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Bulls Set To Play on Greener Pasture |
When fans come to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park next season to see the home team in action, the players won’t be the only thing that’s new on the field. That’s because after nine seasons at the DBAP, the Bulls are replacing the original turf.
Beginning in late September, field crews have been working daily to take out the old turf and install the new one. Head Groundskeeper Jimmy Simpson explained that the new turf will help the team combat the wet weather in the summertime.
“Basically, we needed to replace the field for drainage reasons,” he said, “We removed the five-inch organic layer that had built up over time under the field, so the rain will now drain through the sod to the sand underneath quicker resulting in shorter rain delays. We also added drainage all the way around the warning track in order to eliminate the puddle and make it safer for players.”
The sod has changed from a tifway-419 to a tifsport, a change that will be noticeable to the fans. “It’s a darker green color and it has a tighter growth so the baseball will roll smoother and play better,” Simpson said.
The work was done in the fall in order to let the new sod take root so the field will be ready for Opening Day on Wednesday, April 14th.
Thanks to DBBC’s Matt DeMargel for this capcom story.
