From: IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Ryan Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: ARTIFICIAL TURF: EMBARASSMENT TO THE GAME
Date: 20 Jul 92 22:34:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: MAINE.92202.183405IO20456
Organization: University of Maine System

After watching and listening to today's Red Sox/Twins game played
at the Metrodome, I am more than convinced that something must be
done about artificial turf. The Sox blew a 5-run lead, losing the
game by a score of 7-5 to the Twins, but the Twins had more than
good luck on their side. A guy hits a Baltimore chop that bounces
twenty feet into the air and travels only sixty feet or so? All
Boggs could do was run in and wait for the damn thing to come
down, and even then everyone was safe.

An inning or two after that pure, 100% turf hit, a ball is sent
soaring to the base of the left field wall. All Bob Zupcic can
do in despair is to watch the ball sail back over his head on the
carom and bound half-way back to the infield.

First of all, I, as everyone else does, know that teams that use
domes need artificial turf, unless they would like to play on a
dirt field. I'm not the least bit happy about domes. I have never
liked them and I never will. I do realize, though that for some
teams a dome is the only way baseball can be reasonably played,
considering such weather conditions such as extreme heat, chronic
rain, maybe even cold weather. But this thing with artificial turf
has to be examined.

Why do the Cardinals, the Royals, the Reds, the Pirates, and the
Phillies (all non-dome teams) elect to have artificial turf? If a
team is not playing in a dome, then it has no business playing on
anything but natural grass.

Since the advent of artificial turf, baseball has really gone down
the hill. Turf hits are ridiculous! Baseball should ban artificial
turf from being used in outdoor stadiums. It may be a bit of a dras-
tic move, no doubt, but necessary to making the game more enjoyable
to the fans and the players. I've never played on artificial turf,
but I can just imagine what it feels like to make a desparation
dive at a sinking liner after having come in from a long run. Of
course, many artificial surfaces are also home to football teams -
yet another reason to call for its banishment (for injury reasons).

What to do about those teams that are housed in domes? Well, if
aluminum bats can be made in such a manner as to shrink the size
of the "sweet" spot and deaden the reaction of ball and bat, then
there must be a way to soften artificial turf to the point where
balls don't suddenly decide to launch themselves through the roof.

Why not install a softer turf in outdoor stadiums as well? For the
same reason why artificial turf should be done away with: injuries.
I doubt very much that a process of deadening the effects of arti-
ficial turf would also reduce injuries and the effects of injuries
to the level experienced on natural turf.

I know that back in baseball's infancy there was no such thing as
artificial turf, but let's face it: Baseball was not meant to be
played on concrete covered with rubber and then a rug.
Is there anyone who actually *likes* artificial turf?


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||   RYAN ROBBINS                    INTERNET:                 ||
||   UNIVERSITY OF MAINE             IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU   ||
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Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball