Friday, November 16, 2001
DAUGHERTY: Bengals' turf
Free-form care OK with Brown
By Paul Daugherty
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mike Brown doesn't cut his own grass. He has a lawn guy named Bob, who pushes one of those industrial-sized fescue whackers that's about as wide as your average driving range.
Before he moved to Indian Hill, Brown lived in Glendale, where he used a push mower (no gas to buy!). But once he got to the acreage on the East Side, he quickly realized his 1940s mower wasn't getting it done.
After briefly considering goats, Brown hired Bob.
“Bob and I have an understanding of what is acceptable,” Brown said Thursday, as the Bengals practiced on their Kentucky bluegrass practice field, which looks good enough to serve with a side of blue cheese dressing.
Brown was talking about his Indian Hill lawn, which he doesn't maintain, other than to have Bob shorten it weekly.
“No fertilizer?” I asked.
“Uh, no,” Brown said.
“No Preen? No Weed-n-Feed? No Scott's Turf Builder? Isn't that vaguely, I don't know ... un-American?”
“Ha-ha,” Brown said.
Dandelions are free
Imagine: The man with the best-looking lawn this side of Claiborne Farm, right there across from Pete Rose Way, and his yard at home looks like a vacant lot. You picture Bob, gazing at the verdant hills of crabgrass, chickweed, goosefoot and Russian thistle growing unthreatened on the Brown family estate, saying “Mr. Brown, we got some Weeds-Get-Lost that'll take care of that jimsonweed.”
Ever happened? I wondered.
“No, not really,” Brown said. “Dandelions are ... what the hell, dandelions have to live too.”
Evidently, the Bengals could use a dandelion invasion on their stadium turf about now. I wanted to see for myself the devastation, so I requested a tour of the football lawn. Three phone calls and a couple high-level conversations later, the closest I got was the hay behind the end zone. “This isn't the field,” I said.
The field has wet paint on it, I was told. So, I couldn't tell you if the grass at the 50-yard line is steel cable or Jell-O instant pudding. I know this, though: It's no worse than Mike Brown's back 40.
“I'm a big yard guy,” I mentioned to Brown.
“I like to feed the animals,” he replied.
No call to Motz
Depending on your source, the Bengals' turf mess is either completely normal by NFL standards, or completely not. The Bengals grass people are either entirely competent or grossly otherwise. Here's something interesting: The Motz Group, a Cincinnati company, didn't get this job.
All Motz did last year was put down the turf in the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. A mere 17,000 athletes marched on that turf last September, along with floats, bands, dancers, singers and, seemingly, half the world's population. Afterward, no one said anything about “compaction.”
Apparently, the Olympics are nothing compared with 10 Bengals games and some kids with tubas.
“I've been through grass war after grass war,” Mike Brown said. “I'm a hardened grass warrior.”
He meant the peewee football fiasco and the toasting he took for not allowing grass at Cinergy Field. Mike clearly is not a big grass guy.
"I could put you in touch with my lawn-care professional,” I said to Brown.
“I don't think that will be necessary,” he said.
Contact Paul Daugherty at 768-8454; fax: 768-8550; e-mail: pdaugherty@enquirer.com.
Bengals Stories
Dunn named to All-Rookie team
Larkin, Graves, Casey highlight Redsfest lineup
Clemens wins 6th Cy Young award
30,000 possible for Elder-St. X
Badin has battle on its hands
Brady on line for Beechwood
CovCath makes moves that pay off with wins
Friends have more than rivalry on minds
Near-instant replay at hand
Tribble trouble for foes
Badin's Malone teaches on field
Ohio playoff football previews
Kentucky playoff football previews
The Enquirer's Northern Kentucky Golf All-Stars
The Enquirer's Girl's Tennis All-Stars
The Enquirer's Ohio Girl's Golf All-Stars
The Enquirer's Ohio Boy's Golf All-Stars
Kreager rises from XU bench
Muskies hope to build upon defense
UC's chance to prove point
UC's Merrill center of attention
Louisville clinches share of C-USA title
No.4 UK shocked at home, 64-52
College basketball roundup
College football roundup
Syracuse's Freeney provides big test for Miami's Big Mac
Local college roundup
NBA roundup
NHL roundup
Coming up this week
• Return to Bengals front page...
DAUGHERTY: Bengals' turf
