REGISTRATION FORM6TI1 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITIONFEBRUARY 4-8, 1995PIRATE CITY/McKECHNIE FIELDBRADENTON, FLORIDA

FEES:!...::)(:, FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:::::...:.:::: This entitles me to admission to all educational seminars, the Welcome Reception, Awards

Banquet, the trade show and four days of lunch and continental breakfast.Postmarked PostmarkedPrior to 12/15/94 After 12/15/94

$175 $200$200 $225$75 $100

(Island Theme Night & Seminar on Wheels is additional)OPTIONS (Check all that apply):

THREE DAY EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS & EXHIBITS DAY:STMA Member $150 $175Non-member $175 $200Student $60 $85

!:.·:;:::.:}./ti ONE DAY OF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS (Circle day): Sunday Monday WednesdaySTMA Member $55 $65Non-member $65 $75Student $30 $40

SEMINAR ON WHEELS (BUS TOUR)(Feb. 4th, 9:00am - 5:00pm) $25 $30

ISLAND THEME NIGHT - DINNER(Feb. 5th, 7:00pm - 10:0Opm) $30 $35

ADDITIONAL AWARDS BANQUET TICKETS(Feb. 6th, 6:30pm - 10:0Opm) $35 $40

EXHIBITS ONLY BADGE(Feb., 7th McKechnie Field Tour & $25 $30Exhibits Day 8:00am - 5:00pm)

STMAMemberNon-memberStudent

QUESTIONS:FOR HOTEL RESERVATIONS:

Call SmA headquarters at 312/644-6610 - ext 4731Please contact the Holiday Inn Riverfront at 813n47-3727. Please mention theSmA Conference to obtain our discounted rate of $89/single and $99/suite.SmA, P.O. Box 809119, Chicago, IL 60680-9119smAName on Credit CardCredit Card # Expiration Date-----Circle Type of Credit Card: MASTER CARD VISA

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McKechnie Field

Sports*Managers Association

Make plans now to join your colleagues and the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA)in the heart of baseball spring training country - Pirate City and McKechnie Field.

Winner of the 1993 Baseball Diamond of the Year Award, this unique setting is located onFlorida's sunsplashed West Coast - bordered on the North by Tampa and on the South by Sarasota.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION:• A full day of exhibits and hands-on

demonstrations at Pirate City, featuringnearly 70 booths with the latest in sports turftechnology.

• The "Seminar on Wheels" bus tour of fourdistinctive venues with unique sports turfchallenges, and luncheon at a polo match.

• Noted turf expert Dr. James Beard will kickoff the program with a look at the sports turfindustry and its future.

• New advances in technology including: lasergrading, soil elements, fertilizer technology,

hydro-aerification and soil injection, computer-ized irrigation and transportable turfgrassmodules.

• Sessions on soil-water-turfgrass relationships,administration of athletic field projects andmaintenance, irrigation design and installa-tion, and equipment maintenance for perfor-mance and longevity, and much more!

• American League Umpire, Larry Barnett,will provide attendees with an entertaininglook at baseball with his keynote address atSTMA's Annual Awards Banquet.

401 North Michigan Avenue • Chicago, Illinois 60611(312) 644-6610

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artflFPROGRAM

SportyTUrfil

Managers Association

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THESPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

STMA OFFICERS

PRESIDENT GREG PETRY

PAST PRESIDENT DR. GIL LANDRY, JR.

PRESIDENT-ELECT MIKE SCHILLER

COMMERCIAL VICE PRESIDENT EUGENE MAYER

SECRETARY DR. HENRYINDYK

TREASURER STEPHEN GUISE

STMA BOARD MEMBERS RICHARD MOFFITT,

KEN MROCK, VINCE PATEROZZI, PHILIP ROBISCH,

WILLIAM WHIRTY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRET KELSEY

STMA OFFICE

401 N. MICHIGAN AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60611 (312) 644-6610

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sportsTURF Magazine (ISSN 1061-687X) is published monthly exceptbi-monthly November/December by Gold Trade Publications, Inc.Material in this publication may not be reproduced or photocopied in anyform without the written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 1994. Member ol theBusiness Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc.

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SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID at Cathedral City, CA and atadditional mailing offices.Postmaster: Please send change of address to sportsTURF.P.O. Box 2180, Cathedral City, CA 92235-2180.

VOLUME TEN, NUMBER ELEVEN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1994

MAIN EVENTS

8 Cooperstown:The Hometown of BaseballCooperstown, NY, took its first swing at baseball in 1839. It wasdestined to become the hub of hardball. Doubleday Field, born in1919, has undergone some remarkable changes over the last 60years as Grounds Superintendent Joseph Harris can attest. Relivethe chronology of maintaining the diamonds of America'sFavorite Pastime through the optics of Harris and his predecessors

14 Troy Memorial StadiumGets a Lot of Help From Its FriendsCommunity spirit soared in Troy, OH, as the town of 20,000 raisedmore than $1 million in private funds to renovate its 45-year-oldTroy Memorial Stadium. Soon, football and soccer players willcompete on a larger regraded field, replete with a new irrigationand drainage system, new turf and all of the other amenities thaiaccompany this inspirational upgrade.

24 Product Source BookYour one-stop buyer's guide to sports turf products and services.

LINE-UP6 FRONT OFFICE6 EVENTS

13 CHEMICAL LOG17 STMA IN ACTION21 INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

30 EXPLORINGEQUIPMENT

37 ROOKIES39 CLASSIFIEDS39 AD INDEX

On The Cover:Ken Griffey, Jr. hits one at Doubleday Field in

Cooperstown, NY, during the 1994 Hall of Fame Game.Photo courtesy: National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Inc.

4 sportsTURF

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THE FRONT OFFICE EVENTSOPINION PAGE

The recent elections taughtall of us a few things aboutthe power of participation at

the polls. A few angry politicalanalysts excited enough votersto bring about major change. Theelections in many ways were moreabout who didn't vote than who did.Apathy eroded the support formany incumbents who had countedon traditional voting records.

Those who failed to vote becamethe new silent majority. They now

must live with decisions made by a loud minority. Everyone, whetherthey voted or not, must take responsibility for the outcome.

For years, the sportsturf industry has also been guided by a loudminority. The majority of the industry has been overlookedbecause of its silence. Now is the time for the vociferous stadiumgroundskeepers to open the floor to the grass roots of sports turf;high school, and college groundskeepers and park superintendents.

These three segments form the backbone of the industry.We all like to read and hear about pro stadiums. But, localpark and school fields carry the vast majority of play. Theyare the true front line and the closest to everyone's home.

There has been great improvement in our neighborhoodsports turf during the past 10 years. Standards and supporthave increased noticeably. The quality of professional sportsfacilities has rubbed off.

Still, we need more participation by managers of park andschool turf. They need to jump into the spotlight and takethe leadership. Speak out . . . write constructive articles . . . enterindustry contests . . . be active in local associations. That is howto "vote" in the Green Industry.

Being a majority only counts when the majority votes.

CALENDARDECEMBER

n o Twenty-fifth Annual Georgia**"" Turfgrass Conference and Show.

Georgia International Convention Center,College Park, GA. Contact: Douglas Moody,(404) 975-4123. Fax: (404) 975-4044.

/ j Q 1994 Ohio Turfgrass Foundation*'"• ' Conference and Show.

Columbus Convention Center, Columbus,OH. Contact: (614) 261-6750.

rj Q New Jersey Turfgrass Expo•••* Atlantic City, NJ. Contact

(908) 932-9271.

Missouri Lawn and TurConference. Columbia, MC13-15

Contact: (314) 882-4087.

JANUARY 1995Tenth Annual Cornell TurfgrasShort Course, Ithaca, N^

Contact: (607) 255-1789.

Introduction to Golf COIH>

Turfgrass Management. CooCollege, Rutgers University. Contac-(908) 932-9271.

1 0 1 9 Eastern Pennsylvania Tu:1U-1_< Conference and Trade Shov

Valley Forge Convention Center, King iPrussia, PA. Contact: Scott Guiser, (2IS345-3283, or P.T.C., (814) 863-3475.

California Weed Science SocietMeetings, Santa Barbara, CA

Up to 18 CEUs are available. Registratior$55 until Dec. 31, 1994; Add $20 late fe<after Dec. 31. Contact: Wanda Graves(510) 790-1252. ___

Northern California Turfgras.-Conference. Santa Clara, CA.

Contact: (510) 490-6282.

Midwest Turf Expo. Indian-apolis, IN. Contact: (317>

494-8039.

16-18

Send announcements of your events

two months in advance to: Editor,

sportsTURF magazine,68-860 Perez Road, Suite J,

Cathedral City, CA 92234.

Fax (619) 770-8019.

6 sportsTURF

INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS".

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more than 400 pages and 300 illustra-tions plus 42 reference tables.The book is highly recommended as

a study guide for association certificationand state licensing exams. It is availablefrom irrigation distributors, universityand technical-school bookstores, theIrrigation Association, the AmericanSociety of Landscape Architects andthe Golf Course SuperintendentsAssociation of America. Discounts areavailable for bulk orders. For informa-tion, or to order, call (214) 278-613l.Fax: (214) 271-5710.

NATIONAL TURF COURSEOFFERED INSEVERAL STATES

The fifth edition of the Turf IrrigationManual, by Richard B. Choate and pro-duced by Weather-matic, is now available.The manual covers all aspects of

design for all types of turf and land-scape properties, including residential,commercial and golf course. It includes

Ten states have recognized the jointUniversity of Georgia and ProfessionalLawn Care Association ofAmerica turfcertification program as meeting the

requirements for pesticide recertificationcredits.Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,

Delaware, Wyoming, Nebraska, Maine,Rhode Island, West Virginia and Georgianow grant varying degrees of pesticiderecertification credits with successfulcompletion of the course. Six morestates-Colorado, North Carolina,Connecticut, South Dakota, Oregon andIndiana-are reviewing the course forrecertification credits.The "Principles of Turfgrass

Management," introduced in 1993, is ahome-study correspondence course thatcovers mowing, irrigation, pesticides,customer relations and more for allregions of the U.S.For more information, call

the University of Georgia at (706)542-1756. PLCAA members can call(800) 458-3466 for information onenrollment discounts.

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November/December 1994 7

sp,rtsTI" ~In addition to the Hall Of Fame Game,Doubleday Field hosts hundreds of othergames each year. The home-plate area isgroomed at least once a day during theseven-month season, using a toothed, free-floating, surface-finishing rake attachment.Photo Credit: Alan LincourtlPro Image.

Mickey Mantle hits a homerun at Doubleday Field, 1954.Photo courtesy: NationalBaseball Library andArchive, Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Doubleday Field facility is aclassic of baseball architecture.Under the arched main gate isJoseph Harris, grounds super-intendent (left), and Don Smith,president of Smith co (right).Photo Credit: Alan Lincourt/Pro Image.

COOPERSTOWN:The Hometown of Baseball

Daniel K. Ingham

[Sazy August days. The smell ofleather and glove-oil. A wad ofbubble-gum jammed into one

cheek. A faithful mutt shagging ballsin the outfield. A resounding crack fromthe bat as you imagine yourself knock-ing one out of the park, bottom of the ninthwith three runners on, in the WorldSeries, and hoping it misses any nearbywindows. These are the memories andimages of baseball many of us have andremember fondly in the twilight hours ofa summer day.Well, these memories are alive and well

in a place called Cooperstown, NY - thebirthplace of baseball. The BaseballHall of Fame is located there and is thenational repository of our nation's base-ball memories. Doubleday Field is thereas well, and every year it adds a new setof baseball memories to a new genera-tion learning the nuances of America'sfavorite sport.Well, supposing you never made the

bid for the major league (we are all cer-tain we could have with a little more prac-tice), what would be the next best job tohave? How about being grounds super-intendent at Doubleday Field? Just to bethere when the annual Hall of Fame

8 sports TURF

Game takes place would be enough to per-suade many to take the job, regardlessof pay (well, almost).The man who currently has this dis-

tinction is Joseph Harris. But when youhear what his day is like during the sea-son, you'll find that the job is not all funand games. It's more like a labor oflove."I arrive at the field about a quarter

to 7 every morning during the season,"said Harris. "I have a cup of coffee andget right to work because the first gameusually starts at 9 a.m. When that's fin-ished it's time to clean up the field andstands and get ready for the afternoongame at 1 p.m. After that there is a 6 p.m.game that is played by the local pony-league (ages 13-15) or the AmericanLegion (ages 16-19). The field has to beprepared for this game as well and thenthe final cleanup afterwards. Usually, Idon't get home till around 9 p.m."As grounds superintendent at

Doubleday Field, you might think hehas his hands full managing the crew thatdoes all this work. And he does - he ist~e crew. Except for one or two part-time summer hires to give him a handJoe Harris is a one-man show. ''When ihave the part-timers around, I some-times get home early." But not all that

often, reiterates Harris. ''We open the fieldon April 15 and it is mostly high schooland other local teams that play at thistime. I work six days a week during thespring and fall."Before Harris became superinten-

dent, he spent time in the farming busi-ness and the Cooperstown HighwayDepartment. He started full-time atDoubleday Field in 1990.A Baseline LineageDoubleday Field had its birth in 1919

(the year of the Chicago White Sox scan-dal), when the officials of the village ofCooperstown obtained a two-year leaseon some pastureland from AlexanderPhinney, the gentleman who owned it.The village officials filled it with soiland ashes with the aim of turning itinto a public playground.This playground was soon developed

into a baseball field the following year.The first baseball game was played therein September 1920. Baseball was soaringin popularity across the country andin Cooperstown in the 1920s. Cooperstownis where Abner Doubleday is believed tohave invented the game back in 1839.The 1920s have been hailed as thesecond "Golden Age" of baseball.The field, of course, is now named forAbner Doubleday.

In 1923, the taxpayers of the villageof Cooperstown decided to purchase thefield (rather than continue to lease), andan appropriation of$I,238 was approvedfor this purpose. During the followingspring of '24, a wooden grandstand waserected for the convenience of the fans.Two years later, in March 1926, an

additional village appropriation wasvoted in order to purchase ground betweenthe field and Main Street. The inten-tion was for the proposed construction ofa main entrance gate to the field, a pur-chase that took place the following year.Further improvements and con-

struction were undertaken in 1933. Thiswas done through President FranklinRoosevelt's New Deal work program,the Works Progress Administration(WPA). At that time additional landwas purchased to expand left field,which was short of regulation. The entirefield was then graded, a new diamondconstructed, fencing installed and theentrance gate landscaped. The field wasreopened in August 1934.Then, in December 1938, the WPA

approved and provided many addition-al improvements. These included theconstruction of steel-covered grand-stands, more wooden bleachers, seed-ing of the field, a drainage system, newoutfield fencing and stone masonry, allof which were completed in June 1939.The next improvements to Doubleday

Field were made in 1960, when alu-minum grandstands were installed alongthe first and third baselines. These weredonated by Tom Yawkey, owner of theBoston Red Sox. More recently, a state-of-the-art, remote-control sprinkler sys-tem was installed.As for previous groundskeepers, there

have been many. 'The groundskeeper herebefore me was Dave Wilshere," explainedHarris. "He was here for about 10 years.He left the job due to a disability, and Ibelieve his father, Whitey Wilshere,used to pitch for Philadelphia. Before thatthe groundskeeper was Herbie Wilford.He, too, was here for about 10 years."Doubleday TodayDoubleday Field is owned, operated and

maintained by the village of Cooperstownand is the site for the annual Hall of Fameceremonies and baseball game.The current field meets all major-

league specifications. Distances to thefences are 296 feet to left field, 390 feetto center field and 312 feet to right field.The fences are 30 feet high. The total fieldarea is approximately 100,000 square feet,of which 84,000 square feet are turf.The field has a seating capacity of 10,000.The field is used heavily during the nor-

mal season, with 284 baseball games

being played in 1993. As for this year, weasked Harris whether the strike hadaffected him in any way. "The strikehas not affected my schedule this year.We played 278 games this season and can-celed 43 due to rain," he said.In addition to the major-league teams

playing the Hall of Fame Game, otherteams using the field include high schools,colleges, the American Legion, ponyleagues, semipro, baseball camps andthe National Adults Baseball Association.In addition, feature films and TV com-mercials have been shot at Doubleday andit is often visited by famous personalities.All in all, its a major-league field with

a lot of hometown personality that hasn'tlet success go to its head. It epitomizesthe essence of baseball.

Maintenance on a Shoestring''My budget this year, for upkeep and

maintenance of the field, was $9,600," con-tinued Harris. "The first year I cameon board it was $5,000. That was in1990. The reason the budget is so low isthat the field is taxpayer supported."That's not much money when one con-siders how much goes into the upkeep ofmost professional ballfields.In order to balance this budget, the

needs of the field and his limited "crew,"

Harris has had to be resourceful. This hasled him to visit the major trade shows, suchas the New York State TurfgrassConference, to contact manufacturersfor donations to the field. So far, he hasbeen successful.Doubleday Field is a mixture of clay

and sand, said Harris. ''The field is most-ly clay, so there are drainage problemsif things get wet. One problem is that thesoil works its way into the grass areas,which can force a cancellation of gameswhen it rains heavily. Usually, when itrains we cover home plate and the pitch-er's mound only. Itwould take about 10people to put a cover on the whole field,and we just don't have the manpower-it's kind of hard to do it by yourself."To solve this problem, Doubleday

Field is slated to have a new subsur-face drainage system in place nextyear. "Hopefully, we'll have our newdrainage system finished by next year.We've solicited bids for the installation,and I think it's going to be an ADSsubsurface system."Grass at Doubleday is of major impor-

tance, and taking care of it is a large partof the job. "The grass is a mixture ofKentucky bluegrass and rye. We get theseed from AgWay or Scotts, either one.

continued on page 10

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November/December 1994 9

Cooperstown: Hometown of Baseballcontinued from page 9

to Harris, they donated the entire systemthat now waters Doubleday Field. ''We hada couple of minor adjustments when weput it in, but once we got the bugs out ofthe system, it's worked pretty good andwe've had few problems. All the heads arepop-ups and behind home plate areFalcons." Watering now take only twohours to complete. A pump supplementsthe system from the village water supply,and the entire system was installed bySun Shower Services.Much of the equipment for main-

taining the field is also donated. The

Fertilizer, though, is donated by Scotts,and as long as 1 stick to their program theyprovide it for the year." Mowing is accom-plished with a 25-foot self-propelledwalk-behind from National Mower.Before last year, all the watering was

done by hand. "The turf and field arewatered 35 to 40 times during the sea-son, depending the rainfall." That haschanged, thanks to a donation by RainBird and Rochester Plumbing. According

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soil areas of the field are conditioneddaily from April 1 through Oct. 15. If thefield requires it because of conditionsafter a game, it's groomed twice a day.To help with field conditioning, Smithco

recently donated an Easy Rider and therelated equipment. Harris said, "BeforeSmithco's donation, 1had to rake the fieldby hand if it was too wet for a dragmat.Now 1 can use the machine for both theinfield and the outfield track."The AFC's implements include a

center-mounted scarifier that we use tobreak up compacted surfaces and smoothsout the clay surfaces. There's also a fin-ishing rake and dragmat for final smooth-ing and conditioning." The fields per-manent foul lines are from Beam Clay andDiamond Dry Corp.Another piece of useful equipment

that Harris has been able to secure is aPower- Vac from Cub Cadet and OneotaPower Equipment. ''Litter cleanup betweenand after games was a real problem anduntil this year (1994) it was all done byhand. The Power- Vac has simplified thejob and reduced the time it takes to getit done."Harris is always on the lookout for ways

and means to obtain additional equipmentso he can further mechanize and increasethe efficiency of his maintenance oper-ations. "I just wish 1 had more time anda bigger budget so we could do more toimprove Doubleday Field's playability."

ALabor of Love"The thing 1 like best about this

job," said Harris, "is that it's outdoors,1get to meet a lot of nice people, and whatmakes you really feel good is when acomplete stranger walks up and tells youhow good the field looks. It really makesyou feel as though you've accomplishedsomething."When asked what he likes least about

the job, he replied in true baseball fash-ion, "Rain. 1 hate rain. It makes lifemiserable." He added, too, "I don't likethe number of hours it take to do a goodjob on the field, but only because ittakes time away from my family duringthe baseball season."So, next time you're in Cooperstown

and get a chance to see Doubleday Fieldand maybe a Hall of Fame Game, remem-ber that the expanse of green grass in theoutfield and the immaculately groomedinfield are the work of one man and a fewpart-time summer helpers. And, ifyou likewhat you see there, perhaps you couldleave a note taped to the bleachers, or findJoe Harris and tell him how great the fieldlooks. We're sure he'd appreciate it. 0