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Sports => VTTW Message Board => Topic started by: Black Diamond Vol on March 31, 2021, 01:44:29 EDT



Title: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: Black Diamond Vol on March 31, 2021, 01:44:29 EDT
https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/Article/Wes-Rucker-Tennessee-baseball-potentially-on-cusp-of-seismic-shift-163317368/


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: Tnphil on March 31, 2021, 02:25:08 EDT
Good article....Thanks

And yes...need to pay him and give him the upgrades he needs. There will be some big time SEC schools come after him down the road that has first rate facilities. Arkansas being one of them.


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 31, 2021, 04:05:45 EDT
It's my belief after talking to some folks involved in the Old City ball park project that UT will play some games, particularly SEC series, there and will have a very favorable revenue sharing agreement with the Smokies. Could be a definite win/win.


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: Black Diamond Vol on March 31, 2021, 07:01:18 EDT
It's my belief after talking to some folks involved in the Old City ball park project that UT will play some games, particularly SEC series, there and will have a very favorable revenue sharing agreement with the Smokies. Could be a definite win/win.

That would be great while they’re getting LNS up to snuff, but improving the campus facilities has to be the top priority. And in the case of LNS, “improving” almost means a complete rebuild. We’re WAY behind our peers when it comes to baseball facilities.


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 31, 2021, 02:45:31 EDT
That would be great while they’re getting LNS up to snuff, but improving the campus facilities has to be the top priority. And in the case of LNS, “improving” almost means a complete rebuild. We’re WAY behind our peers when it comes to baseball facilities.

But one of the major problems with Lindsey Nelson is parking and getting to it.  That has always been one of the major issues.  And no amount of dressing up LNS or even a complete rebuild is going to alleviate that problem. The campus is land locked.  That's why playing in the Old City makes sense.  It will be accessible and there will be parking for fans once they get there. 


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: Black Diamond Vol on March 31, 2021, 05:46:21 EDT
But one of the major problems with Lindsey Nelson is parking and getting to it.  That has always been one of the major issues.  And no amount of dressing up LNS or even a complete rebuild is going to alleviate that problem. The campus is land locked.  That's why playing in the Old City makes sense.  It will be accessible and there will be parking for fans once they get there. 

Yeah, our campus sucks. I've said it many times before on here. I wish there were some way to re-route that GD railroad that cuts the campus in two, and move the damn sewage treatment plant that sits adjacent to three of our athletic facilities. It's ridiculous.

But has the OC stadium even gotten final approval yet? And even when it does, it will probably be at least 2-3 years before it's ready for play. I've seen the drawings, and that's no small project. I think we need to strike while the iron is hot. Baseball success at UT has always been fleeting, and we've failed to take advantage in the past. While we have this window, I think it's time to announce some capital improvements that will make it sustainable this time. I'm not opposed to playing a couple big series per year in the OC (when and if it's ready), but LNS (or a brand new facility) has to take priority.

Just in our division, UF and UK have brand new stadiums. Vandy just announced a half-billion dollar facilities campaign, so they'll probably get one soon. USC and UGA stadiums are far nicer than ours. And most of the West schools have facilities that rival the nicest AAA ballparks in both scale and amenities. I find it hard to believe that we have spent years building and maintaining gleaming, state of the art facilities in most every other sport, but have let baseball languish like this.


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 31, 2021, 06:44:23 EDT
Yeah, our campus sucks. I've said it many times before on here. I wish there were some way to re-route that GD railroad that cuts the campus in two, and move the damn sewage treatment plant that sits adjacent to three of our athletic facilities. It's ridiculous.

But has the OC stadium even gotten final approval yet? And even when it does, it will probably be at least 2-3 years before it's ready for play. I've seen the drawings, and that's no small project. I think we need to strike while the iron is hot. Baseball success at UT has always been fleeting, and we've failed to take advantage in the past. While we have this window, I think it's time to announce some capital improvements that will make it sustainable this time. I'm not opposed to playing a couple big series per year in the OC (when and if it's ready), but LNS (or a brand new facility) has to take priority.

Just in our division, UF and UK have brand new stadiums. Vandy just announced a half-billion dollar facilities campaign, so they'll probably get one soon. USC and UGA stadiums are far nicer than ours. And most of the West schools have facilities that rival the nicest AAA ballparks in both scale and amenities. I find it hard to believe that we have spent years building and maintaining gleaming, state of the art facilities in most every other sport, but have let baseball languish like this.

The plan has been presented and has the endorsement of those it needs to make happen.  It will be a formality later in the spring, but some preliminary work has already begun on the site. 

And, yeah, I don't disagree with you on doing what they can now, but until a baseball only booster comes forward and strokes a big check there just isn't money there to do much right now.   

And Vitello likes it here.  And he is not crying for a raise.  In fact, he asked for more money for Frank Anderson and his other assistants last year and got it for them. 


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: BanditVol on April 03, 2021, 07:24:07 EDT
Yeah, our campus sucks. I've said it many times before on here. I wish there were some way to re-route that GD railroad that cuts the campus in two, and move the damn sewage treatment plant that sits adjacent to three of our athletic facilities. It's ridiculous.


It does, unfortunately.  Surrounded on three sides by the river and to the north is Cumberland Avenue, one of the busiest streets in town (although it has been cut into two lanes and reshaped into more or less a pedestrian area, which may help a bit).

I think that geometry has limited growth of UT, frankly.  When I was in school UT had 28K total and bammer had 19K. Bammer is now well over 40K and UT is still stuck at 28K. 

State and University leadership no doubt have realized this and have a long term vision...

Oh wait.   :banghead:


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: HerbTarlekVol on April 11, 2021, 04:26:56 EDT
Yeah, our campus sucks. I've said it many times before on here. I wish there were some way to re-route that GD railroad that cuts the campus in two, and move the damn sewage treatment plant that sits adjacent to three of our athletic facilities. It's ridiculous.

 

That's great in theory, but reality is that neither can be done with either Eminent Domain or practicality. 

Railroads are exempt, and the water treatment plant has to be on the river and the entire underground infrastructure would have to be completely redone to move it, and that's just not an option. 

The bottom line is that if UT builds a new baseball facility it probably has to go across the Alcoa Highway bridge on the property where the Golf Practice facility is located, and it won't be a "top tier" facility.  There's just not money there to do it. 

Sharing a new Old City facility with the AA team would allow UT to play in a much nicer and bigger facility than they could build on their own, and as long as they negotiate a favorable financial agreement it should allow them to make just as much, if not more, money than they could in a new facility without having to have the up front finances to built it. 


Title: Re: Good Rucker column on the baseball team (free)
Post by: HerbTarlekVol on April 15, 2021, 05:49:41 EDT
Here's a good read on where the project is right now.  It's huge having Bass on that committee, given the success that Baltimore has had with Camden Yards and development around it. 

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/proposed-downtown-knoxville-stadium/51-b0c05d58-7195-4ace-a5db-c03253f4b27e?fbclid=IwAR2xsCTFezup_4Jbupy-khBi_E58I4i6tUll-8gONxN59lGLnzvavR0HFfc