Steve Ottaviano with the bin of balls that have travelled over the fence of Count Basie Fields into his auto repair shop property. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Steve Ottaviano likes baseball as much as the next guy. But the owner of Steve’s Auto Repair in Red Bank has a big problem with dingers.
Namely, the dozens of times over the years the slang term for “home run” has taken on its more literal meaning as balls travel over the left field fence at Red Bank’s Count Basie Fields and crash down onto cars awaiting repair at his garage on the adjacent property.
Shattered windshields, dented roofs and hoods, and a bin containing scores of balls he’s collected all stand as testament to what happens when sluggers on the field used by softball and Little League baseball players go yard.
The Borough of Red Bank has spent thousands on new fencing over the past two years to address the problem.
Ottaviano feels the solutions have fallen short. As a result, he says, some of his customers are going, going, gone.
“I’ve lost customers,” he says standing in the lot last week. If you leave your car here and it gets a dent or a window blown out, you’ll be like, “Thanks, Steve. How much do I owe you? And you ain’t going back.”
Steve Ottaviano points to a section of fence at Red Bank’s Count Basie Field he would like to see higher to keep balls from landing in his auto repair shop lot, and (below) a windshield he said was smashed by a home run. (Photos by Brian Donohue)
Steve’s Auto Repair sits at the foot of 2 Park Place, a short dead-end off of Drs. James Parker Boulevard.
The fence along the south side of the property Ottaviano rents is also the left field fence for the artificial turf field used by recreational baseball leagues and Red Bank Catholic High School softball. On off days, parents, kids, and others often use the field for pick-up games or batting and fielding practice.
But Ottaviano’s ball bin also contains golf balls, lacrosse balls, and even a hockey puck that have travelled over the fence.
Red Bank Catholic High School has reimbursed him for “four or five” windshields smashed by taters hit by the Caseys or their opponents. Ottaviano says he’s “probably paid for ten windshields” smashed by balls.
“These girls can hit,” he said. “Years ago they couldn’t hit like that.”
Still, he surmises the bulk of the problem is caused by “bigger kids” playing pickup games of home run derby.
Red Bank officials have tried to address the problem. In December 2024, the borough installed $7,800 worth of additional netting atop the fence according to Borough Manager Jim Gant.
And again, last September, the borough spent $12,330 to install additional 20-foot-high netting that extends to about the foul line, roughly the spot where the auto yard meets the Park Place right of way.
Both moves, Gant said, “were direct results of conversations and on-site meetings with the business owner.”
“These efforts were undertaken in good faith to mitigate risk and demonstrate our responsiveness,” Gant said in an email to redbankgreen.
Ottaviano, however, wants the 20-foot-high netting extended farther beyond the left field foul pole, where foul balls continue to clear the lower portion of the fence.
“They put that up, but the balls are still coming over,” he said, pointing to the 20-foot-high netting. “We gotta go higher, and we gotta go all the way,” he said, referring to the remaining section of fence and a gate that are still roughly 8 feet high.
That’s not feasible, Gant said, because that section of fence is also a gate that’s needed for emergency vehicle access to the park.
“Our fencing contractor has advised this is not feasible or advisable due to the need for full clearance and access in emergency situations, which is paramount,” he wrote.
Gant also said Ottaviano may be parking some of the vehicles beyond the boundaries of his private property and on the public street.
“The auto body shop stores vehicles beyond the footprint of its property, extending onto the public street, which increases exposure,” Gant wrote in an email to redbankgreen.
“There is also an inherent risk associated with operating adjacent to a long-standing recreational field,” Gant added. “That said, the Borough remains open to continued discussion in pursuit of a balanced solution that considers public safety, emergency access, and reasonable accommodation of neighboring businesses.”
In the end, perhaps only solution may be one that has eludes so many teams over the years: better pitching.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
