Pennant Winning Turf What We Used to Do
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handling a loaf of bread compared to Pennant Winning Turf what we used to do. When you don't have football and baseball combined, Historical Detroit and Chicago fields prove you're not in bad shape." Feneck feels adequate irrigation is inspirational to pennant winners. the key to maintaining good athletic turf. "If you've got the team home for by Ron Hall, assistant editor and Kent Kurtz, professor of Horticulture, two or three weeks, you just try to California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, CA make the grass survive until the team goes on the road and then you flood it," Feneck explains. "I'd say most of keeping good grass is water. I like to water twice a day in July and August." A five-year-old, underground Rain- bird sprinkler system takes most of the work out of Tiger Stadium irrigation. Feneck insists groundskeepers should have an excellent understand- ing of the sport they're dealing with ("I played baseball and I know what I liked") but the groundskeeper still won't please everyone. "If you can get grass to grow in a minute," he sighs, "then you've got something." Wrigley Field A chill runs down any baseball fan's spine when he steps onto Chicago's Wrigley Field. The soil is the same trod by the immortal and legendary heroes of the past, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Mel Ott, Joe Dimaggio, Jimmy Foxx, and others. The field has not changed much since the Cubs played their first National League game there on April Wrigley Field —one of the oldest and most respected 20, 1916. Only three other stadiums baseball fields in the country. are older than Wrigley Field, Com- iskey Park (Chicago, opened in 1910), Tiger Stadium The criticism of San Diego's Jack Tiger Stadium (Detroit, 1912), and Millions watched the virtuoso perfor- Murphy Stadium during the Series Fenway Park (Boston, 1912). mance of the Detroit Tigers in the elicits a sympathetic response from World Series, but the name Frank Feneck. "I hate to hear complaining Wrigley history Feneck, assistant director of stadium about their field," he says. "No matter The first baseball game was played at operations at Tiger Stadium, is hardly what they do, they're going to lose Wrigley Field on April 23, 1914. The a household word. because they share the field with a field was named Weeghman Park in "We're here for the Tigers. We're football team. We only have to worry those days and was the home of the not here for the people to say, 4Oh, about the Tigers. That's why I some- Chicago Whales, a Federal League what a beautiful turf you have'," the times hate to hear compliments about team which went out of business two pragmatic Feneck, chief of the sta- our field." years later. dium's groundskeeping force, says. Maintaining Tiger Stadium is a Weeghman Park was built for Feneck is uncomfortable with the snap compared to what it was before $250,000 and accommodated 14,000 publicity his profession sometimes the NFL Lions moved to the Pontiac fans. Building the stadium required generates. Silverdome in 1974, Feneck, a native 490 men, 140 were employed by the "When I don't hear from the ball- Detroiter claims. George Wittbold Florist Company to players I know I'm doing a fine job," "We used to carry about 18,000 haul in 4,000 cubic yards of soil and he says. yards of sod," he says. "Now it's like continued on page 26 PENNANT WINNING from page 22 request was granted and he is now able to perform his maintenance responsibilities with an adequate arsenal of equipment. All large equipment, such as a skid-steer loader, mowers, utility vehicle, tractor, sod cutter, roller, large drags, batting cages, and wheel barrows are stored under the left and center field bleachers. Adjacent to the Cub's third base dugout is a tool room where small hand tools, equipment and supplies are stored. Also located in this room is an adequate supply of moist clay used to repair the pitching mound and the home plate area, sev- eral sets of bases, small drags, hoses, shovels and rakes. The stadium crew Except on rainy days the stadium Frank Fenneck, chief groundskeeper of Tiger Stadium, left, and Eddie crew is rarely seen by spectators. It Goward. consists of 22 individuals, only five directly responsible for the playing plant four acres with Kentucky blue- from the Wrigley family by the Chi- field on a full-time basis. grass seed, hand-collected from mid- cago Tribune and the entire baseball Frank Capparelli is responsible for western pastures. program was restructured. the crew who give the field the finish- The name of the field was changed Building a "new tradition" is an ing touches prior to each game. Many to Cubs Park in 1918 and then to understatement, for they not only put of the crew have long service records, Wrigley Field in 1926. A second deck together a winning ball club (the 1984 like Lenny Wheeler who began work was added in 1928 allowing a capacity National League East Champions), in 1957. Cotton Bogren retired in 1982 crowd of 46,000 fans to jam into the but also changed the stadium and after 47 years of service. stadium. More than 10,000 spectators field management team, now headed Einar Bogren, assistant supervisor watched some games standing along by Lubie Veal, assistant director of of the field crew has worked at the edge of the field. stadium operations/facilities. Wrigley Field for 24 years. Einar is The large centerfield scoreboard Veal brought to Chicago a positive responsible for the condition and was constructed in 1937 and continues attitude and broad experience from upkeep of the field and the ivy. today to be the only scoreboard in the the previous National League base- major leagues to be operated by hand. ball clubs. Lubie spent four years in Maintenance program Today, Wrigley Field seats 37,275 Montreal, nine years with the Cincin- The soil in Wrigley Field consists of spectators, and only during the day nati Reds, and has just completed his sandy loam which is well-drained and since it is the only major league park third year with the Chicago Cubs. rich in organic matter. When the field without lights. Everything he has learned about the was originally constructed, surface Lights were almost installed in management of sportsturf has been drainage was taken into considera- 1941 when the Wrigleys purchased acquired through working long hours, tion. To the novice the field looks flat; bulbs, wiring, fixtures, and steel light trial and error, and a lot of hard work however, the infield slopes four standards. But, when Pearl Harbor and energy. inches from the base of the pitching was attacked and the country went to Veal is the new breed of sports-turf mound to the infield grass and out- war, all the lighting equipment was manager; one who is willing to learn field slopes ten inches from center- donated to the war effort. new ideas, attempt new techniques field to each foul line. Another tradition of Wrigley field and try new products. He will listen to The irrigation system was installed is the Ivy Covered Walls. In 1938, a advice and seek suggestions to make 40 years ago and utilizes quick cou- young Bill Veeck (later owner of the his job easier and to enhance the play- pler valves. Chicago White Sox) purchased ivy ing surface. The field receives a minimum of and bittersweet from "Clavey's Cor- When Dallas Green, executive vice five lbs. of nitrogen per 1,000 square ners" and with the aid of Bob Dorr president and general manager, came feet per year. The nitrogen source is a (park superintendent) and Cotton to Chicago from Philadelphia after the combination of urea and methylene Bogren (clubhouse boy) ran copper 1981 baseball season, he lured Veal urea to assure both quick green-up wire up and down the brick facade away from the Cincinnati Reds to take and long term feeding. Fertilizer is and strung the vines. Each spring the over field maintenance. Upon his applied in March, May, June, Sep- ivy comes out of winter dormancy just arrival in Chicago, Veal found most of tember, and October. An application in time to begin a new and invigorat- the turf maintenance equipment in of 2,4-D and MCPP is applied in May ing baseball season. very poor condition. He convinced for broadleaf weeds and Dursban is management that to perform his job applied in June to control grubs and The new tradition correctly he needed to purchase sod webworms. In 1980, the Cubs were purchased $70,000 worth of equipment. His The field is not aerified, vertical mowed or topdressed. Drags equipped specific degree of slope. The foul lines in left and right with spikes (nails) are used twice For this and other purposes fields are marked prior to each home yearly by pulling them through the ''green bricks" (not Kiln dry) are game. A carbon dioxide (CO J charged turf with a tractor. purchased from a brick yard, soaked sprayer containing a white latex field The infield is mowed every other for ten days, and then broken up into paint is used to apply the foul lines. To day with a rotary mower set at pieces. The pieces of moistened mark the batter's box at home plate a approximately two inches. A lower brick are placed in depressions and white, non-caustic chalk material is height would not work because all the holes in and around the pitching used.