Snow

Yeah, yeah. We've been down this whiteout garden path with you before. Something about blankets and lush green infields.

It was 79 in San Antonio yesterday...where CPLZ Jr. will take the bump two weeks from Friday...I'll bet their infield grass doesn't crunch like ours does right now.

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Lovely...isn't it?




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Yea this is great. All the camps going on and kids coming in with snow boots and gym shorts and bat bags. At least we are not having wash our vechicles every other day.

FBD, You know, I was thinking about you today as I watch all this stuff coming down. I was wondering when you'd come on and tell us how good this snow is for our fields. You do it every year, just like clockwork.

I'm glad one of my good friends can find joy and happiness during a blizzard! Have you run out of salt yet? All the best to Clayton.

Why do we live here?

High wages and there are a lot of malls for the wives.

Metro East - 9 inches of snow last Thursday night. 74 degrees monday. Yesterday, 65 to 27 in no time, severe storms, 2 1/2 inches of rain, flash flood warnings. No rain in the forecast today so, rain this morning. Winds strong now. Last week we set the second fastest drop in temps in St. Louis history. 74 degrees to 27. What is up with this? My Brother-in-Law called last night. He's lost his barn, fence and animals in Tennessee. Tornados everywhere. I've heard 60 total. 45 Dead by lunch. WOW!

Rosy thanks!

Salt is a very prescious commodity right now to say the least. Crazy isn't it? Sooner or later they will be trading road salt futures.

Thanks for asking...Clay is working very hard at school...seems as though it's much tougher than HS. As far as baseball goes, he has never thrown as much as they have him throwing right now. I always thought his HS coaches didn't throw the pitchers enough so I'm happy to see them working their arms. They don't open for a while so they aren't looking to be game ready right now just getting stronger I guess.

How is Jordan doing? Hopefully he is 100% and ready to go out and show his stuff. You going to get out there and watch some games? Of course all the best to both of you.

CPLZ... can you even find the grass to hear the crunch?!? We're up to our eyeballs in snow here - can't even remember what the grass looks like! #2 son heads to FL in 12 days... I know he's looking forward to it. Wish I were going along!

Glad to hear the snow is good for the field though... now if someone could just explain why?!?

Coach...that weather is really crazy and of course so sad to all those who have lost so much. Makes a day of not being able to travel seem pretty trivial.

my3sons..


Snow is good for the fields because:

The blanket of snow will provide insualtion from the cold, giving the grass a better start in the spring.

The ground moisture that we are getting is extremely important to all the soil on the field, in your lawn and of course for those involved in agriculture. Come summer, the fields hold up so much better if they have higher moisture in the soil.

Thanks FBD for the explanation - I figured the moisture was part of the equation, but didn't consider the warmth that's underneath it all. Makes sense.

We have a Malamute (which is pronounced Mal-mutt, which as we all know is French for "bad dog") who loves to go out and lay in the snow and just let it pile up around him... so there's one vote for more snow!

I love this thread! I knew my decision to move to Phoenix from the 'burbs was the right one!!

quote:

Originally posted by Doughnutman:
I love this thread! I knew my decision to move to Phoenix from the 'burbs was the right one!!

Who invited the wussie?

OK, so now we're really in for it. FBD has now explained why snow is good for the grass. It time, this will surpass the Groundhog!

In two weeks it will be 76 degrees inside my gymnasium. Got to love Baseball in the midwest

Hey CPLZ,
Come down to the desert to play a tournament in July. We shall indeed see who the "wussies" are.

Hey Doughnutman-

I'm the biggest knucklehead of the site. I am from there & moved here! How stupid is that?

And I would say you are correct, most of us would "melt" down there in July. The end of our winter (never wants to warm up) is like your summer (never wants to cool off.) Come back and visit us in Oct. when you are still at 104!!!

Well, I just came back from Phoenix.....I need to go and visit more customers. Yes, the grass will be helped, but the infields will be mud. Every year we're scheduled to open on Macrh 15; we haven't played on that date for a few years. And it's great "fun" watching those March and early April games.
What the IHSA should do is go to Cooperstown DreamsPark, find out where the get the soil they use at the parks and get the same rollers. We'd never miss a game due to rain or wet fields.
In 2003 when our kids were 12 three of our guys made the Northshore team that made it to the championship game that year. It rained, sometimes very heavy, every day. Yet we never missed a game. Some were delayed a bit but once they worked the fields, it was "Play Ball". The only game missed, and scheduled the next morning, wwas the championship. It took the great east coast power outage to cancel that game.

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"How stupid is that?" you ask nc42dad.


I would say it's ...




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Are those Beefsteak or Early Girl?

They're 'Big Boys'.

As I left Naperville this morning it was 24 degrees on the car thermometer. When I get to Urbana, it hits 32 and I think it is warm, right? By the time I hit Rend Lake, it is now 52! I am driving by Carbondale - now it is 59!!! What is with that? Today in Atlanta 64. Tomorrow when I hit Miami it is supposed to be 82! I am starting to think that I might come down with a serious illness on Monday and have to stay down here sick until about the end of spring training.

I never realized there was such a temp. difference in IL... SIU is looking pretty good.

Hope you boys don't freeze tonight!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight (Saturday) forecast low of -4°F, tomorrow's high temperature a sizzling 5°F moderating to a low temperature of -4°F again tomorrow night.

Thinking about making lots and lots of low cost ice cubes for use next summer.

John Logan College Baseball team worked outside every day until last week- They opened up their season in Alabama this past weekend--split a double header on Friday but do not know results of Sat yet... Key to them being outside----NEW MINOR LEAGUE STADIUM which is the Volunteers new home field for games---artificial turf and WARMER WEATHER THEN HERE UP NORTH-- THE future in baseball and softball up north will be artificial turf on the fields.....starting to see it...

Woodly, do you know what type of turf? We've played on the kind like the Rams play on and really it's pretty nice. The ground up rubber makes it more realistic. Also, it helps on the turf burns. I don't like the other type of turf as much. We played at a place in Indy and our players had burns everywhere.

(We = my daughter's softball team.)

Coach, I believe woodly's referring to the Soutern Illinois Miners' new stadium, Rent One Ballpark I think is the name. From the pictures I've seen it probably has the new Field Turf or Action Turf I've seen one version called. I'll bet a lot of the indoor places if they aren't new have the old Astroturf on them.

Down here at SEMO we've got the Field Turf on Houck Stadium for football. The baseball and softball teams have been out there the last couple weeks practicing on that turf because there really isn't anywhere else to be! I've seen a few nice abrasions caused by sliding on the turf, but there are definitely benefits to having the turf!

fIELD TURF--LIKE ILLINOIS IS PUTTING IN THEIR NEW STADIUM--- BY THE WAY; LOGAN WON SATURDAY 4-2 IN ALABAMA-- FINISHED 2-1 IN THEIR 3 GAME SERIES

THAT STADIUM==MINERS STADIUM IS NICE---EVEN THE MOUND IS TURF--NO DIRT AT ALL..... WE WILL BE USING IT IN 2 TOURNEYS THIS SUMMER SO SOME OF THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS WILL GET A CHANCE TO PLAY ON IT

This was a nice 5-6 inch coat for our fields down south to stay warm. keep it comin!!

Well, it looks like the snow is going to overstay it's welcome. With all the snow we have on the ground and with temps only rising above the low 30's one time in the next ten days (mostly in the 20's) not much snow is going to melt not to mention we will get at least one snowstorm in that time frame.

Looks like we will be into mid-March at the soonest before the snow even begins to disappear...maybe longer. The other factor is that there is substantial frost in the ground that when it thaws will produce even more moisture to deal with.

Sad to say, but I predict that most schools in the Chicago or Northen Illinois area will not be playing games on their home fields until at least April 1st if not later than that.....and it could be even later if we don't get a serious thaw in the next couple of weeks and it isn't happening any time soon.

IMHO, this will all help the teams that are well-coached and they will take advantage of this extra time to get the kids ready....coaches who really don't work at skills and fundamentals will miss out on a great chance to help the kids get better.

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Which is in your dug out?

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The walk from the car to the stands is very invigorating this season...




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My relatives in Ohio just got banged for 10 inches yesterday. Thank goodness this one missed us! Too bad for them!

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You know nc42dad...someone should tell your relatives in Ohio to come in out of the weather when it's so cold and snowy.



And lay off the matzah balls...they are what they eat!


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Actually the all turf stadium at Rent One Park for the Southern Illinois Miners is Sportexe Artifical turf. We are the guys who did Lake Zurich High School, Benedictine, Argo HS, ect. Very proud of the turf it definately is one of a kind !!!!!! We are down there right now making some minor repairs to the sub base as it was built on an old coal mine and is prone to a bit of settling.

If anyone wants to see some hi res pictures follow the link to flickr

http://flickr.com/search/?q=sportexe

That football field at Lake Zurich that you did is great!

Thanks much appreciated very proud of The Bears. alot of very good people over in that community and they sure do beat the hell out of that field!!!

What kind of differences are they between the different kinds of turf? To the naked eye, they all look the same IMO. I'm just curious..

Looks great