With baseball season in full swing now after Opening Day in late March, the longest professional sports season is upon us. Not many teams are more notable across the country and the globe than the tenants of Wrigley Field: the Chicago Cubs.
By Jonathan Kipper
The sights of the Windy City. The ivy in the outfield. The flying of the W Flag. Just some of the things that make the friendly confines a sight to behold. And the man in charge of keeping the field in pristine condition year-round? None other than Dan Kiermaier.
After deciding to switch majors to turf science during his time at Purdue, Dan has worked his way up the ranks; from minor league teams and universities to the Major Leagues. He eventually got a call in 2015 from his favorite team and has been with the Cubs ever since, eventually becoming head groundskeeper in 2020.
When it comes to keeping Wrigley Field in top shape, a lot comes down to keeping up with the weather and having the most accurate, up to date information.
“Weather is always a factor in what we do,” Kiermaier says. “It’s how we plan out our week. (Our plans) circulate around the weather and what we are expecting.”
During a homestand, making sure the tarp is applied/taken off at the correct time, mowing, maintaining the Ivy, and proper watering of the infield are just a few of the things weather dependent in the role. And it’s not just gameday, as corporate events, football games, and concerts make Wrigley a busy place year-round.
With all these big-time events and guests, you can’t chance it when it comes to a bad forecast or so-so information. A 40% chance from 12-8 PM isn’t going to help a whole lot when it comes to planning and making decisions. That’s why it’s important for any pro sports team to have not just a weather service, but one that has your back anytime you need to make critical decisions.
“We’ve always had a weather service,” Kiermaier said. “We might get a brief description of what’s going on. It was never the most detailed forecast, even with the different providers we had…there were even some instances where we may have made some wrong calls because things weren’t as clear as they could’ve been.”
Imagine trying to do your job without the proper information you needed to succeed…
“It finally just got to a point (in the 2022-23 offseason) where we just needed more,” Kiermaier said. “The ability for almost minute by minute forecasting especially in those game time situations.”
After talking with other colleagues within the profession in other MLB and MiLB organizations, he heard “high praises” of BAM Weather and wanted to schedule a sit down to learn more.
“It just made a lot of sense,” Kiermaier told us. “I could correlate what the (other groundskeepers) talked to me about with the chat feature and everything else.”
Ever since the beginning of the 2023 MLB season, the Cubs organization has utilized BAM Weather’s forecasting services. From 24/7 chat access with a meteorologist, short-term forecast/timing graphics,insights outlining impending weather threats, and hourly/daily outlooks to name a few, the Clarity Weather platform (powered by BAM Weather) continues to help the Cubs out in year 2 of working together.
And it’s not just the data behind Clarity that makes the service so good, it’s the people behind it has as well.
“ (With our old service) it was just a phone service.” Kiermaier said. “We would call, we would get a message, and depending on the meteorologist that day…some would be great, and some just wouldn’t put in the most effort.”
With BAM Weather, everyone puts their full effort into helping clients such as the Cubs make their decisions.
“Everyone that I have talked to with your team is as professional and as good at their job as anyone that we have ever had!” Kiermaier noted.
Especially on the active game nights where pop up cells are happening around Chicago and the umpire wants a meeting every ½ inning, the ability to be able to talk to the best meteorologists in the game is second to none.
And in the life of a head groundskeeper, off days for baseball still means field work may need done for other events. The ability for everyone to be on the same page with the chat feature on Clarity helps take a lot of stress off the job.
“Before we started using BAM, even on off days it would come through me to contact the weather service to get a forecast, then communicate it up multiple chains,” Kiermaier explained. “With the chat function, it has been tremendous because…we’ve provided the service for event staff. It’s alleviated stress on my plate so I’m not having to make a call at night when trying to put my kids to bed.”
Partnering with BAM Weather helps Dan and the Chicago Cubs to:
- Get the best information to do your job properly.
- Be able to chat with some of the best meteorologists out there.
- Take stress off the plate to focus on other things in life.
Dan and the Cubs are just one of many organizations, businesses, and people around the country that partner with BAM Weather daily to ensure their operations run smoothly. Whether it’s a pro baseball team, school corporation, farming operation, or concert venue, BAM Weather through Clarity Weather is always there to provide the best service out there. But don’t just take BAM’s word for it; take Dan’s.
“We know no one can 100% truly predict the weather and we get that,” Kiermaier said. “But with you guys at BAM, we feel like we have the best information we can get and receive it in a quick manner. That’s what separates (BAM Weather) from the rest.”
If you’re wanting your operation to have the best information possible to save time, money, and stress, sign up for Clarity through BAM Weather today! Just like our slogan goes: it’s Weather. Made. Simple.
To sign up today, visit Claritywx.com/sign-up
For more info on BAM and Clarity, visit: https://bamwx.com/book-a-demo/