FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
SFM : How did you handle the disinfecting between games and the COVID protocol side of it ?
Taylor : Brian Webster , director of stadium operations , would come down between games , wipe down the dugouts , wipe down the restrooms , and either help with scoreboards or keep sanitizing . We changed out bases every game and then would disinfect the bases . But it worked out well . I think people were pretty in tune with what we were trying to do .
SFM : What is your takeaway from the past year , and your advice for adapting / pivoting and making the most of your talents ?
Taylor : As superintendents , sports field managers or landscape guys , we like to complain a lot , and I ’ m guilty of it . But not one of us got into this field because we don ’ t like to fix problems . I think we need to take a step back . As much bad stuff as came our way in 2020 , a lot of great stuff came out of it as well . I took care of a field with lower fertility . I did more on my own . My intern took on more . And not just from a physical standpoint , but from a mental standpoint — things like problem solving and finding answers . The good thing is that people realized that we all need
Category of submission : Professional Baseball Field manager : Eric Taylor Title : Head groundskeeper Education : Associates degree Field of study : Business Full-time staff : Zach Robinson
Students / interns , part-time and seasonal staff : Steven Eason and Nick Ogara
Original construction : 1999 Previous FOY win : 2016 Turfgrass : TifTuf bermuda Rootzone : Sand
Drainage system : Standard drainage with additional lines to work together . It ’ s not ideal to have a groundskeeper running a scoreboard , just like it ’ s not ideal to have a front office guy trying to chalk . But it is ideal to work together to make something successful — to put on a show … to put on a game . Everyone I know who put on games this past year did more with less . At some point , you said that you want to do this for a living . For some reason we get away from that . One of my favorite things to do is walk mow . And I ’ m going to have to give up a bit of walk mowing where I ’ m at , but I ’ m still going to do it , because it gives me peace of mind . You have to find a way to do the things you like on the job that got you interested in doing this for a living — whether it is raking baselines or building the mound or repacking the plate — find out a way to do what makes you happy . Nobody got into this saying “ I want to send 100 e-mails a day .” We are outdoor people . Find a way , even if it ’ s sending everyone home and having the stadium to yourself . Whatever you enjoyed doing when you were young , find that again and do it .
Judge ’ s Comments , FOY
I know everyone had a terrible impact to their staff , and had to modify with a fine-toothed comb to get the job done ; however , Eric Taylor did an exceptional job with little to nothing for help . To host more than 300 games last year with the lack of manpower that he had is exceptional . That is a lot of wear and tear on a field in a normal year ; but to have staff cut to that extreme is impressive to say the least . This goes to show that , with hard work and dedication to our craft , anything is possible — even in a pandemic . What he did is miraculous and this field , and this manager , deserved the award .
— Jarred Semski , athletic fields and grounds supervisor , Avon High School
Editor ’ s Note : A panel of judges independently scored Field of the Year entries based on playability , appearance of surfaces , utilization of innovative solutions , effective use of budget and implementation of a comprehensive agronomic program .
12 SportsField Management | March 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com