You may notice a slightly more charcoal hue to the artificial turf and a few sharper bounces in the outfield at the Rogers Centre this season.

But whats darker on the eyes is actually softer on the knees. The darker shade and livelier playing surface are the result of changes made by the Rogers Centres grounds crew to extend the turfs lifespan.

Underneath the polypropylene blades of grass think garbage-bag material is an infill of black rubber beads, which are about the size of coarse coffee grounds.

Previously, that infill was a combination of sand and rubber, which, in the four years that the current turf has been in place, had grown hard and compact from the compression that occurs whenever the turf is rolled up and not in use. The sand particles had settled at the bottom, while the rubber bits deteriorated to the size of pepper grains.

It created a very hard field, said Kelly Keyes, vice-president of building services for the Blue Jays.

By the end of last season, Keyes and her crew knew they needed to make a change.

So this off-season the grounds crew, led by Keyes and head groundskeeper Tom Farrell, painstakingly tamped out all of the turfs old infill and replaced it with a fresh all-rubber infill, doing away with the sand mixture. Hence the black streaks and puffs of what look like little black clouds when an outfielder dives on the turf or a ball skips hard on the surface.

Infielder Maicer Izturis said he noticed the difference right away.

Absolutely, its a little softer this year, he said earlier this month, before suffering a knee injury in Baltimore. But the ball jumps a little bit more, too.

But this years improvements are just a stop-gap, a means of squeezing another season out of the current field before purchasing a new AstroTurf field for next season, which will bridge the gap before natural grass is installed by opening day in 2018.

Go here to read the rest:
Blue Jays pave way for grass at the Rogers Centre

Real estate for sale in Copperas Cove Texas - MLS# 185698
3406 Horizon Copperas Cove Texas 76522 MLS# 185698 For more info visit http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1571018.html Just completed and ready for YOU to take...

By: robertanderson179

Excerpt from:
Real estate for sale in Copperas Cove Texas - MLS# 185698 - Video

Hold on for just a moment while we finish setting up your account..

Your Digital Subscription to the Courier & Press or The Gleaner is now active. Enjoy unlimited access to CourierPress.com and TheGleaner.com and the Courier & Press smartphone and tablet apps.

Note: your login information will be needed the first time you access CourierPress.com and TheGleaner.com and the Courier & Press smartphone and tablet apps.

Your Premium Subscription to Courier & Press or The Gleaner is now active. In addition to your home delivery service, enjoy unlimited access to CourierPress.com and TheGleaner.com and the Courier & Press or The Gleaner smartphone and tablet apps.

Note: your login information will be needed the first time you access CourierPress.com and TheGleaner.com and the Courier & Press or The Gleaner smartphone and tablet apps.

Read this article:
BEARD: Irish eyeing an artificial turf future in football

Sports Fan Insider

Keep up with your favorite teams and athletes with daily updates.

SANTA CLARA (KCBS) Crews are installing hundreds of rolls of new sod at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, as officials prepare for the venues first event in August.

On Thursday morning, the rolls of sod were delivered on 13 semi-trucks. The turf, called Bandera Bermuda, is much more water-efficient than your garden variety Bermuda grass.

Hybrid Bermudas tend to be mowed very tightly, so they become very fast. The athletes can really be quite quick on them, said Greg Dunn with West Coast Turf, the company supplying the turf.

West Coast Turf has been cultivating the field in Livingston, part of rural Merced County. The company also supplies sod for AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants, among other professional stadiums.

Dunn said the Bandera blend only requires half as much watering as other varieties of Bermuda. He said they are spoon feeding the grass in its infancy.

Were always feeding it small doses of fertilizer all the time to get it mature and get it strong, Dunn said. What youre looking for is a grass that has a high tensile strength, holds together and provides great footing or cleat-holding capabilities.

The 49ers chose grass over artificial turf because they said players are less likely to get injured.

Although the officials date for the 49ers first pre-season game is not official yet, it will be held in August. Meanwhile, the first athletes to try out the turf will be soccer players, as the first game at the stadium will be a Major League Soccer match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders on August 2.

Excerpt from:
New Turf Being Installed At Levis Stadium In Santa Clara

Posted April 15, 2014

Yankee Stadium has hosted a few soccer matches, including a friendly between Spain and the Republic of Ireland in 2013. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Sharing is never easy, especially when it comes to Yankee Stadium and the needs of both a Major League Baseball and a Major League Soccer team. And while having both teams use the venue as their homeis not ideal, Murray Cook, MLBs fields and facilities coordinator, tells SI.com it is doable.

The New York Times reportedMonday night that New York City FC will play its first three MLS seasons, starting in 2015, in Yankee Stadium, with the official announcement expected next week. With Manchester City FC and the Yankees teaming up to bring MLS to New York City, Yankee Stadium was the logical business choice for a stopgap home.

But logistics have to work on the fieldtoo.

Is it ideal? Cook ponders. It is not the greatest, but it works. It is doable.

MLB and MLS seasons run concurrently, meaning stadium crews must handle 81 baseball games and at least 17 soccer games each year. Weve already seen a taste of what soccer looks like on the Yankee Stadium grass, with the 50,000-seat venue hosting four games in the last two years and another game planned for July 30 when Manchester City plays Liverpool. Without a designated width for a soccer field just parameters to fall within Yankee Stadiums baseball-first design forces a narrower pitch than typically seen. It also requires temporary grass every time soccer is played.

With the field running from the left field wall toward the first base line foul territory, sod must cover the vast majority of infield clay. Cook says laying ready-play sod has turned commonplace.

You literally lay it down and that day you can play on it, he says.

Two MLB and MLS teams streamlined that practice already when the Washington Nationals and D.C. United shared RFK Stadium nearly a decade ago.

Excerpt from:
MLB, MLS to share Yankee Stadium for NYCFC

Posted April 15, 2014

Yankee Stadium has hosted a few soccer matches, including a friendly between Spain and the Republic of Ireland in 2013. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Sharing is never easy, especially when it comes to Yankee Stadium and the needs of both a Major League Baseball and a Major League Soccer team. And while having both teams use the venue as their homeis not ideal, Murray Cook, MLBs fields and facilities coordinator, tells SI.com it is doable.

The New York Times reportedMonday night that New York City FC will play its first three MLS seasons, starting in 2015, in Yankee Stadium, with the official announcement expected next week. With Manchester City FC and the Yankees teaming up to bring MLS to New York City, Yankee Stadium was the logical business choice for a stopgap home.

But logistics have to work on the fieldtoo.

Is it ideal? Cook ponders. It is not the greatest, but it works. It is doable.

MLB and MLS seasons run concurrently, meaning stadium crews must handle 81 baseball games and at least 17 soccer games each year. Weve already seen a taste of what soccer looks like on the Yankee Stadium grass, with the 50,000-seat venue hosting four games in the last two years and another game planned for July 30 when Manchester City plays Liverpool. Without a designated width for a soccer field just parameters to fall within Yankee Stadiums baseball-first design forces a narrower pitch than typically seen. It also requires temporary grass every time soccer is played.

With the field running from the left field wall toward the first base line foul territory, sod must cover the vast majority of infield clay. Cook says laying ready-play sod has turned commonplace.

You literally lay it down and that day you can play on it, he says.

Two MLB and MLS teams streamlined that practice already when the Washington Nationals and D.C. United shared RFK Stadium nearly a decade ago.

See the rest here:
MLB fields coordinator: NYCFC, Yankees sharing Yankee Stadium not ideal, but doable

Posted April 15, 2014

Yankee Stadium has hosted a few soccer matches, including a friendly between Spain and the Republic of Ireland in 2013. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Sharing is never easy, especially when it comes to Yankee Stadium and the needs of both a Major League Baseball and a Major League Soccer team. And while having both teams use the venue as their homeis not ideal, Murray Cook, MLBs fields and facilities coordinator, tells SI.com it is doable.

The New York Times reportedMonday night that New York City FC will play its first three MLS seasons, starting in 2015, in Yankee Stadium, with the official announcement expected next week. With Manchester City FC and the Yankees teaming up to bring MLS to New York City, Yankee Stadium was the logical business choice for a stopgap home.

But logistics have to work on the fieldtoo.

Is it ideal? Cook ponders. It is not the greatest, but it works. It is doable.

MLB and MLS seasons run concurrently, meaning stadium crews must handle 81 baseball games and at least 17 soccer games each year. Weve already seen a taste of what soccer looks like on the Yankee Stadium grass, with the 50,000-seat venue hosting four games in the last two years and another game planned for July 30 when Manchester City plays Liverpool. Without a designated width for a soccer field just parameters to fall within Yankee Stadiums baseball-first design forces a narrower pitch than typically seen. It also requires temporary grass every time soccer is played.

With the field running from the left field wall toward the first base line foul territory, sod must cover the vast majority of infield clay. Cook says laying ready-play sod has turned commonplace.

You literally lay it down and that day you can play on it, he says.

Two MLB and MLS teams streamlined that practice already when the Washington Nationals and D.C. United shared RFK Stadium nearly a decade ago.

Follow this link:
MLB fields coordinator: NYCFC, Yankees sharing stadium not ideal, but doable

Geo Zoysia Grass / Sod from Big Earth Landscape Supply in Tampa, Palmetto, Bradenton Sarasota, FL.
A fine-bladed zoysia grass with a deep green color, Geo Sod is one of the most beautiful turf grasses you will find in a landscape. Geo has good to excellent...

By: Adam Rickert

See the original post here:
Geo Zoysia Grass / Sod from Big Earth Landscape Supply in Tampa, Palmetto, Bradenton & Sarasota, FL. - Video

Cost to Seed A Lawn
Starting a lawn from seed creates a lush green turf that makes any home look like a castle. This video compares the cost of seeding a lawn yourself with hiri...

By: DIY OR NOT

Originally posted here:
Cost to Seed A Lawn - Video

South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame will break with tradition and replace the grass surface at the stadium known as the House Rockne Built and install artificial surface before the upcoming football season.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the university would have preferred to stay with natural grass, but said field conditions in recent years made the change necessary.

I was looking for a way to see if we could still do it, but I reached the conclusion, between the end of last season and this that we really couldnt, he said.

Among the factors that went into the decision were the university holding commencement at the stadium in recent years, which he said has made it harder to maintain good field conditions, and a proposed $400 million construction project that call for buildings to be added on three sides with the goal of getting more use out of the facility.

We needed to make the change now if we were going to give our student athletes the playing surface they deserve, he said.

Swarbrick said the change could allow the stadium to be used for other events, specifically mentioning an outdoor hockey game.

Last year the university installed new sod at the stadium four times, including twice during the season. Swarbrick said after seeing the Irish play on a torn up field on Sept. 28, Notre Dame cant have a field like we had against Oklahoma again.

Coach Brian Kelly had said previously he wanted FieldTurf installed, but there was backlash from fans and alumni who oppose changing the traditions at Notre Dame Stadium. Kelly said after the Blue-Gold game on Saturday that the change will allow the team to practices sometimes at the stadium.

We want to be able to get out there with our team. We want some safety issues to be not part of the equation, he said.

He said in his four years at Notre Dame the field conditions havent been good.

Original post:
Reluctantly, Notre Dame will replace grass with artificial turf this fall