Baseball Field of theYear Award - Michigan State University
6
FIELD OF THE YEAR ___ or-----------------:-----:-- Midway Stadium Earns Professional Baseball Field of the Year Award by Bob Trocinski Some creative striping, courtesy Connie Rudolph and her staff. Photos courtesy: Connie Rudolph D ays are never ~ull at St. ~aul, Minnesota's MIdway Stadium, the STMA 2000 Professional Baseball Field of the Year. With come- dian and film star Bill Murray and master promoter Mike Veeck part of the St. Paul Saints' ownership, home games are tops in entertainment, drawing nearly perpetual sellout crowds, setting attendance records for minor league play and often outdraw- ing Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. When the norm for Head Groundskeeper, Connie Rudolph, CSFM, is sharing the maintenance area with a pig pen for the porker that 8 February 2001 carries out the game balls, why would an elephant throwing out the first pitch faze her? Sure, it is a bit unusu- al to have hundreds of ping pong balls pelting the field from a hovering heli- copter, followed by a convergence of fans seeking the balls marked for the best prizes. And the local TV news did cover the night fans urged her to "run the stairs" just days before her fourth child was born. They only wanted to cash in on the free Arbys roast beef sandwich promised to all attendees if Rudolph "delivered" during the game (she didn't.) Flexibility is just one of the attrib- utes Rudolph incorporates in the field's award-winning program. She has achieved the Certified Sports Field Manager status, demonstrating her superior level of competence and her commitment to excellence in field management. She needs all those skills to meet the stadium's multiple challenges. Rudolph says, "Midway Stadium withstands tremendous use from a variety of sources, including the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball team, senior men's baseball, Legion baseball, and the state high school baseball championship tournament, high school and college level football, a semi-professional football team, a sporfsTURF http://www.sporsfurfonline.com
Transcript of Baseball Field of theYear Award - Michigan State University
FIELD OF THE YEAR___or------------------------Midway Stadium Earns ProfessionalBaseball Field of the Year Award
by Bob Trocinski
Some creative striping courtesy Connie Rudolph and her staff Photos courtesy Connie Rudolph
Days are never ~ull at St ~aulMinnesotas MIdway Stadiumthe STMA 2000 Professional
Baseball Field of the Year With come-dian and film star Bill Murray andmaster promoter Mike Veeck part ofthe St Paul Saints ownership homegames are tops in entertainmentdrawing nearly perpetual selloutcrowds setting attendance records forminor league play and often outdraw-ing Major League BaseballsMinnesota Twins
When the norm for HeadGroundskeeper Connie RudolphCSFM is sharing the maintenancearea with a pig pen for the porker that
8 February 2001
carries out the game balls why wouldan elephant throwing out the firstpitch faze her Sure it is a bit unusu-al to have hundreds of ping pong ballspelting the field from a hovering heli-copter followed by a convergence offans seeking the balls marked for thebest prizes And the local TV news didcover the night fans urged her to runthe stairs just days before her fourthchild was born They only wanted tocash in on the free Arbys roast beefsandwich promised to all attendees ifRudolph delivered during the game(she didnt)
Flexibility is just one of the attrib-utes Rudolph incorporates in the
fields award-winning program Shehas achieved the Certified SportsField Manager status demonstratingher superior level of competence andher commitment to excellence in fieldmanagement She needs all thoseskills to meet the stadiums multiplechallenges
Rudolph says Midway Stadiumwithstands tremendous use from avariety of sources including the StPaul Saints minor league baseballteam senior mens baseball Legionbaseball and the state high schoolbaseball championship tournamenthigh school and college level football asemi-professional football team a
sporfsTURFmiddot httpwwwsporsfurfonlinecom
Concerts and other on-field events causeconsiderable damage to the turf
womens football team soccer andmajor national concerts We hostover 200 individual athletic contestsduring the season in addition to theconcerts and other special eventsThe short season encompassing threesports leads to a maintenance chal-lenge
Midway Stadium holds 6300guests with 3500 in the grandstandand 2800 in bleachers Saints gameswill draw 275000 people over theseason For major concerts fans alsomove onto the field pushing singleevent attendance to 15000
Rudolph says Field scheduling iscoordinated between the City of StPaul which owns and runs the facil-ity and the team which is the mainlease holder and books the majornational concerts The season startsin April with college and high schoolbaseball moves into May with theSaints spring training and exhibi-tion games followed in the summerby the Saints season and generallythe playoffs When the baseball sea-son ends the area around themound home plate and the first andthird basepath areas are resoddedsince the configuration of footballand soccer places one sideline inter-secting first and third basesFootball and soccer kick in duringSeptember and run to the first weekin November when cold and snowend the season
The regular staff incl udesRudolph Don Raway (the assistantGroundskeeper) and the equivalentof one-half of another full-timeemployee Rudolph can borrowemployees as needed from the build-ing maintenance crew This providesthe flexibility to cover field mainte-
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
nance from 7 am until the end of anevent-which could run to 11 pm
Rudolph notes One schedulingdilemma we faced included a Saintsbaseball playoff game on a Thursdaynight a high school football game onFriday night and two high school soc-cer games played on Saturday On
another occasion we had to turn thefield around for a Saints game theday after a Bob Dylan concert thathad 15000 people trampling thegrass for four hours To add to ourtroubles it rained two inchesovernight We pull these sessions offthrough a combination of carefulplanning and extra help
F I V EGREAT REASONS WHYYOU SHOULD CONSIDERBULLS EYE BermudaFOR YOUR NEXTPROJECT
wwwwe tcoastturfcom 7603605464 004471 40 FAX 7603605616
bull Virtually No edheadsbull Good Shade Tolerancebull Deep Blu -Green C I rbull Medium- Wide Blade For
Texture Contra tbull Can Be Mow d With
Rotary or Re I
BULLS EYEBermuda
WEST COAST-D)yTURFGR ER A
PR Ml M Q ALITY
Circle 103 on Inquiry Card
February 2001 9
Maintenance program for Midway Stadium St Paul Minn
Maintenance Program-Playing Field
FertilizationBased on spring soil test resultsSix applications per year with natural product(Roots 15-3-8) for plant nutrients organicmaterial and bio-stimulantsFirst application mid to late May at rate of 05Ibs N per 1000 square feetTotal N per year = 5 to 6 lbsOnce per season apply a polymer-coatedpotash 0-0-59Milorganite is final application of season aherall field use ends
AerationFour to six times per year alternating corespike slice and shatter
TopdressingAt least twice per year with 8020 mix closelymatching original soil profileFill low spots as needed
OverseedingSpring and fall mainly where football is
playedHeavy use areas as needed5050 Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye-grass blend
ResoddingEach fall around mound home plate and basepathsSpot resod vith thick-cut squares as neededduring season
EdgingMajor edging once or twice each yearLight edging every three to four weks asneededEdges swept daily
MowingThree times per week with reel mower at 1-
78-inches outfield 1-34-inches infield
Pesticide ApplicationsUsed only as needed and then as spot treat-
ments when possible
IrrigationAs needed to meet needs of turf approxi-mately 1 inch per week combined rainfall andirrigation during growing seasonSyringe as needed to reduce heat stress
Maintenance Program Outside Grounds
Fertilization spring combined with weed controlFall fertilization
Spot spray weed control as needed aroundentrance
Picnic areaAerate and fertilize spring apply annual ryegrass
maintenPRODUCT SHOWCASE
Level Best Grading System
When crowning ports fields leveling tees or installing tenniscourts automatic laser-guided grading provides the precisionyou require
The Level Be t Grading y tern available in both tractor andkid teer mounted model allows a singer Operator to per-
form grading ta k quickly accurately and consistently
Manufactured by Kimberton Equipment Inc
Level Best Grading System42 Ridge Road bull Phoenixville PA 19460
610917 -8900 bull 610917-0162Circle 104 on Inquiry Card
10 February 2001
SpecificationsThe ballpark
was built in 1982The field is 80 per-cent sand 20 per-cent peat with anagralime (crushedaggregate) infieldA 5050 turf blendof KentuckyBluegrasses andperennial ryegrasshelps withstandthe multiplesports and longseason The irri-gation system ishydraulic with acombination ofToro 640 andsuper 600 headsMetal halidelights topping 12light towers each110 feet highenable the Saints44 home games tobe televised
Rudolph saysThe field wasbuilt on a landfill
neeSoil borings taken 10 years agorevealed readable newsprint 100 feetdown and a 6-foot void about 10 feetdown Left field is constantly sink-ing Consequently the drain tiles areineffective in that area Also thewarning track doesnt drain properlyTwice in the past 10 years wevehired a landscaping company to stripoff the sod level and grade and relaythe sod
To cut costs and put off majorrenovation weve redone small areasourselves cutting the sod thickrolling it back filling the hole andreplacing the sod With the thick cutof the sod repairs during the day areready for play at night On the warn-ing track we contracted with anothercity department to add two sewerdrains outside the outfield wall Wethen regraded the track so the waterruns to the new drains So far bothsolutions have been effective
With no breaks between thetriple-sport scheduling its hard forRudolph and Raway to find windowsfor repairs sod patching and suchmaintenance procedures as edgingaeration overseeding and topdress-ing Any opening in the schedule is
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Connie Rudolph CSFMnamed George Toma Golden Rake Award Recipient
George Toma one of STMAs Foundershas proven that starting from the ground up
- its possible to achieve your highest goalsmdashifyou love what you do and give it your all andthen some
The George Toma Golden Rake Award ispound f | Pi 1 issued annually to someone who is on the
quest to reach their highest goals and isdemonstrating that and then some spirit
t )^S along the way
The year 2000 recipient ConnieRudolph CSFM entered college seeking adegree in home economics with a businessminor Because she also loved being out-side and taking care of the grass she foundher summer jobs working on golf courseschanging cups and doing the trimmingFollowing graduation she started workingfor the City of St Paul on the golf courses asan assistant to the greenskeeper
When the groundskeepei position openedup at Midway Stadium in 1991 she applied
was selected and immediately started what has
become her long term commitment keeping
the field in the best possible conditions for all
types and levels of play While continually
upgrading her knowledge and expertise in the
field of sports turf management shes also
been instrumental in the formation and devel-
opment of the Minnesota Sports Turf Managers
Association serving as a board member and as
president Shes on the newsletter editorial
committee for the national STMA Shes spo-
ken at several regional turfgrass conferences
Shes taken the time to prepare for and suc-
cessfully achieve Certified Sports Field
Manager status And during this interval she
and her husband Randy are raising four
delightful children Mitchell 10 Molly 8 Henry
5 and Joey who was born July 1 1999
Talk about and then some
Airfieldtrade
The Airfieldtrade Sports Turf System is the first to offer drainagetechnology that doesnt rely on the French drain developed in thetimes of the Roman Empire Airfieldtrade suspends the entire play-ing surface over a layer of air Once water has moved through theroot-zone it drains away easily in the open-air void
Airfieldtrade produces substantially higher drainage rates thanconventional methods at a savings of 20 percent of total con-struction cost
The future of sports turf drainage is here today
Geoturf LLC1-888-287-9657
wwwgeoturfairfieldcom bull ml
Circle 106 on Inquiry Card
Tiftway Sports Inc with over 12years of experience in athleticfield construction and renova-tion For your Turnkey Athleticfield solution Please call Today
Tiftway Sports Inc912-567-2380Circle 107 on Inquiry Card
12 February 2001 sportsTURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Crew members resod a section of the outfield
filled with softball games dog showscar shows boxing matches fantasycamps company parties and even thefilming of commercials Two national
commercials were filmed at MidwayStadium one for Norelco shaversand one featuring Ken Griffey Jr forWheaties The Stadium and Saints
team also have been the subject ofsuch national television program-ming as 60 Minutes ESPN the TodayShow and a series on the FX channel
It takes nearly constant over-seeding aerating and topdressing tokeep the outfield in repair notesRudolph We also paint the fieldonce a week for football and chalkover the infield and the two cornersthat are on the agralime area Weveadopted a program of spot patchingwhen the field needs it and we can fitit in We take Lsquare-foot-chunksof sod about 8-inches deep from theouter edges of the field or from our20-by-40 foot-sod nursery behind theoutfield fence We overseed the sec-tions where the sod was removedwith our standard seed blend andthey usually fill in quickly To protectthe field from damage during con-certs and other special events we uselarge tarps for center stage andenforce strict rules for any traffic orequipment use on the turf
Circle 108 on Inquiry Card
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
WHAT THE USERS SAYFr~m 1~10 your company is a 10Jm Simmons Facility Mgr BuckinghamLittle League Ft Myers FL
Great service the bestChie Baker Asst Baseball CoachFlonda State University Tallahassee FL
Experie~ce with Covermaster has beenoutst~ndlng appreciate specialattention
Ray Tanner Head Baseball CoachUnv of South Carolina Columbia SC
Excellent quality with competitive prices Jo~nso~ Bowie Associate AD DrexelUniversity Philadelphia PA
Covermaster takes extra step to meetcustomers exact needsGay Mayse Asst Gen Mgr WisconsinTImber Rattlers Appleton WI
Response time was great recommendedby gr~undsk~eper of St Louis Cardinals DaVidHopkins Alton American LegionBaseball Alton IL
Very good ~ighly recommended Dunham Wng~tFacilities SupvNortheast LOUISianaUniversi~Monmroe LA
Delivered in pertect condition bestproduct I looked atJ~hn Milardo Supt of Parks City ofMiddleton Middleton CT
February 2001 13
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
Concerts and other on-field events causeconsiderable damage to the turf
womens football team soccer andmajor national concerts We hostover 200 individual athletic contestsduring the season in addition to theconcerts and other special eventsThe short season encompassing threesports leads to a maintenance chal-lenge
Midway Stadium holds 6300guests with 3500 in the grandstandand 2800 in bleachers Saints gameswill draw 275000 people over theseason For major concerts fans alsomove onto the field pushing singleevent attendance to 15000
Rudolph says Field scheduling iscoordinated between the City of StPaul which owns and runs the facil-ity and the team which is the mainlease holder and books the majornational concerts The season startsin April with college and high schoolbaseball moves into May with theSaints spring training and exhibi-tion games followed in the summerby the Saints season and generallythe playoffs When the baseball sea-son ends the area around themound home plate and the first andthird basepath areas are resoddedsince the configuration of footballand soccer places one sideline inter-secting first and third basesFootball and soccer kick in duringSeptember and run to the first weekin November when cold and snowend the season
The regular staff incl udesRudolph Don Raway (the assistantGroundskeeper) and the equivalentof one-half of another full-timeemployee Rudolph can borrowemployees as needed from the build-ing maintenance crew This providesthe flexibility to cover field mainte-
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
nance from 7 am until the end of anevent-which could run to 11 pm
Rudolph notes One schedulingdilemma we faced included a Saintsbaseball playoff game on a Thursdaynight a high school football game onFriday night and two high school soc-cer games played on Saturday On
another occasion we had to turn thefield around for a Saints game theday after a Bob Dylan concert thathad 15000 people trampling thegrass for four hours To add to ourtroubles it rained two inchesovernight We pull these sessions offthrough a combination of carefulplanning and extra help
F I V EGREAT REASONS WHYYOU SHOULD CONSIDERBULLS EYE BermudaFOR YOUR NEXTPROJECT
wwwwe tcoastturfcom 7603605464 004471 40 FAX 7603605616
bull Virtually No edheadsbull Good Shade Tolerancebull Deep Blu -Green C I rbull Medium- Wide Blade For
Texture Contra tbull Can Be Mow d With
Rotary or Re I
BULLS EYEBermuda
WEST COAST-D)yTURFGR ER A
PR Ml M Q ALITY
Circle 103 on Inquiry Card
February 2001 9
Maintenance program for Midway Stadium St Paul Minn
Maintenance Program-Playing Field
FertilizationBased on spring soil test resultsSix applications per year with natural product(Roots 15-3-8) for plant nutrients organicmaterial and bio-stimulantsFirst application mid to late May at rate of 05Ibs N per 1000 square feetTotal N per year = 5 to 6 lbsOnce per season apply a polymer-coatedpotash 0-0-59Milorganite is final application of season aherall field use ends
AerationFour to six times per year alternating corespike slice and shatter
TopdressingAt least twice per year with 8020 mix closelymatching original soil profileFill low spots as needed
OverseedingSpring and fall mainly where football is
playedHeavy use areas as needed5050 Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye-grass blend
ResoddingEach fall around mound home plate and basepathsSpot resod vith thick-cut squares as neededduring season
EdgingMajor edging once or twice each yearLight edging every three to four weks asneededEdges swept daily
MowingThree times per week with reel mower at 1-
78-inches outfield 1-34-inches infield
Pesticide ApplicationsUsed only as needed and then as spot treat-
ments when possible
IrrigationAs needed to meet needs of turf approxi-mately 1 inch per week combined rainfall andirrigation during growing seasonSyringe as needed to reduce heat stress
Maintenance Program Outside Grounds
Fertilization spring combined with weed controlFall fertilization
Spot spray weed control as needed aroundentrance
Picnic areaAerate and fertilize spring apply annual ryegrass
maintenPRODUCT SHOWCASE
Level Best Grading System
When crowning ports fields leveling tees or installing tenniscourts automatic laser-guided grading provides the precisionyou require
The Level Be t Grading y tern available in both tractor andkid teer mounted model allows a singer Operator to per-
form grading ta k quickly accurately and consistently
Manufactured by Kimberton Equipment Inc
Level Best Grading System42 Ridge Road bull Phoenixville PA 19460
610917 -8900 bull 610917-0162Circle 104 on Inquiry Card
10 February 2001
SpecificationsThe ballpark
was built in 1982The field is 80 per-cent sand 20 per-cent peat with anagralime (crushedaggregate) infieldA 5050 turf blendof KentuckyBluegrasses andperennial ryegrasshelps withstandthe multiplesports and longseason The irri-gation system ishydraulic with acombination ofToro 640 andsuper 600 headsMetal halidelights topping 12light towers each110 feet highenable the Saints44 home games tobe televised
Rudolph saysThe field wasbuilt on a landfill
neeSoil borings taken 10 years agorevealed readable newsprint 100 feetdown and a 6-foot void about 10 feetdown Left field is constantly sink-ing Consequently the drain tiles areineffective in that area Also thewarning track doesnt drain properlyTwice in the past 10 years wevehired a landscaping company to stripoff the sod level and grade and relaythe sod
To cut costs and put off majorrenovation weve redone small areasourselves cutting the sod thickrolling it back filling the hole andreplacing the sod With the thick cutof the sod repairs during the day areready for play at night On the warn-ing track we contracted with anothercity department to add two sewerdrains outside the outfield wall Wethen regraded the track so the waterruns to the new drains So far bothsolutions have been effective
With no breaks between thetriple-sport scheduling its hard forRudolph and Raway to find windowsfor repairs sod patching and suchmaintenance procedures as edgingaeration overseeding and topdress-ing Any opening in the schedule is
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Connie Rudolph CSFMnamed George Toma Golden Rake Award Recipient
George Toma one of STMAs Foundershas proven that starting from the ground up
- its possible to achieve your highest goalsmdashifyou love what you do and give it your all andthen some
The George Toma Golden Rake Award ispound f | Pi 1 issued annually to someone who is on the
quest to reach their highest goals and isdemonstrating that and then some spirit
t )^S along the way
The year 2000 recipient ConnieRudolph CSFM entered college seeking adegree in home economics with a businessminor Because she also loved being out-side and taking care of the grass she foundher summer jobs working on golf courseschanging cups and doing the trimmingFollowing graduation she started workingfor the City of St Paul on the golf courses asan assistant to the greenskeeper
When the groundskeepei position openedup at Midway Stadium in 1991 she applied
was selected and immediately started what has
become her long term commitment keeping
the field in the best possible conditions for all
types and levels of play While continually
upgrading her knowledge and expertise in the
field of sports turf management shes also
been instrumental in the formation and devel-
opment of the Minnesota Sports Turf Managers
Association serving as a board member and as
president Shes on the newsletter editorial
committee for the national STMA Shes spo-
ken at several regional turfgrass conferences
Shes taken the time to prepare for and suc-
cessfully achieve Certified Sports Field
Manager status And during this interval she
and her husband Randy are raising four
delightful children Mitchell 10 Molly 8 Henry
5 and Joey who was born July 1 1999
Talk about and then some
Airfieldtrade
The Airfieldtrade Sports Turf System is the first to offer drainagetechnology that doesnt rely on the French drain developed in thetimes of the Roman Empire Airfieldtrade suspends the entire play-ing surface over a layer of air Once water has moved through theroot-zone it drains away easily in the open-air void
Airfieldtrade produces substantially higher drainage rates thanconventional methods at a savings of 20 percent of total con-struction cost
The future of sports turf drainage is here today
Geoturf LLC1-888-287-9657
wwwgeoturfairfieldcom bull ml
Circle 106 on Inquiry Card
Tiftway Sports Inc with over 12years of experience in athleticfield construction and renova-tion For your Turnkey Athleticfield solution Please call Today
Tiftway Sports Inc912-567-2380Circle 107 on Inquiry Card
12 February 2001 sportsTURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Crew members resod a section of the outfield
filled with softball games dog showscar shows boxing matches fantasycamps company parties and even thefilming of commercials Two national
commercials were filmed at MidwayStadium one for Norelco shaversand one featuring Ken Griffey Jr forWheaties The Stadium and Saints
team also have been the subject ofsuch national television program-ming as 60 Minutes ESPN the TodayShow and a series on the FX channel
It takes nearly constant over-seeding aerating and topdressing tokeep the outfield in repair notesRudolph We also paint the fieldonce a week for football and chalkover the infield and the two cornersthat are on the agralime area Weveadopted a program of spot patchingwhen the field needs it and we can fitit in We take Lsquare-foot-chunksof sod about 8-inches deep from theouter edges of the field or from our20-by-40 foot-sod nursery behind theoutfield fence We overseed the sec-tions where the sod was removedwith our standard seed blend andthey usually fill in quickly To protectthe field from damage during con-certs and other special events we uselarge tarps for center stage andenforce strict rules for any traffic orequipment use on the turf
Circle 108 on Inquiry Card
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
WHAT THE USERS SAYFr~m 1~10 your company is a 10Jm Simmons Facility Mgr BuckinghamLittle League Ft Myers FL
Great service the bestChie Baker Asst Baseball CoachFlonda State University Tallahassee FL
Experie~ce with Covermaster has beenoutst~ndlng appreciate specialattention
Ray Tanner Head Baseball CoachUnv of South Carolina Columbia SC
Excellent quality with competitive prices Jo~nso~ Bowie Associate AD DrexelUniversity Philadelphia PA
Covermaster takes extra step to meetcustomers exact needsGay Mayse Asst Gen Mgr WisconsinTImber Rattlers Appleton WI
Response time was great recommendedby gr~undsk~eper of St Louis Cardinals DaVidHopkins Alton American LegionBaseball Alton IL
Very good ~ighly recommended Dunham Wng~tFacilities SupvNortheast LOUISianaUniversi~Monmroe LA
Delivered in pertect condition bestproduct I looked atJ~hn Milardo Supt of Parks City ofMiddleton Middleton CT
February 2001 13
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
Maintenance program for Midway Stadium St Paul Minn
Maintenance Program-Playing Field
FertilizationBased on spring soil test resultsSix applications per year with natural product(Roots 15-3-8) for plant nutrients organicmaterial and bio-stimulantsFirst application mid to late May at rate of 05Ibs N per 1000 square feetTotal N per year = 5 to 6 lbsOnce per season apply a polymer-coatedpotash 0-0-59Milorganite is final application of season aherall field use ends
AerationFour to six times per year alternating corespike slice and shatter
TopdressingAt least twice per year with 8020 mix closelymatching original soil profileFill low spots as needed
OverseedingSpring and fall mainly where football is
playedHeavy use areas as needed5050 Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye-grass blend
ResoddingEach fall around mound home plate and basepathsSpot resod vith thick-cut squares as neededduring season
EdgingMajor edging once or twice each yearLight edging every three to four weks asneededEdges swept daily
MowingThree times per week with reel mower at 1-
78-inches outfield 1-34-inches infield
Pesticide ApplicationsUsed only as needed and then as spot treat-
ments when possible
IrrigationAs needed to meet needs of turf approxi-mately 1 inch per week combined rainfall andirrigation during growing seasonSyringe as needed to reduce heat stress
Maintenance Program Outside Grounds
Fertilization spring combined with weed controlFall fertilization
Spot spray weed control as needed aroundentrance
Picnic areaAerate and fertilize spring apply annual ryegrass
maintenPRODUCT SHOWCASE
Level Best Grading System
When crowning ports fields leveling tees or installing tenniscourts automatic laser-guided grading provides the precisionyou require
The Level Be t Grading y tern available in both tractor andkid teer mounted model allows a singer Operator to per-
form grading ta k quickly accurately and consistently
Manufactured by Kimberton Equipment Inc
Level Best Grading System42 Ridge Road bull Phoenixville PA 19460
610917 -8900 bull 610917-0162Circle 104 on Inquiry Card
10 February 2001
SpecificationsThe ballpark
was built in 1982The field is 80 per-cent sand 20 per-cent peat with anagralime (crushedaggregate) infieldA 5050 turf blendof KentuckyBluegrasses andperennial ryegrasshelps withstandthe multiplesports and longseason The irri-gation system ishydraulic with acombination ofToro 640 andsuper 600 headsMetal halidelights topping 12light towers each110 feet highenable the Saints44 home games tobe televised
Rudolph saysThe field wasbuilt on a landfill
neeSoil borings taken 10 years agorevealed readable newsprint 100 feetdown and a 6-foot void about 10 feetdown Left field is constantly sink-ing Consequently the drain tiles areineffective in that area Also thewarning track doesnt drain properlyTwice in the past 10 years wevehired a landscaping company to stripoff the sod level and grade and relaythe sod
To cut costs and put off majorrenovation weve redone small areasourselves cutting the sod thickrolling it back filling the hole andreplacing the sod With the thick cutof the sod repairs during the day areready for play at night On the warn-ing track we contracted with anothercity department to add two sewerdrains outside the outfield wall Wethen regraded the track so the waterruns to the new drains So far bothsolutions have been effective
With no breaks between thetriple-sport scheduling its hard forRudolph and Raway to find windowsfor repairs sod patching and suchmaintenance procedures as edgingaeration overseeding and topdress-ing Any opening in the schedule is
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Connie Rudolph CSFMnamed George Toma Golden Rake Award Recipient
George Toma one of STMAs Foundershas proven that starting from the ground up
- its possible to achieve your highest goalsmdashifyou love what you do and give it your all andthen some
The George Toma Golden Rake Award ispound f | Pi 1 issued annually to someone who is on the
quest to reach their highest goals and isdemonstrating that and then some spirit
t )^S along the way
The year 2000 recipient ConnieRudolph CSFM entered college seeking adegree in home economics with a businessminor Because she also loved being out-side and taking care of the grass she foundher summer jobs working on golf courseschanging cups and doing the trimmingFollowing graduation she started workingfor the City of St Paul on the golf courses asan assistant to the greenskeeper
When the groundskeepei position openedup at Midway Stadium in 1991 she applied
was selected and immediately started what has
become her long term commitment keeping
the field in the best possible conditions for all
types and levels of play While continually
upgrading her knowledge and expertise in the
field of sports turf management shes also
been instrumental in the formation and devel-
opment of the Minnesota Sports Turf Managers
Association serving as a board member and as
president Shes on the newsletter editorial
committee for the national STMA Shes spo-
ken at several regional turfgrass conferences
Shes taken the time to prepare for and suc-
cessfully achieve Certified Sports Field
Manager status And during this interval she
and her husband Randy are raising four
delightful children Mitchell 10 Molly 8 Henry
5 and Joey who was born July 1 1999
Talk about and then some
Airfieldtrade
The Airfieldtrade Sports Turf System is the first to offer drainagetechnology that doesnt rely on the French drain developed in thetimes of the Roman Empire Airfieldtrade suspends the entire play-ing surface over a layer of air Once water has moved through theroot-zone it drains away easily in the open-air void
Airfieldtrade produces substantially higher drainage rates thanconventional methods at a savings of 20 percent of total con-struction cost
The future of sports turf drainage is here today
Geoturf LLC1-888-287-9657
wwwgeoturfairfieldcom bull ml
Circle 106 on Inquiry Card
Tiftway Sports Inc with over 12years of experience in athleticfield construction and renova-tion For your Turnkey Athleticfield solution Please call Today
Tiftway Sports Inc912-567-2380Circle 107 on Inquiry Card
12 February 2001 sportsTURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Crew members resod a section of the outfield
filled with softball games dog showscar shows boxing matches fantasycamps company parties and even thefilming of commercials Two national
commercials were filmed at MidwayStadium one for Norelco shaversand one featuring Ken Griffey Jr forWheaties The Stadium and Saints
team also have been the subject ofsuch national television program-ming as 60 Minutes ESPN the TodayShow and a series on the FX channel
It takes nearly constant over-seeding aerating and topdressing tokeep the outfield in repair notesRudolph We also paint the fieldonce a week for football and chalkover the infield and the two cornersthat are on the agralime area Weveadopted a program of spot patchingwhen the field needs it and we can fitit in We take Lsquare-foot-chunksof sod about 8-inches deep from theouter edges of the field or from our20-by-40 foot-sod nursery behind theoutfield fence We overseed the sec-tions where the sod was removedwith our standard seed blend andthey usually fill in quickly To protectthe field from damage during con-certs and other special events we uselarge tarps for center stage andenforce strict rules for any traffic orequipment use on the turf
Circle 108 on Inquiry Card
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
WHAT THE USERS SAYFr~m 1~10 your company is a 10Jm Simmons Facility Mgr BuckinghamLittle League Ft Myers FL
Great service the bestChie Baker Asst Baseball CoachFlonda State University Tallahassee FL
Experie~ce with Covermaster has beenoutst~ndlng appreciate specialattention
Ray Tanner Head Baseball CoachUnv of South Carolina Columbia SC
Excellent quality with competitive prices Jo~nso~ Bowie Associate AD DrexelUniversity Philadelphia PA
Covermaster takes extra step to meetcustomers exact needsGay Mayse Asst Gen Mgr WisconsinTImber Rattlers Appleton WI
Response time was great recommendedby gr~undsk~eper of St Louis Cardinals DaVidHopkins Alton American LegionBaseball Alton IL
Very good ~ighly recommended Dunham Wng~tFacilities SupvNortheast LOUISianaUniversi~Monmroe LA
Delivered in pertect condition bestproduct I looked atJ~hn Milardo Supt of Parks City ofMiddleton Middleton CT
February 2001 13
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
Connie Rudolph CSFMnamed George Toma Golden Rake Award Recipient
George Toma one of STMAs Foundershas proven that starting from the ground up
- its possible to achieve your highest goalsmdashifyou love what you do and give it your all andthen some
The George Toma Golden Rake Award ispound f | Pi 1 issued annually to someone who is on the
quest to reach their highest goals and isdemonstrating that and then some spirit
t )^S along the way
The year 2000 recipient ConnieRudolph CSFM entered college seeking adegree in home economics with a businessminor Because she also loved being out-side and taking care of the grass she foundher summer jobs working on golf courseschanging cups and doing the trimmingFollowing graduation she started workingfor the City of St Paul on the golf courses asan assistant to the greenskeeper
When the groundskeepei position openedup at Midway Stadium in 1991 she applied
was selected and immediately started what has
become her long term commitment keeping
the field in the best possible conditions for all
types and levels of play While continually
upgrading her knowledge and expertise in the
field of sports turf management shes also
been instrumental in the formation and devel-
opment of the Minnesota Sports Turf Managers
Association serving as a board member and as
president Shes on the newsletter editorial
committee for the national STMA Shes spo-
ken at several regional turfgrass conferences
Shes taken the time to prepare for and suc-
cessfully achieve Certified Sports Field
Manager status And during this interval she
and her husband Randy are raising four
delightful children Mitchell 10 Molly 8 Henry
5 and Joey who was born July 1 1999
Talk about and then some
Airfieldtrade
The Airfieldtrade Sports Turf System is the first to offer drainagetechnology that doesnt rely on the French drain developed in thetimes of the Roman Empire Airfieldtrade suspends the entire play-ing surface over a layer of air Once water has moved through theroot-zone it drains away easily in the open-air void
Airfieldtrade produces substantially higher drainage rates thanconventional methods at a savings of 20 percent of total con-struction cost
The future of sports turf drainage is here today
Geoturf LLC1-888-287-9657
wwwgeoturfairfieldcom bull ml
Circle 106 on Inquiry Card
Tiftway Sports Inc with over 12years of experience in athleticfield construction and renova-tion For your Turnkey Athleticfield solution Please call Today
Tiftway Sports Inc912-567-2380Circle 107 on Inquiry Card
12 February 2001 sportsTURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
Crew members resod a section of the outfield
filled with softball games dog showscar shows boxing matches fantasycamps company parties and even thefilming of commercials Two national
commercials were filmed at MidwayStadium one for Norelco shaversand one featuring Ken Griffey Jr forWheaties The Stadium and Saints
team also have been the subject ofsuch national television program-ming as 60 Minutes ESPN the TodayShow and a series on the FX channel
It takes nearly constant over-seeding aerating and topdressing tokeep the outfield in repair notesRudolph We also paint the fieldonce a week for football and chalkover the infield and the two cornersthat are on the agralime area Weveadopted a program of spot patchingwhen the field needs it and we can fitit in We take Lsquare-foot-chunksof sod about 8-inches deep from theouter edges of the field or from our20-by-40 foot-sod nursery behind theoutfield fence We overseed the sec-tions where the sod was removedwith our standard seed blend andthey usually fill in quickly To protectthe field from damage during con-certs and other special events we uselarge tarps for center stage andenforce strict rules for any traffic orequipment use on the turf
Circle 108 on Inquiry Card
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
WHAT THE USERS SAYFr~m 1~10 your company is a 10Jm Simmons Facility Mgr BuckinghamLittle League Ft Myers FL
Great service the bestChie Baker Asst Baseball CoachFlonda State University Tallahassee FL
Experie~ce with Covermaster has beenoutst~ndlng appreciate specialattention
Ray Tanner Head Baseball CoachUnv of South Carolina Columbia SC
Excellent quality with competitive prices Jo~nso~ Bowie Associate AD DrexelUniversity Philadelphia PA
Covermaster takes extra step to meetcustomers exact needsGay Mayse Asst Gen Mgr WisconsinTImber Rattlers Appleton WI
Response time was great recommendedby gr~undsk~eper of St Louis Cardinals DaVidHopkins Alton American LegionBaseball Alton IL
Very good ~ighly recommended Dunham Wng~tFacilities SupvNortheast LOUISianaUniversi~Monmroe LA
Delivered in pertect condition bestproduct I looked atJ~hn Milardo Supt of Parks City ofMiddleton Middleton CT
February 2001 13
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
Crew members resod a section of the outfield
filled with softball games dog showscar shows boxing matches fantasycamps company parties and even thefilming of commercials Two national
commercials were filmed at MidwayStadium one for Norelco shaversand one featuring Ken Griffey Jr forWheaties The Stadium and Saints
team also have been the subject ofsuch national television program-ming as 60 Minutes ESPN the TodayShow and a series on the FX channel
It takes nearly constant over-seeding aerating and topdressing tokeep the outfield in repair notesRudolph We also paint the fieldonce a week for football and chalkover the infield and the two cornersthat are on the agralime area Weveadopted a program of spot patchingwhen the field needs it and we can fitit in We take Lsquare-foot-chunksof sod about 8-inches deep from theouter edges of the field or from our20-by-40 foot-sod nursery behind theoutfield fence We overseed the sec-tions where the sod was removedwith our standard seed blend andthey usually fill in quickly To protectthe field from damage during con-certs and other special events we uselarge tarps for center stage andenforce strict rules for any traffic orequipment use on the turf
Circle 108 on Inquiry Card
sports TURF bull httpwwwsportsturfonlinecom
WHAT THE USERS SAYFr~m 1~10 your company is a 10Jm Simmons Facility Mgr BuckinghamLittle League Ft Myers FL
Great service the bestChie Baker Asst Baseball CoachFlonda State University Tallahassee FL
Experie~ce with Covermaster has beenoutst~ndlng appreciate specialattention
Ray Tanner Head Baseball CoachUnv of South Carolina Columbia SC
Excellent quality with competitive prices Jo~nso~ Bowie Associate AD DrexelUniversity Philadelphia PA
Covermaster takes extra step to meetcustomers exact needsGay Mayse Asst Gen Mgr WisconsinTImber Rattlers Appleton WI
Response time was great recommendedby gr~undsk~eper of St Louis Cardinals DaVidHopkins Alton American LegionBaseball Alton IL
Very good ~ighly recommended Dunham Wng~tFacilities SupvNortheast LOUISianaUniversi~Monmroe LA
Delivered in pertect condition bestproduct I looked atJ~hn Milardo Supt of Parks City ofMiddleton Middleton CT
February 2001 13
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
Our agralime is from a localsource Its a crushed limestonerather that a true dirt so we donthave to tarp it to retain playabilityWe water it a couple times a day forSaints games and monitor it closelyto match the conditions they preferAnother unique feature of the fieldis the lack of a need for an infieldtarp The field and skinned areasdrain well enough after a heavyrain that games usually can beplayed within an hour after therain has stopped The Saints havehad only eight rain outs in eightseasons of play
Rudolph is supplied with a timinglist for promotional events affectingthe field so shell have the opportuni-ty to make appropriate preparationsand plan for whatever follow up isneeded to retain the excellent fieldconditions players team manage-ment the city and the fans have cometo expect Some things take a lotmore planning than others
Besides stressing the turf events can bestressful to those responsible for cleaning up
She puts the Bill Murray moviemarathon nights in the fairly easyclass Once the game is wrapped forthe night fans move to the field withtheir blankets popcorn and drinksThe movies are projected against thecenter field fence and could run until5 or 6 am
The dog day afternoon events aretougher even though theyve beenmoved from the heat of summer toSeptember Rudolph says People
bring their dogs for all sorts of eventson the field from hide the shoe toraces to the doggy beauty salonThough the owners bring their owndoggy clean up tools and there arelots of volunteer helpers we alwaysend up dealing with some dead spotsand rapidly growing green spots wemust make disappear before the nextevent
Whatever the new promotionsslotted for Midway Stadium in 2001Rudolph will be ready for the chal-lenge and those Field of the Year con-ditions will once again provide thegreat setting that has won the heartof the City of St Paul
Bob Tracinski is the business com-munications manager for the JohnDeere Worldwide Commercial ampConsumer Equipment Division head-quartered in Raleigh NC He servesas public relations co-chair for thenational Sports Turf ManagersAssociation
AERA-vatorregThe multi-purpose tool versatile enough for sports fields
14 February 2001
Circle 109 on Inquiry Card
sports TURFbull hffpllwwwsportsfurfonlinecom
