TERRIFIC TURF: You may have missed it...

TERRIFIC TURF: You may have missed it on TV, but Saturday’s U. S.-Switzerland soccer match had extensive roots from Ventura County. . . . Pacific Sod in Camarillo grew the lush carpet of grass for the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. World Cup officials insist on natural grass for matches, and this is the first time that they’ve been played indoors. The trick was developing a shade-tolerant grass that lasts for weeks without sunlight. Said Pacific Sod ranch manager Earl Slack: “It’s holding up quite well.”

HAMMER FALLS: No matter how vicious the political campaign, most vanquished primary opponents wind up supporting their party’s nominee. Not so for Robert K. Hammer. He was beaten by Richard Sybert, a former aide to Gov. Pete Wilson, in the Republican race for a Thousand Oaks congressional seat. Asked if he’d support Sybert, Hammer dashed off a note: “While I will give the devil his due and the 15 minutes of fame he will demand, the man fresh from Sacramento will receive no endorsement from this camp; nor, given the way that campaign was run, can he legitimately expect one.”

FLYING LOW: It’s a bird. . . . It’s a plane. . . . No, it’s an Ecomobile. Ventura resident Alan Hurt saw the flying Bubble Bike on TV and had to get one. It set him back about $60,000. But he loves it more than any other motorcycle in his collection. A retired Swiss pilot designed the Eco, encapsulating a two-seat BMW motorcycle with fiberglass. The bike can zoom to 160 m.p.h. and has retractable wheels that drop down for balance during stops. When they’re up, he said, “it is like flying an airplane at a really low altitude.”

FARM TALK: As far as support groups go, this one’s pretty down to earth. Local members of California Women for Agriculture often chat about carrots or gab about grapefruit over lunch. . . . Now, the chapter wants to teach city folks about food production (B1). Said chapter president Donna Pinkerton: “We want kids to know that it’s not as simple as ‘Mama, I want some milk, so let’s go to the grocery store.’ ”