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There are a lot of variables when you go to a baseball game -- the weather, your seats, which regional VP in charge of sales will throw out the ceremonial first pitch... But one thing remains the same -- the field always looks beautiful. Yes indeed, grounds crews know a thing or two about lawn care. Even more impressive than the luscious shade of green are the precise patterns in the field of play. Sometimes it's a striped outfield, sometimes it's a checkered infield. And on special occasions, they bust out the team's logo. How do these big league green thumbs do it? The answer is actually pretty simple. This excellent article from Grounds
Maintenance magazine (see, there really is a magazine for everything) explains the effect is accomplished with mowing patterns. After the grounds crew decides on a pattern, they simply roll or bend the grass one way or the other. As they put it, "grass blades laying down in the direction away from you appear light, while blades with their tips pointed toward you appear dark." Doing this to your own lawn is possible, but proper equipment is necessary (you can't just stomp on the blades of grass). Grounds crews should change patterns every few days. According to Fenway Park's crew of "lawn artists," if you keep one
pattern, it will eventually affect how the ball rolls on the grass. And as any centerfielder will tell you, playability is more important than looks.
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