For more than 50 years, Clinton "Tink" Larson coached high school and amateur baseball teams in Waseca, Minn. And when there were no games to coach, you'd find him at the historic ballpark on 7th Avenue cutting the lawn, dragging the infield or working on the pitchers mound.
Larson, who lives across the street, took care of the place as if it were his own. After all, it was his park. It even took his name.
On Wednesday night, the legendary baseball coach watched in shock as fire reduced the wooden grandstand and clubhouse to ashes in a couple hours.
"It was terrible, devastating," Larson said Thursday. "Fifty years of my life just went up in smoke. It's sad, it [the ballpark] was part of me."
Larson said the charred remains are painful to look at and he didn't sleep much Wednesday as he thought about a half century of memories and the hundreds of hours he spent at the field leading his teams and getting the field ready to play.
"There are so many memories," he said. "A lot players have come through here … lots of big games played here."
Larson had just arrived home Wednesday night from attending a ballgame with his grandchildren and saw the fire, which broke out shortly after 8 p.m.
Firefighters responded quickly, but were unable to save the beloved ballpark that was a landmark in the community of 9,500 residents located on Hwy. 14 between Owatonna and Mankato.