Features

Sports Turf Manager of the Year says crew is backbone of award-winning field

December 27, 2019By Christina Herrick

Hammons-field-grounds-crew-group (Photo: Springfield Cardinals)

Brock Phipps, Springfield Cardinals director of field operations, was named the Double-A Sports Turf Manager of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB), sponsored by STMA and Echo Tools. Phipps manages Hammons Field is located in Springfield, Mo., which is the home of the Springfield Cardinals. Hammons Field has been recognized seven times as the Double-A field of the... read more

This article is tagged with Minor League Baseball (MiLB), Missouri, Sports Field Management Association (SFMA) and posted in Baseball/Softball, Features, Industry, Top Stories

Sports Turf Manager of the Year shares one thing he can’t live without

December 20, 2019By Christina Herrick

Mitch Hooten, the head groundskeeper of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Photo: West Michigan Whitecaps)

Mitch Hooten, the head groundskeeper of the West Michigan Whitecaps, was recently recognized as one of the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and Minor League Baseball Sports Field Managers of the Year. The West Michigan Whitecaps are the Class A Minor League Baseball team, affiliated with the Detroit Tigers in the Midwest League. Hooten manages the grounds of Fifth Third Ballpark,... read more

This article is tagged with Kentucky bluegrass, Michigan, Minor League Baseball (MiLB), Sports Field Management Association (SFMA) and posted in Baseball/Softball, Features, Industry, Top Stories

Sports Turf Manager of the Year says experience is key

December 19, 2019By Christina Herrick

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) recently awarded the Sports Field Managers of the Year awards, which were presented at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings and are sponsored by STMA and Echo Tools. Vancouver Canadians’ Head Groundskeeper Ross Baron was selected as the winner in the short-season (or rookie) category. Baron and his grounds crew work at Scotiabank Field at Nat... read more

This article is tagged with Kentucky bluegrass, Minor League Baseball (MiLB), Sports Field Management Association (SFMA) and posted in Baseball/Softball, Features

Fenway’s groundskeeper discusses living with PTSD in new book

October 11, 2019By Seth Jones

David Mellor, senior director of grounds for the Boston Red Sox, writes about his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in his new memoir “One Base at a Time: How I Survived PTSD and Found My Field of Dreams.” Athletic Turf got a behind-the-scenes tour of Fenway Park but also sat down to speak with Mellor about his experiences in... read more

This is posted in Baseball/Softball, Features, Top Stories

“We set the stage for greatness”: Michigan State’s sports turf manager discusses her work

August 16, 2019By Danielle Pesta

As the college football season quickly approaches, athletic directors and turf managers at universities across the country are busy prepping for one of the busiest times of the year. Amid all the hustle and bustle, we sat down with Amy Fouty, CSFM, assistant athletic director and sports turf manager at Michigan State University (MSU) to talk about her position at... read more

This article is tagged with Michigan, renovation, The Toro Company and posted in Features