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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Grounds crew works overtime to prep park for Series' opener
SAN FRANCISCO -- The puddles are long gone and the infield dirt was fresh and dry. AT&T Park sure looked ready for a World Series a day after a downpour.
Mostly because the San Francisco hitters weren't the only ones rakin' at the Giants' ballpark.
Head groundskeeper Greg Elliott and his crew worked until midnight after Monday night's NL championship series clincher, pulled the tarp across the field and began bright and early again at 8 a.m. -- with a midafternoon deadline before the Detroit Tigers' workout ahead of tonight's Series opener.
Giants bench coach Ron Wotus walked into the ballpark Tuesday afternoon and headed straight for Elliott to check on his progress. He appreciated the hustle.
"They're busting it, is right," Wotus said.
It's the most rain Elliott has seen in such a short span since he came aboard from Cleveland in 2008. Elliott monitored the process as his crew hurried to prepare the field. In front of the visitor's dugout, the World Series logo was painted on the grass.
"Two and a half inches came down the day before the Braves opened here in 2010 (NLDS), but not in that kind of a short time frame," Elliott said.
San Francisco beat the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7 of the NL championship series Monday night to send the Giants back to the World Series for the third time since the waterfront ballpark opened in 2000. The franchise won it all in 2010.
Monday's game ended in a downpour. After the trophy ceremony at second base, the grounds crew immediately went to work using drying agents to clean up big puddles in the infield.
"Wasn't that fun?" Wotus said. "It was like little kids out there in the rain. Usually, we can't stand the rain, but the timing of it, it was like, 'Let's get wet.' It was no big deal. It could have rained harder. It was a little sloppy for the celebration, and after 15 minutes I was ready to go inside and pop champagne. It's another unique moment to add to our history."
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 24, 2012 C2
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