A direct challenge to the GreenJackets tarp crew

At least one Augusta Chronicle sports reporter had more than enough spare time on his hands this past weekend. A combined total of two hours and 10 minutes of rain delay time at Lake Olmstead Stadium was the reason.

With way too much rain and not enough baseball, there was clearly only one thing to do from my elevated, dry seat in the press box: critique the Augusta GreenJackets tarp crew.

They’re the group of a dozen or so brave souls charged with the task of protecting the 8100 square feet of baseball diamond real estate from the damaging (or at least puddling) effects of rain. It’s a thankless job with the risk of, at worst, lightning strikes and, at least, soggy shoes.

Obviously, they’re under tons of pressure to get the job done in an efficient and effective manner. So, naturally, I timed them.

During Saturday night’s delay, the tarp crew completed its task in exactly 2:44. Breaking the three-minute mark is no easy feat in the eyes of this amateur tarp crew critiquer. There could be minor wind problems or major wind problems. Even this could happen!

Though I did not time Friday night’s tarp effort, I’m told by a source close to the GreenJackets that the task was completed in 2:19. If the unconfirmed report is true, we’re talking about a solid Double-A time right there.

Of course, these times are for rolling the tarp on the field. Removing the tarp is a completely different animal that typically takes much longer to accomplish. One tired member of the tarp crew, GreenJackets account executive Chris Lieberman, offered a logical explanation.

“The tarp’s a lot lighter without a couple hundred pounds of water on it,” he said.

Apparently, so is outfield grass.

But that’s an entirely different story. I’m sure we haven’t seen our last rain delay of the year. The next time those clouds do roll in, the watermark (pun intended) has been set. Let’s see it, GreenJackets tarp crew. The official time to beat is 2:44.

Now for some ground rules, the stopwatch starts ticking when the tarp crosses into fair territory. It stops when the tarp is in place and the big plastic tube thing is rolled on top of the corner covering second base. So, GreenJackets tarp crew, that is your mission should you choose to accept it.

Consider yourself on the clock for the rest of the season.