Season Wrap Up Thoughts

[StarkVegasSteve]

Well last night sucked. No way around it. We were gift wrapped a Super Regional and threw it away with the same issues that have plagued us all year. It sucked but it happened and it's over

1. This season was a great improvement, but we still underachieved. With all the talent we had coming back, we should have been a regional host lock fighting for a national seed.

2. We have no one to blame but ourselves for not hosting. Just off the top of my head I can think of 7 games that we had no business losing and we lost. Did the committee screw us? Probably so. But we let them do it.

3. Gautreau either needs to go or we need a complete revamp of our hitting and recruiting philosophy. I think DVH said it best yesterday when he said he loves guys who hit homers, but you need guys who can hit doubles too. We only have one or two of those type guys. Yesterday was a microcosm of our season. No patience at the plate and we let that guy dictate the inning.

4. Justin Parker was a godsend. Without Parker we are a .500 AT BEST ball club. What he was able to do with our arms was incredible.

5. Our base running needs a complete overhaul. Whether that means getting rid of Cheesborough or bringing in a base running coach we have to figure it out. We had WAY too many times this year where and inning was killed because of a base running mistake

6. We have A LOT to replace via the portal. By my count we need another weekend starter(probably 2), a completely new MIF, 3B, 2 OFs, and a few bullpen pieces. And for god's sake...GO FIND A CLOSER.

7. Hines can probably make as much with NIL and next years signing bonus to come back and IMO it would benefit him greatly to do so.

8. Our portal class should be markedly better this offseason. We have a little upwards trajectory and plenty of PT to sell. I would look for us to be very active.

9. We need to find a good mix of BASEBALL PLAYERS and ATHLETES who play BASEBALL. We were too skewed this year towards ATHLETES.

10. Lemonis will not be fired. He is safe for next year, but if he follows this up with a bad year again: He will be fired.

11. Please don't tweet at players. It's ok to be pissed but some of the stuff I saw last night just further proves my point that you need to pass a class to be able to use social media. I mean openly calling out a guy like Mershon is bullshit. But it's also something I've come to expect from our fan base.

12. We're still a very good baseball program. The last 3 years haven't changed that. Next year will be an adventure, but I'll be there for it all.

Cheers Boys. See y'all Game 1 in The Junction

[civildawg]

We are in the worst spot a program can be in. Floating in mediocrity. If I were AD, I would fire him but I'm not and he's going to get another year and make a regional and then lose in that regional and the cycle will continue to repeat until one of boosters puts their foot down. That's just my theory though.

[StarkVegasSteve]

We are in the worst spot a program can be in. Floating in mediocrity. If I were AD, I would fire him but I'm not and he's going to get another year and make a regional and then lose in that regional and the cycle will continue to repeat until one of boosters puts their foot down. That's just my theory though.


So let me pose a question to you: If you fire him and Justin Haire, the proposed number 1 candidate, says no then what do you do? I mean Jordan Bischell could be a good hire. Maybe you pivot to a West Coast guy. Because if you fire Lemonis after a Regional final, and 3 years removed from a national championship, you will have a VERY hard time finding a new coach. This isn't football where you can just overpay. THIS IS A NON REVENUE SPORT. We run at very close to a deficit every year. We can't afford to buy out the staff and then overpay a new staff. Because let me tell you, if Haire were to come which is questionable at best now, we would have to WAY OVERPAY.

[Saltydog]

Making the SEC tourney will be a challenge, much less a regional. We've got a shitload of players to replace.

[Quaoarsking]

So let me pose a question to you: If you fire him and Justin Haire, the proposed number 1 candidate, says no then what do you do? I mean Jordan Bischell could be a good hire. Maybe you pivot to a West Coast guy. Because if you fire Lemonis after a Regional final, and 3 years removed from a national championship, you will have a VERY hard time finding a new coach. This isn't football where you can just overpay. THIS IS A NON REVENUE SPORT. We run at very close to a deficit every year. We can't afford to buy out the staff and then overpay a new staff. Because let me tell you, if Haire were to come which is questionable at best now, we would have to WAY OVERPAY.

Why do you say Haire is questionable now? Nobody would choose to stay at a CAA job for any SEC job, much less one of the minority of SEC jobs that have a passionate fanbase who cares. The only way that Haire would turn us down is if another "elite" job sniped him away from us. 0% chance he turns us down to stay at Campbell.

And to be clear, I'm not saying that Haire has to be the next coach. I'm just saying he's the floor. If we can get someone we feel even better about, that's 100% fine with me.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Making the SEC tourney will be a challenge, much less a regional. We've got a shitload of players to replace.

We do, but so do a lot of teams. It's the nature of the business. Get busy living or get busy dying.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Why do you say Haire is questionable now? Nobody would choose to stay at a CAA job for any SEC job, much less one of the minority of SEC jobs that have a passionate fanbase who cares. The only way that Haire would turn us down is if another "elite" job sniped him away from us. 0% chance he turns us down to stay at Campbell.

And to be clear, I'm not saying that Haire has to be the next coach. I'm just saying he's the floor. If we can get someone we feel even better about, that's 100% fine with me.

Well first off, he likes Campbell. He likes the program he's building. Secondly, he didn't make a regional this year. He's smart enough to realize that if he doesn't here he will be fired. No one is calling for him to be fired at Campbell. Also some need to realize that passionate fan base does us no good in times like this. Because that passion comes out over social media every time we issue a walk. Haire has never even been to a Super Regional. Hell he's only been to one regional final and it was against us...AND WE WON.

Y'all need to realize, baseball is not the other sports. You can get to Omaha at Campbell. You can host at Campbell. Bigger lights don't matter to these coaches and I can tell you our Auburn football like fanbase does us no good when it comes to coaching candidates.

[Brobi-wan]

Making the SEC tourney will be a challenge, much less a regional. We've got a shitload of players to replace.

Doesn’t every team make the tourney next year?

[Saltydog]

Yeah I forgot about the format change. Either way next year will be a challenge and I don't see Lemonis surviving it.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Yeah I forgot about the format change. Either way next year will be a challenge and I don't see Lemonis surviving it.

That's fair and it's a take that no one should have a problem with. But we have to stop pre firing him. We look like Dwight in The Office every time he pre fires Jim when he thinks he's going to be promoted to manager.

[Brobi-wan]

My closing thoughts are as follows:

1. We were improved enough for him to stay one more year.

2. He is the HC and he is responsible for culture, recruiting, and selling our program. He should develop these kids character. It is our Asst. coaches jobs to develop their talent. Nick Saban didn’t teach Lane Kiffin how to run an offense or Kirby Smart how to build a defense.

3. We are getting high ranked recruiting every year so recruiting isn’t a problem. Development is. Parker is a prime example of a lack of coaching from Fox and not a lack of talent on our roster.

4. You should hold Lemo responsible for keeping asst. coaches who have not developed the kids like they should have.

5. Some of y’all always want other coaches, but if we had DVH and watched Arky win in 2021 instead of us while getting bounced from our regional, you guys would want to get rid of DVH and have Lemo in our dugout swearing that “with our talent Lemo would never have another bad season.”

6. I don’t care if he stays or not next year. I care about MSU. Not the skipper. Just do whatever is right for the school.

[DawgFromOxford]

Season gets a C grade. We were improved from last year but that's not saying much. Lemonis met the minimum standard and we don't have any accomplishments to show for the season = C

[Santiago]

So let me pose a question to you: If you fire him and Justin Haire, the proposed number 1 candidate, says no then what do you do? I mean Jordan Bischell could be a good hire. Maybe you pivot to a West Coast guy. Because if you fire Lemonis after a Regional final, and 3 years removed from a national championship, you will have a VERY hard time finding a new coach. This isn't football where you can just overpay. THIS IS A NON REVENUE SPORT. We run at very close to a deficit every year. We can't afford to buy out the staff and then overpay a new staff. Because let me tell you, if Haire were to come which is questionable at best now, we would have to WAY OVERPAY.

TX may be about to change the payscale if they decide to let their coach go and make a run at a couple of coaches.
It may be a non revenue sport but it is an identity of MSU and Starkville and their businesses in the spring.

I did not grow up in an MSU house. Quite the opposite actually. But the MSU baseball in the 80's is what hooked me, and coming to games with my buddies that had MSU parents. Those experiences made me an MSU fan, in a time when football sucked. I get the business side of things, but there is still a love for baseball at MSU that is unmatched anywhere else.
I would hate to see us squander it with another Polk2, and then rebuild years.


Edit: South Carolina has fired their coach. Super Regional last year and a regional this year. He did not have a great overall coaching record there, but it seems in how you look at things.

[Brobi-wan]

Season gets a C grade. We were improved from last year but that's not saying much. Lemonis met the minimum standard and we don't have any accomplishments to show for the season = C

C is fair. If you do any worse than us you miss the post season. I’m not sure I care about the difference between seed 2-4 in the regional. When it comes to our expectations, if you’re not first your last for seeding.

[HoopsDawg]

For the record, just because people keep saying Haire's name on a message board, doesn't mean he's the no. 1 candidate. Lol.

[StarkVegasSteve]

For the record, just because people keep saying Haire's name on a message board, doesn't mean he's the no. 1 candidate. Lol.

And for the record, there's no candidate list. We're not in the market!!!

[StarkVegasSteve]

TX may be about to change the payscale if they decide to let their coach go and make a run at a couple of coaches.
It may be a non revenue sport but it is an identity of MSU and Starkville and their businesses in the spring.

I did not grow up in an MSU house. Quite the opposite actually. But the MSU baseball in the 80's is what hooked me, and coming to games with my buddies that had MSU parents. Those experiences made me an MSU fan, in a time when football sucked. I get the business side of things, but there is still a love for baseball at MSU that is unmatched anywhere else.
I would hate to see us squander it with another Polk2, and then rebuild years.


Edit: South Carolina has fired their coach. Super Regional last year and a regional this year. He did not have a great overall coaching record there, but it seems in how you look at things.

They're just like us with a little more recent success. They think they are LSU and they are so far from it. We're the same way. We compare our 1 national championship to LSU's 7 and act like we're equal.

[Bothrops]

We went further than we should have.

[Ranchdawg]

They're just like us with a little more recent success. They think they are LSU and they are so far from it. We're the same way. We compare our 1 national championship to LSU's 7 and act like we're equal.

Let me refresh your memory. Yes LSU won 7 natties. Won one last year. But we the fans at state were building excitement for college baseball way before Skip Bertman and his steroid teams came along. We had crazy crowds and trips to Omaha before LSU. Yes we didn’t win natties. But we were very close several times and again before LSU. Skip Bertman came and saw what Polk was building at State and copied it. Skip even copied the book of baseball just like Polk did before him. Yes we aren’t equal as far as Natties but we are damn sure not below them in atmosphere and fan domination and their fans acting like trailer trash.

If you couldn’t tell the hate for LSU and especially LSU baseball runs deep.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Let me refresh your memory. Yes LSU won 7 natties. Won one last year. But we the fans at state were building excitement for college baseball way before Skip Bertman and his steroid teams came along. We had crazy crowds and trips to Omaha before LSU. Yes we didn’t win natties. But we were very close several times and again before LSU. Skip Bertman came and saw what Polk was building at State and copied it. Skip even copied the book of baseball just like Polk did before him. Yes we aren’t equal as far as Natties but we are damn sure not below them in atmosphere and fan domination and their fans acting like trailer trash.

If you couldn’t tell the hate for LSU and especially LSU baseball runs deep.

There it is again. Our fan base hanging our hats on almosts and attendance records. I wish we had a crowd like theirs instead of the Baseball Grove we have.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

We went further than we should have.

Did we?

Can't claim Lemo is a great recruiter or that we had a lot of draftable talent this year and ALSO claim we overachieved this season.

Oddly enough, we DID have a lot of talent, and ALSO about 4 terrible bats in our lineup and no bullpen because Lemo can't evaluate talent. He hits on some guys and completely whiffs on so many we end up with roster holes

[MoreCowbell]

My closing thoughts are as follows:

1. We were improved enough for him to stay one more year.

2. He is the HC and he is responsible for culture, recruiting, and selling our program. He should develop these kids character. It is our Asst. coaches jobs to develop their talent. Nick Saban didn?t teach Lane Kiffin how to run an offense or Kirby Smart how to build a defense.

3. We are getting high ranked recruiting every year so recruiting isn?t a problem. Development is. Parker is a prime example of a lack of coaching from Fox and not a lack of talent on our roster.

4. You should hold Lemo responsible for keeping asst. coaches who have not developed the kids like they should have.

5. Some of y?all always want other coaches, but if we had DVH and watched Arky win in 2021 instead of us while getting bounced from our regional, you guys would want to get rid of DVH and have Lemo in our dugout swearing that ?with our talent Lemo would never have another bad season.?

6. I don?t care if he stays or not next year. I care about MSU. Not the skipper. Just do whatever is right for the school.

Regarding point 3, depends on what you think top recruiting classes are.

Our recruiting class rankings-
National-SEC rank
2020- 17/8
2021- 26/11
2022- 8/5
2023- 12/8
2024- 21/12

[MoreCowbell]

For the record, just because people keep saying Haire's name on a message board, doesn't mean he's the no. 1 candidate. Lol.

The Duke assistant is who I would go for.

[Todd4State]

Well last night sucked. No way around it. We were gift wrapped a Super Regional and threw it away with the same issues that have plagued us all year. It sucked but it happened and it's over

1. This season was a great improvement, but we still underachieved. With all the talent we had coming back, we should have been a regional host lock fighting for a national seed.

2. We have no one to blame but ourselves for not hosting. Just off the top of my head I can think of 7 games that we had no business losing and we lost. Did the committee screw us? Probably so. But we let them do it.

3. Gautreau either needs to go or we need a complete revamp of our hitting and recruiting philosophy. I think DVH said it best yesterday when he said he loves guys who hit homers, but you need guys who can hit doubles too. We only have one or two of those type guys. Yesterday was a microcosm of our season. No patience at the plate and we let that guy dictate the inning.

4. Justin Parker was a godsend. Without Parker we are a .500 AT BEST ball club. What he was able to do with our arms was incredible.

5. Our base running needs a complete overhaul. Whether that means getting rid of Cheesborough or bringing in a base running coach we have to figure it out. We had WAY too many times this year where and inning was killed because of a base running mistake

6. We have A LOT to replace via the portal. By my count we need another weekend starter(probably 2), a completely new MIF, 3B, 2 OFs, and a few bullpen pieces. And for god's sake...GO FIND A CLOSER.

7. Hines can probably make as much with NIL and next years signing bonus to come back and IMO it would benefit him greatly to do so.

8. Our portal class should be markedly better this offseason. We have a little upwards trajectory and plenty of PT to sell. I would look for us to be very active.

9. We need to find a good mix of BASEBALL PLAYERS and ATHLETES who play BASEBALL. We were too skewed this year towards ATHLETES.

10. Lemonis will not be fired. He is safe for next year, but if he follows this up with a bad year again: He will be fired.

11. Please don't tweet at players. It's ok to be pissed but some of the stuff I saw last night just further proves my point that you need to pass a class to be able to use social media. I mean openly calling out a guy like Mershon is bullshit. But it's also something I've come to expect from our fan base.

12. We're still a very good baseball program. The last 3 years haven't changed that. Next year will be an adventure, but I'll be there for it all.

Cheers Boys. See y'all Game 1 in The Junction

You're killing it in this thread. Thank you for the sanity and enjoy your rep.

[ScooterDog]

Our AD is no dummy. He is not going to let Lemo go without first having locked up a replacement. That is prudent business practice and that is his job. I trust he will be prudent in that regard.

[Todd4State]

Let me refresh your memory. Yes LSU won 7 natties. Won one last year. But we the fans at state were building excitement for college baseball way before Skip Bertman and his steroid teams came along. We had crazy crowds and trips to Omaha before LSU. Yes we didn?t win natties. But we were very close several times and again before LSU. Skip Bertman came and saw what Polk was building at State and copied it. Skip even copied the book of baseball just like Polk did before him. Yes we aren?t equal as far as Natties but we are damn sure not below them in atmosphere and fan domination and their fans acting like trailer trash.

If you couldn?t tell the hate for LSU and especially LSU baseball runs deep.

LSU has the cheapest dynasty this side of Vanderbilt. Their program is a lot closer to ours than our fans and LSU fans would admit.

[Todd4State]

The Duke assistant is who I would go for.

I'd go for their whole staff except for their pitching coach. I would retain Parker if we could.

[Ranchdawg]

Excuse me those crowds are what have driven college baseball to what it is today. Nobody in the south or for that fact the country gave a crap about college baseball until we did. We built the best stadium, the first Dude, way before anybody else. Then we followed that up with the New Dude which is the penis envy of all college baseball.

Ye we don?t have a bunch of Natties but there are a bunch of schools that play baseball at a high level that don?t either. Oh that?s right we aren?t so suppose to brag on anything we do better than anyone else. Gotta it!

[Bdawg]

There it is again. Our fan base hanging our hats on almosts and attendance records. I wish we had a crowd like theirs instead of the Baseball Grove we have.

Why you crapping on our historic fan support and unique atmosphere? It?s what made the new dude possible and all the good pub we receive. I can?t believe you would say you would rather have the tiger fanbase than ours.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Why you crapping on our historic fan support and unique atmosphere? It?s what made the new dude possible and all the good pub we receive. I can?t believe you would say you would rather have the tiger fanbase than ours.

Because that fan support you're describing is gone. That unique atmosphere died in 2017. It's the Baseball Grove out there now. Over half the folks out there are there to be seen. Not to watch the game. It's a social event now. And I have always said our fans were too nice and I stand by that. We need to be nasty. Teams need to fear playing at our stadium. Hell most of them look forward to it because they get fed like kings.

[BrunswickDawg]

Because that fan support you're describing is gone. That unique atmosphere died in 2017. It's the Baseball Grove out there now. Over half the folks out there are there to be seen. Not to watch the game. It's a social event now. And I have always said our fans were too nice and I stand by that. We need to be nasty. Teams need to fear playing at our stadium. Hell most of them look forward to it because they get fed like kings.

Oh no people might go to a game and not keep score!!!!! That means they must not be "real fans!!!!"

I've been to multiple games in the new Dude - fans there are just as engaged as they have always been and the atmosphere rivals anyone in the country. Full stop. I'm sorry someone in the LFL didn't give you a hotdog. I'm sorry you can't get a General Admission ticket for $5 and claim someone else's seats anymore.

Things change. Get over it. But it is never a bad thing that our fans continue to come out, regardless of their personal motivations, for games. We led the country in attendance this year. Our baseball fans are loyal.
Football fans and basketball fans at MSU could learn a whole lot from that when we have a half empty stadium during a winning season. It's too hot. It's too cold. It's too far. The offense is boring. It's deer season. There's a bird hunt. It's an 11:00am start. It's a night game. They don't play 'the MSU way' -whatever the 17 that means."
Every excuse in the book, always.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Oh no people might go to a game and not keep score!!!!! That means they must not be "real fans!!!!"

I've been to multiple games in the new Dude - fans there are just as engaged as they have always been and the atmosphere rivals anyone in the country. Full stop. I'm sorry someone in the LFL didn't give you a hotdog. I'm sorry you can't get a General Admission ticket for $5 and claim someone else's seats anymore.

Things change. Get over it. But it is never a bad thing that our fans continue to come out, regardless of their personal motivations, for games. We led the country in attendance this year. Our baseball fans are loyal.
Football fans and basketball fans at MSU could learn a whole lot from that when we have a half empty stadium during a winning season. It's too hot. It's too cold. It's too far. The offense is boring. It's deer season. There's a bird hunt. It's an 11:00am start. It's a night game."
Every excuse in the book, always.

I actually have a spot in the Lounge as well as tickets on the 3rd base line and Triple Crown passes. Don't need someone to give me anything. Good try though. Again, I have my opinions on it. I realized long ago that most don't agree with them and I stopped caring. I don't think the stadium is special anymore. I haven't since 2017. It's a palace and I will never deny that. I just feel that in the last two years it is more of a social event than a game. That's why I call it the Baseball Grove. I would be willing to bet 80% of The Lounge doesn't know the score at a given time. I also don't know why we give two craps about attendance records. But that's another debate for another day.

[BrunswickDawg]

I actually have a spot in the Lounge as well as tickets on the 3rd base line and Triple Crown passes. Don't need someone to give me anything. Good try though. Again, I have my opinions on it. I realized long ago that most don't agree with them and I stopped caring. I don't think the stadium is special anymore. I haven't since 2017. It's a palace and I will never deny that. I just feel that in the last two years it is more of a social event than a game. That's why I call it the Baseball Grove. I would be willing to bet 80% of The Lounge doesn't know the score at a given time. I also don't know why we give two craps about attendance records. But that's another debate for another day.

I don't give a crap about attendance records either. I care that the stadium is full - regardless of who is there. People paid just as little attention in the lounge when I was in school in the 90s. We were there to drink and enjoy the food and the sun. It was just as social as it is now. The difference is the rigs are gone, and everyone everywhere is posting on Instagram how great of a time they have. That's the world today. Go to a Braves game at Truist and it is the exact same. Go to an away football game - same stuff different colors. I loved the old Dude and the rigs. I have a lot of great memories there, and the new Dude is not the same. I miss old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium too, but I'm not gonna bitch all the time about either of them being gone and claim we dont have real fans anymore. I'm too busy paying attention to the game.

And I don't want to take a personal shot at you Stark - you seem like a good dude. So I apologize if it comes off that way. I think the nostalgia of the way "it used to be" creeps into our views about how things should still be when we have a major change like a new facility. The kids today at the Dude will have just as good impression and love for MSU that we have from our early experiences there - and that's what will keep the base of fans loyal to MSU baseball.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I don't give a crap about attendance records either. I care that the stadium is full - regardless of who is there. People paid just as little attention in the lounge when I was in school in the 90s. We were there to drink and enjoy the food and the sun. It was just as social as it is now. The difference is the rigs are gone, and everyone everywhere is posting on Instagram how great of a time they have. That's the world today. Go to a Braves game at Truist and it is the exact same. Go to an away football game - same stuff different colors. I loved the old Dude and the rigs. I have a lot of great memories there, and the new Dude is not the same. I miss old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium too, but I'm not gonna bitch all the time about either of them being gone and claim we dont have real fans anymore. I'm too busy paying attention to the game.

And I don't want to take a personal shot at you Stark - you seem like a good dude. So I apologize if it comes off that way. I think the nostalgia of the way "it used to be" creeps into our views about how things should still be when we have a major change like a new facility. The kids today at the Dude will have just as good impression and love for MSU that we have from our early experiences there - and that's what will keep the base of fans loyal to MSU baseball.

I think we're on the same page. Just get there different ways. I never meant the new stadium wasn't nice or I didn't like it. I love it. But it's different. I feel like the aura of the old stadium was those rigs and the fact that half of them could fall apart at any second.

[CJDAWG85]

Biggest problem we had this year was going 7-13 in one run games. Not having a shutdown closer was the biggest reason we didn’t host. We lost a ton of games we were leading going into the late innings.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Biggest problem we had this year was going 7-13 in one run games. Not having a shutdown closer was the biggest reason we didn’t host. We lost a ton of games we were leading going into the late innings.

A closer was our Achilles heel last year as well. Not as costly as this year, but we lost leads late last year as well.

[BrunswickDawg]

I think we're on the same page. Just get there different ways. I never meant the new stadium wasn't nice or I didn't like it. I love it. But it's different. I feel like the aura of the old stadium was those rigs and the fact that half of them could fall apart at any second.

I totally get that. My high school in my hometown had an incredible stadium that was built by the WPA in 1940. It was football only, and the stands were right up on the field, stone wall surrounded the whole thing, had a visitors locker room that would make Jackie Sherrill say "that's cruel to let a team use that". My grandfather played on that field, my uncle was a HS All-American on that field. I planted my first awkward kiss on my 7th grade "girlfriend" at a game there. My parents had season tickets in the same seats for 40 years. Other teams loved coming there for the atmosphere. We'd squeeze 10,000 in there for big games and people would be spilling out everywhere like in the rigs against Clemson. They renovated it in 2014 and drained the soul out of the place. The lower seats had be cut out to make a wide enough side line (you could smack players on the helmet when they sat on the bench before - it was that close). They used fake cast stone to try to get the look of the original hand laid stone walls, and they put down plastic grass (a sin in my book) and it all looks pretend compared to the grit we had before. I think it seats more people now - but you don't feel like you are part of the game there now, and everyone is on their phones. And it all feels wrong.

For me, the New Dude got those things right as much as possible. At least they got way more right than wrong. Frankly, in the old Dude I spent way more games in those god-awful aluminum bleachers then anywhere else - and trying to watch a game from there was just bad - especially on big weekends. So, actually getting to sit in a padded seat, or a rolling chair in the Loge, or have the view from top of the Lofts - I'll all take that all day!

[StarkVegasSteve]

I totally get that. My high school in my hometown had an incredible stadium that was built by the WPA in 1940. It was football only, and the stands were right up on the field, stone wall surrounded the whole thing, had a visitors locker room that would make Jackie Sherrill say "that's cruel to let a team use that". My grandfather played on that field, my uncle was a HS All-American on that field. I planted my first awkward kiss on my 7th grade "girlfriend" at a game there. My parents had season tickets in the same seats for 40 years. Other teams loved coming there for the atmosphere. We'd squeeze 10,000 in there for big games and people would be spilling out everywhere like in the rigs against Clemson. They renovated it in 2014 and drained the soul out of the place. The lower seats had be cut out to make a wide enough side line (you could smack players on the helmet when they sat on the bench before - it was that close). They used fake cast stone to try to get the look of the original hand laid stone walls, and they put down plastic grass (a sin in my book) and it all looks pretend compared to the grit we had before. I think it seats more people now - but you don't feel like you are part of the game there now, and everyone is on their phones. And it all feels wrong.

For me, the New Dude got those things right as much as possible. At least they got way more right than wrong. Frankly, in the old Dude I spent way more games in those god-awful aluminum bleachers then anywhere else - and trying to watch a game from there was just bad - especially on big weekends. So, actually getting to sit in a padded seat, or a rolling chair in the Loge, or have the view from top of the Lofts - I'll all take that all day!

Well amenities wise this new stadium is second to none. I mean the premium areas rival a lot of Major League stadiums. And maybe the 360 concourse has contributed to the more social atmosphere. In the old stadium, you were kind of locked in to where you were sitting. There wasn't much walking around.

[Bothrops]

Did we?

Can't claim Lemo is a great recruiter or that we had a lot of draftable talent this year and ALSO claim we overachieved this season.

Oddly enough, we DID have a lot of talent, and ALSO about 4 terrible bats in our lineup and no bullpen because Lemo can't evaluate talent. He hits on some guys and completely whiffs on so many we end up with roster holes

Yep, we did. Look at who's also done around the league. Some pretty talented rosters.

[basedog]

There is Nothing like the Dude! It rocks and to discredit it is wrong SVS. Players and visitor fans RAVE about how friendly and loud it is.

[StarkVegasSteve]

There is Nothing like the Dude! It rocks and to discredit it is wrong SVS. Players and visitor fans RAVE about how friendly and loud it is.

As I said base, I'm in the minority, but I hate it being described as friendly. Be mean, Be nasty. Teams should fear coming here, not be fasting for a 5 course meal every day.

[BrunswickDawg]

As I said base, I'm in the minority, but I hate it being described as friendly. Be mean, Be nasty. Teams should fear coming here, not be fasting for a 5 course meal every day.

I think you have separate the fact that fans and teams can come and enjoy interacting with our fans and whether or not the place is intimidating to play in. They are different things. My uga friends rave about our tailgating at football and were shocked at how loud we can be even without bells. Same with baseball. The Dude is rowdy - but we also have to be aware that if our TEAM sucks, nothing will make the place intimidating

[StarkVegasSteve]

I think you have separate the fact that fans and teams can come and enjoy interacting with our fans and whether or not the place is intimidating to play in. They are different things. My uga friends rave about our tailgating at football and were shocked at how loud we can be even without bells. Same with baseball. The Dude is rowdy - but we also have to be aware that if our TEAM sucks, nothing will make the place intimidating

Nail on the head right there. And maybe. that is what I'm basing it on. I think another thing is that the students just aren't invested in the games anymore. Go back to 2018-2021 and the students just gave the opposing teams ABSOLUTE hell. Right field was a snake pit. I haven't been to as many games since moving from MS in 21, but it seems like RF is tame. More students worried about what goes on their Instagram story than what goes on in the game.

[BrunswickDawg]

Nail on the head right there. And maybe. that is what I'm basing it on. I think another thing is that the students just aren't invested in the games anymore. Go back to 2018-2021 and the students just gave the opposing teams ABSOLUTE hell. Right field was a snake pit. I haven't been to as many games since moving from MS in 21, but it seems like RF is tame. More students worried about what goes on their Instagram story than what goes on in the game.

Same can be said about being in the Hump in '95-'96 or '02-'04. Or DWS in '97-'99 or '14-'15. When you are playing for Championships it makes a HUGE difference in everything.
I was at the Auburn game in '14 - and I have never experienced anything like that at MSU for football. I was at the Friday A&M game at the Dude in '21 when TA hit the walk-off in the 11th - and the electricity was palpable. Best baseball game atmosphere I'd been in outside of an MLB playoff game (I didn't get to Omaha, and haven't been to a Regional/Super R since the early 90s). You could SEE the Dude Effect on TV from '18-'21. It will get back there.

[Goldendawg]

As I said base, I'm in the minority, but I hate it being described as friendly. Be mean, Be nasty. Teams should fear coming here, not be fasting for a 5 course meal every day.

May be well fed, but I don't think anyone has feared playing us for the past three years. OOC teams see it has a chance to play at "the Carnegie Hall of Baseball" of baseball and have a chance to tell these grandchildren about the win they had over MSU.

[StarkVegasSteve]

May be well fed, but I don't think anyone has feared playing us for the past three years. OOC teams see it has a chance to play at "the Carnegie Hall of Baseball" of baseball and have a chance to tell these grandchildren about the win they had over MSU.

I agree. But like Bruns said, maybe that's more a byproduct of the results on the field the past 3 years than the lack of interest.

[EdwardDrayton]

We were plenty spicy on the field this season. Although maybe not so much for the UVA games. And don't think anyone wants to be an opposing team outfielder DURING a game at the Dude.

After the game with opposing players and fans is an entirely different situation.

We're talking different scenarios that easily co-exist.

[maroonmania]

May be well fed, but I don't think anyone has feared playing us for the past three years. OOC teams see it has a chance to play at "the Carnegie Hall of Baseball" of baseball and have a chance to tell these grandchildren about the win they had over MSU.

Maybe so but we won every SEC series played at home this year and lost all but one played on the road.