Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 1

Transcription

1 Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 1

2 About Jim Reiner and Baseball Field Maintenance My name is Jim Reiner. I'm a sports turf manager and author / publisher of many articles and handbooks on sports field maintenance. I developed the baseball field maintenance handbook, Transforming Your Baseball Field into a Winning Field, which was designed to help those who care for youth sports fields to get professional results with the least amount of time and cost. My efforts -- both in groups and one-on-one -- transform ball fields to give your athletes the opportunity to perform at their highest levels. I have completed projects from minor upgrades to major renovations for all levels of baseball and softball from T-Ball to College and everything in between. Prior to working in the corporate setting, I was a groundskeeper for the Texas Rangers AAA team. A quality baseball experience is possible. I believe in giving back to make a difference for others. Creating great ball fields is just one way I invest in our youth and to help create lifelong habits for success. With this information, you not only have the power to create a great baseball experience... you have the power to make a difference. How about using that power to make a difference? This information in the Special Report is for education purposes only. It is not professional advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of sports field professionals. Consult your local sports groundskeepers before beginning or making changes in your field or maintenance program, for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and problems, and for advice regarding solutions. Jim Reiner, Groundskeeper, Publisher, Editor, Author, Transforming Your Baseball Field into a Winning Field Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 2

3 Disclaimer: This is a copyrighted work and the Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide (the Guide) reserves all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without the prior consent of the Guide. You may use the work for our own personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. The work is provided as is. The Guide makes no guarantees or warranties as the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of or results to be obtained from using the work, including any information that can be accessed through the work via hyperlink or otherwise, and expressly disclaims any warranty, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Guide shall not be liable to you or anyone else for an inaccuracy, error, or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there from. The Guide has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall the Guide be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result form the use of or inability to use the work. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 3

4 Baseball Field Improvement Projects In this special report I m going to show you how to get the most out of what you put into your field renovation and upgrade projects so you too can have a winning sports field. So, before you just head off to the local big box home improvement store and load up on supplies and rental equipment, it s good to have a plan. Your best plan will be the result of doing a little homework to identify and prioritize your improvement efforts. The field audit or assessment checklist is the tool to use. The checklist covers all aspects of your ball park including topics most folks don t even think about. In this report I m going to show you a real life example of using the audit to identify action required. Then I ll show you how to put together the list of tools and supplies needed and how to outline your actual work day so you know exactly what you are going to be doing. Then I ll finish out this special report with detailed sample projects that are typical across all levels of play. You will more than likely find samples that fit your needs. You can then use these as starters and customize them specifically for you. And lastly, these checklists and project plans are great tools for communicating with your director, board, or volunteers. It can also help with your budget planning and getting everyone on board with common expectations. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 4

5 The starting point: I used the ball park audit checklist you will find in the Checklists, Diagrams, and Charts special report. This is a condensed version just showing you the individual items that had issues and required some action. This is the basis for the work planning, budgeting, scheduling, and the list of materials and equipment required for the work days. As you can see, this field had a lot of issues probably not unlike yours. Spring 2013 High school / PONY field Baseball Field Maintenance Audit Date Inspected by Weather conditions at time of inspection Jim Reiner Sunny, 65 degrees, 6 days since the last rain Playing Surface Infield Dirt Area Action Required Soil too loose to provide good running traction. surface is not loose enough around sliding zones for safe sliding. too abrasive (rocks, etc) for safe sliding. too compacted to provide good drainage. Add 5-10 tons of good quality baseball dirt; the dirt edge at the grass line is too low. Running paths / Sliding zones have become worn near bases and need to be leveled off. Batter s box / Home plate / Pitcher s mound have become worn and uneven. Permanently positioned* mounds, home plate and bull pen areas in grounds that receive moderate to heavy usage should have unfired bricks packed as a base. This will assist in preventing holes and uneven surface. *(12 months of the year) Infield area has low spots, holes or is not level and should be dragged / re-graded. Soil build-up there is a hazardous lip between the skinned area and the turf. Skinned areas have unsafe wet spots and / or puddles. 3B path is low; rain water settles here Infield mound could use clay reinforcement at landing area Bullpen mound at 3B needs a larger platform at the pitcher rubber. Bullpens in batting cage area need to be rebuilt. Overall, it is pretty good, but a little low behind 1B at outfield grass edge. Add some baseball dirt at third base area and in first base cutout area. Lip between 1B and 2B could use some lowering as well as adding baseball dirt near the grass line. Puddling at 3B area and behind 1B at outfield grass. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 5

6 Warning track is overgrown with vegetation and / or uneven in grade. Foul areas are uneven in grade / need reconditioning. Yes, but we are continuously trying to spray weeds and mow them down. LF foul line area needs weeds killed and then dragged. Playing Surface Grass Bare spots hard soil surface exposed. Soil sub-surface is roughly graded making an unsafe running surface. Soil sub-surface is too wet or drains poorly making an unsafe running surface. Texture, density or height turf is not uniform making an unsafe running surface. Vegetation there are weeds with thorns, bristles, or burrs in turf. Tire ruts there are hazardous tire ruts in turf. Action Required Infield is good. Outfield has some bare spots we are seeding. PONY league cutout at 2B needs soil/sand/compost added to raise the area about 1 inch. Outfield has a couple of very wet areas that are squishy and leave ruts. Outfield needs to be mowed and rolled. Fall football practice on the outfield tore it up and left heel indents. We kill and mow these kind of weeds in the warning track area. Mow them low in the outfield grass. Ruts in outfield from football and PE on wet and saturated ground. Playing Surface General Maintenance equipment such as rakes, hoses, etc, have been left on the field. Litter and unsafe debris is scattered around the field and player / spectator areas. Sprinkler heads, drainage grates, valve boxes, etc, - in the field are above grade or have sharp edges or unsafe protrusions. Field design our facility does comply with recommended field design specifications. May be varied providing the safety of players and spectators is not compromised. Home plate / Field layout has been unsafely altered. Home plate has been moved back toward the backstop. Action Required Hose is out. Could be wound up in little nook behind the quick coupler. Yes, this is a problem. We have a general litter problem with all the school kids. Playing surface has some sprinkler heads that stick up after they cycle on. Nook behind hose quick coupler has two deep holes. This field is unique in design. That gives it character. The nature of the setting has less than normal room behind the plate to the backstop. Nothing we can do about that. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 6

7 Bases & Anchoring Base ground stake is unsafely protruding above the surface grade. Pitcher s rubber is not level with the surrounding surface or is not secured safely into the ground. Action Required 3B peg should be a bit lower. Check batting cage bullpen area. Fencing Fencing is not securely attached to the fence posts with loose or broken ties. Gaps there are unsafe gaps under fencing. Top rail there is no top railing to secure fence. Backstop there are unsafe gaps or netting with worn out boards or fencing. Action Required Center field fence has loose pieces of plywood pulling away from its frame. LF has some gaps at the bottom. We should repaint the top yellow homerun line on the wood fence. Netting from home plate to 3B is loose and hanging. Spectator Areas Nuts and bolts on the seating area are loose or missing or protruding. Steps are even and accessible. Grandstand there are gaps between adjacent units. Other there are hazardous protrusions, edges or pinch points. Action Required Some boards need to be anchored down. One of the steps from parking down to the seats is broken. Dangerous. Seating in parking area above 1B dugout has gaps between field fencing and the poles. A little child could fall down in there. There s a low spot between the top of the 1B dugout and the fencing in the seating area up there. Right in that corner there s not much protection from falling down on the field. Kill the weeds under the bleachers. General Safety Signage there are no warning signs posted informing players or spectators of rules or hazardous conditions. Action Required Make the corrections and then we don t need to put out warning signs. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 7

8 Next, we use the findings from the ball park audit to put together the projects and identify the materials needed. This is a lot like putting together a grocery list, but a lot more fun! Materials for Work Day ITEM Lots of rings and clamps (Stan said you d know what these are) One plywood: ½ thick, 3 ply Eight 1 x 6 boards ten feet long One box of nails 4 inches long One box of sheet rock screws 2 ½ inches long One box of sheet rock screws 1 ¾ inches long One box of sheet rock screws 4 inches long Five 2 x4 x8 boards One 2 x 10 x 8 board Two tubes of exterior painter s caulking One 2 x 10 x sixteen feet long Six nuts and six bolts three inches long One 2 x 8 eight feet long a dozen plastic wire tie downs metal edge paint scraping tool 5 yards of topsoil Mound clay one bag of cement Purpose To secure 260 feet of netting down the left field line top and bottom To be cut and used to fix the outfield wall Safety fencing along upper bleachers Anchor braces for the fencing if needed Mount the safety fencing to the telephone poles or braces Mount the plywood to the outfield metal frame Mount the brace and board to fix the broken step Cut into braces as needed Cut in half to brace and fix the broken step Fix leaking roof over the 1B dugout Replace missing board on upper bleachers Mount the bleacher board to the frame Fill in fence gap up where Pastor sits to watch to connect netting to the fence in right center Remove peeling yellow home run line in preparation for repainting Fill in ruts, bring up new grass level by 2B Reinforce infield mound and 3B bullpen Anchor the 3B peg Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 8

9 EXAMPLE: baseball work day #1 as a result of the ball park audit and parts list above 1. Turf Maintenance Supplies needed: 50lbs , 250 lbs , 50 lbs 80/20 blue rye seed, ½ yard of topsoil, field rake, drag, cyclone spreader, mower, sprinkler flags, stringer, long nails, hammer, fan rake Rental equipment needed: two core aerators Workers: 4 to do this together mark sprinklers, aerating, remove high spot in front of mound and near second base, spread seed, drag cores, fertilize, edging, 2. Finish painting: homerun line and touch up Supplies needed: maroon paint, yellow paint, rollers, trays, brushes, caulking, caulk gun Rental equipment needed: lift or 12 ladder Workers: 2 or 3 to do this together: paint new homerun line, touch up other areas, paint top of the 1B dugout 3. Dirt maintenance: infield, foul lines, warning track Supplies needed: field rakes, drag, Rental equipment needed: two thatchers, small tractor to pull the drag Workers: 4 to do this together level edges, drag the infield dirt areas more level, run the thatchers over any weeds along the foul lines and warning track. 4. Finish building the batting cage over the home bullpen area Supplies needed: poles, connectors, netting, tie downs for netting, gloves, tape measure, A frame ladder, Astroturf for batter boxes? Rental equipment needed: two man post hole digger would make this easier Workers: 3 or 4 to do this together inventory poles, measure, place poles, dig holes, hang netting 5. Roll the turf to level out ruts: outfield primarily Supplies needed: sprinkler flags Rental equipment needed: 1.5 ton steam roller or roller that attaches to a truck Workers: 2 to do this together mark sprinklers, roll the turf, watch out for sprinklers and mud catching on the roller Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 9

10 EXAMPLE: baseball work day #2 as a result of the ball park audit and parts list above 1. Hang new netting along LF foul line & fix loose netting in right field 2. Start to build a batting cage over the home bullpen area 3. Fill in ruts with top soil; tamp it down 4. Painting touch up if needed 5. Rebuild mounds: infield and 3B bullpen 6. Finish leveling the dirt area in front of home plate & raise the drain pipe to the new level 7. Paint and hang baseballs on the right field wall 8. Turf Maintenance: mark sprinklers, mow, aerate, over seed, drag, field and school 9. Dirt maintenance: level the infield and foul lines, remove weeds from warning track 10. Roll the turf to level out ruts: outfield primarily 11. Fix loose 3B peg cement it in 12. Clean up branches, leaves, wood scraps in the entire ball park area 13. Hang up sponsor signs 14. Fix roof leaks over the 1B dugout: caulk or use roofing paper 15. Straighten the leaning fence in center TBD 16. Put new netting on L screens 17. Replace septic tank manhole cover 18. Add hooks in the dugouts to hang bat bags 19. Misc. wood work plywood by 1B dugout hole, reinforce some corners, safety fencing, etc 20. Raise up the foul ball netting by the entrance to parking near 1B dugout 21. Repair property fence behind the bleachers Equipment needed: Aerator 2 walk behind core Dethatcher 2 Post hole digger Sky trak lift Leaf blower Riding mower Tools needed: Screw guns, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, field drag, extension cords, hammers, skill saw, paint brushes, crimpers for netting hooks, ladders Supplies and materials needed: Netting, 2 plywood, hooks, rail road tie or a 2 x8 x8, bag of cement, 5 yards of topsoil, mound clay, screws & nails, caulk or roof paper, more cement for fence in center, wire tie downs, manhole cover, lots of hooks for the bat bags, gas for equipment, hooks for foul ball cable, seed, fertilizer, sprinkler marking flags, cement and wood frames for fencing holes Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 10

11 EXAMPLE: deliveries of materials and equipment for the work day at a softball field. 12 yards of 100% pro baseball field clay Kubota will tiller and loader 3 ton steamroller Aerator and sod cutter And then the detail work activities to improve the playing surface for a softball field. Adding clay to the playing field to improve footing and bounces 1. Lightly till the top 4 inches of the playing field. 2. Spread 10 tons of clay over the field. Rake and drag level. Till it into the top 3-4 inches. 3. Lightly spray with water. Let it absorb and dry a bit on top. 4. Roll with a steam roller. 5. Drag slowly twice. 6. Ready for competitive play! Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 11

12 EXAMPLE: visual presentation of the turf maintenance process this needs more explanation and maybe use the checklist? Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 12

13 EXAMPLE: improving a little league field Increase the safety and playability for the little league junior field 1. Eliminate the 4 foot wide buildup at the infield dirt and outfield grass edge. 2. Eliminate the 1 foot wide raised area around the perimeter of the infield turf. 3. Build safe and durable infield mound and batter s boxes. 4. Improve infield dirt areas for competitive quality footing and bounces. 5. Since we have the equipment, we could also fix the base cutouts on the minor A field and roll the infield dirt on the minor A and little major fields to firm them up. The deliveries required: 1. A transfer (truck and trailer load approx 25 yards) of baseball infield mix that is 50% clay and 50% red lava dust 2. Tractor with a bucket and rear tiller 3. Lawn core aerator 4. Sod cutter ton steam roller unfired clay bricks Tools, supplies, equipment, and manpower needed: Shovels, rakes Fertilizer spreader Gloves Drag mats Sprinklers and hoses Push mower ATV or riding mower to pull the drag mats Gas Tools: 200ft measuring tape, hammer, spike, tamp, string, marking spray paint, 8 or more workers Access to sprinkler box/timer Sprinkler marker flags A couple bags of powdered clay Before we start: 1. Ensure we will have access through the parking lot and through the right field gate for equipment and dirt delivery. We will need access to the field tools and the hose. 2. We need to work with the park folks to turn on the sprinklers just past the cutout so we can mark them with sprinkler flags or with white / orange paint. I think they are out past the hump we want to remove, but we need to make sure. That way we don t run over them or cut into them. 3. Order a transfer (truck and trailer) of baseball dirt. Get estimated cost. 4. We need a tractor with a bucket and rear tiller. The bucket will spread dirt and scrape the infield hump. Rear tiller will help scarify the old dirt and mix in the new dirt so it bonds. Ideally we need a 1.5 ton steamroller. Check on delivery and pickup dates and Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 13

14 times weekends? 5. We need an aerator and sod cutter. Where can we get these? 6. Find out if any one uses the junior field on Sunday. 7. Make sure we have a place to dispose of sod and dirt scraps. 8. Find out what kind of dirt is under the sod hump. Is it topsoil or baseball dirt? 9. Check height of mound compared to grass height just in front of the mound. Is it 10 ½ inches? 10. Arrange for food and drinks for the work day. 11. If we cut a larger infield dirt area, will we be able to drag it properly and water that far? Do we have a hose that reaches? More to hand drag is more work. OK? The day before we work: 1. The evening before: moisten the dirt area. No puddles. 2. Mark the cutout line in the grass. 3. Could even aerate all the turf areas also and cut the outer line. The work day Flag the sprinklers. We don t want to hit any of them. Improving the infield dirt area 1. Mark the base pegs so we don t hit them with the tiller. 2. Moisten the dirt area. Till shallow to loosen it up. Keep tiller at least 1 foot away from the grass edge. 3. Truck dumps the dirt. We spread with landscape rakes, mat drag, or spike drag. Till it in to 3-4 inch depth. 4. Drag with the metal mesh drag to break up clumping and level the field. 5. Roll with a 1 ton roller to speed up the settling process and allow the field to firm up more quickly. Moisten. 6. Slowly drag twice with a mat drag to loosen the surface and level any low spots. 7. Rake or sweep all edges to remove any loose material from the turf to prevent lips from forming. Mound - Reinforce the mound with approximately 100 unfired clay bricks. 1. Outline the landing areas and plateau. 2. Excavate 3 inches below the surface. Level and tamp firm. 3. Excavate the landing area and be 10 inches longer and wider than the longest stride of our pitchers. 4. Blocks should be within ½ inch of the surface. Wedge the blocks into position ½ inch below the rubber. 5. Fill around the blocks with adjacent soil and tamp to wedge together. 6. Tamp and water thoroughly several times for about an hour. Allow water to soak in. Tamp firmly between watering. 7. Apply a thin layer of powdered mound clay. Moisten and tamp. 8. Rake infield mix over the surface and hand drag. Moisten. 9. Cover with a plastic tarp to hold in moisture. Batter Boxes - Reinforcing the batter boxes with unfired clay bricks. 1. This area needs to be raised a bit. Move some infield dirt here to raise it. 2. Use approximately 50 unfired clay bricks per batter s box. 3. Same process as with the mound. 4. Outline the boxes and work from the inside out. 5. When done, roll it. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 14

15 Remove hump between infield dirt and outfield grass 1. Either scrape flat with the tractor bucket or use a sod cutter to remove the sod and then till and spread the dirt underneath. 2. Spread baseball dirt here. 3. Till. Level with rakes and drag. 4. Roll. Reduce raised area along infield turf perimeter 1. Aerate in the wide of one pass. Aerate approximately 12 times. Remove the cores. 2. Mark lines and edge with sod cutter. 3. Cut a 3 inch wide and deep channel next to the turf. 4. Roll with the steam roller. Two to three passes. 5. Smooth dirt along the edge. Rake. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 15

16 Estimating Baseball areas: Using the diagram as the guide for a typical baseball field layout: The infield dirt area is 12,293 square feet. This is based on a formula: 1/4 the area of a circle with a radius of 157 ft minus the grass area. At 1 inch deep, it takes 38 cubic yards of material to fill the dirt area. The infield grass area is 7,056 square feet based on an approximate length of 84 feet. Grass seed is spread here at the rate of 5-6 pounds per 1000 sq ft. for over seeding. So, it takes about one 50 pound bag of grass seed. Fertilizer is spread at a rate of 50 lbs per 10,000 sq feet. So, it takes about one 50 pound bag of fertilizer. Sand and compost as a top dressing is spread at the rate of 6 tons per acre. The field would use approximately 2 tons for continuous top dressing and could probably use 4 tons for the initial process. Baseball improvements budget plan Item & Cost or Comment about the item 25 yards of infield baseball dirt: 50% clay and 50% lava dust 25 yards * $29/yd = $750? 200 unfired clay bricks at.50 each * 200 = $100 Tractor tiller, steam roller, aerator - either donated or about $400 to rent for a day Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 16

17 Spring Turf Maintenance Project Wow, was this field ever out of control! Due to some irrigation problems and some outright vandalism in the fall, the field fell into hard times. So, when spring maintenance came around, we had our hands full. This is a good example for you to learn from. Most ballparks need this in the spring. The Problem Areas: overgrown infield turf; I mean way overgrown 5 to 6 feet past the edge; extensive weed and turf growth in basepaths, warning track, and into the infield dirt; and some thin and weak areas in the turf Fixing It So, where do we start? This project is really a version of the 10 step turf maintenance program. Except in this case, we didn't use topdressing since we had used this extensively twice before. The turf had a good base. The field just needed the usual spring time facelift. Important! For best results in the spring, you really have to do a few things in the fall just before winter. Here's what we did in November: (probably would have been better to do this in October, but, hey, we didn't get to it) 1. Cut the grass way back. 2. Remove as much of the new grass growing in the infield dirt as we could. 3. Aerate the infield in a criss cross pattern 4. Use a thatcher to get out the weeds in the infield turf area and lightly 'till' the top 1-2 inches of the dirt. 5. Spread grass seed and fertilizer 6. Pulled a drag over all this to mix it in and help smooth it out Then it rained during December. But, January was one of the coldest and driest months on record. So, not much grew that month. But in anticipation of the new season, we held the first work day on the last Saturday of January. And here's what we did for this project in January: (it was cold, so we only worked from about 9-11am.) 1. Aerated the infield turf 2. Removed weeds from the mound 3. Threw out some more seed and a little fertilizer on the infield Most of the spring turf maintenance project was completed during the first half of February. The weather was nice, so we were able to finish up the entire spring maintenance project. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 17

18 Here's what we did in February: 1. Edge all grass areas with a sod cutter (infield, foul lines, outfield edge, infield mound, and the warning track) 2. Overseed and fertilize 3. Rebuild the bullpen mounds 4. Spotseed a couple weeks later This was all completed in time for the opening day game on February 25. I know. Some of you live in areas where there's still snow on the ground in February. I grew up in northern Montana. The only way we played baseball in February was to wrap black electricians tape around the ball so we could see it in the snow! Field is ready for play 4 weeks after starting spring cleanup. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 18

19 Project - Little League Field Turf Maintenance and Lip Removal Does your field have a lip so big it's like a speed bump? The Problem Area Most little league fields eventually get a BIG lip build up if preventative measures aren't taken. This field got a huge lip buildup for a couple reasons: 1. 5 tons of crushed brick baseball mix was added in the spring by just dumping and spreading it on top. It stayed too loose. 2. Then 5 more tons of the stuff was added in the summer just for the fun of it. Coaches thought it looked nice when it was wet down. Sure did. But it was loose all over the place. 3. And the biggest problem of all - dragging over the edge of the grass Fixing It We used a sod cutter to fix the lip buildup and to edge the rest of the turf to spec. 1. First, we located the sprinklers along the edge of the outfield grass and the infield dirt. They were all in a perfect arc 53 feet from the center of the mound. So we knew where not to cut. 2. Then I used the sod cutter and cut off the grass and the lip buildup that ranged from 48 feet to 52 feet from the mound. This was a four foot wide area like a speed bump. 3. Next, we rolled up the bad grass, raked the dirt smooth, and hauled the scraps away using a wheelbarrow. 4. Lastly, we lined out the infield grass to spec and used the sod cutter to remove minor lip buildup as well as make it nice and straight. Tip For a project like this it really helps working with someone who can measure properly and draw a straight line next to the stringer. The guy I worked with was great at doing this. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 19

20 Project to Raise the Low Areas on the Infield Grass by Adding Sand Want to get rid of bad bounces? Want to get rid of puddling on the infield grass after rains? THIS process works. Finding the problem areas On this field, the infield turf area was not level anymore. Low spots had developed between the mound and third base and between the mound and first base. Maybe constant foot traffic in these areas did this. Especially if this happened with the ground wet. So, what's the best way to find out where the problem areas are on your infield turf? What I do is mow it. By hand. If you walk behind a mower you get a very good feel for the dips, ruts, and high spots. You and the mower will be able to feel it. So, as you mow, mark the spots where it obviously is low. If you already know great. But sometimes you find more my mowing. I use the sprinkler flags to mark the areas. Here's what you need for this project 1. Mower to mow the infield before starting this project 2. Infield drag - the wire mesh type works best for this 3. Lawn roller or steam roller optional yards of dry fill sand 5. Shovels, wheelbarrow, and / or buckets 6. Field rake Fixing It 1. When you start this process, it's best that your field is not dry as a bone. In preparation for the rest of the work, water the day before. 2. When the grass is dry, mow it. Mow the grass so it is about 1-1/2 inches long. It's best if you either rake up the clippings or catch them in the mower grass catcher. 3. Roll the infield turf. This step is optional and works best on slightly moist dirt. But if you have some really lumpy spots, it will help alot. You can either use a lawn roller or a steam roller. On this field I used the lawn roller first. This helped some, but I also used the steam roller. This turned the lumpy, bumpy areas into more gently rolling areas. These are easier to fix with the sand. 4. Spread the sand so 75% of the grass still sticks up. You can dump the sand in small piles and rake it around. 5. Then drag the area several times to level out the sand and work it down to the root zone. 6. Water like normal. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 20

21 7. Play on it. 8. Repeat the same process in 2-3 weeks. Most of the sand will seem to have disappeared. 9. Keep doing this till the low spots level out. Tips & Hints 1. You can throw out some grass seed on the sand before you use the hand drag to level it out. This can help strengthen and thicken turf if needed. A light application of fertilizer helps too. 2. If you are using a steam roller, this is a great time to work on fixing any lips at the grass edges too. Things not to do on this project: 1. Don't roll it after sanding, roll before; otherwise it's like sandpaper on the grass. It will be stressed it you do this. 2. Don't work with wet sand; it doesn't spread very well. I tried this once because the sand delivery was wet. It's just a lot more work and it is heavier when it's wet. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 21

22 How to use clay bricks to reinforce your softball or baseball mound Tired of pitching into or out of a hole? Fix it with unfired clay bricks! Here is a worn out mound! Is yours this bad? Probably not, but does your baseball mound end up with holes where the pitcher lands? Do you know that landing holes can injure your pitcher or cause him to alter his delivery? Maybe the bad mound is the reason he has trouble throwing strikes. Do you want your mound to look good and be solid for your pitchers? Fix your mound with this 30 minute project. Reinforcing your mound with unfired clay bricks. Source: brick factory or landscape product wholesaler In this example, I completed the job with just a few baseball field tools. I used the following: wheelbarrow to haul the bricks damp towel on the bricks to keep them soft square shovel for cutting bricks and moving loosened dirt hula how to loose dirt field rake to finish the job tamp to flatten and mash the seams together 30 unfired clay bricks First, I marked out the landing area and went about 10 inches wider and longer than the longest stride of the pitchers. This is a high school field here. But you could do the same with a little league field. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 22

23 I used the hula how and the shovel to dig out a rectangle about 3 inches below the surface. This area should be level and firm. Tamp if needed. Then lay the bricks using an alternating pattern as you see in the picture. I filled in the shorter spots with bricks that I cut in half with a shovel. It's easy to cut them. Just place the flat edge and step on the shovel. It cuts right through. Next I tamped the bricks down and together. I used a damp, thin towel over the bricks. This kept the tamp from sticking and picking up clumps. Most bricks wouldn't do that, but I did this just in case. So, here's what it looked like after tamping the entire block back and forth about four times. The bricks have melted together and are firmly in the ground. I pushed some of the excavated baseball dirt back along the edges and tamped it down. Then I used the rake to spread the rest of the excavated baseball dirt over the top of the bricks. It was less than a half inch deep. I then tamped this down using the same thin towel. Again this prevents any lumps from sticking to the tamp and helps keep the tamped surface flat. At this point, I was about 20 minutes into the job and the towel was starting to dry out a bit. I used the field rake to smooth and slightly rough up the surface. Here you see a pitcher using the mound right after I finished the job. Note: the pitcher's landing foot is not in a hole or making a hole. The footing is firm, with just a little give since the bricks are not hard as a rock, but still firm. And of course, the best way to keep lock in this mound improvement is to water lightly and put a tarp over it when not in use. You can do this. Be a hero for your pitchers! Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 23

24 A superior pitching surface prevents injuries and helps keep pitchers from messing up their delivery. Tips and Hints 1. Keep the unfired clay bricks from drying out. Haul them either with a damp towel on them or in a plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. I use a giant plastic bag and sprinkle some water on the bricks. Then I seal them up till I use them. 2. If the edges of the bricks start to turn a light color, then they are drying out and may not be usable anymore. Here s a whole pallet of unfired bricks. And here s a player installing bricks in front of his pitching plate. But, what if you can t afford, or get, bricks/bags? An alternative is to use mortar clay mix. Work it into the existing mound and home plate area. Dampen and tamp. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 24

25 How to add and level several truck loads of baseball dirt Are you adding tons of new baseball mix? Or does your current baseball field have humps and valleys in the dirt? First, have the truck dump the dirt in several 2-4 yard size piles. This makes it easier to spread the baseball dirt and do some of the work by hand. Move and spread dirt by hand that goes right next to the grass edge. Prevent lip build up on your infield and ensure it is level in this area. Spread it and then use a lawn roller on it to pack it down here. Spreading all the dirt: option 1 - Use shovels, wheelbarrows, and field rakes to move, spread, and level. Hand spreading 27 tons of dirt is a big job. Too big for me. You can see from this picture that just spreading some in front of second base is a big job. Spreading all the dirt: option 2 - Use a tractor with a loader to spread the dirt. A tractor is certainly the fastest way to move the baseball dirt, spread it, and mix it in. The rear tiller also helps level the dirt mix after you mix it in. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 25

26 Whether you move and spread by hand or with a tractor, you probably will not yet have a completely firm and flat surface. This can be accomplished with a series of leveling and dragging devices. Or with laser leveling. I'll leave the laser leveling for the moment and talk about what you can do yourself. Leveling the baseball dirt: option 1 - The spike drag. This is a heavy metal drag. The spikes are really long bolts sticking out of the metal frame. These don't bend for nothing. The spikes break up the top two to three inches of the dirt mix. You can also flip the spike drag over so the spikes are up and the flat side is down. Dragging with it like this helps level the dirt. Drag slow to medium speed. Not too fast or you actually cause more lumps and bumps. Leveling the baseball dirt: option 2 - the leveling rack. This is an attachment you can pull behind your tractor or riding mower. The device has some spikes in the front to loose up the baseball mix as it passes over it. Then the device has a wide metal plate that can be raised and lowered to scrape high spots and spread dirt in low spots. It comes with a hand control so you can raise and lower the wide metal plate via a hydraulic piston as you pull it. Nice. If the dirt mix is hard, just add some weight such as a couple cinder blocks to get the spikes to loosen it up. Finish with the metal mesh drag to smooth it out. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 26

27 Firming up the surface: To firm up the new baseball dirt you need one of two things. Water or a roller. Rain is best. It settles and firms up and any puddles or discoloration as it dries shows you remaining low spots. 1. A steam roller is great for instant firm surface also. Just roll it twice with a steam roller and you are done. 2. Rain also helps pack the mix and firm it. You can see from the pictures that the baseball dirt that was moved, spread, and leveled next to the grass edge is colored a rich red after the rain. Time your work and let the rain help you. Tips and Hints: Use a tractor with a rear tiller to mix in the new dirt and existing dirt to get it to bond together. Otherwise the new dirt just sits loose on top of the older hard dirt. It's also better to have your new dirt slightly moist and your existing field slightly damp when you start this. The finished job. Flat. No lips. Firm footing. No bad bounces. No drainage problems after rain. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 27

28 How to roll baseball field turf so it is level Is your top soil under your baseball field turf lumpy and bumpy? There are several ways to level your turf area: Roll your baseball field turf Preparation: Before you roll your baseball field turf with a 1-3 ton roller, it is best to do a few things: 1. Consider rolling your turf as part of an overall turf maintenance program. This means you'll be doing some field maintenance before and after rolling as part of getting your field in great shape. 2. Mow your baseball field grass to its normal mowing. If you don't mow real long grass, it can get matted down in the dirt and be hard to mow later. 3. Walk your field to get a feel for where the trouble spots are. 4. Got some high lips around the turf perimeter? Consider cutting out the lips before you roll baseball field turf. 5. Know our sprinklers. If the heads are 1-2 inches under ground, then you won't have a problem rolling over them. However, if any of the heads are ground level or higher (which they shouldn't be - that's not safe for players with cleats), then you need to mark the high sprinklers so you don't crush them. 6. Got some real bad holes out there? Like where the outfielders stand and dig in with their cleats? Then put some top soil in the hole first. 7. Time the rolling so the ground is moist, but not soggy. Hard ground does not roll well. It needs to be damp to have some give. 8. Make sure you have field access for the roller equipment. Avoid baseball field maintenance goofs. 9. Driving the steam roller yourself? Then check here for tips and hints for best results when using a steam roller to level your baseball field turf. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 28

29 Roll baseball field turf: This part is easy, but as always with heavy equipment, be careful. 1. Roll the turf in an X pattern to ensure lumps and bumps are flattened. 2. Be careful about tight turns - this can tear up the ground. 3. Be careful near fencing and back stops. Know how high and far the roller extends out. 4. Practice forward, reverse, and stopping on a steam roller in wide open areas before going near structures. 5. Check known bad spots to see if you need to roll again or add some top soil and roll again. Roll baseball field turf in an X pattern After you roll baseball field turf to level it: IMPORTANT: rolling levels, but also compacts the soil. This can stress or even damage turf roots. 1. Core aerate the turf so it can breathe and get nutrients to the roots. 2. This is a good time to overseed and fertilize your grass if you haven't done so. 3. When you roll baseball field turf, you flatten out small mounds and small holes. It does not flatten out wide and slightly rolling undulations you might have. It just smooths them out. If you have obvious low spots (for example a 15 foot diameter area where the left fielder stands) spread some topsoil and rake smooth so the top of the grass shows through. 4. Cycle through your sprinklers to ensure they still work and make sure you didn't damage one by accident. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 29

30 Five other ways to level your baseball field turf and dirt 1. Big holes or ruts in the outfield: fill them in with reclaimed sand and cover with topsoil and seed. 2. Uneven infield turf: best thing to do is several applications of topdressing. 3. Infield turf with major ruts and undulations: spread out 10 tons of top soil / compost and drag it level. 4. Infield skin (dirt) not level: add about 3-5 tons on a little league baseball field and spread, till, then level with a box or leveler device, and drag. 5. Major infield turf problems: scrape with a tractor and smooth bucket and start over. See example of this kind of field renovation for a baseball field at a park and rec department. It was so bad, there was no other real way to fix it. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 30

31 Still Wondering If You Could Do This? Well, This is Your Chance to Take Me Up On An Outrageous NO- RISK Trial of the Baseball Field Maintenance Handbook, Transforming Your Baseball Field into a Winning Field, Where You'll Discover How to Turn Even a Mediocre Sports Field into a Championship Field and Enjoy a Better Baseball Experience... in Just a Few Weeks - and at Virtually No Extra Cost. You see, I'm going to let you try the Baseball Field Maintenance Handbook and the Bonuses for 8 weeks. So, for 8 weeks you'll get to use the Handbook. You'll get access to the entire Baseball Field Maintenance System, plus you can ask me any question you want about your specific sports field and your situation. You have nothing to lose. If you don't like the handbook, you can ask for your money back. So there is no risk to you. Instead, you can get started on transforming your sports field into a winning field and do it with minimal equipment and in minimum time to help your athletes reach their fullest potential. Say goodbye to ugly, lumpy, bumpy baseball fields where players slip, balls bounce crazy, and injuries are just waiting to smash someone s dream. Instead, you'll get proven tips, hints, and guidance used by over 641 men and women to be a hero to their community. Plus, you'll get the fundraising bonus with all its examples you can use. Start getting more results in less time with the field maintenance handbook today. Click here to download your Full-Access Field Handbook Trial Offer And let me know about your success, Jim Reiner, Groundskeeper, Publisher, Editor, Transforming Your Baseball Field into a Winning Field PS - If you are sick and tired of crummy sports fields and not knowing what to do, then grab the Baseball Field Maintenance Handbook. Your results are guaranteed by my 100% money back promise. If you aren't satisfied with your results from the handbook, just let us know and you'll be refunded before the end of the 8 week trial and you won't be billed any charges. Copyright 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide 31