Ah ... the green, green grass of home.
The Akron RubberDucks are knee deep in an offseason project that has a lot of activity going on on the field at Canal Park.
The minor league club and the city of Akron have launched a complete field renovation, stealing the chance to bring the project home in an unseasonably warm December.
The nearly $400,000 project, when completed, will not only feature new grass, but also improved drainage for the field. The cost is being split between the ball club and the city.
This marks the first complete field renovation since Canal Park’s construction in 1996.
Jim Pfander, RubberDucks general manager, said this project has made him an expert on everything from the weather to sod to archeology.
“We always wondered why we had Lake Akron in right field,” he said.
When workers from Seville-based AG Design began the arduous task of digging out the sod so the new grass and drainage system could be installed, they discovered part of the old foundation for the Anthony Wayne Hotel built in 1917 in right field.
“We didn’t find Jimmy Hoffa though,” he added.
The foundation, along with pockets of clay under the field, have been addressed so the ballpark should drain better and those dreaded rain delays get shorter.
Pfander said a half hour of heavy rain in the past meant a flooded field and dugouts and an hour and a half delay.
“I think this is going to be great for the players and the city,” he said.
The new grass where big league baseball dreams will be made or dashed was installed by Tuckahoe Turf, of Hammonton, N.J.
The company’s Tuckahoe Big Roll sod — essentially 100 percent Kentucky Blue Grass — will now be the soft landing ground for spectacular dives in the outfield and infield antics by the team’s mascots Webster, Homer and Orbit.
The ball club and city want to get the stadium spruced up before opening day in April and the 2016 All-Star game the city is hosting in July.
“This project is one that takes care of the reason we are here — the players,” Pfander said.
The work also includes new warning-track material along the fences and complete reconstruction of the bullpens, mound and batter boxes.
“With the upcoming Eastern League All-Star Game, now is the perfect time to install a new irrigation system and add additional drainage,” said head groundskeeper Chris Walsh.
“The Kentucky Blue Grass field should take root over the winter and be ready for Opening Night and the All-Star Game.”
For more information about the RubberDucks, including ticket information, visit ww.akronrubberducks.com.
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.