Baseball Field Maintenance Goofs What could go wrong? Plenty! Be forewarned and your project can still have a happy ending. The very best guarantee for success: have a plan and a few good helpers! Avoid project failure! Don't let THESE goofs and disasters happen to you!
birds ate the grass seed just lying on top of the ground bobcat hit a sprinkler box on the warning track and got a flat tire bobcat drove on the infield and left two big ruts toward the mound can't use pesticides or herbicides - city ordinance deliveries to the wrong place didn't follow directions with seed or fertilizer - used way too much digging too deep on the infield skin and dug up gravel and rocks dirt dumped in the wrong place; now we have more work hauling it dumping crushed brick without wetting or mixing or rolling it afterwards; so players have 4-6 inches of loose stuff edger lever stuck in the ‘cut’ position and now edges everywhere it goes equipment failures: aerator, sod cutter, tractor, bobcat football players ruined the infield running and tackling on it forgot the hitch to haul equipment on a small trailer hit a water main pipe with a thatcher hit sprinkler with aerator hit home plate and base pegs with the tractor tiller hose connection failed hose missing; hope it rains invading other people's territory when you work on ‘their’ field it rains out your planned work day key to the lock does not work locked gate; now you can't get equipment in - now this is a real let down and baseball field maintenance goof when everyone is ready to go, but can't get in lost the key to the lock measured wrong; base cutouts are crooked; curve is jagged misused nail drag and bent them all under - a player rode on it mower throttle cable binds; won't start or runs real slow no access for rental delivery; they leave it in the street for you no one skilled to drive the equipment; so learn how under pressure no place to put the sod scraps no place to turn around delivery truck; backing a rig out is painful no small tools for simple rental equipment problems; wrench and pliers no phone numbers for rentals or assistance; who you gonna call? not enough helpers; maybe you should plan for this not taking into account bullpen is on a hill; slope is too high plant seed too late in the year; doesn't grow pushing rain water on the grass with the dirt; make a big lip fast ran out of food; this is like running out of gas ran out of gas; pushing heavy equipment off the field is not easy rental place moved or is closed; yikes rocks on the field; they came in your baseball mix delivery! roller got wet material jammed between roller and chassis and stopped working on field seed washed away because it was not dragged or lawn rolled skipping dragging & topdressing soccer players ruined the infield running all over a wet field sprinklers located in the dirt area (surprise) get hit by edger, tiller, or roller sprinklers that get stuck; in the on position of course sprinklers went on when they were supposed to be off - talk about a baseball field maintenance goof when you end up with a giant mudhole squirrel poison put out by the park district; now field is off limits tool shed locked topdressing with rocks in it tractor driver ran into the fence and mangled it tractor runs too slow to keep the pto from burning out; job takes twice as long as planned tractor ruts in left field tractor with front flat in right field tractor won't start after delivery: it's not in neutral underestimate the job wet sand that doesn't spread working when it is wet; mess up the field you just fixed - this is probably the most irritating and disgusting baseball field maintenance goof of all - ruining your good work
So, there you have it.  A list of baseball field maintenance goofs I ran into.  Inspite of these setbacks, I still had successful work efforts just by being aware of what could go wrong.  Plan your project and avoid these baseball field maintenance goofs.

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