Archive for the 'FieldTurf2' Category

Feb 21

What Are You Doing With The Trop Turf You Bought At FanFest?

FanFest, FieldTurf2 Cork Gaines 10 Comments »

At FanFest on Saturday, the Rays sold one-foot-square pieces of the old turf that was replaced this off-season with all proceeds going to charity. If you couldn’t make it, we have been told there will be other opportunities to purchase pieces of the turf, but that no definitive plans have been made yet.

We have spoken to a lot of people who picked up a piece on Saturday. But this left us wondering:

What do you plan to do with the piece (or pieces) of turf that you purchased?

We are really big into Do-It-Yourself projects, and we had a few thoughts…

  • Frame it, and hang it on the wall.
  • Cover an end table
  • Use it as a welcome mat
  • Use several pieces as the surface of a bar top.
  • Buy enough sections to carpet a room or patio (pricey at $3,600 for a 12′x12′ room).

But we are more interested in what you are planning to do. So let us know in the comments.

Feb 15

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Free Turf, Howell’s Bulk And The Devil Lives

AstroTurf, FieldTurf2, JP Howell Cork Gaines 16 Comments »

When we first broke the news that the Rays were considering a switch from FieldTurf to AstroTurf for the 2011 season, the Rays told us they were “studying the possibility of AstroTurf’s offer.” Well it turns out that the “offer” was too good to pass up.

How good? Free.

Robert Trigauz reports that the Rays and Blue Jays got their new fields for free. When Major League Baseball asked FieldTurf if they would make a similar offer, FieldTurf said “no thanks.”

And now that 100 percent of the artificial turf fields in MLB are AstroTurf, it shows that 100 percent of the decision makers at FieldTurf are idiots. It was two fields! FieldTurf couldn’t sacrifice turf for two fields to have the publicity of being the only turf of MLB? Idiots.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Jan 28

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss New Turf, Game Times And Jennings Potential

AstroTurf, Desmond Jennings, FieldTurf2 Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

Yesterday, AstroTurf and the Rays announced that Tropicana Field would be outfitted with AstroTurf for the 2011 season. Of course, we knew this last April when AstroTurf became the official turf of Major League Baseball. And it was confirmed by Marc Topkin (link?) earlier this off-season.

The picture at right is of Tropicana Field yesterday morning and you can see that the renovations are already underway.

The new turf shouldn’t get that shiny, “dead” look that FieldTurf would have. However, if this turf is similar to the AstroTurf installed at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, it will be very bouncy.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Jan 05

Evan Longoria, Who Now Plays On AstroTurf, Announces 2010 FieldTurf Awards

Evan Longoria, FieldTurf2 Cork Gaines No Comments »

The Rays will be switching from FieldTurf to AstroTurf for the 2011 season, but Evan Longoria continues to endorse the old stuff. In a press release from FieldTurf, Longoria and FieldTurf announced the 2010 FieldTurf Baseball Awards. Among the winners are the San Francisco Giants, a team that plays on grass, as the team of the year. [PRWeb]

May 04

Evan Longoria’s Latest Endorsement Could Impact Future Of The Trop

AstroTurf, Evan Longoria, FieldTurf2 Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

Evan Longoria has signed on to be a spokesperson for FieldTurf…

FieldTurf and Tampa Bay Rays All-Star third-baseman Evan Longoria have signed a partnership agreement. The Tampa Bay Rays currently play on FieldTurf at Tropicana Field and initially began play on the world’s most trusted brand of artificial turf in 2000…As part of the partnership between FieldTurf and Longoria, the 2009 Gold Glove Award Winner will be the official “face” of FieldTurf’s baseball division. Presently, there are over 350 FieldTurf baseball fields, and that number is growing at a rapid pace – largely because of the consistent ball bounce and performance properties associated with the patented FieldTurf system.

But this endorsement deal has a twist. You see, this could be the last year the Rays play on FieldTurf.

As we reported last month, AstroTurf is now the official turf of Major League Baseball and the Rays are currently in negotiations that could lead to the team switching to AstroTurf in 2011.

So, can the Rays still switch to AstroTurf if the “face” of their franchise is also the “face” of FieldTurf? We have to believe that this partnership with Longoria was made at least in part as an effort to keep FieldTurf in The Trop and in the major leagues.

Here is an article describing the new AstroTurf at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the only other big league park using turf.

Apr 16

Rays Considering Switch To AstroTurf For The 2011 Season

AstroTurf, FieldTurf2 Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

Major League Baseball and AstroTurf have signed an agreement making AstroTurf baseball’s official provider of synthetic turf. This can be seen on the AstroTurf at the Rogers Center in Toronto which now sports the AstroTurf logo in foul territory (via ESPN).

This is significant for the Rays as they represent the only other team in baseball that plays on artificial turf now that the Twins are back on grass. But the playing surface at Tropicana Field is FieldTurf.

Will the Rays be forced to switch to AstroTurf based on this agreement? Not necessarily.

When we asked the Rays about the agreement, the team responded that they are “studying the possibility of AstroTurf’s offer,” but that a decision has yet be made. If the Rays do choose to make the switch, the new turf would be installed in either January or February of next year.

Still, we have to assume that Major League Baseball will lean on the Rays to make the switch. Otherwise, being the “official provider” won’t mean much if only half of the turf teams are using the product.

Apr 08

The Hangover: Casey Fossum Ineffective In Return To Mound

FieldTurf2, Joe Maddon, Jorge Cantu, Josh Hamilton, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines No Comments »

  • The Rays fell behind big in the first two innings and eventually lost to the Jays 8-5. The big blow in the boxscore was a grand slam by the big hurt. However, Rays starter Casey Fossum never gave his teammates a chance. He gaveup 8 hits and a walk in 3+ innings. He also hit 2 batters. Overall the Rays pitchers walked 7, and threw a wild pitch, in addition to the two hit batters. We can take solace in the fact that Fossum will end up on the DL sooner or later.
  • Rocco Baldelli played centerfield for the first time this season. Joe Maddon is not going to have Rocco in the field everyday. He wil be back at DH this afternoon and in center tomorrow against the Rangers.
  • After an opening day sellout, the crowd was a respectable 18,495.
  • Yesterday’s game marked the 30th anniversary of the Blue Jay’s first game.
  • The new FieldTurf2 does look to be playing slower than the previous incarnation. This was most evident when Akinori Iwamura laid down a bunt for a basehit before coming around to score the winning run in the 9th on Friday night. Once the ball hit the Turf, it just died. Last year, that ball would have gotten to the third baseman a lot quicker and Muu-Rah may have been thrown out.
  • Stuart Sternberg has believes that the first 12 games will set the tone for the rest of the season.
  • Joe Maddon is trying to preach patience to the young Rays hitters. His goal is to force opposing pitchers to throw 145 pitches a game. So far, the Rays have come up short.
  • MLB Trade Rumors looks at some potential trade partners for the Rays if they decide to move Jorge Cantu. They lean towards the Mets as the best fit, but admit there really aren’t any great match-ups.
  • Thanks to the guys at FireJoeMorgan, we learn that Joe Morgan doesn’t think that Josh Hamilton deserves to be in the majors and that it sends the wrong message to minor leaguers. We have to agree with Ken Tremendous on his criticism of Morgan’s statement. The players with the best skills should be in the majors…Josh is 0-2 in 2 pitch hitting appearances.