Facility Upgrades for DI

[MplsBison]

Dude, as I said, read the lax thread. It talks about the scenarios under which lax at UND would make sense. Yeah, it's a 10-page thread, but it's (rarity of rarity on the 'net) more content than flame.

Dude,

obviously UND Lacrosse is your pet project at the moment and you're going to defending it like a mother defends her cub.

I hope you realize that I wasn't putting down the possibility forever.

Just in the short run UND's goal needs to be to get in a DI conference for bball and the rest of the sports. Cutting baseball/softball and adding Lacrosse is not going to do that at the moment.

PS - UND's report projects $2.5 million for just a 500 seat stadium. I don't see the logic in that at all.

UND should not spend only their own money on an on campus baseball stadium. The only way UND should do it is to partner with the city to build a nice baseball stadium that would work for a Northern League or single A minor league team (somelike like Newman) on the UND campus which the UND baseball team could use for the 8 or so home games that they can get.

And even after it's built, if UND doens't need to have a baseball team, the stadium was not a waste.

Really, everyone wins.

[The Sicatoka]

I know you weren't putting down the idea.

In that thread is the scenario where going to lacrosse makes sense: being DI in a non-baseball conference. All the things you mention are right there.

The rest of the problem is that I don't see GF looking to build a baseball facility. And I really don't expect the Northern League to be looking at Grand Forks any time soon either.

My thoughts are save that "powder" and use it another day to try to get higher returns out of an existing facility (i.e. The Al as host to both UND Football, and maybe, someday, UND Lacrosse).

[MplsBison]

How could you not see the Northern League looking at Grand Forks?!

You do know that like half the league just defected to another league, right? Saint Paul, Lincoln, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls all left.

I mean, the Redhawks are playing in a division with Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg! The other division is Kansas city, and three Chicago area teams.

Hell, if the NL isn't looking at Grand Forks then they're not very smart.

Your idea that UND would be in a non baseball DI league is a stretch. The only DI conference in the entire nation that does not play baseball is the Big Sky.

Every other confernece UND has a chance to get into (Mid Con, Horizon, MVC) all play baseball.

If UND can work with GF to get a Newman type field built on campus, that is a no loser scenario. UND doesn't lose, Grand Forks doens't lose, the NL doens't lose. Even if UND latter drops the baseball team, there still would be no losers.

I think that your best bet at the moment.

Unless you can get into the Big Sky (isn't happening unless the western schools leave), just forget about anything else for right now.

[Sioux-cia]

Wasn't there a minor league baseball team in GF not that long ago? The Catfish or something thing like that?

It was a big flop!

[MplsBison]

Wasn't there a minor league baseball team in GF not that long ago? The Catfish or something thing like that?

It was a big flop!

Times change.

The NL needs more teams for the north division.

[82SiouxGuy]

Times change.

The NL needs more teams for the north division.

Grand Forks has had 2 different teams in the past decade or so. Both teams failed. Average attendance was well under 1,000 for both teams. A new park would be a tough sell to the community right now. I think there would need to be a large donor willing to pick up most of the cost. But a facility is needed with or without a Northern League team or UND. The current field is used almost constantly already.

[MplsBison]

Grand Forks has had 2 different teams in the past decade or so. Both teams failed. Average attendance was well under 1,000 for both teams. A new park would be a tough sell to the community right now. I think there would need to be a large donor willing to pick up most of the cost. But a facility is needed with or without a Northern League team or UND. The current field is used almost constantly already.

Even if NDSU dropped baseball, Newman field would still be mostly used the same as it is now. NDSU hasn't played many meaningful games at Newman since moving up (SDSU and Minnesota).

That's the only way I think UND should build a baseball stadium on campus. Don't waste your own money building the whole thing. Try to partner with the city. If you later axe the baseball team for scholarships for DI-A football or whatever, then no one loses out.

You could also build about four new softball fields (ala the NDSU park) that would be used for city softball leagues or whatever have you. Put metal bleacher seating for about 250 behind the backstop of one of them and call that good for the 10 or so games max that UND softball would use it for.

[Cratter]

Build an on campus Lacrosse stadium.

[Smoggy]

I believe the Rogers Centre in Toronto was referenced earlier in this thread as having the tray system. Did anyone see that field when the Twins opened the season there? Awful. Injury Scary awful. Every seemed really stood out. Someone or something messed up. Can't really see the Metrodome seems. Could they be bigger sections?

I wish GF would get a baseball team that served cheap beer. It's a nice way to spend the evening in the summer. I don't know if you could say that the team (Varmints?) failed as I think it was the league that folded.

[Twinsfan]

I have been told before that the Metrodome's new turf is built on large interlocking pallets that are hauled in and out with forklifts. Although I am not 100% true if this is exactly true, just what I have been told before.

The Metrodome's new turf is permanently laid on the floor. They purchased an interlocking heavy gauge plastic covering system that covers the entire floor for another type of event. I was at the NCAA basketball regional this spring and walked over that floor surface to get access to the temporary seating. It must be tough stuff to allow monster truck shows and not have damage to the turf underneath!