On October 9&10 and October 11&12 Major League Baseball in cooperation with IBAF, CEB, FIBS and KNBSB held two field maintenance clinics in Tirrenia, Italy and Rotterdam, Netherlands. A total of 56 participants – 30 in Tirrenia and 26 in Rotterdam – from Italy, Holland, Germany, Norway, the UK and Spain made the trip to the two-day clinics.
With all the new fields and stadiums which helped make the 2009 World Cup of Baseball such a success, as well as the number of fields and stadiums which have hosted baseball events in Europe for years, Major League Baseball’s goal with the clinics was to help educate the individuals who maintain these fields on how to keep them to the highest standard possible with the resources available to them. Major League Baseball is thrilled with how well the Clinics went.
Murray Cook, along with the sponsors from Musco (Rick Sneed and Chris Limpach), Diamondpro (Tom Burns and Rene Asprion), and Covermaster (Bob Curry), put on a great program of topics. Participants learned how to properly measure the field dimensions, ideal sand/clay/silt ratios for infield materials, and how to efficiently maintain a mound, just to name a few. Major League Baseball hopes to host more Field Maintenance Clinics in the future, and will keep everyone updated with any news.
with information by Major League Baseball International
Photo: © FIBS