Moving the earth at Wrigley
The numbers are staggering.
A drainage system featuring 6,800 linear feet of piping, 7,500 tons of dirt removed by an armada of trucks in constant motion, a retention area that can hold 60,000 gallons of water and an overall budget of about $1.5 million.
The job?
Tear up and redo the innards at Wrigley Field and, by the way, get it done in about half the time it would normally take before Mother Nature says enough's enough.
Quite a task for most, but when the man in charge is the Sodfather, White Sox head groundskeeper Roger Bossard, the results are sure to be spectacular.
Need proof? Look no further than the World Series to see Bossard's handiwork. Boston's Fenway Park has never looked better.
After successfully building major-league fields from Seattle to Detroit -- nine in all -- Bossard has just begun work on No. 10.
We interrupted him from his muddy perch near second base to chat about how the process is going so far.
Q. Do you feel like a traitor coming over to the North Side to do this?
A. No, no I don't (laughs). When (former Cubs president) Andy MacPhail first contacted me about it and I talked to (White Sox chairman) Jerry Reinsdorf, my concept was, it's worth it.
Q. What was the condition of the field when you started?
A. It was beautiful, they had just resodded it for the playoffs. But underneath … I have to tell you, I'm so happy for (Cubs groundskeeper) Roger Baird. He's got the last old car in the major leagues. He's getting rid of the '57 Chevy.
Q. When was the last time the field was overhauled like this?
A. Roger recalled that it was sometime in the 1940s.
Q. How is the sod going to take over what could be a long, tough winter in Chicago?
A. We're going to put down a geotextile cover that will give the sod an extra 7 to 9 degrees of heat so it can get the roots down. But we're playing a numbers game. Timing is so important.
Q. How much time do you have to get this thing done?
A. This is a six- or seven-week job, and I'm trying to get it done in four weeks.
Q. Are you pulling a Dick Vermeil and sleeping on a cot at the field until it's done?
A. No, no no (laughs). I live in Chicago, so I do go home at night.
Q. Once this is completed, will you return to check it out on occasion next year?
A. Roger Baird is such a good groundskeeper. It'll be his. Once I'm done, I'm done. And if he needs me, I'm only eight miles away.
Q. What's with your postseason record on fields you've worked on?
A. Yeah, I've been pretty lucky. Four of the last six years, the teams I've worked for have won the World Series. Maybe this will be the Cubs' year.
Q. What's going to be the biggest difference once this project is completed?
A. The sight lines. For (Cubs manager) Lou Piniella, for the players, for the fans … it'll be a huge difference.
Q. What would you tell Cubs fans to expect next year?
A. If it rains, come on out. The drainage system is going to be much better. If there is a microburst and we get an inch of rain, it will drain in 20 minutes. So, people from Wisconsin or Indiana, don't worry about it.
The Roger Bossard file
Title: Head groundskeeper for the White Sox
Experience: This season was his 41st with the organization
All in the family: Six members of the Bossard family have combined for 250 years of experience in the business. His father, Gene, was in charge with the Sox from 1940-83. Roger took over after his father's retirement.
Major player: In addition to U.S. Cellular Field, Bossard has designed and built major-league fields in Arizona, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis (old and new Busch), Seattle and Washington.
FYI: Nineteen of 30 major-league teams use a patented drainage system Bossard developed specifically for the Cell in 1991.