Why did the old style ballparks have a dirt path between home and pitchers mound?

Answer 1

The following is from an article on oaklandfans.com: "Why do some Baseball parks feature a dirt path from home plate to the pitcher’s mound or pitcher’s box? Although most old-time ballparks in the early part of the 20th century featured these dirt paths, we have been unable to identify a specific or tangible reason for their existence. These paths may have involved groundskeeping considerations (because of the difficulty that early grounds crews had in keeping the grass in front of the pitcher’s mound lush and green throughout the course of a season) or may have merely been a matter of tradition. As newer stadiums replaced the older ballparks, many of the playing fields started to do away with the dirt paths. By about 1960, the dirt paths completely disappeared from the major league scene... When the Arizona Diamondbacks came into existence in 1998, they decided to resurrect a dirt path between the mound and home plate, not because of any groundskeeping concerns, but simply as an intriguing retro feature of Bank One Ballpark. The Detroit Tigers also elected for a dirt path in constructing Comerica Park"