Field Dragging – Do you wonder why there is a large hump at or near the entrance to the 3rd base dugout (or similar area)?
The simple answer is that the hand drags used at the end of practices or games are started and ended at the entrance to the dugout. People generally drag to the entrance of the dugout, lift the mat and carry it into the dugout. As a result, there is a build up of dirt, infield mix and other materials resulting from dragging the infield. Over time, this area continues to rise above the surrounding areas, until a hill or burm exists.
This can be avoided by starting and finishing the drag between 1st and 3rd bases. This does two things, first it keeps the mix on the infield, and second, it is an area that is regularly tractor dragged or raked, eliminating any build up, hill or burm. This has also been communicated to those Field Crew members that use the Tractor, since the drag volume is so much greater.
Thanks for reading,
Bruce MacCallum
Field Maintenance
