Alabama baseball

[MsStateBaseball]

They are getting a brand new 30 million buck stadium. I guess they will build on totally different site and then tear the old on down. Now the ball is in Stricklins court IMO. We go head to head w recruits w them and their history is pretty good in baseball. We have got to get a lot better stadium very soon.

[engie]

Building at the same site... They are talking about possibly playing a season in Hoover if it can't be done in a year...

[KB21]

I don't think "The Dude" needs to be replaced, but I would like to see the grandstand extended to replace the metal bleachers down the right and left field lines.

Also, if they ever decide to build a new facility, then you can probably kiss the LFL good bye the way it is currently set up. This place has a lot of tradition and is still one of the best venues to watch a baseball game at in college with some of the most knowledgeable fans around when it comes to baseball.

[Homedawg]

They are getting a brand new 30 million buck stadium. I guess they will build on totally different site and then tear the old on down. Now the ball is in Stricklins court IMO. We go head to head w recruits w them and their history is pretty good in baseball. We have got to get a lot better stadium very soon.

From my conversations look for the bleachers to come down, the press box down and change the roof over the current skyboxes. Whether we add more of those, I don't know. I would think so. There wil be other changes. But those hoping for a new stadium or a major different look to the original DNF, I think u will be disappointed. Now it hasn't gone to an architect yet. But that's the thoughts for now. Still a multi million $ job.

[Todd4State]

I don't think "The Dude" needs to be replaced, but I would like to see the grandstand extended to replace the metal bleachers down the right and left field lines.

Also, if they ever decide to build a new facility, then you can probably kiss the LFL good bye the way it is currently set up. This place has a lot of tradition and is still one of the best venues to watch a baseball game at in college with some of the most knowledgeable fans around when it comes to baseball.

If all they do is build a new grandstand and leave the LFL alone, it will be fine. The LFL survived the grandstand being built in 1987 after all.

[Todd4State]

From my conversations look for the bleachers to come down, the press box down and change the roof over the current skyboxes. Whether we add more of those, I don't know. I would think so. There wil be other changes. But those hoping for a new stadium or a major different look to the original DNF, I think u will be disappointed. Now it hasn't gone to an architect yet. But that's the thoughts for now. Still a multi million $ job.

That would be incredibly disappointing to me.

[Homedawg]

I'm sure there will be Additional things, obviously, like what replaces the bleachers. And I know there will other changes to the grandstand but i mentioned the major ones to it.

[CadaverDawg]

That would be incredibly disappointing to me.

Me too

[Will James]

That would be incredibly disappointing to me.

Thats our LT, I mean Strick the Marketing man. Bring on the meh.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I don't think "The Dude" needs to be replaced, but I would like to see the grandstand extended to replace the metal bleachers down the right and left field lines.

I will never understand this. Either people aren't aware of the structural issues, or they just don't care. If they add more seats down the foul lines, those people are barely going to be able to see the game because of the sightlines. This would just be wasted money in the long run.


Also, if they ever decide to build a new facility, then you can probably kiss the LFL good bye the way it is currently set up. This place has a lot of tradition and is still one of the best venues to watch a baseball game at in college with some of the most knowledgeable fans around when it comes to baseball.

Why in the hell could they not build a new, open-concourse grandstand and just leave the LFL alone? That doesn't even make sense.

[messageboardsuperhero]

That would be incredibly disappointing to me.

It would be a HUGE disappointment to me as well, for reasons discussed ad nauseam in other threads.

[breazy]

Why in the hell could they not build a new, open-concourse grandstand and just leave the LFL alone? That doesn't even make sense.

They can, I'm not sure where The Fear Mongers are getting this, At most it would need slight modification to one end or the other for a temporary road for construction vehicles and deliveries, but If a new grand stand were built, It could concievably be built completely from behind without ever impacting the LFL in the exact same manner that our NEZ expansion is being built.

[CadaverDawg]

Nothing says "we don't have a ****ing clue" like going to the National Championship game, and then proceeding to "update" our horrible sight lined facility by pumping "millions" into an old stadium when a few more "millions" could allow us to have a top stadium.

If we put lipstick on this pig, It will be one of the more incompetent things I've seen at MSU since Croom

[messageboardsuperhero]

Nothing says "we don't have a ****ing clue" like going to the National Championship game, and then proceeding to "update" our horrible sight lined facility by pumping "millions" into an old stadium when a few more "millions" could allow us to have a top stadium.

If we put lipstick on this pig, It will be one of the more incompetent things I've seen at MSU since Croom

Literally every informed person I've talked to/heard from about this knows exactly what needs to be done. If Stricklin dicks around and half-asses this thing while we have a chance to bring this program to national prominence, he can take the next Greyhound bus out of Starkville as far as I'm concerned.

Considering how long this has been a known issue, Stricklin should at least have design plans and an announcement out by now. I know money is tight, but you don't have to have cash to announce plans and start raising money. Shit, that's what fundraising is for.

[Todd4State]

Literally every informed person I've talked to/heard from about this knows exactly what needs to be done. If Stricklin dicks around and half-asses this thing while we have a chance to bring this program to national prominence, he can take the next Greyhound bus out of Starkville as far as I'm concerned.

Considering how long this has been a known issue, Stricklin should at least have design plans and an announcement out by now. I know money is tight, but you don't have to have cash to announce plans and start raising money. Shit, that's what fundraising is for.

My guess is Scott and the MSU "leadership" didn't expect us to be this good in baseball this soon. I think they were expecting us to be where we are by year ten of Cohen as opposed to year five and were hoping to get football squared away first. Well, then fate happened and all of sudden the baseball stadium has become more of an issue than it was.

I'm sure if you are an athletic director it would be ideal to do one major project at a time, but sometimes things don't work out like that.

[bobcat91]

My guess is Scott and the MSU "leadership" didn't expect us to be this good in baseball this soon. I think they were expecting us to be where we are by year ten of Cohen as opposed to year five and were hoping to get football squared away first. Well, then fate happened and all of sudden the baseball stadium has become more of an issue than it was.

I'm sure if you are an athletic director it would be ideal to do one major project at a time, but sometimes things don't work out like that.

Let's not tread lightly. Stricklin is a nice yes man and the illegitimate son of LT. There are no plans, even after everyone knew this had to be done and was promised to Cohen when he came back. Stricklin is like rain man and can only focus on one issue at a time. I was all for him to get the job after Byrne and due to his MSU background and the blessings of the ninja, but alas I was mistaken. He is only a mild reactionary and has no vision at all. Now let all of his cousins come defend his total lack of vision for facilities and planning. The cheapest thing an AD can do is get plans together. He hasn't done any of this and for those saying he knows what needs to be done, well so do I and I'm not the damn AD.

[Todd4State]

Let's not tread lightly. Stricklin is a nice yes man and the illegitimate son of LT. There are no plans, even after everyone knew this had to be done and was promised to Cohen when he came back. Stricklin is like rain man and can only focus on one issue at a time. I was all for him to get the job after Byrne and due to his MSU background and the blessings of the ninja, but alas I was mistaken. He is only a mild reactionary and has no vision at all. Now let all of his cousins come defend his total lack of vision for facilities and planning. The cheapest thing an AD can do is get plans together. He hasn't done any of this and for those saying he knows what needs to be done, well so do I and I'm not the damn AD.

I hear you. Our leadership needs to realize that sometimes it's OK to be in the red on the front end to get long term gains.

And I don't really understand what their logic is sometimes. Like, OK- we're going to build all of these awesome football facilities but we're still going to go cheap on assistant coaches salaries? The Pirates had/have what many consider the nicest stadium in baseball right now- and yet because they wouldn't spend money on good players they didn't draw well. Even if I am sitting in some premium seat at Scott Field with a butt warmer and eating Veranda- it still sucks to watch Dan's offense. If we're going to go all in on football, we need to go all in on it.

In baseball, we definitely should go all in. What the baseball team did this past summer brought more positive attention to MSU and the state of Mississippi than anything in awhile. Cohen and the team deserve to have something really nice to help them out and get support from our fans all season long.

It appears to me as if what we need is some big time donor to step up and go to Scott and say- "Look, here's what we need to do with the baseball stadium, let's figure out what it's going to cost, and then how to fund raise it, and I'll donate a ton of money and you put my name on the stadium."

[berr6728]

are you guys nuts? I have been watching baseball at Mississippi State since 1960. There is no better stadium in the country than Dudy Noble Field. I have seen every stadium in SEC and many non conference stadiums and would not trade DNF/PDS for any of them. This past season was my 53rd year to watch MSU baseball. I sit behind our dugout in box 13. I live 5 hours from Starkville in Livingston, Louisiana about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge and never miss a weekend series. You are welcome to stop by and visit anytime during baseball season. I will be up every weekend starting Oct. 4th to watch fall practice. So call or come by stadium during fall ball and see me

Darryl Berryhill
Class of 1963/65
Box 13 DNF/PDS
berr6728@bellsouth.net
1-225-205-1499

[CadaverDawg]

I hear you. Our leadership needs to realize that sometimes it's OK to be in the red on the front end to get long term gains.

And I don't really understand what their logic is sometimes. Like, OK- we're going to build all of these awesome football facilities but we're still going to go cheap on assistant coaches salaries? The Pirates had/have what many consider the nicest stadium in baseball right now- and yet because they wouldn't spend money on good players they didn't draw well. Even if I am sitting in some premium seat at Scott Field with a butt warmer and eating Veranda- it still sucks to watch Dan's offense. If we're going to go all in on football, we need to go all in on it.

In baseball, we definitely should go all in. What the baseball team did this past summer brought more positive attention to MSU and the state of Mississippi than anything in awhile. Cohen and the team deserve to have something really nice to help them out and get support from our fans all season long.

It appears to me as if what we need is some big time donor to step up and go to Scott and say- "Look, here's what we need to do with the baseball stadium, let's figure out what it's going to cost, and then how to fund raise it, and I'll donate a ton of money and you put my name on the stadium."

One of your best posts ever, and that's saying something. I could not agree more with every bit of this.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I don't think anyone argues that DNF is a great place to watch a game, IF you have a good seat. Considering you have a box behind the dugout, you probably don't fully understand just how bad the seating is in the bleachers. Those people can barely see anything.

The 6,000 or so grandstand seats are in an outdated structure, but are okay. The real problem is the people who can't get grandstand seats or don't know anyone in the LFL are screwed. I sure as hell wouldn't pay money to watch a game from those bleachers, and the simple fact is that we can't just add more chairbacks down the line. The sightlines are so bad that those people would essentially have to just stare into center field all game, unless they want to turn their heads perpendicular the front of their bodies. Half the people in the stadium would have cricks in their necks by the 4th inning.

[CadaverDawg]

are you guys nuts? I have been watching baseball at Mississippi State since 1960. There is no better stadium in the country than Dudy Noble Field. I have seen every stadium in SEC and many non conference stadiums and would not trade DNF/PDS for any of them. This past season was my 53rd year to watch MSU baseball. I sit behind our dugout in box 13. I live 5 hours from Starkville in Livingston, Louisiana about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge and never miss a weekend series. You are welcome to stop by and visit anytime during baseball season. I will be up every weekend starting Oct. 4th to watch fall practice. So call or come by stadium during fall ball and see me

Darryl Berryhill
Class of 1963/65
Box 13 DNF/PDS
berr6728@bellsouth.net
1-225-205-1499

What you don't realize though, is that it's not just about you. And that's not meant in a negative way. I love the fact that you have been such a long time supporter. Have you been to any of the other SEC stadiums? Or just Dudy Noble every year? Our stadium is big, and was once in a league of it's own....but not anymore. And if you weren't in the grand stand, but instead down the foul lines, you would notice how miserable it is to watch a game with those HORRIBLE sight lines. You damn near get a crick in your neck watching from the bleachers,

The people like yourself are what makes Dudy such a great place. So if we are going to be a National Title contender, we need to have a top stadium. Our stadium is outdated and needs improvement that in my opinion, can only be fixed by starting fresh. If we tear down the grandstand and start fresh, we would have a great stadium AND the great people and atmosphere that we always have. It's a facilities thing....not an atmosphere thing

[CadaverDawg]

I don't think anyone argues that DNF is a great place to watch a game, IF you have a good seat. Considering you have a box behind the dugout, you probably don't fully understand just how bad the seating is in the bleachers. Those people can barely see anything.

The 6,000 or so grandstand seats are in an outdated structure, but are okay. The real problem is the people who can't get grandstand seats or don't know anyone in the LFL are screwed. I sure as hell wouldn't pay money to watch a game from those bleachers, and the simple fact is that we can't just add more chairbacks down the line. The sightlines are so bad that those people would essentially have to just stare into center field all game, unless they want to turn their heads perpendicular the front of their bodies. Half the people in the stadium would have cricks in their necks by the 4th inning.

Haha, I can tell we have both experienced those bleacher seats!

[messageboardsuperhero]

I hear you. Our leadership needs to realize that sometimes it's OK to be in the red on the front end to get long term gains.

And I don't really understand what their logic is sometimes. Like, OK- we're going to build all of these awesome football facilities but we're still going to go cheap on assistant coaches salaries? The Pirates had/have what many consider the nicest stadium in baseball right now- and yet because they wouldn't spend money on good players they didn't draw well. Even if I am sitting in some premium seat at Scott Field with a butt warmer and eating Veranda- it still sucks to watch Dan's offense. If we're going to go all in on football, we need to go all in on it.

In baseball, we definitely should go all in. What the baseball team did this past summer brought more positive attention to MSU and the state of Mississippi than anything in awhile. Cohen and the team deserve to have something really nice to help them out and get support from our fans all season long.

It appears to me as if what we need is some big time donor to step up and go to Scott and say- "Look, here's what we need to do with the baseball stadium, let's figure out what it's going to cost, and then how to fund raise it, and I'll donate a ton of money and you put my name on the stadium."

And again, Todd is the voice of reason.

[War Machine Dawg]

I agree with Todd, CD, MBS, et al in this thread. If we only do a small "upgrade" to DNF and don't fix the underlying issues, then Stricklin needs to be fired. Frankly, I'm becoming more and more convinced he's LT 2.0 but capable of being personable. But there are definitely signs the "think small, stay small" mentality is there. As is the fear of being in the red.

Baseball is probably the only sport we have a legit chance at a national championship. We need to go all in, costs be damned. The players, alumni, fans, and state of Mississippi deserve nothing less than excellence from MSU baseball. If we want to continue claiming to be one of the Joneses in college baseball, we need to have facilities that are second to none. Otherwise, we'll go the way of Miami football: A once-proud power with shitty facilities and a very average program with a hole you may not be able to dig out of. And if we don't do something to keep pace with or outdo Bama, you can kiss all those great recruits we get from there goodbye. They won't cross state lines to play in a shitty facility when they can play in a brand-new, top flight facility in-state. And considering those guys have been the lifeblood of our program, that will be a killer.

[Will James]

"think small, stay small"

This is our problem

[HereComesTheSpiral]

Like everyone is saying, upgrading the stadium would be the worst thing we could do, and it might actually costs more to remodel than tear down and build new. None of us know what shape the actual structure is in an if it can even support additions. Whenever you have to make structural upgrades to existing structures, the costs can skyrocket in a heartbeat. Hopefully the architect is conveying this message as they discuss plans to move forward. There are also several things we could do to raise money for a new stadium. The brick program like what has been done with the football stadium, season tickets seats can be determined by donation for construction. Donate more money, get better seats. I know you have to honor the long time holders, but this could give them an opportunity to upgrade their seating.

[berr6728]

I agree. I am with whoever it was to put chair backs in place of lefty field bleachers. Also extend skyboxes too. We need to tear down press box and run skyboxes from leftfield foul pole to just past 1st base, with putting press box above skyboxes. Also make an area on 1st base side a burn area for kids and games. Just a thought. By the way I have 2 seats in section H- last row.

Darryl Berryhill
Class of 1963/65
Box 13 DNF/PDS
berr6728@bellsouth.net
1-225-205-1499

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

There arent any firm plans for dnf yet. My opinion is to start over. Our press box and suites are awful and there are no concessions or bathrooms. There is literally no way to make it modern without starting over.

[Todd4State]

are you guys nuts? I have been watching baseball at Mississippi State since 1960. There is no better stadium in the country than Dudy Noble Field. I have seen every stadium in SEC and many non conference stadiums and would not trade DNF/PDS for any of them. This past season was my 53rd year to watch MSU baseball. I sit behind our dugout in box 13. I live 5 hours from Starkville in Livingston, Louisiana about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge and never miss a weekend series. You are welcome to stop by and visit anytime during baseball season. I will be up every weekend starting Oct. 4th to watch fall practice. So call or come by stadium during fall ball and see me

Darryl Berryhill
Class of 1963/65
Box 13 DNF/PDS
berr6728@bellsouth.net
1-225-205-1499

Your support is awesome- I wish I could do the same, and I wish we had 15,000 baseball fans with equal support.

That said, just because Dudy-Noble Field is good- that doesn't mean it can't get or be better. To be honest, there probably aren't many teams in the SEC that would trade stadiums with us from a structural perspective- Ole Miss, soon Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, South Carolina all come to mind. Georgia is about to start pumping some money into baseball as well and maybe even Tennessee. Of course people like Austin Peay would be ecstatic to have a place like Dudy-Noble Field, but let's all be honest here- teams like that shouldn't be our bar as far as what our stadium should be.

As far as baseball stadiums being built- it has happened it seems like in almost every part of the country. But I can not recall once any fan saying "Gee, we shouldn't have built this- I liked the old place better." I think if we built a new stadium our fans new and old would likely love it and be very happy that we did it.

It's like some of our fans have this fear that we are going to build essentially a new stadium and all of a sudden MSU baseball is going to cease to exist or go back to what it was during Cohen's first two years. I think that fear may have been there for a long time with Polk as well- and likely the thought process as to why he was possibly hired back- at least in part. "Let's bring back what seems to be sure based on past experience." But once we actually stepped outside the box a little bit and went against Polk's wishes and hired Cohen, we started to eventually experience success as much as ever before. We have to think progressive and move our program forward or we will actually experience what happened during Polk's second tenure- which is stagnation eventually leading to ruin.

And to be clear- I'm not saying that if we don't do anything to Dudy-Noble we will completely fall apart. My point is that we won't reach our full potential. I think Cohen will continue to move our program forward regardless of the ballpark, but it would be nice if Scott helped him out.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I agree. I am with whoever it was to put chair backs in place of lefty field bleachers. Also extend skyboxes too. We need to tear down press box and run skyboxes from leftfield foul pole to just past 1st base, with putting press box above skyboxes.

Again, we can't just extend the chairbacks. If we do, the sightlines of the stadium would not allow for those fans to see the game very well. If we just extended, those seats down the line would be angled facing the centerfield wall. We would be intentionally spending a bunch of money to build seats that we know will have a crappy view of the field. Now, if we ARE short on money, as many people who don't want to start over like to point out, why in the hell would we waste what money we do have building seats with bad views? That's why many of us want to start fundraising for a new state-of-the-art grandstand. Even if it takes a year or two longer to get the money together (which I am totally okay with) than it would if we just extended the current structure, we would be SO much better off in the long run if this is done right.


Also make an area on 1st base side a burn area for kids and games. Just a thought. By the way I have 2 seats in section H- last row.

I've heard this idea a couple of time, and to be totally honest, I really don't like. I appreciate what you say as a long time baseball supporter, but I personally just hate the idea of a kid's playground in a ballpark. It's just a preference of mine and if it is just me, I'll shut up.