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Brand new field for Bama
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:14 pm
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:14 pm
in the BCS Game.. 
Alabama and Texas will have a brand new natural surface on which to play Thursday's BCS national championship game.
Moments after yesterday's Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon, crews scalped the existing field and worked all night and through the next to roll out and prepare new Bermuda grass sod in time for Thursday night.
The grass for yesterday's game was also new, giving the Rose Bowl stadium the rare claim of holding two consecutive games on lush new playing surfaces.
Read more about the process here from the Los Angeles Times and in even more detail from Athletic Turf News, which notes that the Rose Bowl brought in some of the top grounds crew workers in Major League Baseball to assist the rapid project.
"We want to provide a non-used surface, so there's not a cleat mark out there when the kickoff takes place," stadium turf superintendent Will Schnell told the LA Times. "When you see a player go out there and put his hand down on the grass and say, 'Is his real or is it fake?' that's a tremendous compliment. ... We want people to say 'That's the Rose Bowl field.' We want the big 'Wow!' It's our stage."
Alabama and Texas will have a brand new natural surface on which to play Thursday's BCS national championship game.
Moments after yesterday's Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon, crews scalped the existing field and worked all night and through the next to roll out and prepare new Bermuda grass sod in time for Thursday night.
The grass for yesterday's game was also new, giving the Rose Bowl stadium the rare claim of holding two consecutive games on lush new playing surfaces.
Read more about the process here from the Los Angeles Times and in even more detail from Athletic Turf News, which notes that the Rose Bowl brought in some of the top grounds crew workers in Major League Baseball to assist the rapid project.
"We want to provide a non-used surface, so there's not a cleat mark out there when the kickoff takes place," stadium turf superintendent Will Schnell told the LA Times. "When you see a player go out there and put his hand down on the grass and say, 'Is his real or is it fake?' that's a tremendous compliment. ... We want people to say 'That's the Rose Bowl field.' We want the big 'Wow!' It's our stage."
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Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:15 pm to Alahunter
sometimes new turf can be bad.
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:16 pm to Alahunter
How the hell is this going to work?
Ever seen freshly laid sod?
Ever seen freshly laid sod?
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:16 pm to auzach91
no way it's worse than what lsu played on though.
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:18 pm to Alahunter
Ask LSU, Wisconsin, Miami, and Penn State players what they think about freshly laid sod.
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:19 pm to Alahunter
and they are selling pieces of it after the game! if bama wins, rose bowl turf from the game might be the most awesome souvenir of all time
Posted on 1/2/10 at 2:20 pm to deaux68
quote:
How the hell is this going to work?
Ever seen freshly laid sod?
PASADENA, CA — The Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide will fight for the National Championship on a fresh field at the Rose Bowl Stadium Jan. 7th—just six days after Ohio State battles it out with Oregon.
The Rose Bowl Stadium already got a new field in early December in preparation for the New Years Day game. But that field won’t do for the championship game to be played less than a week later at the same place. Because of the pregame, game, halftime show and postgame festivities, the field is expected to take a beating. Not to mention the gallons of paint used for team and corporate logos. A fresh field is a must—and fast.
West Coast Turf will install a new field over the Rose Bowl field for the BCS Alabama-Texas championship game Immediately after the conclusion of the Rose Bowl game, Palm Desert, CA, based West Coast Turf (WCT) will bring in 110,000 sq. ft. of overseeded sand based bermudagrass sod. Because of the very short timeframe for preparation, Rose Bowl Stadium officials decided to “overlay” the field—meaning that the new field will be put down directly on top of the old field. With no time for the new grass to root, the sod will be cut 1 ½-in. thick to ensure it will be heavy enough to stay firmly in place.
It will take 50 truckloads of sod, a WCT crew of 24 workers, along with another team of 24 from the Rose Bowl to complete the installation. Rose Bowl head groundskeeper, Will Schnell, has even enlisted the help of some of the country’s best groundskeepers from MLB to make sure the field is in top playing condition.
WCT will begin harvesting the sod on Friday (1/1) afternoon and continue through the night. Installation of the sod at the Rose Bowl Stadium will start after the game Friday (1/1) night, and continue uninterrupted for a 24 hour period. For the next five days, Schnell and crew will maintain the turf—watering at just the right levels, rolling and sweeping the grass, mowing at exactly the right time and length--so it will hit its peak condition on game day. They’ll also have the field freshly painted with all of the field lines and numerous logos necessary for college football’s biggest competition.
“We have been working with the Rose Bowl since the Super Bowl in 1993. We’ve specialized in sports fields for nearly 20 years, so we’re ready for this situation,” said West Coast Turf spokesperson, Tom Stafford. “They are perfectionists over there (at the Rose Bowl), and are well known for excellent field conditions. But this project is extra special for them. We’ve monitored this sod for months.
"Three years ago we used the same ‘overlay’ technique at University of Phoenix Stadium for a similar situation with the Fiesta Bowl game and then the BCS Championship there a few days later. The guys at the Rose Bowl watched us do that successfully, and we all decided it’d be the right choice for their big game. We’ve been here before and are confident we’ll have a surface to be proud of come January 7th,” Stafford said.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 3:04 am to Alahunter
The new sod was put right down on top of the Rose Bowl game field. It is 1 1/2" thick--so heavy it will not move. West Coast Turf has been doing pro sports fields for almost 20 years.....obvioulsy based on the West Coast, LSU called upon the same company to grass Tiger Stadium and Alex Box Field. So no worries--the field will be perfect!
Posted on 1/3/10 at 8:31 am to DanM
Putting looks before functionality is a risky business.
Advantage Texas.
Advantage Texas.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 8:34 am to TenTex
quote:
Putting looks before functionality is a risky business.
Advantage Texas.
So Texas looks better than they function, eh?
That's the way I see it too, Ten! Good job, I knew you'd eventually come around.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 8:37 am to bamascott2
this is in sunny LA, not Orlando where it was cold and rainy. the sod will take hold much quicker and better in that environment.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 8:54 am to Rohan2Reed
I wish LSU had been able to play on something better than a cow pasture.... oh wait... TenTex is an LSU fan. Never mind. 
This post was edited on 1/3/10 at 8:54 am
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:05 am to TenTex
Texas is playing USC? Vince was given some more eligibility???
Damn those 'Horns!
Damn those 'Horns!
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:07 am to bamascott2
Everyone picked USC over Texas. Now everyone is picking Bama over Texas. Colt McCoy is statistically a better QB then Vince. Texas has been there before. Bama has not.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:15 am to TenTex
quote:
Now everyone is picking Bama over Texas
No.
quote:
Colt McCoy is statistically a better QB then Vince
This is why alot are picking Texas.
quote:
Texas has been there before. Bama has not
4 years ago.. a long time. Bama is still very much hungry and out to prove some things, as is Texas. It should be a great game.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:15 am to TenTex
quote:
Everyone picked USC over Texas. Now everyone is picking Bama over Texas. Colt McCoy is statistically a better QB then Vince. Texas has been there before. Bama has not.
How many of those Texas players are still at Texas today?
That's what I thought.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:16 am to bamascott2
quote:easy on our resident troll...
How many of those Texas players are still at Texas today?
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Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:27 am to TT9
I miss the good old days of Astro Turf and makin' green babies.
Posted on 1/3/10 at 9:29 am to TT9
Of course you Bama fans missed that one. Look at where all the players at Texas are from. Yeah, it's Texas with the exception of 6 players not from Texas. LINK
All of Texas' players have been a part of the Texas Program their whole life. Bama cannot not say that. The Texas players are just an extension of the team that beat USC with Vince Young.
All of Texas' players have been a part of the Texas Program their whole life. Bama cannot not say that. The Texas players are just an extension of the team that beat USC with Vince Young.
This post was edited on 1/3/10 at 9:32 am
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