Background on the Ball Game

October 1, 2008 2:16 AM

Diamond Artistry. With the baseball postseason about to begin, some folks won't just be looking at the ball, they'll be checking out the backdrop. Red Sox groundskeeper David Mellor gets most of the credit for kicking off a revolution in creating patterned fields for Major League ballparks, with designs including the Sox logo, intricate plaids, and an American flag mowed into the field. Want to do this to your own lawn? He's got a book to tell you how. (Previously.)
posted by dseaton (26 comments total)

I love the idea of horizontal topiary. Me and the boys have been calling these "crop circles", but you've showed us so much more.
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:38 AM on October 1, 2008

I was going to ask why there are no complaints about different heights of grass, but ("Sox logo" link):

A roller — 21 inches wide for the infield and 6 feet wide for the outfield — is attached behind a mower reel. It rolls over the grass so the color of the blades change tone when the sun hits at different angles. The grass is never cut to different heights nor is it colored. It's all in the bending.

posted by pracowity at 2:46 AM on October 1, 2008

I like this one
posted by sfts2 at 3:05 AM on October 1, 2008

He is also overly protective of his field and grass. During the renovations one off season a truck driver drove his truck and equipment unto the field so he could unload. Well he left about half of his wheel parked on the grass and the guy flipped out and chased him out of the stadium and he ended up losing his job because of it.

Some of my favorite times when I worked at Fenway was sitting in the empty stadium and watching them prepare the field. Everything had to be perfect, watering down the grass and dirt with 5-10 people holding the hose so it doesn't mess up the field. Raking the infield with hand rakes followed by chain link fence run by hand followed by a mower with chain link fence. And then watching all the players run onto the field and screwing it all up to get it just the way they wanted it. How I miss those days.
posted by lilkeith07 at 3:31 AM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

You know, as I was doing the final mow of the season, I think it's finally dawned on me that our 10 acres of pasture is crying out for some sort of crop circle.

Neat post, thanks!
posted by maxwelton at 4:17 AM on October 1, 2008

I have been a fan of grounds keepers ever since I learned about George Toma way back when. He is in the NFL Hall of Fame. What I appreciate most about both of them is the pride in workmanship. A true artist craftsman professional.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:27 AM on October 1, 2008

I just noticed that on my Amazon George Toma link, customers who brought the book about Mr. Toma were also buying Three Stooges videos. I cannot think of a better endorsement for a book than that.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:41 AM on October 1, 2008

Wrigley Field has always had (it seems) a lovely checkerboard in the grass. But this guy has a gift. Admittedly, not a horribly useful one, but it makes people happy.
posted by eriko at 5:20 AM on October 1, 2008

I'd rather have John Danks than a really good groundskeeper.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:14 AM on October 1, 2008

I'd rather have John Danks than a really good groundskeeper.

I'd rather have Beckett, Dice-K, Lester and a really good groundskeeper.
posted by dseaton at 6:45 AM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Needs more robotics.
posted by cashman at 6:46 AM on October 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

As a Sox fan, I actually think this guy takes it too far sometimes. I like some of his designs, but others are way too busy, and it is distracting the way they change so often. I'd rather he stick with a nice classy scheme for a few months at a time.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:59 AM on October 1, 2008

Great post, thanks. This method of field decoration is certainly more impressive than Wendell Kim drawing initials in the dirt of the 3rd Base Coach's box with his foot.
posted by SpiffyRob at 7:22 AM on October 1, 2008

They should make the image of a huge pile of dog shit into the outfield grass at the new Citifield, only to be removed until the mets LEARN TO NOT FAIL IN SEPTEMBER...
posted by lovejones at 7:22 AM on October 1, 2008

As a Sox fan, I actually think this guy takes it too far sometimes. I like some of his designs, but others are way too busy, and it is distracting the way they change so often. I'd rather he stick with a nice classy scheme for a few months at a time.

Can't comment on the busy-ness of the designs, but as for changing it so often, from the nytimes article: "He changes patterns roughly every homestand to prevent grass from permanently leaning in one direction. All groundskeepers constantly worry about “snaking,” where a ball rolling in the outfield veers because of the grain of the grass."
posted by inigo2 at 8:00 AM on October 1, 2008

I'd rather have John Danks than a really good groundskeeper.

I'd rather have Beckett, Dice-K, Lester and a really good groundskeeper.

I'd rather have any of those over what the Mariners ran out there this year.
posted by dw at 8:00 AM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Re: The Palin "crop circle"...
I have to wonder what it cost the local party bosses to have that carved? It's just a little too...good...to have been a spontaneous show of love by farmer John. And "Sarah America" sure sounds like something the marketing droids dreamed up.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:16 AM on October 1, 2008

The personal pattern at our home is called the "That I can muster the enthusiasm to run a mower over the tiny patch of weeds we call a yard every 3rd or 4th week in the summer to stave off the inevitable comments about whether or not that structure is occupied is a miracle" pattern.

More seriously, I'm always amazed when comparing footage of games from, say, the '70s with the hyper-gorgeous foliage of today. Even some of those World Series games had patchy blotches of brown and dead grass spotting foul territory.

I get the sense groundskeepers' duties back then consisted of riding around on a mower once or twice, turning on a sprinkler here and there, and spending several hours a day under the visitor's bullpen, reclining on a "chaise lounge" shaped out of 50-pound bags of Scotts TurfBuilder and smoking herculean amounts of dope.
posted by jalexei at 8:23 AM on October 1, 2008 [4 favorites]

Great, something else to make me feel inferior. Far from being able to design elaborate patterns in my lawn, I consider is a small victory when I can complete the job without taking out half my sprinkler heads in the process.

And as an Angels fan, here's hoping we don't see too much of this guy's work throughout the rest of October.
posted by The Gooch at 8:48 AM on October 1, 2008

I guess i'm the only one who's way more into "Grounds-mag:For Golf and green industry professionals"

Growing up, we had a neighbor across the street, an older retired guy who I found to be infinitely fascinating. Partly because he was the archetype of older retired american white male, and he lived by a routine that you could set your watch to. But mostly cause dude was REALLY into his lawn. Some days he'd be out on the porch just looking at it for a whole afternoon. As if he was willing it into submission. And i'll give it to him, his lawn was always immaculate. I've always suspected that there's some secret to happiness in lawn maintenence that the rest of us are missing out on.
posted by billyfleetwood at 9:49 AM on October 1, 2008

I consider is a small victory when I can complete the job without taking out half my sprinkler heads in the process.

If it makes you feel any better: Sprinkler heads? What are those? - Meanwhile, I need to have all small children and pets indoors to avoid the flying rocks, chunks of garden hose and bits of branch that come rat-a-tatting out from under my junky mower, 'cause there's no way I'm adding to the 12 or so minutes it takes me to cover our plot by clearing things in advance - I just convince myself gravel helps with the mulching.

And as a Yankee fan in Boston, go Angels indeed!
posted by jalexei at 9:52 AM on October 1, 2008

Last snippet; I promise I'll stop making this the "jalexei loves to hear himself type" thread -

"But mostly cause dude was REALLY into his lawn."

I had a close friend in high school whose older brother ended up with a degree in Lawn and Turf Management from what was then known as Cook College, the "ag" school at Rutgers.

When he ended up the head groundskeeper at a swanky country club it was pretty easy to mock him (he WAS Bill Murray's character in Caddyshack) until we caught site of a pay stub. Sweet Jeebus I'm in the wrong field...
posted by jalexei at 10:02 AM on October 1, 2008

Ah, the beauty of October - when your team, the nine you love best, take to the field and sprint out to their positions in immaculate uniforms.

Uniforms that will tear and stain and wrinkle through nine innings of hope and spectacle.

Here's to a glorious Fall evening at dusk, with the lights on, and the flat smack of the bat against horsehide.

GO BOSTON!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:03 AM on October 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Whatever happened to xeroscaping? Don't watering restrictions apply to sports fields and golf courses?
posted by Cranberry at 12:43 PM on October 1, 2008

No need for water restrictions at Fenway. Boston's got plenty of water to go around.
posted by ericb at 12:54 PM on October 1, 2008

As far as grounds crew stories go, I prefer stories about crews helping, calling out their team, or their team getting pissy at the local TV station that caught them with an altered field. I can't finish this thought without giving a nod to gene.
posted by Is This Thing On? at 4:40 PM on October 1, 2008