It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

It will be Christmas every day for Cougar baseball players. Instead of caps, they will have elf costumes.

Look, get rid of the red cut-outs and at least it will have a semi-normal appearance. Until then, it looks as stylish as a plaid suit with a big polka dot bow tie.

(12-19-2013 10:01 PM)Old Sammy Wrote:  The Coogfans thread on the subject: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=215&f=2809&t=12195921

I like how all the links in that thread are to tasteful installations (dirt-colored contrast color; full base paths).

(12-20-2013 12:18 PM)texd Wrote:  

(12-19-2013 10:01 PM)Old Sammy Wrote:  The Coogfans thread on the subject: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=215&f=2809&t=12195921

I like how all the links in that thread are to tasteful installations (dirt-colored contrast color; full base paths).

To be fair, those were all posted before we knew what the actual thing would look like.

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider.

TW believes the turf is better for the program and has said it's already helping recruiting and hosting tournaments which will increase the amount of prospects that play at Cougar Field.

So keep whining about how you don't like any of the improvements we're making while having fun playing Old Dominion and FAU.

Cougar Field was already hosting HS playoffs since the Cougars don't need it after they finish the regular season.

(12-20-2013 12:30 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider.

TW believes the turf is better for the program and has said it's already helping recruiting and hosting tournaments which will increase the amount of prospects that play at Cougar Field.

So keep whining about how you don't like any of the improvements we're making while having fun playing Old Dominion and FAU.

Cougar Field was already hosting HS playoffs since the Cougars don't need it after they finish the regular season.

Ouch! This is truth.

(12-20-2013 11:55 AM)T-Moar Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider.

TW believes the turf is better for the program and has said it's already helping recruiting and hosting tournaments which will increase the amount of prospects that play at Cougar Field.

So keep whining about how you don't like any of the improvements we're making while having fun playing Old Dominion and FAU.

Go home, you're embarrassing the rest of us.

I can understand why the switch was made from grass to turf - less maintenance cost, and more non-UH games can be hosted on the field. But that execution is atrocious. The cut-out look is not enticing at all. As much as I want to support my school, at some point you have to call a spade a spade if you want to keep any semblance of objectivity.

+1

(12-20-2013 12:24 PM)T-Moar Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 12:18 PM)texd Wrote:  

(12-19-2013 10:01 PM)Old Sammy Wrote:  The Coogfans thread on the subject: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=215&f=2809&t=12195921

I like how all the links in that thread are to tasteful installations (dirt-colored contrast color; full base paths).

To be fair, those were all posted before we knew what the actual thing would look like.

Yeah, I know. Coogfans apparently has better taste than the department. (They didn't even post pictures of DFCU with its dirt-colored (aka burnt orange) cutouts).

I love it, especially when owls are pissed and jealous

(12-20-2013 01:39 PM)Burpelson Wrote:  I love it, especially when owls are pissed and jealous

So wrong. There was consideration of installing Field Turf at Reckling, and none of the fans on this board favored it. We were all delighted that Rice opted to rip up the old field, and install a first-class drainage system, and new grass, which have performed beautifully and the field has also kept a beautiful appearance.

At least in the short term, there's no doubt that Field Turf is cheaper to maintain (no mowing or watering), and it will withstand more play, but I don't know of a Rice fan who would prefer it. And I'm sure our players are glad not to bake in the hot Houston sun on a Field Turf surface.

I love it too. Especially when coog fans are high and delusional.

(12-20-2013 01:39 PM)Burpelson Wrote:  I love it, especially when owls are pissed and jealous

Pissed? No. Jealous? Not at all. ROTFLOAO? Well, yes.

Actually I can't believe this was done because IMHO UH has one of the best groundskeepers in the business. The stands aren't all that attractive; the scoreboard is unreadable in the daytime, but the field always looked to be in gorgeous shape and I loved to watch games there being played on that beautiful grass field. Not a good move.

(12-20-2013 12:30 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider.

TW believes the turf is better for the program and has said it's already helping recruiting and hosting tournaments which will increase the amount of prospects that play at Cougar Field.

So keep whining about how you don't like any of the improvements we're making while having fun playing Old Dominion and FAU.

Cougar Field was already hosting HS playoffs since the Cougars don't need it after they finish the regular season.

Tiki for the win!

(12-20-2013 02:25 AM)T-Moar Wrote:  

(12-19-2013 08:39 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Guess they are trying to make all their new NE conference foes feel comfortable or are trying to be Wannabe Horns. Sorry but unless you are way up north baseball should be played on real grass.

Many would say the same about Football.

The turf itself isn't that bad, but those cut-outs...woof. I think if they were going to do something like that, they might as well go ahead and install red turf, like Eastern Washington Football. If the turf is going to be atrocious, it should at least be distinctive.

I favor grass for any sport that's not indoors. Field turf is better than the old astroturf, but I'd still rather have the real stuff.

I may be in a minority as I always liked going to Cougar field ... it was a huge improvement over what was there previously, but it's still not in the class of Reckling Park. However, the turf might be such an abomination (red cutouts or no) that it would make the difference between going and not going to see an opponent other than Rice. Granting that I no longer live in Houston, but I enjoyed going to town for the SWC pre-season tourney when they hosted that there and at Cameron field way back when.

The Coogs built a decent baseball stadium in the mid 90s. Ripping up grass to put in a horrible looking artificial turf is disgusting. Almost all the major league baseball teams are back to playing on grass now because the surface does make a big difference in baseball.

Rice has almost made its investment in baseball. Reckling is better than Cougar Field. We went to the trouble of redoing the drainage under the field and avoided using an artificial turf.

(12-20-2013 11:12 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider.

TW believes the turf is better for the program and has said it's already helping recruiting and hosting tournaments which will increase the amount of prospects that play at Cougar Field.

So keep whining about how you don't like any of the improvements we're making while having fun playing Old Dominion and FAU.

Look, you guys desperately needed a new baseball stadium and/or major renovations to the field; so anything is better than what you had for recruiting....but I find it VERY hard to believe that top high school prospects would prefer playing on Field Turf to natural grass (which is what they're accustomed to)...and Field Turf is NOT going to help you host post-season tournaments; only performance on the field will do that.

BTW, why in the world would Rice supporters be envious of your new baseball field when Rice currently houses one of the Top 10 baseball stadiums in the country (by almost every national account) and perennially ranks amongst the Top 15 nationally in home baseball attendance? What's more, Reckling Park has arguably the absolute best drainage system of any baseball stadium in the country.

I kid, I kid, I love our new field and yalls, man o man they skin is a bit thin.

(12-20-2013 04:10 PM)Burpelson Wrote:  I kid, I kid, I love our new field and yalls, man o man they skin is a bit thin.

Trolling...

Guess the students are happy they didn't add a new fee to pay for a new grass field so that is a win.

(12-20-2013 04:47 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Guess the students are happy they didn't add a new fee to pay for a new grass field so that is a win.

Any truth to the rumor that Tiki is going to change his handle to "Butter" - because he is on a roll....

(12-20-2013 10:05 AM)coogahoopa Wrote:  Wow, the p**** envy on this board is palpable. UH is investing Millions in athletic facilities and you guys are acting like the kid who didn't get a Daisy Red Rider (sic).

Well, looking at that field does make me want to shoot my eyes out.

(12-20-2013 05:09 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 04:47 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Guess the students are happy they didn't add a new fee to pay for a new grass field so that is a win.

Any truth to the rumor that Tiki is going to change his handle to "Butter" - because he is on a roll....

Well since Greenspan is no longer here....