The Texas Rangers join the movement back to fake grass:
ESPN.com
Texas’ decision will make it the fourth of the 30 major league teams to use artificial turf. Toronto’s Rogers Centre and Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field have had artificial turf since they opened, and Arizona’s Chase Field is switching from grass to turf this season.
The original artificial turfs were basically a carpet laid on concrete. The ball bounced high, and the running on stone led to injuries. As teams rebulit their infrastructure away from multi-use stadiums, they went back to grass. Only the always closed domes kept the fake fescue.
Artificial turf survived, however, and underwent major improvements. The third generation turf plays more like real grass. I played in the marching band in college, and the turf at that time could be dangerous. If it was wet at all, in was easy to slip while walking across the surface. A few years ago Harvard replaced their football stadium grass with the new turf. (They also installed an inflatable dome so the stadium could be used for spring sports practice in the winter.) We did a half time show in the rain, and it was like walking on grass without the mud.
In a place like Texas, where maintaining grass is costly due to the high heat, this will be a boon. The new turf might be much more cost effective in other climates as well, and I would not be surprised to see a return to a high number of fake grass stadiums in the near future.
Where possible, every team should be using real grass.
As a Jays fan, I’ve been hoping for real grass at the SkyDome for years. I know most fans want it as well.
Now that the Argo’s have moved to BMO Place, there’s no excuse as to why the Jays couldn’t make this happen.
I guess I’m just nostalgic when it comes to this. I love going to ballparks for everything, including sites and smells. There’s just something about fresh cut grass on the diamond.
What I hate about where the Blue Jays play is the black stuff kicked up when a ball lands in the outfield.
Hank>>> Don’t forget all the intricate patterns cut into the grass.
Who mows the best Jackie Robinson image should be a fun debate this summer.
rbj1 » My mother, late in her life, became fascinated with the patterns mowed into the outfields. She could not breathe well, and so her brain was a bit lacking in oxygen, so she’d always ask how it was done. She was very artistic, and I would not be surprised that she might have tried it on our front lawn if she had be healthier.
Advantage: doesn’t require the huge amounts of water that natural grass does.
Disadvantage: 3G/4G Astro turf radiates a huge amount of heat under the sun in the summer
Take a walk on turf on summer afternoon.