New Dudy Noble....All turf?

This thread accomplished exactly what I was hoping....

I wanted Stricklin to see a list of people talking about how awful turf is so it will deter him from screwing it up. The people have spoken, Scott...please no turf.

I swear I will boycott if that happens! Well, maybe not but I will threaten to and throw 16 tantrums in the AD's office! No way, no way that happens.

What do you think is Cohen's opinion of turf. I figure he has enough pull now that if he wants it he will get it and if he doesn't want it then it won't happen.

Not just no, but HELL NO!!! Natural grass is the way to go, period. We have one of the best turf grass management programs in the country. Our football turf is annually voted as among the best playing surfaces in the nation. You don't screw with that for nasty ass carpet.

This isn't just about grass vs. turf. There are a whole lot of college stadiums now, like we saw with ULL, that are entirely turf, just one big sheet of turf, dirt included. I have no idea why it started, but it is an abomination.

NCAA should ban any postseason play on fields with all turf. Easy fix to a growing problem.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LC Dawg

What do you think is Cohen's opinion of turf. I figure he has enough pull now that if he wants it he will get it and if he doesn't want it then it won't happen.

---

Pure conjecture here- but he has always been about whatever is most like Omaha and Hoover. As long as those two keep growing grass, I suspect that we will keep playing on grass.

The turf that we have was more or less for cosmetic reasons than anything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smootness

This isn't just about grass vs. turf. There are a whole lot of college stadiums now, like we saw with ULL, that are entirely turf, just one big sheet of turf, dirt included. I have no idea why it started, but it is an abomination.

---

I think it's mainly because it drains better and because most schools don't have a field and turf dept. like MSU.

What would it say about our turf program if we went to artificial? Gotta stay grass.

I read an article that the field turf actually costs more to maintain than natural surfaces, this might only hold true for football though. Apparently you have to spray disinfectants on the field because players were getting staph infections at an alarming rate.

Heres a link
http://turf.uark.edu/turfhelp/archives/021109.html

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Todd4State

Pure conjecture here- but he has always been about whatever is most like Omaha and Hoover. As long as those two keep growing grass, I suspect that we will keep playing on grass.

The turf that we have was more or less for cosmetic reasons than anything.

---

I was under this impression as well. That is, until I saw the home plate dirt turf. He had a logical reason for it, but I think we proved that it didn't help us at all from a competitive standpoint. I'm pretty sure it hurt us with WPs. His reasoning was that they take 1000s of swings on turf in the cage and in BP, so why not in the game? Fair enough, but that means that you never take a swing on real dirt until you play a game on the road. Let's go back to real earth at home plate.

Omaha and Hoover don't have turf home plates or baselines

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DudyDawg

If we can afford the upkeep of natural grass, no need to change it

---

I don't think there are any real cost savings. Saw a piece on high school teams going to turf and with the upfront cost of the turf, you really don't come out ahead because there are still some maintenance costs and you have to replace the turf reasonably often if it gets play and is exposed to the sun. Only advantage to it is that you don't have to worry about tearing it up after rain, and it can stand up to heavier use, so you can use one field for a lot of different events. Doesn't seem like any of that applies for baseball. Another disadvantage is it's a good bit hotter than dirt and grass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bulldogcountry1

I was under this impression as well. That is, until I saw the home plate dirt turf. He had a logical reason for it, but I think we proved that it didn't help us at all from a competitive standpoint. I'm pretty sure it hurt us with WPs. His reasoning was that they take 1000s of swings on turf in the cage and in BP, so why not in the game? Fair enough, but that means that you never take a swing on real dirt until you play a game on the road. Let's go back to real earth at home plate.

---

Didn't Cohen also say it saved him a ton of time not having to chalk the baselines and batter's boxes? I think I heard that. Then I was always racking my brain trying to figure out why the coaches were doing that and not some joe blow for $10 an hour.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Todd4State

I think it's mainly because it drains better and because most schools don't have a field and turf dept. like MSU.

---

I know exactly why they do it, but it should be outlawed. You should at least have to have dirt on the field. And the turf should have to be more like football turf that now acts much like grass, not this ridiculous stuff that allows you to play slip-and-slide all over the basepaths.

It is akin to a school replacing their basketball court with some surface that had a trampoline effect and now everybody is jumping 12 feet in the air. It changes the game, and it looks horrible.