A mini field is causing major problems for a former MLB All-Star after he angered some neighbors with the latest addition to his home.
Retired shortstop J.J. Hardy finds himself in a neighborly dispute after beginning construction on every child’s dream in his backyard — a miniature baseball field.
“Everybody has a right to enjoy their own yard, but this is something that is beyond what is reasonable to expect your neighbors to tolerate,” Pam Lang told KPHO.
Lang, who lives across the street from Hardy’s Chandler, Arizona home, reached out to the local outlet to complain about the former ballplayer’s field of dreams.
The upset neighbor only learned what was being built behind her home when she saw 20-foot poles being drilled into the ground.
“I didn’t sign up to live next to a baseball field,” said Lang. “It’s like a commercial, like living next to Top Golf, you know.”
Lang filed a complaint with Maricopa County and learned Hardy had not received the proper permits for his new field.
Hardy’s home, located 30 miles Southeast of Downtown Phoenix, already boasts an impressive property fitted with a putting green, tennis court and in-ground pool.
The property is on a county island, allowing Hardy to build nearly anything he wants without fearing kickback from a homeowner association, which Lang is frustrated with.
“There’s an inherent unfairness to this, an injustice because he can do whatever he wants because it’s a county island, and I can’t,” said Lang. “I don’t have a recourse because I am bound by all these rules in this HOA.”
While Hardy doesn’t have any HOA to adhere to, there are several height and distance requirements that he still has to meet.
Lang has admitted there isn’t much she can do about her neighbor’s construction project, but wants to be felt that she is listened to.
“It’s very disappointing and frustrating that all I can do is file a complaint and hope that somebody in the county feels like listening to me,” she added.
The former big leaguer has to meet an April 22 deadline to file the proper permits or risk needing to take down some of the construction, county officials told AZFamily.
Hardy’s family would not comment when reached out to by the outlet.
Hardy spent portions of 13 seasons in the Majors after being drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
He would go on to play five seasons with the Brewers before being traded to Minnesota in exchange for Carlos Gomez in the 2009 offseason, according to his player profile.
Hardy spent one season with the Twins before again being traded, this time being dealt to Baltimore in December 2010, where he would spend the remainder of his career.
The two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove recipient retired in 2017 and was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2021.
He was eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023 but received zero votes in his only ballot.
Hardy retired with a career batting average of .256 from 5805 at bats, 188 home runs and 688 RBIs.
