Photo of the Day Monday October 14, 2013 Baby it's cold outside............

[mchenrycards]

Todays photo of the day features not athletes but unsung heroes of stadiums everywhere...the grounds crew.

This photo was taken a day before the NFL championship game held at Wrigley Field on December 29, 1963. This game pitted the Chicago Bears against the visiting New York Giants on what became a true field of frozen tundra. The game was played with a game time temperature of 9 degrees and it only got worse from there.

In this photo you see the grounds crew unloading field heaters in an attempt to warm up the field and help unfreeze the turf. This method didnt work all that well but as football normally does, the game went on anyway.

I hope you enjoy today's photo of the day.

 

[Topnotchsy]

That's an awesome pic! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mchenrycards]

Cant you just feel the cold?

It looks like it is still snowing in the distance and I can see what appears to be black smoke coming from the coal furnace coming out of the chimney in the partment building to the left of the foul pole. The boots these guys were wearing is what I grew up with and even had a stocking cap and a "Elmer Fudd" hat like many of these guys were wearing when I was a kid.

I love these shots that are not of actual sporting events but of preparations for sporting events. They do somehow put a "everyman" slant on them and highlights the behinds the scenes people that work their tails off to get these events off the ground.

 

[vwnut13]

Melting the snow when it's 9 degrees seems like it would work real well...

 

[rsmath]

Melting the snow when it's 9 degrees seems like it would work real well...

don't think that's too difficult - aren't some of the most modern outdoor football stadiums equipped with in-ground heating elements that warm up the turf just enough to melt the snow?