Soldier Field groundscrew can't grow grass.

[Patler]

Public practice at Soldier Field canceled because playing surface was unsafe. Team was bused there, then had to go back. Fans showed up, but practice canceled.

They had all summer to prepare for this, and failed. Kind of funny, really.

Article:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Soldier-Field-grounds-crew-drops-ball.html

[Yoop]

Public practice at Soldier Field canceled because playing surface was unsafe. Team was bused there, then had to go back. Fans showed up, but practice canceled.

They had all summer to prepare for this, and failed. Kind of funny, really.

Article:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Soldier-Field-grounds-crew-drops-ball.html

city owned stadium, state controlled finances, thats the problem with the field, no money. glad we dont have those problems, our field is among the best in the league. I remember going there back in the 70's, it looked like the players where playing in quick sand, it's always been a mud hole, course back then concrete was considered safe to play on.

[Fosco33]

Guess it's good that we play them end of September - better than late Season where it is very tough surface.

[Patler]

city owned stadium, state controlled finances, thats the problem with the field, no money. glad we dont have those problems, our field is among the best in the league. I remember going there back in the 70's, it looked like the players where playing in quick sand, it's always been a mud hole, course back then concrete was considered safe to play on.

All true, but it doesn't seem that finances were the problem this time. A "miscalculation" and they didn't get enough water on the field causing seems in the new sod to open? Kind of remarkable, really.

[MJZiggy]

Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Sometimes I think they keep Chicago there just for our entertainment...How can a grounds crew not know when to water new sod????

[smuggler]

God, what the hell are the Bears doing lately?

[gbgary]

saw that and had to laugh. da bearz!

[Patler]

Unfortunately, I don't think we can blame the Bears for this, even though we would like to. I don't think the Bears have any control over it at all. They are simply a renter, and show up at scheduled times expecting the place to be ready.

However, I think we can blame "Chicago" generally, and everything associated with it! :lol: :lol:

[Yoop]

Unfortunately, I don't think we can blame the Bears for this, even though we would like to. I don't think the Bears have any control over it at all. They are simply a renter, and show up at scheduled times expecting the place to be ready.

However, I think we can blame "Chicago" generally, and everything associated with it! :lol: :lol:

haha. it is all on the city, papa George wanted to buy Soldier field years ago, and the city wouldn't sell, then he tried to move them north out of the city to Arlington or Shaumburg another suburb, the city wouldn't let him out of the lease, and would take away Chicago from the name sake Chicago Bears, in essense the city has controlled the team for years, so ya we can blame the city of Chicago, and all it's crooked politicians, heck George is dead, cant blame him any more lol.

[Guiness]

They can turn their friggen river green, but not their fields? LOL

How can you NOT laugh at this?

http://www.debraprinzing.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/green-river.JPG
http://www.shedstyle.com/2008/03/17/a-greener-view-of-the-world/green-river/http://www.shedstyle.com/2008/03/17/a-greener-view-of-the-world/green-river/

[jklowan]

maybe they should hire Ricky Williams, he'd get some grass to grow

[Smidgeon]

Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Sometimes I think they keep Chicago there just for our entertainment...How can a grounds crew not know when to water new sod????

For a second there, I thought you had referred to their grounds crew as a "grenade crew". With the rate they're destroying the field, it even made sense...

[pbmax]

I would like to see how that lawsuit would have turned out. The City of Chicago versus the Chicago Bears over the use of the city name in the business name. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the New York Giants and the New York Jets could have been very different franchises.

[K-town]

I would like to see how that lawsuit would have turned out. The City of Chicago versus the Chicago Bears over the use of the city name in the business name. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the New York Giants and the New York Jets could have been very different franchises.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, if translated literally, is something like The The Angels Angels of Anaheim. Anaheim, I believe, is a derivative of a German phrase meaning "by or near a river." The The Angels Angels, in a van down by the river.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I hate that sloppy field, it ruins games. It is such a stupid, stupid sitution. The mixed grass-turf works great, what century are those people living in?

[mraynrand]

At least the lawn mowers are still working:

http://artintoaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cows-grazing.jpg

[mraynrand]

(Or half of them, at least. Give 'em a break, they're city workers)

[Yoop]

I would like to see how that lawsuit would have turned out. The City of Chicago versus the Chicago Bears over the use of the city name in the business name. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the New York Giants and the New York Jets could have been very different franchises.

I thought " the Arlington heights Bears" had a nice high school ring to it.

Mayor Daley was addament if they moved they couldn't have the name, Halas gave in, but they may have won out in court.

Soldiers field was built I believe in 1904, before the renovation you had to bring binoculors to see the action on the field, it was so far away, to use the bathroom it took 15 minutes standing in line, same with getting a beer or food.

I hate the Bears, but the city has screwed that team for years.

[Harlan Huckleby]

It seems like the NFL commissioner ought to have a say in this. Don't they have any requirements of their franchises? What if a team decided to fill a field with sand, and play beach football?

[Yoop]

It seems like the NFL commissioner ought to have a say in this. Don't they have any requirements of their franchises? What if a team decided to fill a field with sand, and play beach football?

it's possible the NFL was responsible for calling off family night and said the field was unsafe, just a guess here, but it's hard for me to see the Bears or the city doing it, heck they have played on it in worse shape before, heck I've been there when plenty of sod was missing and we played on dirt, course that was years ago when player safety was not the issue it is today.

[MadScientist]

I can't laugh at this because the Packers will play on that field at least once this year. I don't want to see any injuries because the Bears/Chicago can't get the field in shape. Even if the field is the city's responsibility, the Bears should hire someone to make sure the city does it right. The Bears suffer more than the city for problems like this.

[pbmax]

I hate that sloppy field, it ruins games. It is such a stupid, stupid sitution. The mixed grass-turf works great, what century are those people living in?

The Steelers have the same problem but have resisted all efforts to make the switch. It might be a money problem, but with re-sodding, it can't save much.

In Chicago its kind of odd, because the Bears moved to Soldier Field only in 1970. Spent one year on grass, then switched out to AstroTurf. Went back to grass in 1988. Its not like the Park District hasn't seen the stuff before.

[pbmax]

At least the lawn mowers are still working:

http://artintoaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cows-grazing.jpg


That forecast calls for no rain. Time to water the turf.

[pbmax]

I thought " the Arlington heights Bears" had a nice high school ring to it.

Mayor Daley was addament if they moved they couldn't have the name, Halas gave in, but they may have won out in court.

Soldiers field was built I believe in 1904, before the renovation you had to bring binoculors to see the action on the field, it was so far away, to use the bathroom it took 15 minutes standing in line, same with getting a beer or food.

I hate the Bears, but the city has screwed that team for years.

But they did spend a princely sum on the remake.

This sounds like a pissing match. The Bears Admin want grass but the Park District would like something synthetic so they can multi-purpose the place.

[imscott72]

It seems like the NFL commissioner ought to have a say in this. Don't they have any requirements of their franchises? What if a team decided to fill a field with sand, and play beach football?

Not so much the NFL, but the player's union would have a big issue with it.

[wootah]

It seems like the NFL commissioner ought to have a say in this. Don't they have any requirements of their franchises? What if a team decided to fill a field with sand, and play beach football?

Are there no official regulations on the conditions of the field? Is it possible that a game is canceled or postponed due to a poor state of the field?

[Little Whiskey]

maybe the batman crew should have used soldier field instead of heinz field.

http://outofbounds.yahoo.com/?vid=26217297

[pbmax]

Are there no official regulations on the conditions of the field? Is it possible that a game is canceled or postponed due to a poor state of the field?

Yes, it has happened. A game in Philly was postponed due to field conditions, though it was preseason:


The first football game on the new turf was scheduled to take place on August 13, 2001, when the Eagles were to play the Baltimore Ravens in a preseason game. However, Ravens coach Brian Billick refused to let the Ravens take the field for warm-ups when he discovered a trench around an area where third base was covered up by a NexTurf cutout. City crews unsuccessfully tried to fix the problem forcing the game to be canceled. Later, players from both teams reported that they sunk into the turf in locations near the infield cutouts. Team president Joe Banner was irate after the game, calling the stadium's conditions "absolutely unacceptable" and "an embarrassment to the city of Philadelphia."[15] City officials, however, promised that the stadium would be suitable for play when the regular season started.

The problem was caused by heavy rain over the weekend prior to the game, which made the dirt in the sliding pits and pitcher's mound so soft that the cutouts covering them in the football configuration became mushy and uneven. Even when new dirt was shoveled on top, it quickly became just as saturated as the old dirt. The problem was solved by using asphalt hot mix, which allowed for a solid, level playing surface, but required a jackhammer for removal whenever the stadium was converted from football back to baseball (between August and October of each year).

And of course, there was the little matter of snow in the Humptydome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_uscBJn0p0

[Pugger]

maybe they should hire Ricky Williams, he'd get some grass to grow

:lol: :lol:

[Upnorth]

So my question is does a bad feild hurt the offence or the defence more? I have always thought a poor feild is worse for the defence, as at least the offence knows where it is going, the defence has to react. If this is true I vote for more incompetence for years to come.

[mraynrand]

The problem was solved by using asphalt hot mix, which allowed for a solid, level playing surface, but required a jackhammer for removal

There's nothing better than a game 'o tackle football played on asphalt hot mix. I remember those great pickup games we used to play in high school on the freshly paved K-Mart lot. The concussions, the separated shoulders, the broken collar bones. Ahhh, those great, great football memories of youth.

[MadScientist]

So my question is does a bad feild hurt the offence or the defence more? I have always thought a poor feild is worse for the defence, as at least the offence knows where it is going, the defence has to react. If this is true I vote for more incompetence for years to come.

A slick field is worse for the defense, but a bad field is an injury risk for both, probably equally.

Fortunately the Bears are sending someone to take charge of the situation. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

[mraynrand]

Fortunately the Bears are sending someone to take charge of the situation. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

http://llamabutchers.mu.nu/Spackler.jpg

Sandy, I'll be installing all new turf. It's a hybrid. It's a cross, ah, of Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia. The amazing stuff about this is, that you can play 4 quarters on it against the Packers in the afternoon, take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt that night on this stuff.

[swede]

I thought " the Arlington heights Bears" had a nice high school ring to it.

Mayor Daley was addament if they moved they couldn't have the name, Halas gave in, but they may have won out in court.



Not in a Chicago court.