1. Remembering– Recall a task given to you at your job at Great American Ballpark and describe how you went about it.
One job I was given at Great American Ballpark home of the Cincinnati Reds was to repair the bullpens from the game that was the night before. I would go about this task by first clearing away the Turface that was on the surface of the mounds. Following that I would take a loop-hoe and hoe and shave down the surface. After that I would add some wet clay to the mound and tamp it down to a nice even flat spot next to the pitching rubber and a nice even slope down the front of the mound. Cover with Turface and water to keep it from drying and cracking.
2. Understanding– Discuss why this little task is important for you to do after every game.
Patching bullpens and getting them game ready again is an important task because it can cause a pitcher to win or lose, for the player’s safety, and consistency. If the mound is not up to game standards and is off just a little bit it can adversely affect a pitchers mechanics throwing off his whole game. It’s also a huge safety concern for the player’s health also they can feel everything under their foot when they land. Also the consistency is important also, if a visiting team thinks you are trying to cheat them then they have the right to file a grievance that could result in a huge amount of trouble for you.
3. Applying– Sequence how you keep the mound the same throughout the year.
Each year we start off the season by pretty much reconstructing the whole top part of the mound. Start by adding clay around the base part of the rubber and work our way out a couple of feet in both directions. Following that up we start by adding in clay for the slope of them mound and start to form that. We take a spike and hammer it into the ground at the base of the mound towards home plate. this spike was premade and has all the holes needed to slope the mound. You start by taking a string and looping it through the hole of the spike and tying it to a nail at the pitching rubber. The string should lie flat at the top of the mound for 6”. After the 6” there should be a 1” drop for every 1’ you go. Just add and take away clay as needed.
4. Analyzing– Categorize the importance of this job.
I would say this jobs importance is probably in the top 5 along with lips on the infield, moisture on the infield, getting the tarp out in time, and having the right mowing height. Granted these are all important as much as the next, but in my opinion patching mounds and having them perfect is probably the most important of them all.
5. Evaluating– Asses the amount of time it takes to do this task in the morning.
The job of patching bullpens takes about on average 20-25 minutes per mound. There are 2 bullpens and 2 mounds in each of the bullpens so I would say it takes about an hour and half to do all 4 mounds. It is a time consuming task but worth every second it takes to make the game more fair and challenging.
6. Creating– Could you devise a way of doing these quicker to save time for other task throughout the day?
I don’t think so. Patching bullpens is pretty much down to a science on how it gets done. The process has been perfected for many years by many talented and experienced grounds keepers and sports turf managers. Trying to cut time off would cause you to skip steps, cut corners, and lack profession.
The photo is my own.