Artificial Oasis

This isn\'t your father\'s artificial turf. It\'s a line that rolls off turf salesmen\'s lips nearly anytime they are asked to talk about their product. And it\'s a line that few associated with the fine art of field management dispute. Artificial turf has changed dramatically since it was first rolled out at the Houston Astrodome 36 years ago when dome officials, desperate to prove that the much-maligned facility was truly state-of-the art, hurriedly put it down after dome panels were painted and all of the grass died. Today\'s artificial turf consists of fiber-forming polymers giving it a grass-like feel. \"When I first went to visit a field, I was like, \'Is this artificial?\'\" says John Ingram, director of athletic facilities at the University of Nebraska where a new generation of turf consisting of sand and rubber infill was installed in Memorial Stadium two years ago. \"When you