Game 2 weeks from today. 2-3 feet still on ground.
Question for the Northern coaches.
Have you ever done, or considered plowing the fields?
Thinking the ground is still hard.
Make sense or crazy idea?
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We actually had a coach suggest that we employ the SLAP (Sheriff's Labor Assistance Program) - basically guys fulfilling community service to shovel the snow. Don't know about you but the "snow" on the ground in NJ is about as hard as a rock.
I think plowing would be tremendously difficult...not to mention wear & tear from vehicles on the field surface.
Good news is...everybody is pretty much in the same frozen boat.
In High school my son shoveled snow off the field a couple of times. Usually it was just to clear off the infield.
In college the team has had to clear the field numerous times, having an all turf field makes it easier to clear. Some of the pics he sent look pretty cool, no pun intended. The shovels and brooms are lined up by the bat rack.
Getting the snow off speeds up mother natures help, of course the way this winter is going you may not play ball outside until June.
the thing that worked the best was having a few tarps available to pile snow on and have about six kids drag it. Great workout for them also.
Kean University in Northern NJ. Mountain of snow in the RF and LF corners, but ready to play.
We play in CO - snow is pretty much a constant threat from March through May (snowed 4 inches last night). Plowing grass field not a good idea unless you purposely lift plow up 2-3 inches over grass and take off top layer of snow - basically OK if you get a lot of snow but if you only have 3 inches or less - not a good idea.
If you have turf - plowing works fine on the turf part. Again, you don't want to scrape too low or you end up with black snow from all the rubber pellets.
Check out these photos.....this is Fifth Third Field....home of the MudHens.....that's one way to do it.....lol
Be sure to click "read more" under the description
Use snow blowers, and shoot it into a dump trailer and haul it off.
I've come to the realization that the HS season here in IL is going to be seriously shortened this year. At the rate we are going the ground isn't going to be clear to July (jk). But I am writing off March for the most part.
Biggest issue for us in the North J is what happens once this melts. We are in a tremendous flood area...if we get a quick melt and some rain that's NG.
I think that most fields in this area will be out of commission until late March the way it's going. Temps aren't really cooperating at this point and long range forecast is not good either.
Just looked and things are looking up a little here in NW Ohio. Starting this Thursday our forecast shows a high of 31 or higher every day for 8 straight days....including a couple days that show sunny and 40+. We just might get the snow off the field before opening day....
Originally Posted by birdman14:
Kean University in Northern NJ. Mountain of snow in the RF and LF corners, but ready to play.
I wonder what the ground rules would be to cover this?
Originally Posted by coach2709:
Originally Posted by birdman14:
Kean University in Northern NJ. Mountain of snow in the RF and LF corners, but ready to play.
I wonder what the ground rules would be to cover this?
Snow area becomes like the stands and is out of play. Foul ball can't be caught in the snow and catch and carry would apply (I'm not sure I would like to go crashing into a snow pile). Ball hit down the third or first base line fair, that rolls into the snow, becomes a ground rule double.
It also helps that this is a turf field or it would be a swamp...
Originally Posted by jhelbling:
We play in CO - snow is pretty much a constant threat from March through May (snowed 4 inches last night). Plowing grass field not a good idea unless you purposely lift plow up 2-3 inches over grass and take off top layer of snow - basically OK if you get a lot of snow but if you only have 3 inches or less - not a good idea.
If you have turf - plowing works fine on the turf part. Again, you don't want to scrape too low or you end up with black snow from all the rubber pellets.
Also in Colorado. Last year, itching to play, we had scheduled a doubleheader scrimmage on a Sunday. Thursday it snowed A LOT, but the weather for the weekend looked pretty nice. One assistant and I went out to the fields we were using. There were two fields. We carefully took note of shadows, the current condition of both fields and made a decision as to which field to shovel. Mainly the infield with hopes that the outfield would dry enough. Because the weather was improving, this included not only shoveling the snow (by hand), but doing it quickly enough to not leave too much water on the field as it was melting. So, we spent all day on the field we had picked. Come the next morning, the field we shoveled and worked so hard on was too wet and unuseable. However, the field we ignored was almost completely dry and needed only about an hours worth of work to get ready. Go figure.
This is what we get in Colorado:
Monday: high of 22
Tuesday: high of 60
Tuesday night: 5" of snow
Wednesday: 60
Thursday: 70
Friday: 68
Friday night: 40% chance of snow with a low of 16
Saturday: high of 30
Sunday: sunny and 66
This pattern often goes on like this until June.
Originally Posted by Buckeye 2015:
Check out these photos.....this is Fifth Third Field....home of the MudHens.....that's one way to do it.....lol
Be sure to click "read more" under the description
I would imagine that wasn't exactly cheap! Haha!
Originally Posted by Bulldog 19:
Originally Posted by Buckeye 2015:
Check out these photos.....this is Fifth Third Field....home of the MudHens.....that's one way to do it.....lol
Be sure to click "read more" under the description
I would imagine that wasn't exactly cheap! Haha!
Actually there's a story on the Mudhens website today. It's just their normal infield rain cover....they dumped snow on the edges and rented a couple heaters to blow air in....the pics look like there are cables going to it....but those are the cables that hold up the backstop....it's just a big bubble of air. Genius if you ask me....lol