Braves then-general manager and now president John Schuerholz used to say that while Terry Pendleton may have won the National League MVP in 1991, his best acquisition may have been one that spends most of his time playing in the dirt.
Before Pendleton or Sid Bream, Rafael Belliard or even Juan Berenguer, there was the hiring of groundskeeper Ed Mangan.
Mangan, who learned the craft from noted turf consultant George Toma, took what was perhaps the worst field in baseball at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and turned it into Eden. For once, players such as Pendleton and Belliard didn’t have to worry about multiple bad hops, and the outfielders such as Ron Gant and David Justice wouldn’t trip over holes in the field.
Mangan built the field at Turner Field and will do the same at the new stadium opening in 2017, and he continues to be the NFL’s field director for the Super Bowl, where he works with Toma.
He said when the Braves won the championship in 1995, his biggest concern after Game 6 was securing all the equipment.
Q: When the final out was made in ’95, where were you?
A: There were some fans that were able to make it on the field. So we wanted to make sure we secured the bases and home plate and the pitching rubber. Unlike today where everything is authenticated, back then it wasn't. I think all that was sent over to the Braves Foundation.
Q: Did you get a chance to celebrate?
A: Well, yes because we were on the field, but we had a job to do. Regardless, it was real exciting, and we got to experience it all.
Q: Did you get a World Series ring from that season?
A: Yes, I did. It is in the safe right now, but I pull it out from time to time to wear when I get dressed up.
Q:. Are you excited about putting in a field at the new stadium?
A: Yes, it will be a whole new system, and it will be similar to a swimming pool where the whole field has a liner on the bottom, and we will be able to control all the water going on and off the field. Also, at Turner, the infield and the hips are Paspalum grass and we have Bermuda in the outfield. At the new stadium it will be all Paspalum. It will be unique.
Q: Do you get bothered when the club has a concert on your field?
A: It's part of the job. We just have to make sure that we fix everything. We have a little sod farm out behind center field, and we can actually take a piece from that, put it in and play on it the same day.
