quote:Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
When I was in high school, our field had dirt cut-outs for 1st/3rd basepaths. A few years ago, our coach laid down sod and cut them out. It was just too much work for him to keep up with it. He was spending a ton of time trying to keep those up and forcing him to neglect other parts of the field. Also, we had more than a handful of games rained out because the baselines were puddles while the rest of the field was playable...
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there are all kinds of different situations that require all kinds of different solutions, and that a solution here will lead to a lot of problems there.
Probably the saddest thing about baseball fields in general, is that when they’re put in, the effort to save a buck combined with some ignorance, usually means some kind of trouble down the line. And that trouble most of the time is drainage, even in the sun belt regions. The main reason for that and other problems is, 9 times out of 10, the “eggspurts” putting in the fields, don’t have to maintain them!
Here’s a couple of the “problems” I see most.
1)When I look at a field and see rake marks in the base paths from home to 1st/3rd, I know the chances of them being level is nil, and that they take up way more maintenance time than is necessary. Simply making the base paths about 7’ wide allows the 6’ drag to be used to “dress” them. That allows 2’ of dirt on the fair side, and 5 on the foul side, which works very well.
2)The infield dirt is from 1”-4” below the soil level of the turf. People forget that over time, the elements and use will pack the IF soil, causing its level to drop. Combine that with the buildup of “lips” where the soil and turf meet, and you have at minimum an unsightly mess, and at worse a dangerous situation. Combine that with reduced drainage, and you have a sloppy mess.
All that needs to be done, is to “fluff up” the soil once in a while. Rototilling is probably the best way, but it takes a while. The next best way is to use some kind of “tool” that will penetrate the soil at least 3”-6”, and break it up. That will allow light and air to penetrate the soil, and improve drainage immensely. Finish off the job with a few yards of new IF dirt to dress things up, and for a couple hundred bucks, in essence you have a brand new IF.
Sorry, got carried away there.
