For 20 years, Paul Drew called Victory Field his office. A love of baseball and a desire to work outside led Drew from the pharmaceutical industry to the minor league field, where he helped prepare the field before games and repair afterward. When the Indianapolis Indians have their first home game of the 2024 season against the Memphis Redbirds on April 2, it will be the first time in two decades that Drew, 75, won’t be working at the ballpark.
“I’ll miss the noises and just the joy of everyone having a good time,” Drew, who is recently retired, said.
While not being at work during the season will take some getting used to, Drew can reflect on his time at Victory Field through the baseball-themed artwork he made during his tenure there. Drew has been painting since he was a young boy taking art classes with his mother. These baseball paintings and sketches helped Drew get back in the swing of making art regularly over the past five years. Along with paintings of some of baseball’s most recognizable figures — from the eight infamous members of the 1919 White Sox team to famed Yankees catcher Yogi Berra — Drew also used photos he took from the Victory Field dugout to create portraits of his fellow crewmen, players and himself. Though the names of some of the subjects of Drew’s paintings have faded from his memory, he said his 20 years at the ballpark have provided him with countless memories of camaraderie.
A collection of baseballs, many “home run” balls. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Paul Drew received the Employee of the Year Award in 2008. Credit: Provided photo/Paul Drew 
A baseball bat that Paul painted to commemorate famous ball players from the past. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
A collection of baseball jerseys. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
One of Paul’s paintings. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Paul Drew stands among his collection of artwork and baseball memorabilia in his living room. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Paul Drew used this equipment when he played for a team comprised of re-enactors of the mid-1800s. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
A display of Paul Drew’s art work through the years. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Paul Drew worked at Victory Fields for 20 years. Credit: Photo provided/Paul Drew 
A collection of Indianapolis Indians memorabilia at his home. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Paul Drew stands among his collection of artwork and baseball memorabilia in his living room. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy
Vintage baseball bats have become canvases for Drew, who paints homages to baseball legends on Louisville Sluggers, and three by five notecards have become detailed, sketched “baseball cards” for players in the minor and major leagues. Some of his roughly 50 baseball paintings have hung in local art galleries, and a few of the individuals portrayed in his work have the paintings in their personal collections.
From his Lawrence home, Drew walked through his life in baseball — from Little League, to Victory Field to his involvement in the White River Baseball Club, a reenactment baseball team set in 1869 — using his artwork as a guide.
Drew remembers showing up to his interview at Victory Fields in a three-piece suit. Despite being overdressed for the gig, he was hired on and, like every new employee, started working night games.
For a few hours before each game, Drew and his team were responsible for putting down the bases and drawing the baselines, which had to be done as precisely as possible. After every game, Drew helped clear the dugouts and field from baseballs, bats and helmets, clear cleat divots from the bases, and manicured the soil and grass in the outfield to ensure they were level.
[These local parks have been putting in the time to look their best, as well.]
It was hard work, but Drew and his team took great pride in what they did. At the end of every season, minor league coaches vote on the best field in the league. In 2015, Victory Field was named no. 6 on Baseball America’s Top 25 Minor League Baseball ballparks.
If something went wrong during the pregame setup, it could delay the game. If the field wasn’t properly cared for during the postgame rejuvenation, players could get hurt during the next game.
“It’s very unglamorous work, but it’s probably the most important,” Drew said. “The first thing guests see when they come to the field is the cleanliness of the field and the dugout.”
“It’s going to be electric this year”
Last offseason, Victory Field underwent renovations to replace tiling and the irrigation system and had new sod installed.
Miguel Perez, manager of the Indians since 2022, said the team is excited about the updated field and commended Head Groundskeeper Joey Stevenson — whom Drew worked for before his retirement — and his team for their work on the project.
“We’ve been practicing on the field for the last two days,” Perez said during a March 28 interview. “They did a great job with the field. Joey and his staff, you can tell how hard they work on getting things ready for us, and it looks really good and the guys are excited.”
As the Indians prepare for their 122nd season — and their 28th at the current Victory Field — a last-minute roster change has fans excited about the team’s prospects. Pitcher Paul Skenes, considered to be the no. 3 prospect in baseball, is expected to be called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates — which the Indianapolis Indians are the AAA affiliate — early on in the season. While the Indians have him, though, Perez expects his presence on the rotation paired with all the work the team has been doing in the offseason to pay off.
“It’s going to be electric this year,” Perez said. “With the pitching staff we have, adding Skenes to the rotation and having older guys around him, that’s just a really good match to have. You know, on the position player side, we have more depth than we used to have. … So, I’m very excited about what our year is going to look like.”
Though he’s retired, Paul Drew plans to visit Victory Field this season. For the first time in two decades, Drew will just be a dedicated fan — not a worker — when he sits in the stands. As he reminisced, it became clear that baseball wasn’t just a career for him, and more than a game. Like many Americans, Drew described baseball season as a chance to connect with family, friends and all the folks you can meet at the ballpark.
[Retired community members have been finding friends in this surprising place.]
“Game days are wonderful days where there are no borders,” Drew said. “You can just lounge, you can have a beer, say anything in your mind relative to goodspeak. I like to get out [to Victory Field] and enjoy the flavor, the scents, the noise. And if there’s good weather, it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”
Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Contact her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @BreannaNCooper.
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