Makers of Astro-Turf Going Out of Business

KWTX-TV ^ | 2/18/04

[Dane]

Makers of Astro-Turf Going Out of Business

The makers of AstroTurf have filed for Chapter Eleven bankruptcy protection and reportedly will soon go out of business.

The filing by Southwest Recreational Industries marks the climax of a long decline for the Leander, Texas-based company that once dominated the artificial turf industry.

The bankruptcy casts uncertainty over projects scheduled across the country -- including a turf replacement at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

In its bankruptcy filing, the Austin-area company says it'll sell two small divisions that make portable sports flooring and equipment for volleyball, gymnastics and basketball.

Otherwise, S-R-I says it'll discontinue business in the next few weeks after it finishes projects already begun.

AstroTurf was developed for the Astrodome in 1966 by the Monstanto Company. S-R-I bought AstroTurf Industries in 1994 from the bankrupt Balsam Corporation in Saint Louis

[Benrand]

The stuff in Three Rivers was wierd. If you walked on it for any distance, your feet would actually get hot, even on a cold day. I marched on it once. That stuff was NASTY.

[Khurkris]

To paraphrase Dandy Don Meridith:

"Bye Bye Fuzzy Concrete!"

[Petronski]

What a shame. Artificial turf was a nice thing for baseball...

OMG! What are you smoking?

[hchutch]

I don't smoke anything. I just like artificial turf and the designated hitter.

[brewcrew]

I'm not quite sure how to read your comment - are you being facetious? IMHO, Astroturf sux. It's like covering the altar with polyester instead of fine linen. There's a certain religious quality to natural grass.

"When I found out there were 108 beads on a Catholic rosary and 108 stitches on a baseball, that's when I decided to give Jesus a chance."

[bootyist-monk]

How many careers have been ended because someone tried to save a few bucks on gardeners? Natural turf plays better, looks better and causes less injuries. Be gone, foul plastic faux grass.

[Petronski]

I don't smoke anything. I just like artificial turf and the designated hitter.

I don't have any problem with the designated hitter, but "astroturf was a nice thing for baseball?"

That's just kookytalk.

[hchutch]

It has some good points - if a team has a lot of hitters who can shoot the ball to the gaps, artificial turf could be a good thing.

The thing about home fields is that a team can do some things to give them an advantage. Artificial turf adds something to that sort of thing - makes the game more interesting and it helps the offense.

[PRND21]

Artificial turf was a nice thing for baseball, albeit not as good as the designated hitter.

Good God, man. I used to think we saw eye to eye.

[macrahanish #1]

Both Astroturf and the DH are festering sores on the carbuncle that is major league baseball.

[KevinDavis]

It is GW fault. He hsould have done something about it.

[ZinGirl]

darn....and I just bought an astroturf mower on-line....I shoulda known something was up.

[hchutch]

Well, I like offense in baseball, and both artificial turf and the DH help offense out.

[PRND21]

Well, I like offense in baseball, and both artificial turf and the DH help offense out.

Seems you struck a nerve. ;)
Make pitchers hit and save player's knees is my motto.

[Tinhatter]

How many careers have been ended because someone tried to save a few bucks on gardeners? Natural turf plays better, looks better and causes less injuries. Be gone, foul plastic faux grass.

Unfortunately it is necessary in indoor stadiums and the new stuff is really quite good: with a few inches of dirt and rubber pellets under the new rugs they're actually safer than most natural grass fields because of thei uniformity and cushion.. studies so far have borne this out.

[Squawk 8888]

Artificial turf was a nice thing for baseball, albeit not as good as the designated hitter.

LOL- hope you've got your asbestos briefs on...

[NeoCaveman]

"Makers of Astro-Turf Going Out of Business"

Damn cheap foreign imports :-)

[jellybean]

You snooze...you lose!!! ;)

[small voice in the wilderness]

I'll never look at the Brady Bunch backyard the same. Greg should be relieved though, it must've been a bi**h mowing it.

[LibWhacker]

You know, this is going to confuse the heck out of Sheila Jackson Lee. After all, how can the grass on Mars go out of business?