So you wanna be a diamond cutter?
All right, so grounds keeper may be the more acceptable term for those who keep the grounds used for playing baseball in tip-top shape. You can either enter a contest to become a Fantasy Dirt Dragger through some "Think Blue" promotion, or you could actually educate yourself as to what goes into a career as a guy who does more than just cut the grass and drags a hose across the pitcher's mound.
The MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton has scheduled a "Grounds Keeping Field Day" on Saturday (Sept. 23) -- a sorta symposium on what needs to be done and how to do it. Murray Cook, the MLB Field Consultant and President of Brickman Sportsturf, will be there, as will Barney Lopas, the Angels field and ground maintenance manager; Chad Olson, the project director at International Sports Turf, and Kyle Waters, director of grounds and sports turf for the Home Depot Center.
They'll discuss the right way to water a field, build a pitcher's mound, take care of the home plate area, marking the lines, and set up batting practice.
Registration at the academy on the Compton Community College campus (901 East Artesia Blvd.) is first-come, first-served. The day, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes a lunch at 11:30 a.m. and a discussion on internship programs with Major League Baseball and the MLB Urban Academy
For more info, call (310) 763-3479 or visit www.youthbaseballacademy.com