By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The same type of sod - Kentucky bluegrass with a sand base and synthetic backing - is in both Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium.But crews will have a much easier time keeping a pristine, green playing surface inside the ballpark than at the football stadium, where the sod deteriorated into a slippery, sandy mess toward the end of the first two seasons there.

The reason it will be easier at the baseball park is largely due to differences in the games played in the stadiums - baseball is much less demanding and places less stress on the grass than does football.

And because baseball is played in the spring and summer, the weather will allow the grass to rebound more easily than a football field, which hosts games during the fall and winter.

Doug Gallant, head groundskeeper for the Reds, said the grass at the new ballpark also will be better than that at Cinergy Field because the drainage and irrigation systems underneath the grass are better.

"We really didn't have much of a drainage system at Cinergy ... ," Gallant said. "We have better coverage and better pressure with our irrigation system."

The playing surface at Paul Brown Stadium, which opened in August 2000, has brought complaints from several National Football League players and coaches, many of which have panned it as one of the worst in the NFL.

Although the surface improved last year after groundskeepers changed the sand-to-soil ratio, problems remained toward the end of last year.

Hamilton County, which owns the stadium and is responsible for the playing surface, made some adjustments last year to re-sod more often and use less sand in the soil mixture. The sand is necessary to allow drainage.

The county is also cultivating a "sod farm," which will allow it to change out the middle of the field - between the hash marks, where most NFL action occurs - about four times per season.

Next year, the county has budgeted $80,000 for four re-soddings at Paul Brown Stadium, although the exact number won't be known until the Bengals schedule is announced.

Ready for Opening Day

In contrast to Paul Brown Stadium, the Reds are paying for Great American's playing field. It's unclear how much the Reds paid for the field, drainage and irrigation systems, but the team has spent more than $11 million on luxury items at the ballpark.

The team wanted to pay for the playing surface to avoid the public bidding process required by state law when governments buy things. The Reds also paid $30 million toward construction of the ballpark.

The team will have its own sod farm, having contracted with a local company, the Motz Group, for replacement grass during the season.

Eric Stuckey, assistant county administrator, said he's confident there will not be any grass problems at the ballpark.

"As the weather gets colder, we get less sunlight and it's harder to maintain a football field. It does also help us that the Reds have responsibility for the playing field and made arrangements with a local vendor that will be responsive to their needs."

Gallant said his crews spend more time grooming the infield clay than the grass. He expects no problems come Opening Day on Monday.

"We've got 5- to 6-inch roots and the sod is very tight," Gallant said. "We're not going to have any trouble with the grass peeling up. It's doing great."

E-mail: dklepal@enquirer.com