Grooming the Diamond

Baseball is a game with a long and varied history. Several creation myths exist, as do some plausible theories as to the game's founding. The deepest fundamentals of the game, however, seem to far pre-date the narrative that the roots of these uniquely modern baseball fundamentals emerged in the 19th century. Even Ancient Greeks and Egyptian pharaohs seem to have engaged in some manner of ball-playing. One constant in these ball games, in all their forms, is the humble groundskeeper, unsung heroes before-and-after preparations for the beautiful game. The legendary groundskeeper George Toma espoused the cornerstone of the groundskeeper mindset: "I'm here to give the players the best possible condition to play on a safe playing field and then some." This unique historical narrative briefly introduces the origins that laid the foundation for the game as we know it today, followed by 25-year-increments that chronicle stories of the sport's more notable and influential groundskeepers: those men and women who prepared the playing field before and after each game--and then some!