We're going with FieldTurf, but maybe not until next year

[Flipper]

As of this year...that makes it an aberration as opposed to a tradition.

[Schadenfreude]

I may be buying a home soon.

I'm looking for a brick exterior, not that vinyl siding stuff.

I'm looking for wood floors, not polyester blend carpeting.

I'm looking for plaster walls, not dry wall.

Good natural matierals. That's what I like.

And I would prefer a grass field.

If nothing else, think of BGSU's carbon footprint, fellas. By going with an artificial surface, we will be contributing to global warming.

[Schadenfreude]

And if Field Turf is *that* great, why don't more people put it in their front yards?

[Flipper]

I don't know...if grass is so great, why don't more people wear it instead of pants?

So far as the issue of our "carbon footprint" goes how much fossil fuel do we consume using the lawn mowers on the graas field. How many dangerous chemicals leech into the ground water from the pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic materials used to maintain a football field?
The material under the playing surface is usually recycled and shredd rubber...think of all the old tires that are being taken out of landfills and dumps so they can be put to use on the football field. Hell..Field Turf might be MORE green than grass.

I think this romantic attachment you guys have to grass is just ever so cute, but in the end we aren't paying Greg Christopher to be cute and we're not paying him to indulge any romantic notions about what "should be". Nope...the university needs a paragmatist who can assign the proper value to the emotional issues when making decisions about facilities and the resources we can and should devote to them.

I've yet to hear a valid reason for keeping a grass field...

[Lord_Byron]

And if Field Turf is *that* great, why don't more people put it in their front yards?

Because dog-s**t would tend to stain it.

I live in a 1920 house with wood floors, plaster walls, copper pipes, etc. I wear cotton, wool and leather, so I'm a big fan of natural materials.

I also like grass fields.

BUT, our local high school now has Field Turf. A number of districts around Rochester are looking to do the same. Over the next few years, more and more kids will have played on artificial turf since Pop Warner. If we stick with grass, it will be a negative on the recruiting front. Going to turf would move the field surface back to neutral in recruiting discussion.

The biggest con I see on artificial turf is blood, spit and sweat. Where does it go? In a grass field, it gets mowed away. I'm not convinced that years from now we won't see some studies showing that there are more infections, etc. on artificial turf than natural.

[BGSU33]

Tradition of keeping grass at the Doyt, huh? Well, when the Doyt was built and for many years after, it never had an athletic center like the Sebo, or a videoboard, or permanent lights, etc. I guess we should get rid of all those “non-traditional” features and go back to two slabs of cement with a pasture in between.

I stand behind the administration’s decision to improve our playing field and add yet another upgrade to our football facility by putting in FieldTurf. I’d also be willing to bet that once FieldTurf is installed and we’re using it, it won’t be long before some of those who oppose it actually like it. Then another facility upgrade will come along and give some another reason to complain. I mean, why would be want to put a beautiful bronze statue of Doyt L. Perry at the stadium….there’s never been one there before in the last 41 years the Doyt has stood there.

[hammb]

I've yet to hear a valid reason for keeping a grass field...

Because I like it, is the best reason of all


Like I said, there is almost no way you can make a practical argument in favor of grass. It's more difficult to maintain, and more costly in the long run.

The only thing in favor of grass is that the game is better on grass than it is on turf. To me, personally, it's worth the extra cost to keep the better game. To most of you, it's obviously not.

[BGSU33]

And if Field Turf is *that* great, why don't more people put it in their front yards?

Because it's difficult to mow and those little rubber pellets get stuck on the blades.

[Falcon30]

Couple of points - I would have it in my yard if I could. No watering, no mowing, no chemicals, no weeds. The upfront cost is kinda big. Also, it is happening a lot more than you might think. It's kind of like home elevators. People who can, have.

http://dreamturf.com/pages/home.htm is one installer. There are several.

I was told that the field needed to be watered semi-regularly to be cleaned by a stadium manager a few years ago.

The first time I saw FieldTurf, it was at a field I had been to before. I didn't know they had replaced the grass and I had to actually look closely at it to see that it wasn't grass. It looked like a freshly cut patch of turf.

[Schadenfreude]

I live in a 1920 house with wood floors, plaster walls, copper pipes, etc.

I was just about to make this point. (I also have a brick exterior and a wood-burning fire place.)

I think we'll regret this one day.

Perhaps they ought to chop down the Ivy at Wrigley Field. It isn't very practical.

[Rightupinthere]

Mr. Hatfield, meet Mr McCoy. Mr. McCoy, Mr. Hatfield.

The twain just left the station.

[CapitalFalcon]

I live in a 1920 house with wood floors, plaster walls, copper pipes, etc.

I was just about to make this point. (I also have a brick exterior and a wood-burning fire place.)

I think we'll regret this one day.

Perhaps they ought to chop down the Ivy at Wrigley Field. It isn't very practical.

I hope you two invite us to the barn raising tomorrow! Plus, you guys ought to be ecstatic that we that our football team has been losing more games recently. it returning us to the tradition of losing football teams in the first 5 years of our program! HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!

[Tricky_Falcon]

Perhaps they ought to chop down the Ivy at Wrigley Field. It isn't very practical.

Hell, advertisements are popping up behind the plate and Under Amour ads are now on the outfield walls at Wrigley. Now that's breaking tradition but money talks. Some ding bat columnist in Chicago wanted the Cubs to tear down the scoreboard and install a huge jumbotron in its place.

We've heard this at BG, but huge chunks of cement have been falling from Wrigley's upper deck the last few years. During spring training, Cubs officials were talking about how the ballpark costs millions just to maintain each year and that building a new ballpark isn't that big of a stretch.

I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago wins the bid for the Olympics in 2016 that that stadium will be turned into the new Cubs stadium much like the Braves did with Turner Field in 96.

Just look at Soldier Field. That was a Historical Site until the City decided it was ok to plop a space ship on top of it. The Yankees are tearing down the house that Ruth built and are making it a parking lot for a new stadium. Things change, not always for the better but they do...

[Flipper]

I live in a 1920 house with wood floors, plaster walls, copper pipes, etc.

IPerhaps they ought to chop down the Ivy at Wrigley Field. It isn't very practical.

Ah...another emotional appeal that skirts the primary issue...

Do you have any analogies that work?

[Warthog]

Mr. Hatfield, meet Mr McCoy. Mr. McCoy, Mr. Hatfield.

Interesting that you bring this up. I read recently that one of the families actually has a genetic disorder that causes them to be short-tempered ( http://tinyurl.com/38n3uh ). Maybe there is a gene that causes people to resist change and trying to keep up with new technology.