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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/147380
moving in with their equipment for the post-practice concert, and there were people everywhere. The field was mowed to establish the pattern and the signature arch. Shortly after noon, the field still needed to be stripped. It was a group effort to get this done. Findley and his crew, our crew and Griffin (from Chelsea) set up the string lines around the perimeter of the field. Using several tape measures and triangulation, we established the goal boxes, penalty boxes and the other markings. After some minor paint machine problems the field was finally painted and the goals were installed. Once a little more field paint was applied to the sod on the warning track, the pitch was ready. More than 10,000 fans attended the practice game that night. Despite all of the cutting and turning during the practice, the sod stayed in place and played remarkably well. The practice was as much (if not more of ) a test of the field's endurance as the main game would be, as the drills concentrated the activity in the areas we had sodded. But the field withstood it all, and the night ended with the turf unscathed. And the next day, soccer left its mark on Busch Stadium. The final score was Manchester City - 3, Chelsea - 4, in front of a record-setting crowd. And on top of that, the teams, coaches and players were all pleased with how the field looked and played. BACK TO BASEBALL Friday morning, we started the whole process in reverse as we began literally "throwing out" the first pitch. The beautiful, thickcut sod was quickly removed, hauled out of the stadium, loaded on semis, and hauled off-site to be composted. The plastic had done a nice job of keeping the clay dry under the sod, as well as keeping it clean. Next, the challenge was to rebuild the baseball infield so that it was firm and had smooth transitions. Once the sod was removed, the entire infield clay was lightly tilled with a Rotodairon to help the clay bond, rather than form a shear plane. As the infield material was brought in, moisture was added, it was rolled and laser graded. One thing we learned was that we should have added more moisture to the clay when taking it out. Next, the base lines and home plate circle were filled in and leveled off. A form was set for the mound plateau, and the old clay was brought up in lifts and compacted around it. The mound was finished off with new clay on the plateau in the landing area. By the middle of the day Saturday, the field was put back together, and the warning track was cleaned up and ready for baseball. It was an intense week, but an unmatchable experience. Working with world class groundskeepers (Billy Findley and Jason Griffin) was an incredible honor, and building the first world-class soccer pitch at Busch Stadium is a project I will always remember with great pride. It was hard work, and had its challenges. But someday, I'll be telling my grandchildren I got to do the first pitch at Busch Stadium, and that is priceless. n Top: REMOVING the thick cut sod. Photo by Steve Bush. Above Left: LASER GRADING and leveling the baselines. Photo by Steve Bush. Above Right: A soccer pitch in a baseball cathedral, Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Photo by Steve Bush. Steve Bush, CSFM, CFB (Certified Field Builder) is an agronomist and president of Bush Sports Turf. www.stma.org SportsTurf 23