Pics from my job on the Reds Ground Crew (100+ Photos Added 1/26)

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Originally Posted by BoydsOfSummer

Could the cologne baths be a replacement for real baths? I remember reading/seeing something about either the European basket-ballers or hockey guys aren't as regular with the showers. A culture thing.

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I don't think that's the case with Pena and Lopez. These guys are pretty boys. You should see them in street clothes. They are definitely into their fashion and appearance. I'm not saying that's bad, just mentioning that fact.

Here's another technical question for you. How difficult is it to mow special patterns into the grass? Do they give you a template or something? I'm always amazed when you turn on a game and see some logo or special tribute mowed into the grass. An example would be mowing the Wishbone C into centerfield. I've also seen the Red Sox mow the "pair of socks" logo into centerfield.

I have not enjoyed a thread this much in a long time! Thanks for sharing GC. You were lucky to have the experience but, even better, you appreciate it!

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Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Here's another technical question for you. How difficult is it to mow special patterns into the grass? Do they give you a template or something? I'm always amazed when you turn on a game and see some logo or special tribute mowed into the grass. An example would be mowing the Wishbone C into centerfield. I've also seen the Red Sox mow the "pair of socks" logo into centerfield.

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First of all, keep in mind what I said earlier about the direction of the grass results in the way it appears.

With that said, now consider this:

Patterns can be created with equipment ranging from reel type mowers, drag mats (kinda like the mats you see the grounds crew drag the infield with in between innings) and of course rotary mowers with rollers. Instead of a typical mower with a blade that works like a ceiling fan, all of the mowers we had were rotary. Even a roller squeegee made for water removal can be used.

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

First of all, keep in mind what I said earlier about the direction of the grass results in the way it appears.

With that said, now consider this:

Patterns can be created with equipment ranging from reel type mowers, drag mats (kinda like the mats you see the grounds crew drag the infield with in between innings) and of course rotary mowers with rollers. Instead of a typical mower with a blade that works like a ceiling fan, all of the mowers we had were rotary. Even a roller squeegee made for water removal can be used.

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You just ruined my visual of a poor guy toiling in the outfield grass with a pair of scissors:)

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Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

You just ruined my visual of a poor guy toiling in the outfield grass with a pair of scissors:)

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And a toothbrush? Oh, Oh...wait...and a cooler full of beer!

So I saw that you were helping update gamecasts and things like that. How come you have to go to Pittsburgh to do it? Was it a change of scenery thing or would it be too hard to move from the grounds crew to your current job within the reds??

Thanks for the pics/info

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Originally Posted by LincolnparkRed

So I saw that you were helping update gamecasts and things like that. How come you have to go to Pittsburgh to do it? Was it a change of scenery thing or would it be too hard to move from the grounds crew to your current job within the reds??

Thanks for the pics/info

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My girlfriend is from Pittsburgh (unfortunately - damn Steelers) so I now live with her. Luckily for me I landed the opportunity to get the gig with MLB.

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

My girlfriend is from Pittsburgh (unfortunately - damn Steelers) so I now live with her. Luckily for me I landed the opportunity to get the gig with MLB.

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I'd say Pittsburgh is one of my favorite parks in the big leagues along with Detroit. My friends and I always try to make a road trip out there to catch either the Reds, Giants, or Indians (our 3 teams). However, I knew what kind of following the current Pirates team had when we went to the first fireworks night of the year a couple years ago. The stadium was pretty full and I was talking to another older season ticket holder telling him how surprised I was with the massive attendance on a bad weather night. He told me they always packed it in for the fireworks nights, best games of the year. :laugh:

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

Here's a more in-depth description of what I'll be doing for MLB.com.

I'll be an operator for the "sportsvision" system. The system tracks every pitched baseball, calculating its trajectory and break, for television broadcast, Internet broadcast and stadium video production.

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Wow- I would get fired the first day- really bad attention span.

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Originally Posted by 919191

Wow- I would get fired the first day- really bad attention span.

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You'd be surprised on how you'd react to a job like that. It's like getting paid to have season tickets!!!

When you worked on the grounds crew, what were your normal hours? When would you arrive at the park and when would you leave the park, for night games / day games, etc. What was the longest amount of time you were ever at the ballpark? For instance, did you ever get to the park at like 3pm for a night game, have a rain delay and not leave until 2am, and then have to turn around and come in at 8am for a Sunday day game?

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Originally Posted by Red Leader

When you worked on the grounds crew, what were your normal hours? When would you arrive at the park and when would you leave the park, for night games / day games, etc. What was the longest amount of time you were ever at the ballpark? For instance, did you ever get to the park at like 3pm for a night game, have a rain delay and not leave until 2am, and then have to turn around and come in at 8am for a Sunday day game?

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Haha...you make it sound like THAT's bad. Here's an example of how it worked out. My first year there, I was ONLY working for the Reds and not Channel 9. So, I'd show up at the stadium (with about half of the rest of the crew) at 9am and we would work until the game was over. We'd end up leaving around 10:30-11pm. That's an example for a night game. Now, THAT's a long day.

At least a small portion of the crew shows up in the early morning to begin getting things done. Some of those things include the mowing of course. It was always done in the early morning. We patched the bullpens because they are usually tore up a bit. If the infield needed any work, obviously we'd take care of that, including watering it about every hour during the summer. That can get tedious. The foul lines (in the grass - not the infield foul lines) had to be painted on every 4 or 5 days/ It was done using a string to keep the line straight. Then we follow the line with a paint roller. Pretty simple huh! After that it was time to set up the cages and screens for batting practice, or as we called it "BP". Not only did we have to set up the cages and screens, but we had to chalk the baselines and put out the practice bases. We used separate bases for BP and the game. That didn't take long but when it's really hot outside, it feels even hotter on that field. Batting practice was fun because it either allowed you to take a brake or go to the outfield and shag the balls that were hit. I also avoided that when it was REALLY hot. Between 3-5pm the rest of the crew would arrive and help with whatever else needed done. They were basically there for game time duties. As soon as BP was over, we clear the equipment from the field and get the field ready for the game. That included chalking the baselines again and sweeping the infield. Last but not least, we replaced the practice bases with game bases and watered the infield/mound/home plate one more time.


Keep in mind if a rain delay happened that we wouldn't get out of there sometimes until after midnight...then had to return the next day at 9am after working over 12 hours. I don't wanna make it sound like it wasn't fun though. Although there were days that it was a bit tiring, I never hated it...ever! It didn't seem like "work". Once the game started, we sat in the dugout and watched the entire game.


Another thing that you probably don't think about is that we have "rain delays" in the mornings and afternoons too...before the night games even started. If we were getting the field ready and rain arrived, we'd have to hustle and get the tarp out...with only half (or less) of the crew. There were times that we would pull that tarp out and put it away 10 times a day. Those are the days that it would get stressful. That tarp gets INCREDIBLY heavy with an inch of rain on it and only a few people pulling it.


Day games weren't bad. We'd show up at 9am, hurry to get the field ready and set up batting practice. BP on day games doesnt last as long. Then, we'd get the field "game ready" and proceed to watch the game from the dugout. Day games were actually a relief at times because we'd get to leave around 4ish.


With all of that said, imagine how it felt doing that for a 10 game home series.

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

You'd be surprised on how you'd react to a job like that. It's like getting paid to have season tickets!!!

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I used to be a television director. I directed 10:00 newscasts. After work, I'd come home and my wife would ask about a story we ran and my answer almost always was "I have no ide what you are talking about."

I think to get focused properly to do this kind of job means you can't "enjoy/watch" the game. You'll have to focused on every pitch, you won't get to notice the batter as much. I'm just guessing, but I think there are parts of the game you will miss, because you have to in order to do the job.

Still, I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat.

I worked in television for two years as well....as you have probably already read in this thread. So, I know what it's like to not really know what's going on news wise because of having to focus on what you are doing rather than the story being told.

What kind of work is done to keep the field up during the winter months?

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Originally Posted by redsfan30

What kind of work is done to keep the field up during the winter months?

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The ENTIRE field, grass and dirt, is covered. I can't explain the material of the cover, but it is used to trap heat (as much as possible anyway) underneath but yet it still allows water to get through to the grass.

If it snows, the snow is removed immediately. The cover comes off in early March and is mowed for the first time. The first time it gets mowed it looks AWESOME. I love the way that grass looks and feels at the beginning of the season.

Were you guys responsible for upkeep of the grass outside of the field itself? Like the grassy area in front of the batter's eye, the grass outside the stadium by the monuments, etc?

Just curious to hear if you guys took care of that, too, or if was another crew.

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Originally Posted by Red Leader

Were you guys responsible for upkeep of the grass outside of the field itself? Like the grassy area in front of the batter's eye, the grass outside the stadium by the monuments, etc?

Just curious to hear if you guys took care of that, too, or if was another crew.

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Yes...every few days or so those areas were mowed and trimmed. The guys who come in during the morning take care of that.

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

The ENTIRE field, grass and dirt, is covered. I can't explain the material of the cover, but it is used to trap heat (as much as possible anyway) underneath but yet it still allows water to get through to the grass.

If it snows, the snow is removed immediately. The cover comes off in early March and is mowed for the first time. The first time it gets mowed it looks AWESOME. I love the way that grass looks and feels at the beginning of the season.

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My son who is now 18 had to write a Mother's Day card when he was about seven or eight. He wrote, among other things, you are as pretty as a freshly cut baseball field. His teacher was also a baseball fan (whose dad had worked as an usher at Reds games!) and she wrote on there, that is high praise indeed.

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Originally Posted by redsmetz

My son who is now 18 had to write a Mother's Day card when he was about seven or eight. He wrote, among other things, you are as pretty as a freshly cut baseball field. His teacher was also a baseball fan (whose dad had worked as an usher at Reds games!) and she wrote on there, that is high praise indeed.

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You, my friend, just gave me an idea for a Valentine's Day card! Haha... :beerme:

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Originally Posted by Grounds_Crew

You, my friend, just gave me an idea for a Valentine's Day cad! Haha... :beerme:

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Well, let's hope the CARD doesn't make you a "cad"! :eek:

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Originally Posted by redsmetz

Well, let's hope the CARD doesn't make you a "cad"! :eek:

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Haha...nice catch.

No more questions? This thread has gotten me into a baseball mood big time.

Any stories about the postgame high five line with the players? Hope I didn't miss it but did you talk about experiences with other teams players or brawls?

Did you have access to the clubhouse at all? Could you be in before or after a game?

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Any stories about the postgame high five line with the players? Hope I didn't miss it but did you talk about experiences with other teams players or brawls?

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At that point, we were still in the dugout getting ready to head onto the field and do some post game duties. I never really got up close to what went on in that portion of the game. I will say that after a walk off HR or some sort of game winning hit, the dugout area would go absolutely nuts. Those guys would go crazy. It's neat to see it from the stands when they run out on the field to wait for the game winning hitter to reach home plate...but hearing them go crazy in the dugout is a completely different story. It's awesome. I never really would've imagined that I would experience such a thing.

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Originally Posted by redsfan30

Did you have access to the clubhouse at all? Could you be in before or after a game?

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We never really went in there, although I have been in there at times briefly. Griffey took me in when he signed a couple jersey's that I had. I was never in there after the game to see any kind of excitement or disappointment though.

Awesome pictures and stories! I'm going to have to start forcing my resume on the Reds and hopefully I can manage to snag one of these jobs like you did. ;)

So how many hours a week would you put in on average during the season? (I hope I didn't overlook you answering that already) I can imagine those 14 hour days would get pretty tiring. I did work up in Boston one summer and we worked 5pm-7am most of the time and it was pretty rough. It also wasn't nearly as fun as I would imagine your job was. We were crawling through 100 year old, 24" natural gas pipe and sealing it from the inside at every joint. Talk about glamorous!

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of pay does the grounds crew get?

Another quick question that I didn't see before, did you ever come across a player that was just a total jerk? I know you said you ran in to Bonds, but anyone else, Reds or opposing team?

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Originally Posted by justincredible

Another quick question that I didn't see before, did you ever come across a player that was just a total jerk? I know you said you ran in to Bonds, but anyone else, Reds or opposing team?

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Great question!

Would it have been considered taboo for an ordinary guy to ask pitching tips from one of the staff? Would they have made time to answer your questions?

Did you feel like a Schmo asking for autographs? Did any of the players offer things to you (hey, you want a bat?)?

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Originally Posted by justincredible

Awesome pictures and stories! I'm going to have to start forcing my resume on the Reds and hopefully I can manage to snag one of these jobs like you did. ;)

So how many hours a week would you put in on average during the season? (I hope I didn't overlook you answering that already) I can imagine those 14 hour days would get pretty tiring. I did work up in Boston one summer and we worked 5pm-7am most of the time and it was pretty rough. It also wasn't nearly as fun as I would imagine your job was. We were crawling through 100 year old, 24" natural gas pipe and sealing it from the inside at every joint. Talk about glamorous!

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of pay does the grounds crew get?

Another quick question that I didn't see before, did you ever come across a player that was just a total jerk? I know you said you ran in to Bonds, but anyone else, Reds or opposing team?

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Whoah...when I first read your post and your screen name I was kinda weirded out because a few of my other screen names (on other sites and AIM) are the same as what yours is. Haha...so at first I thought, did I register twice on here? Haha....


I'll try to answer your question about players...

Dontrelle Willis. He's really a down to earth guy. He'd be warming up before the game in the bullpen and before he'd go out to take the field he'd bump knuckles with us.

Juan Pierre. He's always been one of my favorite players. During the middle of the 5th inning we replace bases. I was out there changing second base and Pierre was out there. The song "America the Beautiful" came on and I was standing next to Juan. After the song we talked for about 30 seconds and he was also genuinely nice.

Jim Edmonds. I talked to him during BP one day. It was the day after he robbed Jason LaRue of a HR in center field. It was a few years ago, my first year. It was an incredible catch with Edmonds climbing the wall. I talked to him about it and told him that it was one of the nicest plays I had ever seen and he was really humble about it. He really appreciated the comment.

Griffey. He is one of the nicest and funniest guys I've ever met, but at the same time I've seen him get pissed at people, especially rude and ignorant fans who yell unnecessary comments. He really is a good guy though who is always out to make someone else laugh. I've had some long conversations with Griff...some of them serious and others just for a laugh. I rode in two of his cars when he picked me up while I was walking to the stadium. I've talked to him about women, sex, life, money, you name it. Hard to believe that I've talked to him about so much seeing how I grew up idolizing him.

Dunn is a big kid, seriously. He's always joking and carrying on like a teenager. I don't mind it though, he's having fun! He's nice and down to earth, but he knows who he is if that makes sense. He has a sense of arrogance to him. I guess that's expected.

Jason LaRue was always nice to me and even gave me 4 tickets to see the Reds play at Wrigley. He's a hometown country boy, BIG TIME. He wears a John Deer camo shirt during BP and even under his jersey during the games. He was always willing to sign autograph's for me when I needed them for friends/familiy. He is really quiet though.

Wily Mo. I got along with him really well. He always talked to me and brought me junk food from the clubhouse. They get a LOT of that stuff, trust me. He was a lady's man and always invited me to go to the bars with him. Haha.

Felipe Lopez. Just like Pena and just as nice. I really liked him and hated to see him go. The ladies loved him, but he's apparently happily married. He has two little girls that are really adorable.

Juan Castro. Another truly stand up guy. He ALWAYS offered free tickets to us for road games. I have his game worn hat from my first year, he autographed it for me too. He's one of those guys that would always ask how you're doing and such.

Ryan Freel. This guy is all hustle and you already know it. He's nice, but moody. He used to rub my head a lot since I shave it. He'd give it a "noogie" before going out on the field sometimes.

Aaron Harrang. Awesome guy. Really nice and always willing to sit down and have a conversation. He's real.

Larkin. He was kinda quiet too and moody at times. He was nice though as were the rest of the guys. My first year down there Lark made the all-star team. I was in the dugout by myself during early one afternoon when Lark walked up and sat down on his cell phone. He had just gotten the call from MLB telling him he was selected for the all-star game. He got off the phone and looked at me with a huge smile and said, "shhhhh...I just made the all-star team". That was pretty sweet to witness.

Aurillia. He was moody a lot. He almost seemed high maintenance. I think he's a good athlete though, but his temper at times made me think less of him...although he was always very polite if he ever needed anything.

Hmmm....who else...

Pujols. I didnt really speak to him, just said hello and shook his hand.

Samy Sosa. He always seemed to have an entourage with him. He always had guys down on the field with him all decked out in expensive clothing. I recall seeing him in BP one day and his bat broke...he immediately picked up the pieces and went into the clubhouse...hmmmm.

I've really met a LOT of people...if you have anyone in particular you wanna ask about then go ahead.


I'll think of more too...

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Originally Posted by FutureRedsGM

Would it have been considered taboo for an ordinary guy to ask pitching tips from one of the staff? Would they have made time to answer your questions?

Did you feel like a Schmo asking for autographs? Did any of the players offer things to you (hey, you want a bat?)?

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As for the first question...not at all. They wouldn't mind one bit. In the afternoons before and during batting practice we got to interact a lot. The guys were usually willing to talk, especially if they were sitting in the dugout ( we sat in the dugout a lot and just hung out with them).

Asking for autographs wasn't bad at all. I didn't do it much, but they all understood and I think they secretly took it as a compliment. Usually if I was getting an autograph it would be for a family member....but I hardly ever did it. I do though have some good stuff, an autographed team ball, game worn hats that are autographed, game used bats ( a couple - but not signed ), and even a couple authentic jersey's signed by Junior. Generally though, they didn't mind. I also have some of their used batting gloves and wrist bands. I kept it just to have something to look back on.



EDIT: Oh, they also get a LOT of free stuff like shoes, Nike Shox especially. I was talking to Ryan Wagner a couple years ago about his New Shox. I told him that I really liked them. So, he said, "what size do you wear?" I told him that I wear a size 13, so he said, "I'll be right back". I didn't really know what he meant by that but a few minutes later he came back with an almost brand new pair and gave it to me. Apparently he wears the same size, haha.

Great stories! Keep them coming! BTW I hope you never shook hands with Moises Alou!:D

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Originally Posted by cumberlandreds

Great stories! Keep them coming! BTW I hope you never shook hands with Moises Alou!:D

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Haha...Nope..and I know what you're talking about!

Are there any "juicy" steriod rumors or first hand sightings of steriod use you can share about any Reds or other players?

This thread has got to go down as one of the most fun and entertaining reads on this site in a long while. I've been reading this site pretty regularly since 2001 or so and I can't recall any other thread that has brought so many smiles to my face and I was so excited to see updated. I really love to see what players are like off the field and in person. I mean, we all have notions of what we think players are like and I'm pretty surprised after reading that last post it seems like quite a few of mine were true.

GC, you really made a splash here with your first thread, hope you can keep it up (or maybe just never leave this thread). ;)

GC - Did you ever have much interaction with Marty & Joe? Any good stories from them?

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Originally Posted by Caseyfan21

This thread has got to go down as one of the most fun and entertaining reads on this site in a long while. I've been reading this site pretty regularly since 2001 or so and I can't recall any other thread that has brought so many smiles to my face and I was so excited to see updated.

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Here hear!

Sometimes all of the debating, arguing and posturing can get a bit old (but that's the bread and butter of RA - I'm not knocking it).

But to hear unadulterated excitement for the greatest game on earth is refreshing.

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Originally Posted by Caseyfan21

This thread has got to go down as one of the most fun and entertaining reads on this site in a long while. I've been reading this site pretty regularly since 2001 or so and I can't recall any other thread that has brought so many smiles to my face and I was so excited to see updated. I really love to see what players are like off the field and in person. I mean, we all have notions of what we think players are like and I'm pretty surprised after reading that last post it seems like quite a few of mine were true.

GC, you really made a splash here with your first thread, hope you can keep it up (or maybe just never leave this thread). ;)

GC - Did you ever have much interaction with Marty & Joe? Any good stories from them?

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I'm gonna leave the steroid comment alone, haha. I haven't seen or heard anything, seriously...and if I did I wouldn't say anything and possibly jeopardize my career.


But....as for Marty and Joe...Marty is Marty. He's very critical of our team, and everyone has heard it on the air. He's down on the field interacting with media and players in the afternoon. He's a pretty animated guy, but really nice for the most part. It's especially different to hear that "voice" face to face after growing up just hearing it on the radio waves.

As for Joe, he is getting really old. He has a really hard time getting around and often sits rather than stands. He moves slowly, but he still smokes. He may have quit since the last time I saw him, but he smoked a lot. He was nice though. I grew up in Fairfield and often went to the Joe Nuxhall batting cages in Joyce Park. They have since been shut down. So, I had to mention that to him and let him know how much that meant to my childhood. Apparently they sold the space and whoever bought it didn't keep it running...unfortunately.

I always wanted to get an autographed photo of them...there is a really nice photo of the two for sale in the merchandise store, but I never got around to doing it. Why? Who knows.

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Originally Posted by Caseyfan21

This thread has got to go down as one of the most fun and entertaining reads on this site in a long while.

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Apparently a lot of people agreed and granted me with quite a few reputation points! Thanks! :beerme:

Grounds_Crew, can you make any comments on the music the players listen to, or have you overheard any comments by players about each other's at-bat music?