Artificial turf coming to old Tiger Stadium?

[Zads07]

For some reason I can't get the link to work, but a Crain's article today states that Lear Corp. has pulled its 25k annual funding to PAL because the Tiger Stadium site plans don't live up to the spirit of the 3 million dollar fed. grant. This seems a little petty. The plans are long past the point of preserving any of the Tiger Stadium site and since when aren't fed. pork grants mostly wasteful.

Here's the link:
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-tied-to-tiger

And good on Lear for pulling their money. Baseball was meant to play on grass, not artificial turf. The fact that Lear is pulling their money is a huge sign that this is more than just a 'petty' argument between a company [[PAL) and 'some' people who want the grass saved.

People have memories there and yes, although the dimensions will be saved, would it not be even better to save the grass as well? There has to be some sort of compromise. Heck NFGS has done a more than bang-up, incredible job keeping Old Tiger Stadium field in tip-top shape, just volunteering. Why not allow them to take care of it on some sort of schedule? This shouldn't be that hard and PAL should listen to the community.

To those people who say, who cares, just put in the turf? If this wasn't such a big deal, then why are people up in arms about it and why did a corporation pull funding?

[mikeg19]

To those people who say, who cares, just put in the turf? If this wasn't such a big deal, then why are people up in arms about it and why did a corporation pull funding?

Because people are moronic. They're probably the same idiots who think voting for Trump is a good idea.

That aside, the NGC is a group of dudes on mowers blasting down weedy grass every couple weeks. The PAL needs a team of people to mow and MAINTAIN the fields where hundreds of kids are going to play on a daily basis. I'm fairly certain the guys on the NGC have real jobs and aren't going to have the availability of a dedicated service.

Again, and how any times do we need to hash this crap out: HUNDREDS OF KIDS A WEEK ARE GOING TO BE BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF THIS FIELD. DO YOU THINK REAL GRASS IS GOING TO HOLD UP TO THAT PUNISHMENT?

[Zads07]

Because people are moronic. They're probably the same idiots who think voting for Trump is a good idea.

That aside, the NGC is a group of dudes on mowers blasting down weedy grass every couple weeks. The PAL needs a team of people to mow and MAINTAIN the fields where hundreds of kids are going to play on a daily basis. I'm fairly certain the guys on the NGC have real jobs and aren't going to have the availability of a dedicated service.

Again, and how any times do we need to hash this crap out: HUNDREDS OF KIDS A WEEK ARE GOING TO BE BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF THIS FIELD. DO YOU THINK REAL GRASS IS GOING TO HOLD UP TO THAT PUNISHMENT?

HUNDREDS OF KIDS BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF REAL GRASS AROUND THE COUNTRY, ASK THOSE FOLKS HOW THEY TAKE CARE OF IT?

That sound good with the all-caps Mikeg19? Just shut it. If real grass is such an issue, then lets replace the real grass everywhere in the world because kids beat the shit out of it on every playing field.

[mikeg19]

HUNDREDS OF KIDS BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF REAL GRASS AROUND THE COUNTRY, ASK THOSE FOLKS HOW THEY TAKE CARE OF IT?

That sound good with the all-caps Mikeg19? Just shut it. If real grass is such an issue, then lets replace the real grass everywhere in the world because kids beat the shit out of it on every playing field.

Yea, you're definitely someone who thinks Trump is a good candidate with that kind of
rhetoric.

You literally proved my point for me man. Drive past any playground, field, ball diamond, etc. They are fields of dust and rocks with the occasional patch of grass that hasn't been destroyed yet. Why would they pour tons and tons of cash into trying to maintain grass when they can put in artificial turf or something of the sort and not have to deal with it? Kinda seems like common sense to most of us, but apparently not all of us.....

[erikd]

Because people are moronic. They're probably the same idiots who think voting for Trump is a good idea.

That aside, the NGC is a group of dudes on mowers blasting down weedy grass every couple weeks. The PAL needs a team of people to mow and MAINTAIN the fields where hundreds of kids are going to play on a daily basis. I'm fairly certain the guys on the NGC have real jobs and aren't going to have the availability of a dedicated service.

Again, and how any times do we need to hash this crap out: HUNDREDS OF KIDS A WEEK ARE GOING TO BE BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF THIS FIELD. DO YOU THINK REAL GRASS IS GOING TO HOLD UP TO THAT PUNISHMENT?

The reasons why people want to preserve the grass field are hardly moronic. In addition to the general arguments about grass vs. artificial turf, the Tiger Stadium field also has a historical element that should not be discounted.

There is a benefit to preserving the historic field that goes beyond a purely utilitarian purpose. Of course, it is much harder to put an exact dollar value on the benefits of historic preservation, but that doesn't mean that there are none, nor does it mean that the advocates for preservation are "moronic."

It would really help the debate to know how much extra it would cost to maintain the grass field. Are we talking about a few thousand dollars extra per year, or would it cost tens of thousands extra per year?

If the additional cost to preserve the field can be raised by preservation-minded individuals and organizations, then it is a win-win situation. If the additional cost to preserve the field is so exorbitant that it makes the whole project unfeasible, then we can all agree that it just wasn't realistic, and accept that artificial turf is the only realistic way to go.

As a baseball fan and a historic preservationist, I would absolutely love to see the grass field preserved. It would be a shame to see it lost for want of a few grand per year. On the other hand, if it will cost an extra $100k+ per year to preserve the grass field, then I would have to agree that it is just not realistic, and the artificial turf should be used.

[smogboy]

The reasons why people want to preserve the grass field are hardly moronic. In addition to the general arguments about grass vs. artificial turf, the Tiger Stadium field also has a historical element that should not be discounted.

There is a benefit to preserving the historic field that goes beyond a purely utilitarian purpose. Of course, it is much harder to put an exact dollar value on the benefits of historic preservation, but that doesn't mean that there are none, nor does it mean that the advocates for preservation are "moronic."

It would really help the debate to know how much extra it would cost to maintain the grass field. Are we talking about a few thousand dollars extra per year, or would it cost tens of thousands extra per year?

If the additional cost to preserve the field can be raised by preservation-minded individuals and organizations, then it is a win-win situation. If the additional cost to preserve the field is so exorbitant that it makes the whole project unfeasible, then we can all agree that it just wasn't realistic, and accept that artificial turf is the only realistic way to go.

As a baseball fan and a historic preservationist, I would absolutely love to see the grass field preserved. It would be a shame to see it lost for want of a few grand per year. On the other hand, if it will cost an extra $100k+ per year to preserve the grass field, then I would have to agree that it is just not realistic, and the artificial turf should be used.

I think this is exactly the reason I brought up the proposal of having the existing Navin Field Grounds Crew people brought into the discussion. They've done a yeoman's job of taking care of the field for the last few years... on their dime. How would they feel if they were to be brought in PAID to take care of the field now? From what I could tell, those folks did it out of a love and adoration for the old place. Throw in a cash incentive, new equipment and see how they would fare taking care of the grass. Give them some of that high tech turf knowledge from MSU and Comerica Park's crew.

If this is truly a place for the people, why not let some of the people who cared for it the most get a shot at taking care of it again?

[AarunFast]

I think this is exactly the reason I brought up the proposal of having the existing Navin Field Grounds Crew people brought into the discussion. They've done a yeoman's job of taking care of the field for the last few years... on their dime. How would they feel if they were to be brought in PAID to take care of the field now? From what I could tell, those folks did it out of a love and adoration for the old place. Throw in a cash incentive, new equipment and see how they would fare taking care of the grass. Give them some of that high tech turf knowledge from MSU and Comerica Park's crew.

If this is truly a place for the people, why not let some of the people who cared for it the most get a shot at taking care of it again?

I like the sentiment, but those are just some volunteers who made sure the grass didn't get too long. Without significant help [[$$$), they are probably in way over their heads when lots of games are played on that grass. Again, I appreciate what they did, but the grass wasn't exactly the field of dreams...

[Beech Cricker]

People have memories there and yes, although the dimensions will be saved, would it not be even better to save the grass as well?

Zads, I thought the field dimensions were being sacrificed, too--to make room for the other parts of the development [[housing, retail), I assume, no?