DALTON, Ga. -- The Rangers never intended to go down the plasticized path.
When they began the design process for their new retractable roof stadium, major permanent elements were included with the idea of installing and maintaining a natural surface.
The roof would move to the west to maximize daylight. The east side of the building would feature enormous glass panels to facilitate growing. They researched hearty paspalum grass.
There was no reason to think of anything other than grass. Baseball, after all, is meant to be played on grass, they say. And after a two-decade experiment with artificial turf, the stuff was spooled up and stored like an old tarp.