Harry Adams and Terry Mihora
Who is behind all the work that keeps your SaddleBrooke Softball complex looking great and probably the best softball field in southern Arizona? The answer: Four “Dirt Dawgs” and many volunteers. Our association is self-funded receiving no monetary assistance from SaddleBrooke TWO. Funds collected from our members and sponsors goes back into the facility to pay for field maintenance, uniforms and the equipment necessary to keep this 14-year-old facility going strong and looking great.
SaddleBrooke resident and “Top Dawg” Tim Benjamin has headed our volunteer maintenance crew since 2013 taking over from early resident John Reingruber. Tim and wife Marda moved here in 2010 from the Pacific Northwest after a thirty-year work career in the Bay area. Tim was in newspaper publishing with the SF Chronicle and San Jose Mercury papers. Tim also works part-time at our MountainView and Preserve golf courses, enjoying meeting new people and staying busy. Our facility looks the way it does because of Tim’s watchful eyes overseeing our annual field projects.
Terry Mihora and his wife Janice have been SaddleBrooke Ranch residents since May of 2015. Both are players in multiple leagues here at SaddleBrooke. Terry is our key “Lead Dawg” spending numerous hours each week improving our infield playing surface. Hours upon hours of tractor tilling keeps our infield surface in premier condition in this hot weather and our players cannot thank him enough for his hard work. Terry, a Michigan native, spent 39 years with E.I. Dupont as a millwright, pipefitter, electrician and rigger. Both he and Janice love to collect antiques and their home could easily pass for an antique shop at the Ranch. In addition to playing and maintenance work, Terry enjoys making reproduction primitive furniture and is an avid reader.
Harry Adams heads our mowing and infield chalking crews. A resident in SaddleBrooke since 2007, Harry hails from Libertyville, Illinois where he enjoyed a 30-year career with Abbott Labs. If you dance you have probably met Harry and his wonderful wife Dottie leading or assisting dance lessons here in SaddleBrooke. Harry is as smooth on the bases and in the outfield as he is on the dance floor. His crew handles the mowing of the outfield and field prep each day chalking the lines for games.
Daniel Jacobs joined the team last year. His full-time job is on the Golf Maintenance team at the MountainView Golf Course as the Mechanical Superintendent for the past 12 years. He works for us after hours and has been a key consultant on keeping our outfield turf in great shape and weed-free.
His mechanical expertise keeps our mower and tractor in tip-top running condition and we couldn’t be happier having him as a part of our team.
While these four do a lot of the heavy lifting their jobs are made much easier by our large list of softball playing volunteers (King Mitchell and Tom Klein to name a few) who make up their teams. Our association thanks each of them for the time they give each week throughout the entire year.
Games are played Monday through Friday and our next tournament is St. Patrick’s Day in March. Notices will be sent to all unit reps in both HOA’s so come on down to the ballpark and enjoy a brat or hot dog while watching teams from each of our leagues showcase their talents. If interested in joining our association contact Mark Hojnacki at [email protected].