On this cool and bright September morning, the Coors Field grass sparkles like an emerald. The infield diamond has been cut, raked, watered and pampered with precision and love by head grounds-keeper Mark “Razz” Razum and his staff. For all of us, men and women, who fertilize, water and mow and fret over crab grass, weeds and pet stains on our lawns, Coors Field represents an urban pastoral paradise. “Razz,” fresh off his duties of dragging the infield, took a few moments to sit down with Denver Post Rockies writer Patrick Saunders to talk about his job.
Q: When did you first know you would be a “ballpark artist?”
A: “When I was a kid growing up in Ohio, we had this area by a big oak tree in our backyard. That was our ballfield. We used the garage as our backstop and we had this small dirt area for the infield. I don’t know why, but I used to take a window screen and drag it over the dirt to sift out the rocks and stuff. I wanted to make it perfect for all of my buddies to come over and play. I didn’t realize it until later, but that’s when it started.”
Q: One of your great creations was cutting a star design into the outfield grass at Coors Field for the 1998 All-Star Game. How do you do that?
A: “The mowers that we use have weighted rollers on them, so it’s not like your typical home mower with a rotary blade. Our mowers use a reel blade, and the rollers make the patterns by bending the grass. When our guys mow, they bend the grass in one direction, then it’s bent in the other direction coming back. The light reflects off it and that’s what gives you the light-dark pattern. For that star pattern for the All-Star Game, we did a mock up on a piece of paper. Then we practiced cutting it the fall before.”
Q: Is your lawn at home nice, or is it like the house painter whose own home is the neighborhood eyesore?
A: “Mine’s pretty nice. I had my lawn striped out like it is here. My neighbors would ask, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I’d tell them and they’d say, ‘Oh, I can tell.’ ”
Q: Do you consider your job to be artistic?
A: “Well, there’s a technical side and an artistic side. You have to know about turf management and watering and those kinds of things. But a lot of groundskeepers treat the ballpark like a canvas. Most of the time, I keep Coors pretty simple, with basic stripe patterns. Most of all, you want to give the players consistency on the diamond, day in and day out, so guys aren’t worried about the softness of the batter’s box or rough spots in the infield.”
Q: What are your favorite fields?
A: “Coors, of course. But honestly, I haven’t been to a lot of other fields. From what I’ve seen on TV, I like San Diego’s. That field looks awesome, just pristine.”
Q: You sometimes work 12 hours or more a day. But you obviously love your job. How come?
A: “I love baseball. I love being outdoors. I love working with soil and grass and nature. Putting the two together to make a beautiful field for the guys to play on is just the best.”
Q: One of my editors said I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you how to prevent pet stains on the yard. I’ve heard feeding a dog tomato juice helps. True?
A: “I’ve got two dogs, and my answer is that nothing really helps. The hardest part is coming out of winter. I get some bad spots, so in the spring I’ll just aerate it and seed it and get it coming back. I’ve heard about tomato juice, but I don’t know if that works or not.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Don’t let it rain
Mark Razum’s top five things he loves about baseball:
1. Games that have no rain.
2. Watching a double play, especially when the runner slides into second base and the shortstop gets taken out — but still completes the play.
3. A great pitchers’ duel.
4. My dad, George, introducing me to the game in Cleveland, and that excitement inside me.
5. A walk-off, ninth-inning home run.
