I think that field turf is light years better than the old green carpet on concrete. I prefer natural grass, but the turf was an improvement... mostly.

The brown, painted sliding boxes just look ridiculous (same thing at home plate). Especially now that wear and tear is turning them black. How much money did you save on dirt going with the brown turf instead? Tech did the same thing, and it looks stupid in Lubbock as well.

A real concern is the warning track. Without a change in surface that an outfielder can feel under his feet, what good does it do? It's not like many outfielders will be looking down while going for a ball and see the change in color.

Rant over.

[This message has been edited by Will94 (edited 5/20/2011 2:22p).]

I believe there should be a constitutional amendment outlawing astroturf. Damn dirty hippies.

gives t.u. an advantage as doubt if we play on anything like it all year except maybe in Lubbock the years we go there.

^^^^^^^^^

+10

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gives t.u. an advantage as doubt if we play on anything like it all year except maybe in Lubbock the years we go there.

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It's been ten or so years since I've played on synthetic turf, but I remember loving it. Balls hit on the ground seemed easier to field (although the synthetic stuff played a little faster), and I don't remember any errant bounces.



[This message has been edited by jh0400 (edited 5/20/2011 2:50p).]

Baseball is meant to be played on real grass, real dirt, and outside. This is one of the problems with America.

It's a better field than the sips had prior to the upgrade. It's no longer carpet on top of concrete - balls won't bounce around like they used to at DF.

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balls won't bounce around like they used to at DF.

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That's because their mascot is a steer...

When they had the old Astroturf our outfielders would routinely have singles bounce 8' over their heads and roll to the wall.

The field turf plays much more like natural grass. I just think that the brown painted turf around the bases looks stupid and that the lack of a real warning track is dangerous.

I think the fact that they are in Texas where it is plenty warm enough of the year to have grass makes it inexcusable that they have turf.

Damn dirty hippies.

The brown painted turf would at least look better if they did the whole infield.

Isn't it amazing it took people that long to figure out that putting dirt instead of concrete under astroturf would make it softer?

Why is the warning track even an isssue ? Can either one of these teams even hit the ball to the warning track ?

Disch-Falk Field is one of the most difficult hitters parks in the country. The demensions of the field are cavernous and the prevailing winds knock down balls into long, noisy flyouts even in those parts of the stadium where the demensions don't seem to be that bad. You have to hit line drives into the gaps if you are going to score a lot of runs there.

On the whole season, Texas has only hit 12 HRs either home or away. The exact same number that opponents have hit against them both home and away. I don't have any info on how many home runs have been hit at Disch-Falk Field this year by either team, but it would not surprise me if its less than 10.

Particularly with the new dead bats, not going to be a lot of long balls. The stadium, the infield surface, and the pitching staff play into the small ball type of game that Texas wants to lure other teams into playing.

I don't have a problem with the field turf, but you're "ranting" to the choir on the cut-outs around the bases/plate. I have no idea why we didn't just put dirt there.

At least we no longer send out a trainer to retrieve the HR balls. There used to be houses across Comal Street and I swear to God I watched a trainer knock on the door of the homeowner to get a HR ball back one day. You could hear the groans in the stadium as the trainer made his way over there and then a roar of laughter when he got the door slammed in his face.

As was said earlier, turf is inexcusable in the state of Texas. Especially for a program with the ungodly amount of money tu has. Completely moronic is the only way to describe it.

The prevailing wind at DF blows out to left. It does not knock balls down. Unless of course the wind in central Texas consistently blows out of the North.

DF is a big field, but don't make up things up.

I think they have turf for one reason and one reason only and it has nothing to do with money or asthetics.

They think it gives them a competitive advantage in a big ball park with traditionally excellent pitching, good fielding and weak hitting. Just a guess.

And the winds usually come out of the north which is in the face of the hitters, especially early in the season in February and March. Or it comes from the Wwst or northwest later in the spring. That would be toward right field not left field. More often than not its left to right.

What exactly am I making up ?

[This message has been edited by Broken Spoke (edited 5/20/2011 8:38p).]

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Why is the warning track even an isssue ? Can either one of these teams even hit the ball to the warning track ?

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It's an issue because it can seriously hurt a player. Regardless of the team.

And DF isn't "cavernous" in size, either. It's the same size as Olsen, except for being 10 feet deeper in LF and 15 feet shallower in RF

Ok. Nevermind.

And Aggieband, I was trying to be funny. With the dead bats and two pretty weak hitting teams I was joking that no one could get it to the warning track. Yes, I realize its dangerous.

[This message has been edited by Broken Spoke (edited 5/20/2011 8:44p).]

Doh. I can't read.

[This message has been edited by 1876er (edited 5/20/2011 8:46p).]

Prevailing wind in Austin April through August is out of the South. I will grant you that there are some North winds in February, but I'd hardly call them prevailing.


[This message has been edited by 96ags (edited 5/20/2011 8:47p).]

Ok. If you say so. I went to school at good ol'Texas A&M-Kingsville and live in Austin. I have been to quite a few Texas baseball games over the last 20 plus years because I love baseball.

But obviously, I don't know jack about the weather. Sorry to have filled up the thread with incorrect information.

Stop spinning man, just trying to correct a false statement. I have also been to numerous high school, select, and college games at DF. I don't live in Austin, I live 30 miles north. However, I can see the field from my office window.

No denying it is a big park, period.

Some parks play bigger than others, the Disch has always played big and has never been a park where the ball jumps out.

In the interview found here:

http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/052111aab.html

Adam Smith says, in describing his HR, "I actually thought I was lucky getting that break...I didn't even think it was to going to get close to hitting the wall, this place being the grave yard that it is..."

The Disch has a well deserved reputation as playing big. The wind patterns affecting the field are more important than the direction of the wind in general. The playing surface at DF is cut into the hill that runs down the left foul line and the stadium, unlike the two-level stadium at Olsen, is one solid and high wind obstruction...it makes a difference.