One Dirty Job
It's been an unusual three months as far as weather is concerned here in Salt Lake City. April proved to be more rainy than usual by a quarter inch. The Salt Lake Bees postponed the game against the Las Vegas 51s on April 14 as a result, something the franchise has only done 40 times in 16 years. June is on pace to finish with a precipitation mark similar to April, and on the days it has not rained, more often than not, it looks like it might.
Despite the unusually wet climate of late, Utah's typically dry climate of high heat and low humidity puts stress on the grass and means that consistent growth can be difficult, Kaspitzke says. Ideally the temperature stays below 85 degrees on the field. So with the varying fluctuations and sometimes unpredictable weather, the Bees are happy to have Kaspitzke running the ground detail.
In his 10th season as a head groundskeeper in minor league baseball, Spring Mobile Ballpark has been Kaspitzke's office for five years. The 37-year-old Toledo, Ohio native started in his profession as a grounds crew member for the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, at age 16. There, he progressed through the ranks and decided to go to school at the University of Toledo where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He followed that with a sports turf management certificate from Michigan State University. In 2005, Kaspitzke became head groundskeeper for the Dayton Dragons, the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He joined the Bees a year later.
Kaspitzke notes that the best part of his job is the opportunities afforded him. He has experience working on 10 Super Bowl grounds crews as well as working a pair of NFL games in London. He also enjoys the fact that no two days are the same, which requires plenty of planning ahead.
That planning includes help from three full-time employees and 10 part-time staff members. "My full-time and part-time staff make my job easier," Kaspitzke says. "They make everything happen."
Two full-timers and six part-timers man every home game, each logging on average a 14-hour day. On non-game days, Kaspitzke and his trio of full-timers log from eight to nine hours per day. Chris Coleman, Kevin Asay and Ryan Heiner are all in their mid-twenties with at least seven years experience each maintaining Spring Mobile Ballpark.
Gameday maintenance includes, but is certainly not limited to, batting practice and bullpen setup, raking the infield dirt and mowing the grass. Batting practice setup, which requires the staff to put out screens and apply protective material around home plate, is generally completed three hours before the game. That schedule could be accelerated if the Bees need to get early work in or if roving instructors are in town.
Bullpens are raked for pregame throwing sessions and repaired again before the game. The infield dirt is also raked, dragged and watered.
As for the patterns in the outfield grass, Kaspitzke credits precision and a specialized piece of equipment known as a reel mower. This mower differs from the typical rotary mower a homeowner uses and leaves two distinct stripes. A stripe that looks dark from home plate to the outfield appears light from the opposite direction.
Once the field is mowed, raked, watered and lines are chalked, it's 20 minutes until game time. Kaspitzke and his team are back on the clock after the top of the first inning. In 90 seconds, the infield is dragged, raked and bases changed between innings. It takes time and preseason practice to master that kind of efficiency.
Should it start to rain so much that the tarp is needed, eight people will spring into action to apply the 175 ft. by 175 ft. tarp that weighs 1500 pounds dry. Water adds an extra eight pounds per gallon to the weight. No wonder the crew likes to leave it off, if possible.
When the Bees are away is when the staff is busiest getting the field back in shape for the next homestand. In addition to raking the dirt, conditioner must be applied to the tune of 10 tons per season, and the grass, which is mostly a Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass mixture, is manicured. The staff mows the grass about every three days the team is on the road. Besides the Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass combination, annual bluegrass and Poa trivialis, an ornamental plant often found on golf courses, grow in the outfield. This contributes to occasional light spots. Finally, Nick Adenhart's No. 32 is meticulously painted on the field every three to four days during a homestand.
So remember, the next time a player slides into second base, Kaspitzke and his crew will soon follow. Time to rake the dirt back to perfection again.