ANYBODY who has played a game on artificial turf knows the feeling. Grass would be ideal
at Aloha StadiumIt's a soreness that runs from your calves all the way to your buttocks and takes at least a day to go away.
And that's just if you run around on it.
If you slide or dive on artificial turf -- which is closer in consistency to asphalt than grass -- you're likely to get what is known as a rug burn. It's a shallow but ugly abrasion that takes a long time to heal and stings like hell.
Players are also susceptible to chronic, nagging injuries like turf toe, the malady that dogged the great Gary Allen his last two years as a University of Hawaii running back.
And rug burns and turf toe are mere nuisances compared to the much more serious injuries athletes -- especially football players -- often suffer on artificial turf because it doesn't have the "give" of grass.
So it's easy to see why, especially after an entire NFL season, the Pro Bowl participants would rather play on grass.
The NFL has asked Aloha Stadium officials to look at the possibility of changing the artificial turf there to grass, or at least to a compromise hybrid of the two that is becoming popular in stadiums on the mainland.
"We're in the middle of a five-year agreement with the artificial turf people," stadium spokesman Les Keiter said. "We are bound by the present agreement. But the NFL has asked us to look at the possibilities, so we are doing that. It is definitely a topic that bears addressing, but we don't anticipate any changes right away."
I hope, the NFL can wait. Rumblings that the league may take the Pro Bowl to Orlando gradually are getting louder. This would be a huge loss to Hawaii's sports fans, as well as the state's economy. It also would be the second postseason football game to abandon Aloha Stadium, since the Hula Bowl will be played on Maui starting next year.
GRASS may also help bring Major League baseball back to Hawaii after last month's
successful debut.
Nobody from the San Diego Padres or St. Louis Cardinals said much about it while they were here, but grass keeps baseball players healthy and baseball fans happy.
Artificial turf can wear down even the strongest and toughest players, some of whom play about 100 games a year on artificial turf.
Tony Gwynn, however, has a love-hate relationship with artificial turf.
The Padre star didn't relish running around on the stuff in right field for three games in two days at Aloha Stadium.
"But I sure like it as a hitter," the perennial National League batting champion said. "The ball scoots into the gaps."
True, artificial turf can turn singles into doubles or triples, but it can also turn healthy knees into wrenched ones.
University of Hawaii football coach Fred vonAppen has mixed feelings, too.
"We'll play on whatever they've got out there," vonAppen said "Even if it's gravel.
"But any coach or player would say they'd rather play on grass. It's better for the body, less injuries," vonAppen said. "I'm just not sure how practical (grass) would be at Aloha Stadium."
VonAppen was referring to upkeep. Rain and heavy use during football season could cause maintenance problems. Could you imagine the quagmire that the third game of an Interscholastic League of Honolulu tripleheader might be played in?
Regardless, if it means fewer injuries -- and keeping the NFL and Major League Baseball happy -- let's get real grass into Aloha Stadium as soon as possible.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at reardon@aloha.com.
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