HOUSTON -- For the athletes on the TSA baseball field in the Heights, it’s about playing the game.

It’s something aspiring baseball players look forward to.  But for some uninvited guests, going to the field was all about making money.

Those guests were copper thieves, and they stole metal from the valves that provide water to the field, shutting off the entire water supply.

“We looked into it and found out that the valves were stolen,” league president Russell Baumbach said.

Both of the stolen valves were along a side street.

Members of the league say the thieves probably got about $40 for the copper.

It’s a small payoff—especially considering how much it will cost to fix.

League members say it’s going to be nearly $6,000 to get the valves back in working order.

So at a time when parents are signing their kids up to play and paying the league dues, some of that money will have to be spent on restoring the fields.

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“The fields without the sprinkler system, we won’t be able to serve the fields like we need to, so they can be in good shape,” Baumbach said.

And without the fields, the kids can’t play.

In the near future, the league plans to move the valves inside the fence of the field in a bid to keep uninvited guests from playing dirty.