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At 14 years old, Eddie Zajdel started building a baseball field in his parents’ backyard. That mound of dirt has transformed into his own field of dreams.
WATCH COMMUNITY DONATIONS POUR IN FOR THIS BACKYARD IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.
“The field started off with just a mound of dirt that I put in the middle of the backyard,” said Zajdel. “My parents weren’t too enthusiastic about that, but they saw just how much enjoyment me and my friends were getting out of that. And because of that, it kind of took on a life of its own.”
The next summer, Eddie built an infield.
The summer after that, he added a fence.
Donations poured in to make his dream a reality.
“The grass in the field is a special blend of Kentucky bluegrass. That’s used by many different MLB stadiums,” says Zajdel. “We laser-leveled it, we installed lights, we installed a brand-new fence.”
For Eddie, the field is never done.
“Each day, I walk out, and there’s always something to work on. “
“Some nights when we’re out here sitting by the fire and the lights are on or when I see other people enjoying the field, it finally hits me. It’s like, ‘Wow, this is actually pretty cool.’”
Now that Eddie’s older, he wants to give back through the field. He’s planning a fundraiser to raise money for kids in need.
“If I could turn something like this, you know, something in my backyard into a greater cause, that would make me very happy. My goal is to share it with as many people as possible.”