Target Field Grass Installed - And A Controversy!

The new grass is being installed in Target Field this week, which is the kind of event that has me hyperventilating into a bag (seriously). After 27 years of playing baseball on a cement-like carpet, the Minnesota Twins will finally get to play baseball on "the real stuff" in 2010.

The installation of the grass is not without controversy, however. We all know that nothing - absolutely nothing- happens in this day in age without controversy. People are waiting and itching to be offended. You see, the grass being installed in Target Field was grown in.... (gasp!)........Colorado! The Twins decided to go with a Colorado company called Graffs which specializes in growing grass for stadiums. They have supplied grass for Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, Coors Field and Norte Dame football, among others.

Virtually every media outlet in the Twin Cities today featured stories from pissed off Minnesota sod farmers claiming that they should have been selected to provide the grass for Target Field. From today's StarTribune:

Minnesota turf farmers are complaining that they were not given a chance to grow the sod locally. They have pointed out the added expense of contracting with Graff's and shipping the turf all the way from Colorado in refrigerated trucks.

"I think we could have done it certainly for less," said Gary Blocker, who farms sod 50 miles northwest of Duluth and is president of the Minnesota Turf Association. "They are getting a good product, but we wish it would have come from Minnesota."

Attached to this story in the Strib are, of course, numerous comments from assorted anonymous readers and wing nuts who are claiming that "the Twins don't care about Minnesota" and "haven't used Minnesota products on the stadium so why should we support them anyway."

OK. Let's everyone take a Valium, calm down (including "ukrbattle29" from the comments section, who apparently he, himself, had a hand in growing grass for Met stadium)and look at the facts. First, according to Dan Mehls, the Ballpark Coordinator for Mortenson Construction, 90% of construction costs will be spent on Minnesota materials and labor. For instance, all the limestone you see on the exterior of the ballpark is from Mankato. Minnesota.

Second, according to the article, the sod farms that were approached in Minnesota and Wisconsin had no experience growing grass for sports stadiums. None. Here's a quote from the Strib article:

"...the company and the team talked with sod farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin two years ago about getting them to provide the turf. But none of the local farmers had the proper growing sand or the expertise that the company was looking for as it created a professional baseball playing field, Mehls said Tuesday.

"They were willing to do the job, but it would have been their first time," he said. "That's not the place to take a risk. We're talking about the playing field of a Major League park."

I'll just say that, personally, I am glad the Twins decided to go with a company that has had prior experience growing grass for professional and college stadiums. I don't want the first real grass in a Minnesota MLB ballpark in 27 years to look like my backyard.

As I stated, this "non-issue" is just another reason for people to bitch and moan and find controversy and conspiracy.

Good thing I never bitch and moan and find controversy and conspiracy on this blog!

Peace,

Jeff