SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/26719
Facility&Operations on windy days. Hilltopper Mound Clay was used to reduce labor hours on the pitching slopes and homeplate areas, further reducing water consumption on the 100+ mounds across the complex. Equip- ment corrals were secured permanently to withstand the intense force of the monsoon storms that attack Arizona every summer. These cor- rals were also placed in close proximity to the fields for easy move- ment of batting practice screens and equipment. Trenbeath mentioned innovations that would have reduced main- tenance even further, but were not done because of budget considera- tions. The two wanted to incorporate an underground infield skin watering system, similar to the one in use at Yankee Stadium. They would have also incorporated a heating system under the stadium field turf to help establish ryegrass more quickly in autumn months, and ease the transition process to Bermuda in the warmer months. To the outside observer this may seem unnecessary with Arizona’s climate, but Trenbeath says to consider that the stadium is designed to shade 85% of the seating bowl by 1 PM during the spring, which leaves even fewer sunlight hours during the fall rye establishment pe- riod. Trenbeath is intimately familiar with managing lesser talked about shading issues. At Chase Field (regular season home to the D’backs), beginning in August, the grass area behind homeplate is completely shaded for the remainder of the season. To combat this Trenbeath developed a grow light system, placing large light carts on the warning track to provide artificial sunlight. The pair made a conscious effort to keep many of the materials uniform across the complex to ensure easier maintenance, but there are certain customizations on each side that make the facility feel more like home for each team. Each side has a practice field that is built to their respective home ballpark dimensions. While the replica Coors Field may be to exact dimensions, Trenbeath shared a secret— the replica Chase Field was built according to the stadium’s original specifications rather than the current ones. He says that the differ- ences are only noticeable to the keenest eye, such as the width of the trademark pathway from homeplate to the pitcher’s mound. Other customizations are located in the bullpens. The D’backs chose to go with artificial turf for the homeplate areas, with natural turf between those areas and pitching mounds. The Rockies kept clay homeplate areas with warning track mix leading up to the mounds. The D’backs have two bullpen areas, one area with an 8-mound pack and another with a 10-mound pack, each area with mounds side-by- side. The Rockies have one bullpen area with a 10-pack of side-by- side mounds, and one area with an 8-pack of back-to-back mounds. The D’backs also have two individual bunting fields, while the Rock- ies have staggered three bunting areas onto one field. Furthermore, the Rockies have opted to combine their profes- sional and minor league practice areas and weight rooms, while the D’backs decided to keep the two separate. This includes 10 covered cages in one area on the Rockies side, while the D’backs maintain five for each group. A NEW CHALLENGE Despite the consideration given by Razum and Trenbeath on the field design, the stadium design will pose a new challenge for full- time veteran groundskeeper Marshall Jennings. The design allows for unprecedented access to players as they move between practice fields, including ramps that lead into viewing areas of bullpens and batting cages. As Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall has been quoted saying, “It is... the Disneyland of baseball and spring training.” While this aids in the fan experience, potentially drawing more customers in the long run, in the short run this poses a challenge for groundskeepers learning how to deal with the new fan interaction. How exactly will this affect groundskeepers? No one can tell for cer- tain although both Razum and Trenbeath believe that it is a legiti- mate concern that should be closely monitored. As teams compete for fan attention in this information age, greater fan access may be- come the norm. “Once a fan steps on the property they become a part of the baseball experience. I think the first year will be a feel-it- out kind of thing. It may be a challenge, but I think they will be able to make the adjustments,” said Razum. FINISHING TOUCHES At the writing of this article (mid-February), finishing touches are swiftly being made to the complex for Opening Day on February 26. With an overall timeline of 15 months from groundbreaking to Opening Day, sticking to the scorching construction schedule has been an amazing feat for all parties involved. Although this timeline has forced concessions from the design team, the complex is already receiving rave reviews from the teams, media, and the Native Ameri- can community. For the two groundskeepers, they see a project of this magnitude, on this time frame, as always posing unique chal- lenges. Through it all, Razum summed up the project best when he said, “Being involved and having the cooperation of the community really said it all. They followed our recommendations on all 13 fields without cutting corners. I am proud to say that these are professional fields in every aspect. During this process, I enjoyed working with Grant and developed an appreciation for his professionalism. Many other people were involved who all wanted to see this project through to the final result, and I think the relationships that we built getting to that point are what matters the most.” ■ Clayton Hubbs is a former groundskeeper for the Arizona Diamond- backs and Director of Operations for Stabilizer Solutions, Inc., clay.hubbs@stabilizersolutions.com. Photo by Jon Willey 38 SportsTurf | March 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com