Today is February 20, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN. We will be lucky to reach a high of 15* F here today at Target Field. Below are some pictures of our Dupont Xavan covers going on the field just before Thanksgiving. They are very light weight plant covers and are permeable. As the early winter forecast was dry, we chose to put two layers of blankets over the turf. Ideally, we would put one layer down and then get a nice layer of snow right away, but that was not the case this year. In the fall, we do not utilize our field heating system, letting the turf reach dormancy naturally. With that being the case, I like to have the blankets down by Thanksgiving, so we are putiing them on before it is too cold.
   Last fall was a good growing season for us here at the ballpark. Very little disease pressure and a good number of sunny days. In preparation for snow mold control, we spray CIVITAS twice in October, fifteen days apart, at a rate of 8 oz./1000. Our final snow mold application in 2012 was INSTRATA at the high rate, which was applied November 9th. We cease any application of granular nitrogen by October 15th. In late October we applied a 0-0-28 DG granualr at .7 lbs. K/1000.
   As far as spray applications, we decided to stay on our Primo Maxx application program through early November. The only difference was cutting back the rate of Primo from .25 to .15 oz./1000. We keep applying foliar nutrients into early November, utilizing Ultra Plex, Tuff Turf and Nutra Green from Grigg Brothers. This past fall we also finished with a couple more applications of Pana Sea Plus from Emerald Isle, which we combined with a new humic acid we are trying called Apex 10.
   So that is how we went into winter here at Target Field. Currently the field heating system is running at a set point range of 34-37* F. There is about 4" of snow on the field more or less. We will start moving snow off the turf in shade areas first, ideally early next week, and begin dialing up the heat from there. Opening Day is April 1st here vs. the Tigers. Larry

As of 3:30 pm this afternoon, our rain for the month of May had reached 7.28" total. Last night we received 2.97" of precipitation. In addition to this rain event, we have been battling significant winds from last Thursday through yesterday. All of the wind has been from the south, which means it funnels in from the right field corner, where there is a gap in the building at the flagpoles. These southerly winds come straight into right field and then proceed to whip around the ballpark towards the left field corner, where they follow the seating bowl and gust towards 3rd base. So when we have wind from the south, the worst gusts on the field blow from a northeast direction. Fortunately on Monday it was calm and we were able to get a spray application in. With the winds and then rain forecast for the rest of the week, we loaded up the sprayer with UMAXX, some micronutrients, a fungicide and our PGR, Primo Maxx. My assistant Jarad stayed late Monday and got the application down before dark. Yesterday we did a few extra things, such as painting the TC behind home plate, in anticipation of today being a washout; with a busy Friday morning on the horizon as we start a series with Detroit on that night.

One of the ways we deal with rain and dumping the tarp is with our Toro Pro Force blower. During field construction, the project manager Steve Peeler and I were discussing tarp methods, and he mentioned using his SubAir system at other ballparks to inflate the tarp. Between the two of us, we came up with the idea of a "blowhole" that comes up behind the pitcher's mound. The lead contractor, Mortenson, gave us the OK and we installed a 10" solid ADS pipe that runs from the warning track on the 3rd base side, out to a valve box behind the pitcher's mound. We hook up the Toro blower and get air under the tarp. We have been using a lightweight tarp from CoverMaster this season and it is holding up quite well. By doing this, we are able to give the infield turf some air circulation when the tarp is on, and we can remove excess water from the tarp prior to putting it away. Our tarp holds a lot of water because our infield turf is flat and the dirt has a fall of only .33% towards the outfield. Thanks to the great contractors who built our field and the ballpark, we have created a new way to go about dealing with rain and tarp handling.  Below are some photos of the tarp being blown up. - Larry

Today we were joined by the TV play by play voice of the Twins, Dick Bremer. As part of tonight's game telecast on FSN, Mr. Bremer will be working with our crew throughout the game, and following the game we will do an on-field instructional, which is a quick segment that tonight will focus on one aspect of playing field maintenance. Mr. Bremer reported to the ballpark to work with me at 9am this morning and will pull the full-day shift just as I do...meaning he will be with us until 11pm tonight. In addition to helping us paint the TC behind home plate, Mr. Bremer also learned to operate a hose and set up big league batting practice. This was a fun idea that was thought up by Mr. Bremer and the producers at FSN. Like many of us on the crew here, Mr. Bremer went to the ballpark as a youngster and imagined how enjoyable it would be to work on the grounds crew in the big leagues. When I was growing up and we attended SF Giants games at Candlestick Park, I had a great time watching the grounds crew drag and water the field after batting practice. At that point in the late 1970's in California, the state was in an extended period of drought and water restrictions were the norm. It was pretty amusing for me at a Giants game, watching those guys put a large dose of water on the infield and warning track each afternoon and evening, as they attempted to mitigate the drying effects of swirling winds at Candlestick. Perhaps that is why my favorite part of my job is watering dirt. See below for Mr. Bremer in action. -Larry

Tomorrow is May 1st and as we progress in season #3 here at Target Field, it seems as though the first week of May is about the time to dial down our playing field heating system and leave it alone until next winter. With milder weather arriving Tuesday and continuing through the week, we will shut it down tomorrow morning. Here is an image of the field heat pipes during installation. They are 1/2" diameter Pex tubing pipes and are spaced every 6" throughout the field (except for the warning track).
What you see in the photo is the start of Zone 5, which is in right field. There are 5 total zones for the heating system. The large, black pipes are supply and return lines, which house the blend of 70% water, 30% glycol. The white Pex tubing is looped so every foot a supply line goes out and every foot a return line comes in. It is an enclosed system, meaning the water and glycol always stay on site here.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers as they celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of Dodger Stadium this afternoon. I had the great fortune to work for the Dodgers for four seasons, from 2002-2005 as the Assistant Groundskeeper. My former boss, Eric Hansen, remains the Turf Manager/ Grounds Director. Eric has been with the Dodgers since the mid-1990's. Once Eric got his program in place, the field at Dodger Stadium has continually been as good a playing surface as any in professional baseball year after year.
In 1984, my parents and I made our first visit to Dodger Stadium to see Olympic Baseball. We sat on the lower level down the left field line by the foul pole. Little did I know at the time...that some 17 plus years later I would have a small office adjacent to the Dodger bullpen, just below those seats we had in 1984.
In terms of consistency and playability, I continue to strive every day to get my field here in Minnesota to play like the field at Dodger Stadium. The feedback Eric has always received on his field tells me that Dodger Stadium is the role model for what a big league playing surface should be. Of course, climate will impact a field greatly, but I think it is important to have a standard in my head for how things should be at this level. Thanks to Eric and all of the guys who worked with us in LA, I have something to aim for.
These are a couple of pictures I took late in the 2005 season. If you ever have a chance, get out there for a game and see an American monument to the game of baseball.

My favorite day of the season always seems to be the day after Opening Day. Now we can return to our routine of field maintenance and normal game day work, without all of the miscellaneous peripheral activity that accompanies an opening day in the big leagues. That being said, the opening ceremonies went quite well and the first game of the season was off and running. Below is a closeup image of one of the special bases used for the opener.
The weather for the opener was cool and blustery. By 4pm it was not very comfortable in the deep shade of the stadium. This past weekend, we turned our field heating system back on. We seem to need soil temps in the upper 2" of the turf to be about in the range of 58* F to get the Kentucky bluegrass to really grow. With 6 games in 7 days this week, it is important to have actively growing turf to withstand the foot traffic and activity of batting practice and games each day. Fortunately, today was an off day. High temps struggled to reach 45* here in Minneapolis. Things should improve tomorrow and Thursday. Last night and through this morning, and again tonight, we put our turf blanket (below) back on the infield to hold warmth.
- Larry

It looks to be cool and breezy for our home opener at Target Field tomorrow vs. the LA Angels. We should have clear and crisp weather for the Angels series through Thursday afternoon. Forecasts for the series against Texas next weekend are calling for some damp weather at this point. We will wait and see. This past week was as busy as you would expect as the organization prepared the ballpark for the opener. Wall pads were finished and put in place and landscape work was ongoing.We brought in about 800 flowers from Bergen's Greenhouses in Columbus, MN. Mainly pansies for April...we spent all day Thursday placing them above the outfield wall and planting in Target Plaza.
Much of the week was spent setting mowing patterns and working the infield dirt, particularly the edges. The transition from grass to dirt needs to be smooth, flush and level, so that ball roll and bounce is consistent throughout the field. This is a great time of year at the ballpark, as by the 1st of April the sun is finally high enough for the entire field to get sufficient light for the turf. Below is a shot from the morning this week, with the shadows from our signs and scoreboard in center and right field.
Today Ryan and Nick from our crew painted the Opening Day logos as well as the 'TC' behind home plate. Thanks to the cool and dry weather forecast, we were able to wait and paint everything today, which is ideal to do the day before the first game. This will give us a sharp look tomorrow with the logos.
The last coat of white in the logo really makes the red and blue stand out. This is my 10th opening day in MLB and the logos are pretty similar year to year, but they always look great for a couple of days after being freshly applied.
- Larry