A cut above

Each day, Doug Gallant focuses on keeping a nearly two-acre grassy field looking lush and green for potential critics ranging from star athletes who trod on it, to tens of thousands of people who sit near it, to many more around the nation who see it on television.

While you might hope your lawn just draws approving – perhaps envious – looks from the people on your block, the Cincinnati Reds’ head groundskeeper has some advice on how to improve it without making lawn care a full-time job.

“It’s kind of a different world out on the field than on your home lawn, but there are some common things that work for both,” says Gallant, who has been in charge of the baseball team’s playing surface since 2001.

“There’s no easy fix, but do just the basics and that should help. You get what you put into it.”

An Ohio State University graduate in turfgrass management, Gallant has helped install sports fields from Miami to Qatar. Last year he began offering tips to Reds fans via scoreboard video clips as part of The Scotts Co.’s Major League Baseball sponsorship.

“He’s done a great job,” says David Williams, a University of Kentucky turfgrass scientist who takes students to view Gallant’s handiwork in Cincinnati. “I don’t usually watch baseball on TV, but when I see one of their games is on, I always pause for a minute or two to have a look at the field.”