AstroTurf featured in "Baseball as America" exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston

Exhibit brings the history, science of baseball to life

By GARY FITZ Staff Writer gfitz@nashuatelegraph.com

Curt Schilling's bloody sock from the 2004 American League Championship Series with the Yankees is there.

So is a bat swung by Babe Ruth and a jersey worn by Jackie Robinson.

There are wooden seats from Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, which was demolished in 1971.

There is even a letter sent from former player Curt Flood to then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in December 1969, challenging baseball's reserve clause. Flood's eventual Supreme Court challenge was credited with opening the era of free agency and the much more lucrative contracts that players enjoy today.

All are part of an extensive collection called "Baseball as America," a traveling exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., on display through Sept. 1 at Boston's Museum of Science.

For baseball fans with a thirst for its history – and how that history reflected society in general – it's an easily accessible alternative to the approximately 250-mile trek, each way, from the Nashua area to Cooperstown.

This is the last stop in a 15-city tour of "Baseball as America," which opened in 2002. In terms of successful traveling museum exhibits, it's been compared with "King Tut and the Golden Age of Pharaohs."

There is plenty to see, do and even eat at "Baseball As America." In celebration of the exhibit, the museum cafe invites guest to sample 10 varieties of top-rated hot dogs, including the Dodger Dog, Chicago Red Hot and, of course, the Fenway Frank. The Hot Dogs of America are be available through Aug. 1.

The interactive portion of the exhibit, and the one most closely linked to science, is the "Home Plate Baseball Lab.'' Visitors can witness, close up, balls being shot out of a pitching machine at 95 mph. The visitor tries to "hit" the ball by pressing a button. A camera takes a photo when the button is pressed and the freeze-frame is displayed on a screen.

There is a pitching cage in which visitors can wind up and pitch and have their velocity recorded by radar. There are dissected baseballs, showing the differences in construction of balls used by Major League Baseball, the NCAA, Little League and T-ball. Another exhibit shows the different speed of balls rolled on different types of artificial turf. There are also dirt samples showing the differences from Fenway Park's pitching mound, warning track, infield and home plate area.

To read more of The Telegraph article

Museum of Science, Boston website

"Baseball as America" exhibit website

Mannings to host "Air it Out" Session in Guidry Stadium

Back-to-back Super Bowl Champions and Super Bowl MVP's Peyton Manning and Eli Manning will host the `Iberia Bank Air-It-Out' session in John L. Guidry Stadium on July 12 at 11 a.m. to highlight the Manning Passing Academy.

Tickets for the event are available for $5.00. Joining the Manning's will be a host of highly touted college players from across the nation along with some professional athletes. Tickets for the `Iberia Bank Air-It-Out Session' can be purchased through the Nicholls ticket office by calling 985-448-4792, or on-line at http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/www.ticketmaster.com. Anyone interested in buying V.I.P. tickets can contact Ken Berthelot at 985-448-4804.

"We are very proud to sponsor the Manning Passing Academy again this year," said Daryl Byrd, President and CEO of Iberia Bank. "The pro-exhibition is a fun way for the community to enjoy a part of this dynamic camp."

"With our branch located in Houma, we recognize the importance of investing in the community, particularly with outstanding community partners that make a positive difference in the marketplace."

The Manning Passing Academy enters its fourth year at Nicholls and 13th overall. The camp will begin Thursday July 10 and end Sunday July 13. Potential campers wishing to sign up for the camp are advised to visit the official website at http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/www.manningpassingacademy.com. The camp is an offensive skills camp for quarterbacks, runningbacks, wide receivers and tight ends for grades 9-12.

Nicholls reached a long-term agreement last year to keep the academy in Thibodaux until 2017. The academy attracts some 1,000-plus high school prospects from around the world to the area with the camp growing in popularity and size every year.

"The "Air-It-Out" session has become a special feature of the camp and a popular event for our community. This event is a rare opportunity for fans to see two high profile NFL quarterbacks on display in Guidry Stadium," said Rob Bernardi, Nicholls Athletics Director.

The Manning Passing Academy helped spearhead the complete renovation of the playing surface in John L. Guidry Stadium last year. Archie Manning, former New Orleans Saints quarterback and current spokesman for AstroTurf, was responsible for getting the turf donated by General Sports Venue. In a ceremony last year before the camp, the field in John L. Guidry Stadium was officially named `Manning Field by AstroTurf.

New turf set for Withington

by Mike Pryson and Claire Cummings Jackson Citizen Patriot

Work is expected to begin as early as Wednesday to replace the artificial turf at Withington Community Stadium.

The new surface, which will look and feel more like grass, will restore the stadium as one of the state's top football facilities, said Jackson Athletic Director Russell Davis.

The Jackson School Board on Monday voted 5-0 to approve a $600,000 renovation project .
The cost for the turf is $518,600. Another $115,216 was allocated for construction of a new stadium entrance way, to be dedicated to the family of NFL coach and Jackson native Tony Dungy.

The turf project is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 19.

"Ten years ago, when I took this job, we had one of the premier facilities in the state," Davis said. "We were one of just a few of the artificial turf fields in the state.

"When this work is done, with the entrance, the turf, a new sound system, a few enhancements to the press box and the seating, it's going to be one of the premier facilities once again."
The entrance construction, which was awarded to Adams Building Contractors of Blackman Township, will be funded with leftover money from a 2004 voter-approved bond issue.

The turf project was given to GeneralSports Venue, a company with Michigan ties and headquarters in Raleigh N.C., and will be financed with a combination of bond dollars and the money in the district's turf trust fund.
Both were the low bidders.

Jackson and Lumen Christi, the two high schools that use the stadium, contribute a $1 surcharge on tickets sold to stadium events to a turf fund that has $195,000 in it, said Bill Hannon, deputy superintendent for finance and operations.

The new turf — which is generally considered to be safer than traditional artificial turf — is guaranteed for eight years but expected to last 10 to 13, said Tom Hutt, project manager and superintendent for Granger Construction and a member of the committee that researched the new turf and solicited bids.

The new field will contain an extensive drainage system. The roughly $200,000 system is expected to remain in place the next time the turf is replaced, which will lower the cost of future replacements.

"There are so many concerns and issues with getting new turf, but at the forefront is safety," Davis said. "The field we have now needs replacing. The seams are broken in some areas."
The new turf will replace the artificial turf that has been in place since 1996. The life expectancy of the old surface was 10 years.

The first scheduled game on the new turf is Aug. 28, when Jackson hosts Detroit Northwestern. Jackson will conduct its August football practices at the Middle School at Parkside until the renovations are complete.

El Paso Stadiums to get new AstroTurf GameDay Grass

By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Times


Construction crews have begun the process of installing artificial turf on the football fields at Andress, Burges and Coronado high schools.

The construction is part of a three-year plan that includes new turf football fields for all El Paso Independent School District high schools.

Ken Owen, EPISD athletic director, said the turf will make the fields safer. "Our biggest issue was that the type of field at the beginning of the year was good quality, but by the end of football season it was rough," he said.

The usage of the field by football teams and marching bands caused grass to stop growing in some places and, along with weather damage, caused some sections to become dangerous.

Burges principal Ernie Watts said the progress is moving fast and looking promising. "They've got all of the old turf removed," he said. "Everybody is very anxious to get out there for football and soccer."

Rich Jordan, vice-president of sales and marketing for General Sports Venue, the company installing the turf, called AstroTurf GameDay grass, said that the fields are in the base construction stage. "That's basically a four week process," he said. "Then we will begin staging turf whch comes in 15 foot rolls." The staging process involves measuring out the lines before the turf, which already has white turf is is laid down, Jordan said. After that colored turf is added to make hash marks, mid-field logos and lines for soccer games. Rubber is installed to absorb shock and TurfAid is sprayed to proctect athletes from bacteria, Jordan said.

The fields are estimated to cost $750,000 and save approximately 81.5 million gallons of water per year as well as over $800,000 in maintenance, according to a press release.
"We expect them to last longer than 10 years," Owen said. "They should pay for themselves by the end of that cycle."

Owen said if the fields were damaged in the 10 years, they are protected by an 8 year warranty.
All three fields should be ready by Aug. 7 with the first game on Aug. 28 when host the Canutillo, who already has artifical turf in their stadium.

Cubs Manager Lou Piniella critical of Blue Jays and Rays FieldTurf

The topic was also broached in Chicago when the Cubs recently took a six-game trip to Toronto and Tampa Bay. Carlos Zambrano is hitting .362 with a homer and six RBIs this year, but manager Lou Piniella ultimately decided against batting his pitching ace.

Piniella instead used the DH to give stars like Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez a reprieve from the field.

“I know I have to use Zambrano occasionally as a pinch-hitter, but believe me, I like the idea of just having hitters do the hitting and pitchers do the pitching,” Piniella told WGN Radio.
It wasn’t the hitting alone that worried Piniella. Both the Blue Jays and the Rays play on an artificial surface,

“It’s a little different playing on Astroturf,” Piniella said. “It bothers your knees a little more, it bothers your back a little more, so we don’t want any problems with any of our starting pitchers as far as injuries are concerned.”

AstroTurf AD of the Year Award Winners Announced

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the 29 winners of the AstroTurf AD of the Year Award (ADOY) today.

There are four geographic regions - northeast, southeast, central and west; while the membership is separated into seven categories - Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A); Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA); Division I (formerly Division I-AAA); Division II; Division III; NAIA; and Junior/Community Colleges. One winner was selected in each of the seven categories, for a total of 29 honorees. Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA's 43rd Annual Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary explains the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities.

"Our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year," said Cleary, who oversaw implementation of the program to allow all NACDA Officers and Honors and Awards Committee members to participate in the awards process, should they be elected. "The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs."

Winners of the 2007-08 AstroTurf AD of the Year Awards are:

Football Bowl Subdivision
Mike Alden - University of Missouri, Central
Gene Bleymaier - Boise State University, West
Bob Mulcahy - Rutgers University, Northeast
Ron Wellman - Wake Forest University, Southeast

Football Championship Subdivision
Warren "Moose" Koegel - Coastal Carolina University, Southeast
Gene Taylor - North Dakota State University, Central
Gary Walters - Princeton University, Northeast
Bobby Williams - Sam Houston State University, West

Division I
Nelson E. Bobb - University of North Carolina Greensboro, Southeast
Peg Bradley-Doppes - University of Denver, West
Robert Driscoll, Jr. - Providence College, Northeast
Ken Kavanagh - Bradley University, Central

Division II
Theresa A. Check- Central State University, Northeast
Rob Fournier - Wayne State University, Central
Larry Marfise - University of Tampa, Southeast
Joan McDermott - Metropolitan State College of Denver, West

Division III
Lynda Calkins - Hollins University, Southeast
Del Malloy - Salve Regina University, Northeast
Vernon Mummert - Wabash College, Central
John Schael - Washington University, West

NAIA/Other 4-Year Colleges or Universities
Jeff Bain- Martin Methodist College, Southeast
Debby DeAngelis - California State University East Bay, West
Mike Fratzke - Indiana Wesleyan University, Central
H. "Skip" Lord - Houghton College, Northeast

JC/CC
Dave Evans- San Diego Mesa College, West
Carl Heinrich - Johnson County Community College, Central
Robert McKenney - Onondaga Community College, Northeast
Diane Schumacher - Howard Community College, Southeast

International
Greg Harshaw - College of the Bahamas

All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.

Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award. A complete listing of Selection Committee members can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.

GSV/AstroTurf Regional Sales Manager Jim Henderson qualifies for U.S. Open

From ESPN.com

Baker's dozen: These 13 Open qualifiers won't quit their day jobs
by Jason Sobel

It was the morning of an 18-hole U.S. Open local qualifier in Cincinnati and Jimmy Henderson was already feeling the butterflies. The former Wright State player hadn't played in a competitive event since 2005 and just earned back his amateur status a few days earlier. "I said, 'Well, maybe I should just try and play,'" Henderson recalls. "I said, 'What the heck, I'll sign up.' But going in, I was pretty nervous." Rather than dreaming about a trip to Torrey Pines, the former mini-tour player was worried that a high score would leave him ineligible for other tournaments throughout the summer. But Henderson surprised himself with a 68, earning a trip to sectionals … where the nerves took control again. After an opening-round 71, he began his second 18 with a front-side 31 that included a hole-in-one on No. 9. His back-nine 34 helped him into a playoff for the final spot, but led to … another case of nerves. "I hit it right off the tee and had to hit out of a creek," he said. "I had crap all over me." Fortunately, his opponent was rattled with nervousness as well, as Henderson eventually lagged a putt to make bogey and punch his ticket to play against the world's best. Nothing to be nervous about, right? Uh, wrong. "I kind of get morning sickness right now when I get up in the morning," said Henderson, who works as a salesman for a company that produces Astroturf. "I have no idea how I'm going to handle it."

No serious threat seen in tests on 'lead' turf

Thursday, June 05, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNEJOURNAL STAFF WRITER

New Jersey Health Department officials say lead found in artificial turf at three athletic fields - including two in Hudson County - can be absorbed by humans, but isn't a serious threat to athletes who use the fields.

State epidemiologist Eddy Bresnitz said the lead levels in the fields are not high enough to cause poisoning to people who play on the them.

Three New Jersey fields - Cochrane Stadium at Caven Point in Jersey City, Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken and the College of New Jersey's Lions Stadium Field in Ewing - were closed in April after tests showed elevated lead levels in their AstroTurf.

Hoboken has already awarded a contract to replace its field and Jersey City officials say their turf will be replaced in the summer.
Michael Dennis, chairman and president of GeneralSports Venue, the company that makes AstroTurf in the United States, declared AstroTurf a completely safe synthetic material last month.

The lead in AstroTurf is "extremely low" and "encapsulated" in the fibers, so someone would have to eat the turf for lead to enter the body, Dennis said.

And even if someone ate it, a child weighing 50 pounds would have to eat 23 pounds of artificial turf to reach dangerous levels, said James Coughlin, one of GVS' scientific consultants.
Hoboken Mayor David Roberts took no chances and had Sinatra field replaced.

"There are too many things in life that parents have to worry about - one of those things is not going to be the Sinatra Park soccer field," Roberts has said.

Turf going down at Fillmore High School

Things are starting to look green again at Fillmore High School. Installation of a new GameDay Grass XPe field is underway at the Flashes Football Stadium. Located in Fillmore, California, between Ventura and Valencia, the new field should be complete in the next couple of weeks.

The new state-of-the-art synthetic turf field was purchased utilizing GSV/AstroTurf USA's exclusive U.S. Communities contract, allowing school districts to purchase synthetic turf fields utilzing a co-operative purchasing contract.

To learn more about U.S. Communities, please visit:

U.S. Communities Website

AstroTurf U.S. Communities Website