The Columbus Clippers are a Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The Clippers used to reside at Cooper Stadium some way out of the city but recently moved to a new downtown location and is now called Huntington Park.
The new stadium, funded almost entirely by private funds, will accommodate around 10,000 fans and has some innovative features, such as bleachers on an adjoining roof-top, a kid’s fountain area and a home run fence similar to the “Big Green Monster” at Fenway. The stadium is also very open, so offers a view of the downtown Arena area and allows for passersby to see inside the stadium.
Head groundsman Colin Lattimer is also making the transition from Cooper Stadium to Huntington Park this month. The new sand-based field was installed in October 2008 by an Ohio company (EMCH Bros.) and the Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) turf was grown on a sand-base in New Jersey and trucked in. The red infield mix was selected from an Ohio supplier (Kurtz Bros.) and meets specifications determined by Colin and his consultant, Eugene Mayer. 2009 proves to be an exciting season and somewhat grueling. The regular seasons runs April to September but starting the end of May and for the next four weeks, the field will host a Big 10 tournament, then a Clippers home stand, a high school tournament and then another Clippers home stand. The first sold-out game of the 2009 season at Huntington Park will be April 18th against the Toledo Mudhens.
Posted by Pamela Sherratt & John Street. www.buckeyeturf.osu.edu