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/543149
FROM THE SIDELINES T hings that cross a 55-year-old dad's mind before he naps on a breezy, shady back porch in summertime: What exactly are the rules now for a catcher's blocking the plate? Can he block it if he has the ball? Can he block it until the runner begins his slide and then move? If he has the ball and is waiting for the runner, is that runner's only option to try and elude him and touch the plate via sliding or can he barrel into the catcher in hopes he'll drop the ball? Whatever it is, the rule should be posted in dugouts alongside the sign "No gum or seeds." World Cup hero Carli Lloyd says that to be the best at anything you need to "empty the tank every day." No doubt that working hard day in and day out most often leads to success but, from my prone position, I wonder about the possibility of running out of gas. Imagine how much happier (and healthier) we would be if everyone took 1 day a week to fill up their tanks via a favorite activity or (gasp!) sim- ply hangin' with the family. If you're never at "ease" then you might get a "dis-ease" brought on by stress. America, just chill! The summer I turned 16 John Lennon and Muhammad Ali were really famous. This summer my oldest son turned 16 and Donald Trump and Caitlyn Jenner are really famous. Sheesh. Speaking of famous, Taylor Swift is ter- rific! Sure hope she doesn't take a Bieber Boulevard or Lohan Lane exit ramp. "Jaws" premiered that summer I turned 16 and its release is regarded as a watershed moment in the history of motion pictures as the first "summer blockbuster." Forty years later real sharks are attacking swimmers (or standers, as some attacks are in thigh-high water) off the Carolina coasts, a dozen this season by the July 4th weekend. Wonder if in 2055 genetically engineered dinosaurs will be taking over theme parks? I cannot wait until there's technology sophisticated enough to know through GPS and eyeball recognition when you are driving while simultaneously looking at your phone, the program automatically shows on your screen an image of you bleeding and unconscious beside the road. There are never slow news days any more. Social media and 24/7 television news channels can make anything "news." And then beat to death the topic of the day so you never want to hear about it again, which you most likely won't because tomorrow brings a new topic. Just once I would like to see TV news stick with an important story that has no violence or sex involved. Like for example our country's aging infrastructure—if only a bridge collapsed every day and there was cell phone videos of cars falling off them, every day! Then maybe the fin- ger-pointing in government might turn into handshakes. But I must have fallen asleep; that's a dream. ■ ST Eric Schroder Editorial Director eschroder@specialtyim.com 717-805-4197 6 SportsTurf | August 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com EPG Media & Specialty Information 3300 Fernbrook Lane N, Suite 200, Plymouth, MN 55447 The Official Publication Of The Sports Turf Managers Association President: Allen Johnson, CSFM Immediate Past President: David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP President-Elect: Jeff Salmond, CSFM Secretary/Treasurer: Timothy Van Loo, CSFM Vice-President Commercial: James Graff Professional Facilities: Dan Bergstrom Academic: Jeffrey Fowler Higher Education: Matt Anderson Parks & Recreation: Sarah Martin, CSFM K-12: Bobby Behr, CSFM Commercial: Doug Schattinger Elected-at-Large: Jimmy Simpson, CSFM Elected-at-Large: David Anderson Chief Executive Officer: Kim Heck STMA OFFICE 805 New Hampshire Suite E Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 800-323-3875 Fax: 800-366-0391 Email: STMAinfo@STMA.org www.STMA.org EDITORIAL Group publisher: David Voll Editorial Director: Eric Schroder Technical Editor: Dr. Joey Young Art Director: Brian Snook Production Manager: Karen Kalinyak STMA Editorial Communications Committee Chairman: Sarah Martin, CSFM TJ Brewer, CSFM; Joe Churchill; Jim Cornelius, CSFM; Jeremy Driscoll; Cliff Driver, CSFM; Eric Fasbender, CSFM; Mark Frever, CSFM; Matt Hollan; Jamie Mehringer; Greg Petry; Jeff Salmond, CSFM; Troy Smith, CSFM; Scott Stevens; Dr. Joey Young Publisher's Notice: We Assume No Responsibility For The Validity Of Claims In Connection With Items Appearing In Sportsturf. Reader Service Numbers Are Given To Facilitate Further Inquiry. Mention Of A Commercial Product Does Not Imply Endorsement By Sportsturf Or EPG Media & Specialty Information, Or Preference Over Similar Products Not Mentioned. LAZY THOUGHTS FROM MID- SUMMER