The New Lions Den

10 Days to Kickoff!!

In general, I like the fact that Columbia has installed a new "field turf" at Wien Stadium. Field turf is that artificial surface that really looks and feels like grass instead of the carpet-like astroturf. It's pretty much the norm in NFL stadiums right now. But one thing that worries me is the loose rubber that apparently is so broken up that it fills your sneakers when you walk up and down the field. Today's COLUMBIA SPECTATOR describes this in some better detail.

Now I know a lot of people think rough field conditions become a "home field advantage" for the host team. But I'm not so sure. The best example that disproves that popular notion is Candlestick Park. The San Francisco Giants seemed to suffer at that awful park as much as their opponents over the years, and I'm not surprised that they have played so much better since they moved to Pac Bell a few years ago.

The 49ers have also played better as a road team over the years and the year they went 15-1 (1984), they lost that lone game at home. The Niners also lost their share of playoff games at home over the years, while doing remarkably better in the postseason on the road. San Francisco is beautiful city, but Candlestick is a dump.

So, I worry that playing on a rough surface will just hurt us more because we'll have to play 5 games a year there, while everyone else will only have to come here once every 2 years at the most. Luckily, the experts say the field begins to play like regular grass after a year or so.