A line marker is a device or machine with which lines or markings are drawn on a sports field or pitch. They were originally developed to mark out lawn tennis courts on grass, but later also became used in many other sports with outdoor pitches. The marked lines are often white, but may be any color. A variety of devices have been used, some of them now being robotically controlled.
Basic line marking machines for turf were available by the late 1800s. [1] :40 They were originally developed for use on lawn tennis courts. [1] :40 One of the first such machines, a wheel-to-wheel paint transfer device, was developed by F.H. Ayres and "would be instantly recognizable by users of many of today's machines, which work on the same principle". [1] :40
Some of the earliest line marking machines were built on a small scale so they could be used by a child, as the "gardener's boy" who was in charge of marking tennis courts on estates in the late 19th century might have been nine or ten years old. [1] :40
When baseball was first invented there were no marks on the field; foul lines were marked by using a plough to dig along the line. [2] [3] As the game progressed, the ploughed lines would become indistinct from repeated foot traffic, making calls difficult and causing disputes. [2] [3]
The use of whitewashed or chalked lines was developed by William Wing, a Cincinnati Red Stockings groundskeeper. [3] In 1860 the foul lines, from home plate to first and third bases but not extending beyond, were the first lines marked with whitewash or chalk so as to be clearly seen by the umpire. [2]
Devices for marking lines include types using wheel-to-wheel transfer, wheel-and-gravity feed, belt feed, and gravity feed. [1] :126 Later developments used professionally include pressure pump systems. [4] Major League Baseball recommends a line marker as essential equipment for maintaining baseball and softball fields. [5]
In the 2010s, companies began developing completely robotic line markers which use GPS input to navigate, intended to eliminate the need for a human to operate the machine or direct the location of the lines being laid. [6]
Lines are marked by applying a very light or very dark material which will stand out against green turf, dirt, clay, or flooring. Materials used to mark lines include or have in the past included sawdust, hydrated lime, creosote, chalk (sometimes referred to as whiting), tape, paint, and various proprietary materials. [1] :126
By 1994, both hydrated lime and creosote were no longer recommended due to safety concerns. [1] Sawdust was being used only occasionally by 1994. [1] :126 Chalk or whiting was also losing popularity by 1994, as it did not last well and encouraged weed growth. [1] :126
Proprietary marking solutions, sometimes mixed with chalk or whiting, are considered semi-permanent on turf. [1] :126 Proprietary dry line materials consist of a binder compound combined with a dry aggregate, can be applied to wet or dry surfaces, and are semi-permanent. [1] :126
Tape and paints are primarily used on hard surfaces. [1] Proprietary marking solutions can also be used on hard surfaces. [1] :126
Marking blue, layout stain or Prussian blue is a dye used in metalworking to aid in marking out rough parts for further machining. It is sometimes called Dykem. It is used to stain or paint a metal object with a very thin layer of dye that can be scratched off using a scriber or other sharp instrument to reveal a bright, yet very narrow line in the metal underneath. The advantages are that any existing scratches are covered with the dye and the new lines have a contrasting background.
Veterans Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The listed seating capacities in 1971 were 65,358 seats for football, and 56,371 for baseball.
Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League from 1970 to 1999. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine", as the Reds were often called in the 1970s.
Paul Brown Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League and opened on August 19, 2000. Named after the Bengals' founder Paul Brown, the stadium is located on approximately 22 acres (8.9 ha) of land and has a listed seating capacity of 65,515. Paul Brown Stadium is nicknamed "The Jungle," an allusion to not only the namesake Bengal tiger's natural habitat but also the Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle" which is the unofficial anthem for the team.
A baseball field, also called a ball field, sandlot or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park.
Pesäpallo is a fast-moving bat-and-ball sport that is often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries including Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada's northern Ontario. The game is similar to brännboll, rounders, and lapta, as well as baseball.
Over-the-line is a bat-and-ball sport, a game related to baseball and softball. Like those games, you have the batter, pitcher, and fielders. Because a game requires only three people per team, it is considerably easier to get a good informal game going. Equipment consists of a rope, an "official" softball bat & a "official" Orange rubber DeBeer softball. No gloves are allowed while fielding in the Men's divisions unless 60+ years of age. However, gloves are allowed for the women's divisions. Junior events also allow a glove on defense. A single golf glove may be used when batting. Game play, however, is very different.
Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines. They can also be applied in other facilities used by vehicles to mark parking spaces or designate areas for other uses.
A football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural turf or artificial turf, although amateur and recreational teams often play on dirt fields. Artificial surfaces must be green in colour.
Mario Melvin Soto is a Dominican former pitcher, mostly as a starter, for the Cincinnati Reds of the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1988. He currently works in the Reds' front office.
Eck Stadium is a baseball stadium in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the south side of 21st Street between Hillside and Oliver on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita.
The L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park is home to the University of Oklahoma Sooners baseball team.
A cricket field is a large grassy field on which the game of cricket is played. Although generally oval in shape, there is a wide variety within this: some are almost perfect circles, some elongated ovals and some entirely irregular shapes with little or no symmetry – but they will have entirely curved boundaries, almost without exception. There are no fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually varies between 450 feet (137 m) and 500 feet (150 m). Cricket is unusual among major sports in that there is no official rule for a fixed-shape ground for professional games. On most grounds, a rope demarcates the perimeter of the field and is known as the boundary.
A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term pitch is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field.
Illinois Field is a baseball venue in Champaign, Illinois, home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team. It is located in the sports complex at the University of Illinois near the Champaign-Urbana border. It is a short distance east of State Farm Center and Memorial Stadium.
The following is a chronological list of the technological advancements of Major League Baseball television broadcasts:
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multifunctionality over specificity. It is used most commonly in Canada and the United States, where the two most popular outdoor team sports – American football and baseball – require radically different facilities. Football uses a rectangular field, while baseball is played on a diamond and large outfield. This requires a particular design to accommodate both, usually an oval, while some later designs used an octorad. While building stadiums in this way means that sports teams and governments can share costs, it also imposes some challenges.
The Cincinnati Reds' 1984 season consisted of the Cincinnati Reds attempting to win the National League West. It marked the return of Bob Howsam as General Manager, after Dick Wagner was fired during the 1983 season. The Reds finished in fifth place that year, as they escaped last place in the NL West, which the team had finished in 1982 and 1983.
A hockey pitch is the playing surface for the game of field hockey. Historically, the game was played on natural turf (grass) but nowadays it is predominantly played on an artificial turf. The transition onto artificial pitches came during the 1970s and was made mandatory for major competitions in 1976. All the lines, markings and goal specifications are outlined by the International Hockey Federation in "The Rules of Hockey".
Futsal began in the 1930s in South America as a version of association football, taking elements of its parent game into an indoor format so players could still play during inclement weather. Over the years, both sports have developed, creating a situation where the two sports share common traits while also hosting various differences.