Canseco & McGwire, Mays & McCovey, Montana & Rice: it seems great duos rise above the call of duty. At San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s Field of Dreams, fans of the oldest active diamond in the country can find two curators who double back as important components of the SQ Giants’ pitching staff.

Patrick Poteat, 36, and Robert Nash, 41, groomed the baseball diamond with the precision of professional “greenscapers” who took care of legacy fields such as Oracle Park or Fenway Park.

“All the memories and regrets of my poor choices and bad decisions, re-playing day-after-day,” said Nash. “Wishing to create new memories with loved ones, memories you hold on to; memories to be proud of; and baseball adds to those memories.”

The ballplayers maintained the field as their daily activity and excelled as teammates with passion and sense of humor. 

“Maintaining the field is my therapy,” said Poteat. “I take pride in it and it shows how much work we put in. I feel proud when I get out there to play because I want to play on a decent field.”

“I don’t track the amount time I put in, because it’s the only time I feel like I’m not in prison,” said Nash. “The walls, the fences, the barbed wire, the towers, they all just disappear … for those few hours. It’s not really something I know how to put into words, it’s just something you can only understand by experiencing it, and that is something I am so incredibly grateful for.”

The duo spent up to 20-hours per week mowing the grass — the grass since turned to dirt and dust — watering the field, trenching it before heavy rains, manicuring the base paths, and chalking the field. 

After field maintenance, they threw batting practice or hit infield to help Coach Richard “Will” Williams of the SQ Giants and Coach Rick Dias of the SQ Hardtimers.

Poteat’s and Nash’s hard work on the field demonstrated a work ethic that allowed them to make the team.

Nash said, “What’s a guy like me, a guy that never even played baseball, going to bring? To my surprise and everyone else’s too, I made it and was officially part of the team.”

“[I] tried out a few times before making the team but my life was fast and loose then,” said Poteat.

They made the roster the same year, and decided to show their appreciation by taking up the responsibility of maintaining The Field of Dreams.

“We want to help our team be successful. Whether we contribute a lot or a little does not make a difference, as long our contribution helps,” said Poteat. 

They have become fixtures on the field and have learned to take on counseling qualities.

“Sometimes it brings me down when I see or hear others’ problems, as trying to help them gets in my head, but I combat that stress as me and Nash work on the field together,” said Poteat.

“I’ve learned how to be part of a community,” said Nash. “Making positive impacts where people count on me, has let me eliminate my self-centered thinking; knowing that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”

They also make practical jokes, filling player’s pockets with cut grass or chalk and doing unspeakable jokes with protective cups.

“My biggest insight is that I’m not the most important person in my world,” said Nash. “My actions don’t just have consequences, but they used to cause great harm and cause trauma to people I care about — never again.”