For Hoar Construction, the process of installing a new turf field as part of the $40 million Rocket City Trash Pandas‘ new ballpark construction project for Toyota Field in Madison, Ala., was an unknown challenge. It was Hoar Construction’s first sports turf installation and one that required installing 102,000 square feet of Tifway 419 bermudagrass. “Building a field is a... read more
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
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
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
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
