Back in 2005 I started Blogging for MLB.com.  My good friend Mark Newman thought a grounds keeping blog might be pretty unique to provide information to folks around the world related to taking care of sports fields and or your homelawn.   I’ve been asked some fun questions about my blog ( that I write out of the love for educating folks about the sportsturf industry).   Looking back at 2005 when I started and at a few of the early blog stories I came across one that highlighted some facts about natural grass.  A lot has happened in 9 years but one constant has been the evolution of better, stronger and more durable turfgrasses for our baseball fields.

During this crazy spring weather where we are seeing temps go from 80 degrees to 30 with snow the OVERNIGHT,  i take my hat off to all the natural grass turf managers that get…

April 11, 2014 – In early March, I spent a morning with former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly in Glendale, Arizona. I interviewed Mattingly about his historic 1984 campaign for a feature that will be published in the June Issue of Yankees Magazine.

Twenty years ago, Mattingly edged out teammate Dave Winfield for the American League batting title on the last day of the regular season.

In my conversation with Mattingly, he spoke about the first time he realized that he and Winfield were atop the batting charts in 1984.

“At some time in June, Dave and I were asked to pose for a Sports Illustrated photo together,” said Mattingly, who is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I didn’t think about it as a serious competition. We were on the same team, and we were trying to win games. I wasn’t really competing with Dave, and I didn’t…

Happy (full) Opening Day. First a comment on the Mike Trout contract, also known as the “perfect deal” for both sides. The Angels and Mike Trout nailed it. Six years at $144.5 million is the dream scenario for both sides. The length and terms of the deal are optimal. For those who think the deal should be longer, I would argue that each of the next two years would be priced at $40 million per year, a price that the Angels were well advised to avoid. The reason the Angels could get Trout to agree to a deal at this relatively modest commitment is because they are giving him the opportunity (actually gift) of re-pricing himself at the young age of 29. For a player of Trout’s caliber (or at least what most people expect Trout to be), hitting the free agent market at 29 vs. say 31 years old…

Today’s Games | Standings | Watch live on MLB.TV

Happy Opening Day! We’ve seen: Buster Posey’s familiar flair for heroics; Jose Fernandez and Mike Trout picking up where they left off; close games all day and night; our first walk-offs thanks to an Alex Gonzalez single in the ninth for Detroit and then a 10th-inning homer by Neil Walker to provide the only run in Pittsburgh; the first time since 1953 Cincinnati was shut out at home on Opening Day; our first grand slam by Jimmy Rollins; the first overturned call due to Replay Review after a Fredi Gonzalez challenge; successful managerial debuts for Brad Ausmus and Matt Williams; big offense from the Giants and Mariners; Nyjer Morgan beating Oakland with his bat and glove; a great pitcher’s duel in Cincinnati, brilliant debuts with new clubs such as Nelson Cruz for Baltimore and Jose Abreu for the White Sox…