Roll Those Infields!

Spring is slowly arriving in the Midwest. Many coaches are pushing to get on there infields as soon as possible. No matter what infield mix you have on your field, the material will frost heave over the winter. So, you must roll your infield in the spring, ideally before you have any traffic on your infield. Now, the questions are When, Why, and How?

When:
1. You will want to roll you infield when there is still moisture in the mix, but the mix is not too wet. When is this? When you can walk across the infield and you settle the frost heave, but there is no material sticking to the bottom of your shoes. Roll the conditioner and mix in multiple passes

Why:
1. Rolling accomplishes a couple of goals. First, it settles your infield so your mix will hold its grade and you will not have your conditioner/topdressing migrate into your base material. Also, the infield mix will also be firmer. This will allow for the ball to play down and true from the beginning of the season.

How:
1. It is best to roll with a 3 ton duel drum roller. What is this? Click HERE to find out. If you can't get a 3 ton roller, any roller is better than not rolling at all.

Remember, roll you infield as often as possible with a small pull behind roller as well all spring until the weather moderates.

I was at the University of Kentucky last week, (photo above) Marcus Dean has rolled his infield numerous times since the snow melt as his team has been practicing/playing for a number of weeks. His field was in great shape!

Visit our website at j-dturf.com

Play on
--Jamie

February Baseball in Toledo?

This is the second in a series as spring baseball approaches. My travels yesterday took me to Toledo, home of the Toledo Mud Hens. Head Groundskeeper, Jake Tyler was kind enough to give me a tour our this great facility. As you can see from the photos, the field is still covered in snow. I will post photos this weekend of some fields not covered in snow.

To learn more about the Toledo Mud Hens, click HERE
To learn more about 5/3 Field, click HERE

To visit our new website, j-dturf.com, click HERE

Play on!
--Jamie

Feeling Warmer?

With the warmer weather in the Midwest it reminds us that Spring Training games begin Feb. 25! Please check the blog as I will bring photos and stories from AZ. Remember, "One league is grapefruit, one league is cactus, who cares about the scores, the games are just for practice!"

For a link to purchase spring training tickets, click HERE
For a link with travel tips, click HERE
For a link to 2011 spring training, click HERE

Please visit www.j-dturf.com

Play on!
--Jamie

Yankees -- Tampa

Well with the start of Spring Training only 4 days away, it is a great time to post photos from my last stop on the Tampa tour.

Ritchie Anderson was a great host of the on-field tour of Steinbrenner Field. Ritchie and his crew does an outstanding job. This surface is Celebration Bermuda grass overseeded with ryegrass for the spring schedule. Steinbrenner Field is also the home to the Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League.

The first photo shows the Tampa version of the famous Yankee Stadium frieze. The second photo shows the overseeded turf and the scoreboard in left-center field. Finally, the third photo shows the very large press box and suite level. Simply stated, this is a very impressive facility!

For more info on Steinbrenner Field, click HERE.
For the spring training schedule of the Yankees, click HERE.

Check out our website at j-dturf.com

Play on!
--Jamie

Super Bowl Sunday - NFL Playing Surfaces

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

As the big game is only hours away, at Cowboys Stadium, what a better time to discuss playing surfaces. The NFL conducts a survey of its players on a yearly basis to ask them about field quality. Par the course, the player prefer two things - natural grass and bermuda grass. There are only 5 fields that play on blue/rye surfaces all year they are #5 - Green Bay Packers, #9 - Denver Broncos, #15 - Pittsburgh Steelers, #16 - Cleveland Browns, #17 - Chicago Bears.

A couple of other notes:

1. Lucas Oil Stadium was #1 for artificial surfaces.

2. Nearly 90 percent of players believe artificial surfaces cause more soreness and fatigue and are more likely to shorten careers.

To see the overall list, click HERE
To see the article as it pertains to the Colts, click HERE

Feel free to visit our website j-dturf.com

Play on!
--Jamie

Bright House Field

As many of you know, it is cold here in central Indiana. To warm up, let's go to Clearwater! As you know, my travels last month took me to Tampa. While in the area I stopped by Bright House Field - spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies and the regular season home of the Clearwater Threshers. Opie Cheek was a great tour guide as we toured the field and the minor league complex behind the left field wall. I included three photos: The first photo shows the seating bowl and the turf at the stadium. The turf is overseeded bermudagrass. The seats match the seats that are in Citizens Bank Park. The second photo is a shot taken from inside the Phillies clubhouse down the left field line. The third and final photo shows the famous tiki bar in left field. This is the most popular spot in spring training.

Click HERE for a link to Bright House Field
Click HERE for a link to the Phillies Spring Training Schedule
Click HERE for a link to Frenchy's Tiki Bar

Feel free to visit us at j-dturf.com

Play on!
--Jamie