"Maybe we're just not supposed to have grass here," John Mara, the Giants' executive vice president, said. "Maybe it's not a practical option. It's not for a lack of effort, but it hasn't worked out."
If true ,, I am done with the Metros until they move . I will not watch Plastic pitch soccer . It's still shite with the stuff they have in Seattle .
I hope that they don't use astro turf. I play at Duke on some of their astro turf fields and they are crap to play on. These fields are unrealistic to the game in terms of play of the ball and bad for injuries. I did have the pleassure of playing on what I believe was called field turf last night in Greensboro, NC and that stuff was great. After 2.5 days of rain the field was quite dry except for the sidelines since they neglected to put in a field drain system. I believe that this is the stuff that they use at Naperville and the only drawback that I can see is the heat problem in the middle of the summer and the first bounce of the ball which makes it feel as if you are playing on a frozen pitch. But that is a realistic part of the game.
That article says nothing about what to do with Metro, but none of the other papers even covered this story. I would assume that the artificial surface goes in somewhere around late July, which gives us just over half of the season with grass.
IMO there is going to be significant construction time to rip up whatever is there now and put in the new surface. From what I can recall the tray system was just laid on top of the old astro turf. That's a massive project. Expect Metro to play at least one solid month on the road like they did a couple years back.
from what I remember reading about the surface, there is also a whole drainage and heating system that also has to be dealt with, Then they probably put a new floor altogether (get rid of the crown that was with the old carpet).it's not a 1-2-3 deal like what Eric said
i dont know if anyone is familiar with the new stuff that the Dallas Cowboys have in their Texas Stadium, its called RealGrass and it feels and looks like real grass. now, as much knowledge i have for nfl along with mls, i havent heard any complaints about it yet, but it hasnt rained yet there so the rain is going to be a question if it can affect it. Another problem is that it's very expensive and alot of work to put on, like over 60,000 lbs of rubber under that surface. I dont know if any1 knows the stuff i'm talking about, i think it should be the new stuff for Giants stadium, give me som feedback
There's been some talk of splitting the 2003 MLS season because of the Confederations Cup. It would be nice if the grass replacement could be done then. BTW, I can just imagine how "nice" the field will be next spring. I doubt NJSEA will be looking to spend any money on upkeep considering that it will all be ripped out.
Actually, the Daily News "outscooped" the NY Times with an article about it yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/10-30-2002/sports/story/31164p-29556c.html Why they thought the field would be better with the tray system THIS season is beyond me. It took weeks and weeks of the players on both the Giants and Jets (and their opponents) bitching that the field was "borderline dangerous", "sucks" and "a disgrace" before they decided to take some sort of action. If these same comments were made last year, the FieldTurf would have ALREADY been installed since they know that they're susceptible to a lawsuit from the players union.
That's a shame, because if they install the best available artificial surface the quality of play will be higher than it was this past season. This past season there was a strip along the sideline on each side of the field that was very unplayable. Players were constantly falling over and seemed unable to cut back. The usable portion of the pitch was narrowed a lot as a result, and I think this really hindered players like Davis. Artificial turf will be better than the terribly maintained grass we had this last season. But I do not buy these claims that every effort was made to keep the pitch in tip-top shape. The grass was often dried out during the summer, which means it either needed more water or more shade from the sun.
I'm suprised nobody mentioned the soccer season destroying the field like they have in the past. Fieldturf hasn'e been well received in Naperville, especially by the coaching staff and players, hopefully GS will find a better alternative. Whatever it is however, I'm quite sure NJSEA will be the cause of ticket prices rising.
Will they be able to clear the grib iron lines for the MLS season? If not, that's gonna be a drag, because it can make it harder for a ref to call a PK.
Like I have said. Blame the Meadowlands, because they are the ones that screwed up the field. for the Metro, Jets & Giants. Meadowlands wanted to prove a point, well they did. They can screw up the field for their home teams by not properly watering and keeping it in tip top shape. At the same time replacing the trays properly. They wanted to screw the Metro well they just screwed both NFL team evens more. I hope that they are happy with themselves. Mara should keep his mouth shut because he should have known what the Meadowlands were trying to do to screw Metro. Absolutly pathetic. Since the XFL disgrace that field has barly been replaced by the new trays.
They need to take out the astroturf and maybe even the concrete under the tray, develop a drainage system (instead of the hard surface crown. They won't b/c (IMHO) the myth of someone's buried bones, and the truth of cancer-causing substances under the stadium, that led to a number of Giants' players getting cancer.
Once again, they don't use FieldTurf in Naperville. They use SafePlay, which also was in use in Philly but got ripped up when it fell apart. This really sucks for the Metro. You guys can't get to Harrison fast enough. Sachin
Well several of the reports I've heard about Trent Dilfer's injury in Dallas last week blamed the RealGrass turf for the injury. Apparently it's "stickier" than FieldTurf or Nexturf. I've never seen the stuff myself, but that's what I've been hearing.
Re: Re: It's Official: Grass Trays Abandoned at GS I'm no Cowboys apologist, but I did see the game and frankly, it's hard to imagine that the turf at Texas Stadium caused Dilfer to blow out his Achilles. He was running in a straight line, wasn't hit by anyone, and just suddenly, went down in a heap. Dan Marino suffered a similar injury to his Achilles several years ago in much the same manner. And he was playing on grass.
I originally post this analysis on another thread; but FWIW, will repost here my two cents: As someone who has had probably two dozen games on various variations of the stuff over the last couple years, I would say there are both good and bad things about the artificial Field Turf surfaces. On the whole well maintained grass in general, and especially Bermuda grass, is a better option; but clearly the NJSEA has used field maintenance as one way to wage a battle with the Metros. A few key points: 1. The ball does roll faster on the artificial surface; but the rubber material inhibits the skipping and high bounces associated with Astroturf. 2. It is harder on the joints and muscles than real grass fields. On a "one-off" basis the impact is negligible; but practicing/playing on a regular basis will lead to more inuries. 3. Like other artifical turf fields, this stuff elevates field temperatures in direct sunlight. Spending a couple of hours on the stuff is like walking through a desert. 4. It is a low-maintenance, not a no-maintenance option. The little bits of crushed rubber to go somewhere, usually in my shoe. The only good thing about it is you don't have to water it. 5. Lines for the field are usually sewn as part of the field. Ask yourself, will it be soccer or football lines that the NJSEA wants in Giants Stadium?
This hilarious qoute was in today's NY Newsday: "The guy playing the trumpet [for the national anthem] damn near tripped", Jets special-teams coach Mike Westhoff said while fuming about the swampy conditions at Giants Stadium last Sunday. http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/ny-field1101,0,817619.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines
Which is made all the more surprising when you consider that they don't use Fieldturf, they use SafePlay. The lines are sewn into that surface, which makes for one ugly motherfu... Incidentally, I'm not casting the first stone or anything, but what kind of supporter are you if you abandon a team simply because of the surface they use?
I've heard from a lot of people in Seattle that the Sounders don't draw that well because of the narrow, turf field at Memorial Stadium, that the move to Seahawks Stadium with its wide, Fieldturf surface will boost attendence. That and the nicer facilities. It just seems like a specious excuse not to support your local team. I've seen soccer on turf and I thought it was unintentionally funny. Like that movie Starship Troopers.