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Sunday, May 06, 2001

He'll be wearing a cap and a uniform, not a cap and gown. He'll be in the bullpen, not in commencement row. The music will be Vince Laschied's "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," not "Pomp and Circumstance." But Scott Sauerbeck graduates today from Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor of science degree in geology.

"It's an accomplishment, something to fall back on -- if I don't start pitching a little better," Sauerbeck joked last week.

Sauerbeck nearly completed all the requirements he needed for his degree in 1994. But when he was drafted by the Mets, he put his schooling on hold to pursue his athletic career. Still, he was determined to complete college, even if it took seven years.

Last winter, beginning two days after Christmas, he went to Tucson, Ariz., with a team of colleagues to finished a field course by studying the geology in the southwest. And last summer, he participated in a study related to baseball -- he collected samples from National League parks to study the clay mineralogy of pitching mounds.

The idea came from his adviser, John Hughes, a huge baseball fan who is also the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Miami. Hughes sent him the vials and labels, and Sauerbeck clandestinely scooped up the samples when his spikes would land. The dirt was analyzed by something called an X-ray diffractometer, which is not a word heard frequently in locker rooms.

The findings? Cinergy Field in Sauerbeck's hometown of Cincinnati has the most hematite, or rust, which gives it a reddish color. Enron Field in Houston has the most smectite, which is also found in cat litter, and would get mushy if wet. But Enron has a roof and doesn't get wet. Pac Bell Park in San Francisco is the only mound without a lot of quartz, but the jury is still out on what that means.

Sauerbeck spends a lot of time working with kids away from the ballpark. And having his degree means he can practice what he preaches when he talks to youth.

"Not everybody can be a professional athlete. The only way you can make something out of yourself is education. It's hard to tell kids to stay in school when you haven't done it yourself," Sauerbeck said.

Sauerbeck says his interest in geology helps satisfy his natural curiosity about how land masses were formed, why they're there and what forces shaped them.

And this is one game that's not complete. Sauerbeck plans to pursue a masters degree, but he's not sure in what area of study.

The dirt on PNC Park

PNC Park's playing surface got rave reviews from opposing players in April, but it was criticized last week by a couple of Giants players -- second baseman Jeff Kent and shortstop Rich Aurilia, whose error put the eventual winning run on base in what turned out to be a 4-3 loss Thursday.

"It's the worst infield in the National League," Aurilia said. He noted that the grass is high (15/8 inches) and slows the ball down. "Then, when it hits the dirt, you might as well have the Pennsylvania Turnpike running through here. It's as hard as a rock. You see potholes out there like on the highway."

Kent's comments weren't much kinder.

"It's like backyard dirt. It's like sandlot dirt. There must be water shortages out there because they don't water it," Kent said.

Manager Lloyd McClendon brushed off those comments as abruptly as he did Todd Hundley's contention that right field is closer than 320 feet. "I could care less what they think. They didn't make the plays," he said.

But the Pirates' Enrique Wilson said the infield is demanding because of the slow grass and the fast dirt.

"I think they have to do something about that. Infielders are going to make a lot of errors with that condition," Wilson said. "It's hard like a rock. Everytime you step on it, you put a hole in it. Things are going to be worse in the summer."

Groundskeeper Luke Yoder said the composition of the infield is the same as Comerica Park in Detroit, equal parts sand, silt and clay. He and his workers are out there every day at 7 a.m. tending to the infield dirt -- which consumes 75 percent of his time -- but he did say that if teams come out for early hitting, then take normal batting practice and play a game, it doesn't leave much room for manicuring and watering. Preferably, he'd like to water it every 30 to 45 minutes.

"The infield is my biggest challenge," Yoder said. "But this is the first I heard of any complaints. A lot of it has to do if you win or if you make an error."

Second baseman Pat Meares commended the grounds crew for staying on top of the infield and noted that he has seen a lot worse infields in his day. But he noted the infield gets chewed up with spike marks on the path the baserunners take around the bases.

"They're doing the best they can with it. Whenever you have a new field, you're going to have adjustments," Meares said. "I'm just glad to be on grass. You don't want a bunch of powder out there. I'd rather have it asphalt than powder."

Making the call

Maybe there should be a suggestion box for the new park.

Umpire Mark Hirschbeck calls PNC Park the best he has seen -- "That skyline is gorgeous," he said -- but he thinks the light concrete on some of the facades should be darkened.

"During the first two innings of a night game, it's hard to pick up the ball. If they darkened the concrete, it would be perfect," Hirschbeck said.

Steve Greenberg, the Pirates' official in charge of building the place, said he would take a look at it.