Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton, WI won the 2008 STMA Professional Baseball Field of the Year Award this past winter. Justin Johnson, former director of stadium operations, and head groundskeeper Eddie Warczak led the winning effort, assisted by crew members Adam Brown, Matt Andrews, Will Granderson and Derek Loda.
In addition to being home of the Single A Midwest League Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers affiliate), Time Warner Cable Field hosted events in 2008 ranging from the NCAA Division III World Series to a Trace Adkins concert, with plenty of high school and Legion games, camps, tryouts and charity events mixed in between.
Johnson, replaced by Warczak when he moved upstairs as director of stadium operations, has his bachelor’s in agronomy from the University of Nebraska and oversaw the 2006 renovation of the then-12-year-old field, with assistance from crew member Warczak. The two recalled in their Field of the Year entry how they dealt with the Wisconsin weather last year:
“The Timber Rattlers are the northernmost team in the Midwest League, meaning we’re still dealing with winter weather at the start of the season. We had received 96 inches of snow [that] winter, more than average, so that set the stage for a challenging pre-season.
“One month before our first event there were 8-foot snow drifts on the field. Most of that melted but a cold snap 2 weeks before the first event turned what remained into a layer of ice.
“With a week to go before the season started, and the forecast looking grim, we spread a thick layer Milorganite (20 lbs/1,000 sq. ft.) to help melt the ice and warm up the soil, then we removed the rest of the snow. The infield skin, baselines, home plate area, and warning track were tilled up and left to dry, then we rolled and graded these areas. We removed the tarps from the mound and bullpens to start those areas drying. A plate compactor was used to firm up the clay, followed by height and slope corrections. We managed to squeeze all preparations into 7 days of heavy work to have the field ready for the team’s April 1 workout.
“Unfortunately this was only the start of what the weather had in store for us this year. The team opened the season on the road while the weather in Appleton was 60 degrees and sunny, great weather for us in early April since our average temperatures that time of year are more like 45 degrees. When the team returned, the cold weather came with them. The Opening Day high was 48 degrees and that was the warmest day of the week. We played all nine innings that day but the next five games were cancelled due to rain, snow or cold.
“The cold weather and snow caused many headaches however they were not our only concerns [last] year. After the snow came the rain; we reached our yearly average rainfall by the beginning of August. We pulled the tarp 41 times this season, which was at least down from the 54 times we’d pulled it the previous season.
“Poor drainage in the outfield compounded the challenges that come with the rain. We had to be creative in order to maximize the drainage we did have. The tarp emptied to all fields this year instead of just right field. We worked to aerify as much as possible and deep-tined once to allow the water to infiltrate quicker and deeper into the soil profile. With the addition of drainage to the outfield [in the fall of 2008], we are hopeful it will greatly increase the amount of rain the field sustains without compromising the safety of our players.”
ST: What are you doing now to hold down costs in the economy?
Warczak: Fortunately this year the organization hasn’t felt the effects of the bad economy. I do however have to keep a closer watch on employee hours, as well as this year’s budget.
ST: Are you changing anything this year in your maintenance? Why?
Warczak: I was extremely pleased with last year’s results, however there’s always room for improvement so we’ll make some minor changes.
ST: What’s the best piece of turf management advice you’ve ever received?
Warczak: I’ve received a lot of great advice from a variety of people. In particular, my previous boss Justin Johnson taught me a lot. The best piece of advice he gave would have to be, “Do it right the first time.”
ST: What are your specific responsibilities?
Warczak: My general responsibility is to maintain the field, as well as the outside landscape. I coordinate the schedules and job duties for the grounds crew, prepare the field for games, and oversee the events that take place on the field. I also work with the coaching staff’s team schedule to know when we need to set things up. Other responsibilities would include coordinating tarp pulls, along with a variety of other day-to-day tasks.
ST: How do you keep your engine charged to do your best every day?
Warczak: The beginning of the season is always difficult with the cold and unpredictable weather. Luckily by the end of spring we have a full grounds crew and we fall into a routine. We also try to have fun to keep ourselves sane during the season.
ST: How do you balance work and personal life?
Warczak: During the season it can be difficult, but I have a great family and girlfriend that understand my busy schedule. Despite the amount of hours I work I always try to make time for family and friends.
ST: What are your favorite things to do off the job?
Warczak: Even off the job I enjoy being outside. My favorite things to do, especially during the off-season is hunt and fish. When I’m not hunting or fishing, the off days give me time to hang with my friends and family.
Time Warner Cable Field Maintenance Program
January
Building maintenance
Stadium projects
Snow removal
February
Building maintenance
Stadium projects
Snow removal
March
Building maintenance
Stadium projects
Snow removal
Prepare stadium for season
Turn on irrigation system and test
Check height of cut and reel adjustments on equipment
Field preparation: dry everything out, check height and slope of mound and bullpens
Start fertility program
April
Games and events begin
Continue fertility program
Aerate with solid tines
Overseed and topdress
Begin mowing; at beginning of month mow as often as needed, near end of month 3x/week
Edge 1x/week
Toward end of month begin berm seating area mowing 1x/week, clippings are removed
May
Mow every game day and every other non-game day
Continue fertility program with two additional applications of GroPower 0-0-10 at 1 lb./1,000 sq. ft.
Prepare field for NCAA Div. III World Series
Check mound and bullpen heights and slopes
Aerate 2x with solid tines; once before World Series, once after
Edge 1x/week
Begin mowing program for common areas and outside landscaping 1x/week
Clean outside landscape beds and mulch
June
Mow every game day and every other non-game day
Continue fertility program with two additional applications of GroPower 0-0-10 at 1 lb./1,000 sq. ft.
Check mound and bullpen slopes
Aerate with solid tines before State HS tournament
Aerate, pulling cores and removing them
Topdress with sand after removing cores
Edge 1x/week
Outside landscape and berm mowing program continued
July
Mow every game day and every other non-game day
Continue fertility program with two additional applications of GroPower 0-0-10 at 1 lb./1,000 sq. ft.
Check mound and bullpen slopes
Aerate with solid tines
Edge 1x/week
Outside landscape and berm mowing program continued
Stadium playground is mulched
August
Mow every game day and every other non-game day
Continue fertility program with two additional applications of GroPower 0-0-10 at 1 lb./1,000 sq. ft.
Check mound and bullpen slopes
Aerate with solid tines
Edge 1x/week
Outside landscape and berm mowing program continued
September
Season ends; mow 3x/week
Continue fertility program with one application of GroPower 0-0-10 at 1 lb./1,000 sq. ft.
Aerate with hollow tines; remove cores
Overseed field
Topdress with sand after cores are removed and field overseeded
Check height, slope and table of mound and bullpens; cover for winter
Strip the infield conditioner
Edge 1x/week
Outside landscape and berm mowing program continued
Field projects
Stadium projects
October
Mow as needed, usually 2x/week
Fertility program continued
Outside landscape and berm mowing program cut to 1x/2 weeks
Outside landscape work includes pruning trees and cutting back shrubs and flowers
Field projects
Stadium projects
Prepare stadium for winter
November
Mow if necessary
Mow outside landscape and berm if necessary
Prepare stadium for winter
Stadium projects
Snow removal
December
Stadium projects
Take vacation