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Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:11 am
by PonyTime
longbuzzer wrote:Interesting piece of info above about a shortage of wood for bats. I didn't know we had a tight ash supply.


Tight Ash Supply

LOL

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:42 am
by PoconoPony
[quote="smusportspage"]Yes, thanks PoconoPony! Very interesting. Wish they at least could make a composite bat that does not ping.[/quote

You may be familiar with the ping sound as the Al bats have been around for many years; however, you will hear a totally different sound with the composition bats which give you a dull thud sound. Also, note that the velocity restriction standards were only imposed roughly 5 years ago and are used at the high school and college level, but not every league ( baseball or softball ) may have adapted the new standards. Also, restricted Al bats are available and will still have a toned down ping sound.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:29 am
by Mustang2
mrydel wrote:4) Why, when we had it once and there was no student or outside interest? Perhaps 30-40 people in attendance.

While this is true, that was over thirty years ago. Interests are very different now.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:51 am
by mrydel
Mustang2 wrote:
mrydel wrote:4) Why, when we had it once and there was no student or outside interest? Perhaps 30-40 people in attendance.

While this is true, that was over thirty years ago. Interests are very different now.

This was when the Rangers started in Arlington. After the night David Clyde started for the Rangers, their popularity, and baseball popularity in the Dallas area was at its highest. The SMU support was zero.

If you cannot get students and area fans to come out to a continuous action FB game, or a fast paced 2 hour BB game with no weather factors, why would you believe they would swarm to a baseball game?

I love baseball. I was one of the very few attending the games. But I have to believe something like lacrosse which seems to have a better appeal and easier to fund would be better.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 5:44 pm
by gostangs
We are 100% more likely to add lacrosse. We have a great base in the states best club team, we have a stadium that we already own on campus, it is a sport which overlaps 100% with our student profile, and it is a more interesting game and faster pace.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:07 am
by PerunasHoof
gostangs wrote:We are 100% more likely to add lacrosse. We have a great base in the states best club team, we have a stadium that we already own on campus, it is a sport which overlaps 100% with our student profile, and it is a more interesting game and faster pace.


Who would we play? We would have to start out as an independent and travel to the East coast or Big 10 schools. Our athletic department already hemorrhages money, I can't imagine adding a travel intensive sport like this (plus a corresponding girls sport).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_l ... s_Lacrosse

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:11 pm
by PoconoPony
First observation: I played baseball for 2 years at SMU before my scholarship sport overwhelmed my time and grades. The old baseball field was located at the site of our current soccer field with the left field fence along Airline road in front of Moody and home plate near the corner of the Binkley Parking garage, outdoor parking lot and across from the old Barr pool. ( Proud to say I cranked/bounced a few into the front doors of Moody with roughly a 350 foot fence.) Despite being right in the middle of campus we drew little interest as mrydel posted drawing a crowd of 40 or 50 at most who probably cared little about baseball and were just killing some time back from classes and en-route back to the McElvaney dorm group. Thereafter, the baseball field was converted into a very nice track complex and baseball was relocated off campus to a municipal park where no one attended games. Today SMU simply does not have any vacant space that would accommodate a baseball or softball complex. In fact the campus, in my opinion, is now over built with the IPF killing the last main campus open space and detracting from the beauty of the campus. Bottom line is that baseball is probably not a sport of sufficient interest to even consider resurrection. I believe that with some modification the lacrosse field could be developed into a reasonable facility if it were upgraded from a club sport. Lacrosse would be the men's sport to be added; however, Title IX would require the addition of another wormen's sport to match the total scholarships. Not sure SMU can afford to add any new sports. As an aside, UConn is now considering the elimination of 7 or 8 sports as they cannot afford their current program.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 8:58 am
by Charleston Pony
PoconoPony wrote:First observation: I played baseball for 2 years at SMU before my scholarship sport overwhelmed my time and grades. The old baseball field was located at the site of our current soccer field with the left field fence along Airline road in front of Moody and home plate near the corner of the Binkley Parking garage, outdoor parking lot and across from the old Barr pool. ( Proud to say I cranked/bounced a few into the front doors of Moody with roughly a 350 foot fence.) Despite being right in the middle of campus we drew little interest as mrydel posted drawing a crowd of 40 or 50 at most who probably cared little about baseball and were just killing some time back from classes and en-route back to the McElvaney dorm group. Thereafter, the baseball field was converted into a very nice track complex and baseball was relocated off campus to a municipal park where no one attended games. Today SMU simply does not have any vacant space that would accommodate a baseball or softball complex. In fact the campus, in my opinion, is now over built with the IPF killing the last main campus open space and detracting from the beauty of the campus. Bottom line is that baseball is probably not a sport of sufficient interest to even consider resurrection. I believe that with some modification the lacrosse field could be developed into a reasonable facility if it were upgraded from a club sport. Lacrosse would be the men's sport to be added; however, Title IX would require the addition of another wormen's sport to match the total scholarships. Not sure SMU can afford to add any new sports. As an aside, UConn is now considering the elimination of 7 or 8 sports as they cannot afford their current program.


I have to agree on both the baseball/softball issue and the adding of new sports. SMU doesn't have the fan base to even support it's "revenue" sports very well, so while I'd love to see baseball return (I admit to being one of the few who watched our baseball games back in the day), I just don't see it as a good investment.

Re: SMU Baseball Hypothetical Questions

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:49 pm
by PonyPower
I like baseball and love lacrosse, but why does this conversation keep resurfacing? The athletic department constantly asks for money as of it can't keep the lights on. Unless some major donor writes a check that will find everything -- coaches, facility, equipment, recruiting, travel, support staff, etc. -- we're not adding checkers, much less baseball or lacrosse.