Opening Day at Victory Field

A quick post this Saturday afternoon from last night at Victory Field.  The Indians opened the home portion of their 2012 season with a 3-2 win over the Toledo Mud Hens.  Here is a photo from last night.

Great job Joey Stevenson and his crew.  The playing surface was in great shape.

To see a recap of last night's game, click HERE.

This is a long way from January.  To see the field this past winter, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Indians Opening Day - What's Going on at Bush Stadium?

The Indianapolis Indians open their home 2012 schedule tomorrow.  With that in mind, let's look at what is going on at the former home of the Tribe, Bush Stadium.  I took these photos last week.

Bush Stadium will become apartments in the near future.  To learn more about the project, click HERE.

To learn more about Bush Stadium, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

A Day in Kentucky

I made the trip to Kentucky today.  First stop, Elizabethtown Sports Park.    James Bergdoll is doing a great job overseeing the construction as it enters the final phases in regards to field construction.

A couple of photos from the baseball and softball fields:

A photo of the baseball support building

A couple of photos of the bermuda soccer fields.  Notice the soil temps around 70 degrees.

To learn more about the project, click HERE to follow a link to James’ blog


Another stop took me to Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats.  I visited with Tom Neilson and took a look at his bluegrass/ryegrass surface. It is in great shape and ready for the 2012 season.

To see the 2012 Bats' schedule, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!--Jamie

Tall Fescue for Athletic Fields in Indiana?

The photos above are from a baseball infield that was sodded with tall fescue a couple of years ago.  The complaint, the turf is too bumpy, and our guys are scared to field a ground ball.  Why is this?  Click HERE to see a link from Purdue that explains why Turf Type Tall Fescue is not typically a good choice for athletic fields in Indiana.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

The Three Critical Tools for Maintaining an Infield

Another post on infields this week.  I get the question all of the time.  "What are the best tools to maintain an infield?"  Here is a photo of three key tools.  I took this photo during the field educational day at Brandon Phillips Field last Saturday

As you can see, there is a rigid mat drag, a nail drag, and a aluminum tooth landscape rake.  Lastly, on the far left you can see the infield mix as I pulled away the conditioner.  As a rule of thumb, most high schools and parks departments keep their infields too soft.  The firmer the material the better the infield will take rain events and hold grade.  The best way to soften an infield?  Apply water.  That is the reason why having a quick coupler behind the mound is critical for infield maintenance.

To see a post on how deep to nail drag an infield, click HERE.

To see a post on how much conditioner to apply to a field, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Infield Conditioners - What is the Correct Depth?

Another post on infields.  This is the second of the week.  Look for more as the week continues.  First of all, what is a conditioner?  Click HERE to find an earlier post on infield conditioners.  Ideally, conditioners should be between 1/4-1/2 inch in depth.  Please see the photo below from Brandon Phillips Field on Saturday.

This infield has a 3/8 inch depth.  This is due to a high silt infield and recreation play.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

How Deep Should I Nail Board an Infield?

This is a question I get multiple times a month.  The simple answer, no deeper than 1/2 inch for daily maintenance.  After all, as a groundskeeper, you are attempting to maintain the top 1/4-1/2 inch during the playing season.  Please see the photo below.  This photo was taken at Brandon Phillips Field in Cincinnati on Saturday.  Using a quarter as a point of reference, this nail drag was pulled at a depth of 1/2 inch.

Look for additional posts on drags, conditioners, etc later this week.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie