MOOSIC, Pa. — MOOSIC -- After a year with no team, a sellout crowd is filing into the newly-renovated PNC Field for the return of AAA baseball here in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Many will likely be impressed with the new features, like the scoreboard and the wide-open concourse that stretches all the way around the field.
Hopefully they won't overlook the field itself because it was no easy task getting the grass ready, especially with the kind of weather we've been seeing for the past month.
Now, when you walk in to PNC Field in Moosic with its wide open concourse, the first thing you see is the grass.
"Field's great, we're ready to go. We had batting practice last night, and the night before, we had infield practice, so we're ready to go. Everything's good on our part. We're just doing some final touches to get ready for this homestand," said operations manager Rob Galdieri.
The five members of the grounds crew at PNC Field have been putting in long hours to get the field ready for opening night. It hasn't been easy. The past few weeks have provided less-than-ideal conditions for getting the field into tip-top shape for baseball.
At least one fan thinks they've done a heck of a job.
"The field looks green, the grass looks fantastic, everything looks fresh and crisp, and baseball's in the air. Can't wait to hear the crack of the bat and watch some baseball," said baseball fan Pete Mills.
"March, we didn't get many days over 50 even, and the grass was struggling because of that. It was just hard getting out here every morning, the ground was frozen, there's ice on the tarps and we've had to shut our water system down. So it's' been tough, but it looks like the home stand should be pretty nice," Galdieri added.
The season's first home stand at PNC Field includes Pawtucket for four games beginning tonight and then Rochester Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, before the RailRiders head out on the road.