Lindsey Nelson Stadium,

[Local Yokel]

That’s fine. I can assure you that most of the students would be fine in the outfield vs a standing room only cattle pen which isn’t even angled towards the plate.

good point. They were large for sure.

No, they wouldn’t, because THIS student body is the one enduring the transition. Going from just next to the home dugout to a weird standing room deal. The next group won’t even know the difference, because nothing to compare to. The cattle pen thing can easily be fixed. I’ve looked at all the top programs and their student situation is if anything, worse.

 

[beachvol23]

That’s fine. I can assure you that most of the students would be fine in the outfield vs a standing room only cattle pen which isn’t even angled towards the plate.

good point. They were large for sure.

Of the 15 horrible design flaws in the new additions, not mirroring rhe RF corner like LF is beyond DUMB!!!

The lack of awareness and common sense of it all is astonishing!

 

[taylorvol]

Of the 15 horrible design flaws in the new additions, not mirroring rhe RF corner like LF is beyond DUMB!!!

The lack of awareness and common sense of it all is astonishing!

Exactly. Students standing in the cattle pen have to turn/angle their bodies to the left so they are basically attempting to look over people standing on their same level to their immediate left creating horrendous sight lines. Having stair stepped concrete rows doesn’t help since it’s not angled towards home plate. A poorly designed and flawed cattle pen which obviously received little planning. Putting them in bleachers in the outfield would be a much better option if UT won’t spend the time or money to fix the cattle pen

 

[fryeguy93]

I think the right field design is largely due to training facilities below them.

I surmise with the lack of room, they could not be demolished leaving the team with fewer locker room, training rooms, and batting cage space.

 

[Pawleysvol]

That’s fine. I can assure you that most of the students would be fine in the outfield vs a standing room only cattle pen which isn’t even angled towards the plate.

good point. They were large for sure.

My point is all the people (most of whom didn’t care about the baseball program or college baseball in general 5 years ago) want to move the students back to right next to or above the dugout. That’s never going to happen. Every student section in the SEC is in the outfield. People are too lazy to do the research.

 

[Pawleysvol]

Of the 15 horrible design flaws in the new additions, not mirroring rhe RF corner like LF is beyond DUMB!!!

The lack of awareness and common sense of it all is astonishing!

They can’t do anything behind the RF wall because there is a road there with utilities under it. Before you say “just live the utilities” that’s incredibly hard to do and very costly. Apparently Tennessee has looked at doing that in the past but it wasn’t feasible. The baseball stadium is in a terrible spot on campus if we are being honest.

 

[taylorvol]

My point is all the people (most of whom didn’t care about the baseball program or college baseball in general 5 years ago) want to move the students back to right next to or above the dugout. That’s never going to happen. Every student section in the SEC is in the outfield. People are too lazy to do the research.

Due to the street that they aren’t going to close down and the space adjacent that‘s owned by the railroad, I assume there‘s no room to put the students in the outfield—except for the porches and they aren’t going to give up $25K per porch. I don‘t dispute that they should have been moved to the location they’re currently at—-simply put in bleachers for them to take a seat and angle them towards homeplate.

 

[WallyBalls]

I'm late because I don't check the board during the weekend, but if I'm going to be critical, I also need to praise when its warranted.

I noticed two extremely small things during the second game on Friday. Small enough to the point I'm not even totally sure they happened, but I'm fairly sure they did. First, as the game went on, the music was dialed back. They still played it, but not as incessantly as it has been. They played it in response to the crowd rather than playing over the crowd. Second, someone (I'm assuming our Elder Hero behind home plate), got an organic V-O-L-S chant going and they let it breathe. They didn't just blast the prescribed next song on the list.

Both cases felt like there was an actual, experienced producer involved rather than a random undergrad (or worse, an automated system) pushing buttons at a preset time. It felt like baseball.

I'd love to see that continue.

(Also, a weekday doubleheader first game is always a blast because its a game for mostly baseball sickos. It was the same vibe as the game when the home team isn't playing in a regional.)

 

[WallyBalls]

Due to the street that they aren’t going to close down and the space adjacent that‘s owned by the railroad, I assume there‘s no room to put the students in the outfield—except for the porches and they aren’t going to give up $25K per porch. I don‘t dispute that they should have been moved to the location they’re currently at—-simply put in bleachers for them to take a seat and angle them towards homeplate.

So this morning zoom meeting sucks, so I'm playing around on KGIS and measuring with satellite photos. That gravel lot (C1 i think) is listed as being owned by the State of TN. Slightly odd because all the other land is listed as being owned by UTK, but I have zero clue if that matters.

Anyhow, I've always wondered if that lot would give them enough room to reroute about 200' of Todd Helton through C1. Using super rough measurements, it looks like there's a window to expand the RF footprint at least a little and tie it in with the groundskeeping area behind the batter's eye.

Let's say it is enough room, do the Utilities also have to be rerouted if you shifted the street over ~75' ? Or could they stay under a (wink, wink) "temporary" porch style structure?

 

[beachvol23]

They can’t do anything behind the RF wall because there is a road there with utilities under it. Before you say “just live the utilities” that’s incredibly hard to do and very costly. Apparently Tennessee has looked at doing that in the past but it wasn’t feasible. The baseball stadium is in a terrible spot on campus if we are being honest.

I’m not referring to the outfield behind the fence. That was discussed and reviewed extensively, I said corner, look at the photos of the RF AND LF Lines stands. The “student cow pen” rows are oriented toward CF, instead of home plate! Whereas the LF corner stands are 45° towards infield.

 

[taylorvol]

So this morning zoom meeting sucks, so I'm playing around on KGIS and measuring with satellite photos. That gravel lot (C1 i think) is listed as being owned by the State of TN. Slightly odd because all the other land is listed as being owned by UTK, but I have zero clue if that matters.

Anyhow, I've always wondered if that lot would give them enough room to reroute about 200' of Todd Helton through C1. Using super rough measurements, it looks like there's a window to expand the RF footprint at least a little and tie it in with the groundskeeping area behind the batter's eye.

Let's say it is enough room, do the Utilities also have to be rerouted if you shifted the street over ~75' ? Or could they stay under a (wink, wink) "temporary" porch style structure?

Good point. How were they going to initially build the Super Dorm with training facilities underneath if they didn’t own the land or have room to build?

 

[taylorvol]

I’m not referring to the outfield behind the fence. That was discussed and reviewed extensively, I said corner, look at the photos of the RF AND LF Lines stands. The “student cow pen” rows are oriented toward CF, instead of home plate! Whereas the LF corner stands are 45° towards infield.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner! You much better described my point about the horrific sight lines of the cattle pen.

 

[tn4elvis]

It’s 40+ plus years of a baseball culture; it’s not something that happens overnight. MS is a great baseball state overall, the 3 big state schools have a combined baseball capacity of like 36K, it’s simply unrivaled anywhere.

Plus not much else to do in Starkville,Oxford or Hattiesburg Mississippi. Same reason the pigs draw 13k to home series. Not a lot to do in Fayetteville on a Saturday night . That being said all the teams just mentioned have a long history of winning and being relevant in college baseball.

 

[OrangeYouGlad]

This is admittedly minor and doesn't really impact game viewing, but I noticed on Friday that the entire Yee-Haw concession area signage down the left field line is facing out towards center and not towards the people who would be walking down the concourse looking for it. I was sitting there eating my brisket mac and cheese in 212 and wondering who that signage is supposed to be advertising to.

That said, it was our first visit to the stadium since the renovations and we had an absolute blast. The team looked elite, the food was good, and the weather was picture-perfect. Looking forward to going back soon!

 

[beachvol23]

Plus not much else to do in Starkville,Oxford or Hattiesburg Mississippi. Same reason the pigs draw 13k to home series. Not a lot to do in Fayetteville on a Saturday night . That being said all the teams just mentioned have a long history of winning and being relevant in college baseball.

And don’t think for one second they wouldn’t trade it for Neyland or TBA if they could! Frankly it’s an apples and oranges comparison.

Additionally, Ktown also supports three minor league teams: baseball, hockey, fake football, plus softball, college soccer stadium, tennis stadium, TWO aquatic centers, and T&F!

 

[fryeguy93]

So this morning zoom meeting sucks, so I'm playing around on KGIS and measuring with satellite photos. That gravel lot (C1 i think) is listed as being owned by the State of TN. Slightly odd because all the other land is listed as being owned by UTK, but I have zero clue if that matters.

Anyhow, I've always wondered if that lot would give them enough room to reroute about 200' of Todd Helton through C1. Using super rough measurements, it looks like there's a window to expand the RF footprint at least a little and tie it in with the groundskeeping area behind the batter's eye.

Let's say it is enough room, do the Utilities also have to be rerouted if you shifted the street over ~75' ? Or could they stay under a (wink, wink) "temporary" porch style structure?

Just because someone owns the lot does not indicate who may rights-of-way or similar access to the property.

I thinks it's likely the railroad still has some sort of legal right to access their railyard through the property as straightening the roadway is too obvious a solution long ago.

 

[WallyBalls]

Just because someone owns the lot does not indicate who may rights-of-way or similar access to the property.

I thinks it's likely the railroad still has some sort of legal right to access their railyard through the property as straightening the roadway is too obvious a solution long ago.

Got ya. I figured it had to be something like that with how Byzantine railroad rules/arrangements can be and the fact that's always been a gravel lot/laydown yard as long as I can remember.

You're right, otherwise it would have been done years ago.

 

[Local Yokel]

So this morning zoom meeting sucks, so I'm playing around on KGIS and measuring with satellite photos. That gravel lot (C1 i think) is listed as being owned by the State of TN. Slightly odd because all the other land is listed as being owned by UTK, but I have zero clue if that matters.

Anyhow, I've always wondered if that lot would give them enough room to reroute about 200' of Todd Helton through C1. Using super rough measurements, it looks like there's a window to expand the RF footprint at least a little and tie it in with the groundskeeping area behind the batter's eye.

Let's say it is enough room, do the Utilities also have to be rerouted if you shifted the street over ~75' ? Or could they stay under a (wink, wink) "temporary" porch style structure?

You don’t have to reroute utilities. The porches are a perfect example. They aren’t a permanent structure. That’s also why they have the porta potties out there. They could move the road over to the parking lot, and put a structure like the porches in right field.

I’m not sure there’s a need for additional expansion at this point. The next thing should be getting the students some bench seating and getting rid of the rails. Then get rid of the 4 tops and open up more regular seating out in left field.

 

[WallyBalls]

You don’t have to reroute utilities. The porches are a perfect example. They aren’t a permanent structure. That’s also why they have the porta potties out there. They could move the road over to the parking lot, and put a structure like the porches in right field.

I’m not sure there’s a need for additional expansion at this point. The next thing should be getting the students some bench seating and getting rid of the rails. Then get rid of the 4 tops and open up more regular seating out in left field.

Its a fair point that more expansion likely isn't needed. What I was leaning toward was the idea of something in true RF for the students. Something somewhat similar to the porches in structure, but more similar in function to Ole Miss's RF for example (BYO chairs, etc). And then turning the cattle pens into true General Admission bleachers or something like that.

Its a complete and total fantasy, but my dream would be turning the 4Topps into a sort of 'Normals Porches' where they left the tables but sold them on a single game or single weekend basis. Maybe allow one specific sized cooler per table (no glass, etc).

I know its a pipe dream though.

 

[preacherman20]

We talk about the bee hive when the students were next to the dugout. The problems there were very well documented. The students stood the entire game and the people behind and around them complained to the ushers the entire time. That is one of the main reasons they were moved. Now we are complaining that they have no where to sit. There are actually bleachers right behind them and a rail for standing right behind them for those that do not want to stand the entire time. But that was not a problem before. They stood the entire time.

 

[vol66]

We talk about the bee hive when the students were next to the dugout. The problems there were very well documented. The students stood the entire game and the people behind and around them complained to the ushers the entire time. That is one of the main reasons they were moved. Now we are complaining that they have no where to sit. There are actually bleachers right behind them and a rail for standing right behind them for those that do not want to stand the entire time. But that was not a problem before. They stood the entire time.

I think the entire conversation revolves around juice, energy, excitement. To an extent winning and playing for something has lots to do with it, but the biggest change, and it gets no mention, it’s not a small stadium anymore. You can’t pick your kid up from school and just go on a whim, walk up to the window on a Tuesday and catch a game, like a movie theatre, anymore.

That said…For years, many years, games weren’t televised, maybe a couple a year… let me put it another way, it was easier to watch Tennessee players in The Alaska Baseball League than it was to actually watch a live stream of a UT Baseball home game. UT eventually caught up. The writing was on the wall by then. Neyland isn’t gonna get bigger. TBA ain’t gonna get bigger. They had to invest in baseball because ESPN owns College Sports. Content. I watch more college baseball now than I did then because I can.

Then there’s tradition. Comparing our baseball fan base to the rabid baseball fan bases like the LSU’s…MSU’s etc…is crazy and anyone who’s been to Hoover will tell the same story. LSU fans don’t go to Hoover, THEY MOVE IN! You can’t upgrade your way to there. Whatever liquid of choice, the student section at Ole Miss is tossing on every home run, their parents, may have, more probable than not, done the same thing. Takes time and one Natty is not a Tradition.

GBO!!!!

 

[WaywardVol]

I think the entire conversation revolves around juice, energy, excitement. To an extent winning and playing for something has lots to do with it, but the biggest change, and it gets no mention, it’s not a small stadium anymore. You can’t pick your kid up from school and just go on a whim, walk up to the window on a Tuesday and catch a game, like a movie theatre, anymore.

That said…For years, many years, games weren’t televised, maybe a couple a year… let me put it another way, it was easier to watch Tennessee players in The Alaska Baseball League than it was to actually watch a live stream of a UT Baseball home game. UT eventually caught up. The writing was on the wall by then. Neyland isn’t gonna get bigger. TBA ain’t gonna get bigger. They had to invest in baseball because ESPN owns College Sports. Content. I watch more college baseball now than I did then because I can.

Then there’s tradition. Comparing our baseball fan base to the rabid baseball fan bases like the LSU’s…MSU’s etc…is crazy and anyone who’s been to Hoover will tell the same story. LSU fans don’t go to Hoover, THEY MOVE IN! You can’t upgrade your way to there. Whatever liquid of choice, the student section at Ole Miss is tossing on every home run, their parents, may have, more probable than not, done the same thing. Takes time and one Natty is not a Tradition.

GBO!!!!

Spot on. There’s a difference in investing financially and being invested. I can garauntee you, if the same set of seats went empty for games at a time at LSU and MSU, the AD would be giving them a call. I don’t care how big the money was. There’d be an expectation that those seats be filled. UT isn’t in a place like that.

Secondly. The student complaining is getting tired and their poor showing isn’t helping the case. If students at LSU had that space afforded to them, it would be packed start to finish and become a hornet’s nest.

 

[tntar heel]

No, the TBA LNS usher police would have a conniption!!!

The TB RAYS @ Trop pre-covid scam used to allow mini cooler, food and sealed drink but went cashless (boo) and now only allow one sealed “personal” size bottle of water!

The organizations will always squeeze the fans. They want to extract every cent they can and always blame it on “security”.

For example: Safety & Security Regulations | Tampa Bay Rays

They use to SELL and allow a regular cowbell, but downgraded them to the little tinker bell collar size, which defeats the purpose! These are the old ones!

View attachment 828730

I miss my pub sub while watching the Rays. Wife and I were talking about that on Saturday.

 

[taylorvol]

We talk about the bee hive when the students were next to the dugout. The problems there were very well documented. The students stood the entire game and the people behind and around them complained to the ushers the entire time. That is one of the main reasons they were moved. Now we are complaining that they have no where to sit. There are actually bleachers right behind them and a rail for standing right behind them for those that do not want to stand the entire time. But that was not a problem before. They stood the entire time.

Only push back I would give is before students at least had seats and thus opportunities to sit. Now they have none except for the small bleachers you mentioned that might fit 20 students. The one rail they installed still requires standing but at least it gives a few students somewhere to put their drinks or food. The fact that the majority of the section is facing RF vs homeplate makes it’s awful for sight lines.

 

[Ritzwatch]

I think the entire conversation revolves around juice, energy, excitement. To an extent winning and playing for something has lots to do with it, but the biggest change, and it gets no mention, it’s not a small stadium anymore. You can’t pick your kid up from school and just go on a whim, walk up to the window on a Tuesday and catch a game, like a movie theatre, anymore.

That said…For years, many years, games weren’t televised, maybe a couple a year… let me put it another way, it was easier to watch Tennessee players in The Alaska Baseball League than it was to actually watch a live stream of a UT Baseball home game. UT eventually caught up. The writing was on the wall by then. Neyland isn’t gonna get bigger. TBA ain’t gonna get bigger. They had to invest in baseball because ESPN owns College Sports. Content. I watch more college baseball now than I did then because I can.

Then there’s tradition. Comparing our baseball fan base to the rabid baseball fan bases like the LSU’s…MSU’s etc…is crazy and anyone who’s been to Hoover will tell the same story. LSU fans don’t go to Hoover, THEY MOVE IN! You can’t upgrade your way to there. Whatever liquid of choice, the student section at Ole Miss is tossing on every home run, their parents, may have, more probable than not, done the same thing. Takes time and one Natty is not a Tradition.

GBO!!!!

One natty would be more than enough if you were Arkansas.