, didn’t even know that Whitey Ford Field existed until he took a tour of it with the Greater Astoria Historical Society a couple of years ago.
Advertisement
Although Neil has lived in Astoria since 1988 – he came to New York City in 1985 to work on a master’s degree in librarianship at Columbia University – he had never before become involved in a high-profile community project.
“I never expected to be doing this,” he says. “It fell into my lap.”
After attending some city council proprietary budget assembly meetings, Neil signed up for the parks and transportation committees.
When it came time to pick projects to fund, Whitey Ford Field popped into his mind.
Advertisement
“It was the history of the spot – the first settlers in Astoria made their homes between 26th and 27th avenues – not the sports aspect that attracted me,” he says.
Others had tried to get funding for the field, but nothing ever came of the proposals. Indeed, Neil’s first two attempts, for $300,000 for fitness equipment, met similar fates.
So he was quite surprised this year when Councilman Costa Constantinides and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz announced they were designating $2 million for an upgrade of the field, which is next to The Durst Organization’s Hallets Point Astoria Cove mixed-use project.
Faster than you can say, “three strikes, you’re out,” Neil was in.
He was named a member of the newly formed Friends of Whitey Ford Field, which he and Blair Clancy, Ford’s granddaughter, co-chair.
Advertisement
He’s thrilled to be on the winning team.
“Where I grew up was very much like Astoria,” he says. “It was very diverse – more than 100 languages were spoken there. I’ve been devoted to Astoria ever since I moved here, and I want to improve people’s lives.”
Neil, a sometime film producer and Baruch College assistant lecturer/adjunct, hopes the Friends of Whitey Ford Field becomes a model for other advocacy organizations.
“I want us to be the best there is,” he says. “And I want Whitey Ford Field to be the best ballfield in New York. I want it to be the envy of New York.”
Advertisement
The upgrade of the field could take a couple of years, more than enough time for Neil to learn to play ball.
“I’m 55 -- too old to play, and I have a bum leg,” he says, carefully climbing off the bleachers, where he retreated as soon as the Grape Dutches fielded the first pitch.
Nancy A. Ruhling may be reached at Nruhling@gmail.com; @nancyruhling on Twitter; nruhling on Instagram, nancyruhling.com, astoriacharacters.com.
Copyright 2017 by Nancy A. Ruhling
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.