Field #1 at the Cottage Lane Wiffleball Complex
Palisades WBL is at it again with the introduction of the only permanent, single-use fast pitch Wiffleball complex in the country. Similar to FSK Park, the new Cottage Lane Wiffle Complex ups the ante with three fast pitch fields instead of one, and room for a fourth. There certainly will be some growing pains as every field maintenance project couldn’t be completed in the shortest off-season of any Wiffleball league, but Field #1 is still easily the best venue in all of fast pitch wiffle.
Other than a center field being 128 feet, Field #1 at the Cottage Lane Wiffleball Complex is a hitters park. With a four foot fence in left, distance of 90 feet down the line and 97 to the alley, righties have a distinct advantage over lefties. Right field is a different story. With an eight foot fence and distance of 102 feet to the alley, a lot of last year’s homers may end up as triples. Lefties do get a little help with an 85 foot right field line, but again, the eight foot fence should come into play.
Towering over Field #1 is a pair of white 15 foot tall foul poles and a scoreboard. Under the scoreboard there is the infamous box/bench where spectators will be able to view not only Field #1, but also excellent sight lines of Field #2. Other amenities include field-side parking and a hillside terrace that lies just a few feet behind the left field fence, reminiscent Howard J. Lamade Stadium, the home of the Little League World Series. However unlike at FSK Park, spectators will no longer need to step foot on the field to get to the good seats as there are entrances about 35 feet into foul territory on both sides of the field.
Field #2 at the Cottage Lane Wiffleball Complex, still under construction.
The band box that is Field #2 is still under construction, but pitchers will catch a break with a 122 foot center field fence. The rest of the dimensions are; 88 feet down the left field line, 101 in the alley, 98 in the right field alley, and 86 down the line. The field is enclosed by a fence nearly six feet tall that spans from the left field alley, all the way to the right field alley, with the last 30 feet in right comprised of a three foot tall temporary fence. Field #2 also has a 15 foot foul pole in left, and a shorter 10 foot foul pole in right. The field is also a little quirky, especially in center as not only is there a three foot gap in the fence, the fence itself breaks deeper at an extreme angle. In right field there is a branch that hangs over a few feet over the fence. Balls hitting the branch and returning to the field will still be in play, and when caught will be an out. Balls that pass through the center field fence gap will be considered a triple.
Bailey's Smokehouse, 136 Erie Street East, Blauvelt, NY - (845) 365-4004
After the game you owe it to yourself to visit Bailey’s Smokehouse. Bailey’s Smokehouse is just two blocks from Cottage Lane Wiffleball Complex, and is the home of the best barbeque east of the Mississippi. Their menu and selection of beer on tap is second to none in the county.
