(02-15-2020 09:45 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  Damn...what about the proposed olympic sports facility they were planning to build there?

Since they're not moving the baseball field, IMO it would make sense to attach the OV to the east end of the athletic admin building. The only ones going thru to the Convo would be coaches and student-athletes (gymnastics and wrestling). Would that disturb the ATHLETIC admin staff that much? And the soccer field and track are straight south of that site.

Right now, gymnastics and wrestling have facilities in the Huskie Stadium west grandstand. That means they have to go outside to the Convo, where they compete. Why build a free-standing new facility that requires the same thing? These are winter sports. Dumb.

As for the proposed indoor/outdoor tennis facility (proposed for the site you mentioned, alongside the OV) there is even more room east of the admin-OV site.

Coach Dave Mason Hitting Center Campaign
https://issuu.com/niubaseball/docs/mason_alumni_001

[quote='NIU2
Baseball Plans
https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.net/niu...s-Park.pdf
[/quote]

NIU1981: "The new one is supposed to have lights too, which will mitigate the sun issue by having games at night."

HawaiiToNIU: "Damn...what about the proposed Olympic sports facility they were planning to build there?"

Please remember different versions of STF's Maste(rbation) Plan are like so many used tissues. THERE IS NO MONEY for any of this unless someone on here is winning big with the lottery. ..... Of course, STF could decide to move select NIU baseball games to a lighted field somewhere in the suburbs.

You are right. The athletic department does not have money. Our budget last year was $25 million. The average MAC school was $33 million. They have tried bidding out the convo naming rights three times with no offers. The athletic board has some decent info for those interested. Here is the most recent disclosure.

https://www.niu.edu/u_council/committees...inutes.pdf

(02-15-2020 10:10 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:35 PM)NIU2007 Wrote:  Baseball Plans

https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.net/niu...s-Park.pdf

From the artwork, it looks like the field will "point" the way it is.

----------
For the record:
From the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, 2014 ...
Ralph McKinzie baseball field, overview, page 20:
"The field and the entire facility is oriented such that players are facing south and looking into the sun when standing at home plate. This is the complete opposite of the desired orientation."

----------
So they're going to spend money to rebuild the whole place without turning it, which wouldn't be all that much more considering what's in the "new" plan. Curious. Is this yet another NIU master plan we're ignoring?

That said, I think it's great that it will honor Coach O. Well-deserved and another NIU tradition respected.

I know several involved in baseball that might have a different view on Coach O by the way but everyone is entitled to an opinion.

(02-15-2020 11:36 PM)NIU2007 Wrote:  You are right. The athletic department does not have money. Our budget last year was $25 million. The average MAC school was $33 million. They have tried bidding out the convo naming rights three times with no offers. The athletic board has some decent info for those interested. Here is the most recent disclosure.

https://www.niu.edu/u_council/committees...inutes.pdf

M. Groza brought to the group’s attention an Athletic Board policy that states no contest can be scheduled one day before finals, and that contests scheduled two days prior have to be oncampus. Last fall (2018) Men’s Basketball was granted an exception from the Athletics Board to play against Butler on the Saturday prior to finals. This year Men’s Basketball scheduled a contest in California on the Saturday before finals and did not seek nor did they receive an exception from the Athletics Board. T. Bough asked as to how this was determined without deliberation, remarking that the Men’s Basketball program historically tends to have the lowest GPA in Athletics. C. Vinson responded that this was an oversight by Head Coach Mark Montgomery based on an obligation made last year to Davis. S. Frazier took responsibility for the error, noting that it will not happen again. D. Boughton said that the rule was reviewed years ago and that the student-athletes were adamant that the rule not change, and she suggested that it may be time to revisit the topic.

Interesting....

Not sure if I understand this. The rule was set to give the players adequate time to study for finals, the rule has been broken a couple times, the athletes are adamant about keeping the rule (as they should be), yet the administration wants to re-visit the policy?? Something does not smell right here.

(02-15-2020 10:10 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:35 PM)NIU2007 Wrote:  Baseball Plans

https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.net/niu...s-Park.pdf

From the artwork, it looks like the field will "point" the way it is.

----------
For the record:
From the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, 2014 ...
Ralph McKinzie baseball field, overview, page 20:
"The field and the entire facility is oriented such that players are facing south and looking into the sun when standing at home plate. This is the complete opposite of the desired orientation."

----------
So they're going to spend money to rebuild the whole place without turning it, which wouldn't be all that much more considering what's in the "new" plan. Curious. Is this yet another NIU master plan we're ignoring?

That said, I think it's great that it will honor Coach O. Well-deserved and another NIU tradition respected.

I don’t doubt the current administration put that in the official record about the sun to have a reason/excuse but like I said I and teammates never viewed that as a problem and I know several involved in baseball that might have a different view on Coach O but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

(02-16-2020 01:16 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Not sure if I understand this. The rule was set to give the players adequate time to study for finals, the rule has been broken a couple times, the athletes are adamant about keeping the rule (as they should be), yet the administration wants to re-visit the policy?? Something does not smell right here.

Scheduling 101: Block out the dates on your calendar that you cannot schedule a game. How can a head coach and an AD mess this up?

(02-16-2020 01:39 PM)HOF 08 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 10:10 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:35 PM)NIU2007 Wrote:  Baseball Plans

https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.net/niu...s-Park.pdf

From the artwork, it looks like the field will "point" the way it is.

----------
For the record:
From the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, 2014 ...
Ralph McKinzie baseball field, overview, page 20:
"The field and the entire facility is oriented such that players are facing south and looking into the sun when standing at home plate. This is the complete opposite of the desired orientation."

----------
So they're going to spend money to rebuild the whole place without turning it, which wouldn't be all that much more considering what's in the "new" plan. Curious. Is this yet another NIU master plan we're ignoring?

That said, I think it's great that it will honor Coach O. Well-deserved and another NIU tradition respected.

I don’t doubt the current administration put that in the official record about the sun to have a reason/excuse but like I said I and teammates never viewed that as a problem and I know several involved in baseball that might have a different view on Coach O but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

That's twice you've said that about Coach O. My opinion was only based on what I read, having no personal knowledge. It was also based on Northern having so few sustained traditions, and maybe an over-statement built on hope.

I would love to see each facility -- baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, golf, etc.-- that is not a "major" sport venue draw some kind of support from that segment of the NIU sports community and move ahead with improvements. Clearly, there is no one, financially or otherwise, committed to some ever-changing "master plan."

(02-16-2020 01:16 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Not sure if I understand this. The rule was set to give the players adequate time to study for finals, the rule has been broken a couple times, the athletes are adamant about keeping the rule (as they should be), yet the administration wants to re-visit the policy?? Something does not smell right here.

"Revisit the policy" is bureaucrat-speak for somebody is going to get a butt chewing from an athletic administration that loves to brag about the academic achievements of student-athletes. It makes the a.dept. look hypocritical.

(02-16-2020 02:13 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 01:39 PM)HOF 08 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 10:10 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:35 PM)NIU2007 Wrote:  Baseball Plans

https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.net/niu...s-Park.pdf

From the artwork, it looks like the field will "point" the way it is.

----------
For the record:
From the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, 2014 ...
Ralph McKinzie baseball field, overview, page 20:
"The field and the entire facility is oriented such that players are facing south and looking into the sun when standing at home plate. This is the complete opposite of the desired orientation."

----------
So they're going to spend money to rebuild the whole place without turning it, which wouldn't be all that much more considering what's in the "new" plan. Curious. Is this yet another NIU master plan we're ignoring?

That said, I think it's great that it will honor Coach O. Well-deserved and another NIU tradition respected.

I don’t doubt the current administration put that in the official record about the sun to have a reason/excuse but like I said I and teammates never viewed that as a problem and I know several involved in baseball that might have a different view on Coach O but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

That's twice you've said that about Coach O. My opinion was only based on what I read, having no personal knowledge. It was also based on Northern having so few sustained traditions, and maybe an over-statement built on hope.

I would love to see each facility -- baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, golf, etc.-- that is not a "major" sport venue draw some kind of support from that segment of the NIU sports community and move ahead with improvements. Clearly, there is no one, financially or otherwise, committed to some ever-changing "master plan."

I’ll say it again because it’s the truth. My opinion is based on true facts not what I read/ put out by the administration. If we ever meet I can give you the other side but not on here.

(02-16-2020 01:44 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 01:16 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Not sure if I understand this. The rule was set to give the players adequate time to study for finals, the rule has been broken a couple times, the athletes are adamant about keeping the rule (as they should be), yet the administration wants to re-visit the policy?? Something does not smell right here.

Scheduling 101: Block out the dates on your calendar that you cannot schedule a game. How can a head coach and an AD mess this up?

STF damn well knows. Didn't he use this as a reason we couldn't play a bowl game he didn't want to go to in the past?

(02-16-2020 07:24 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 01:44 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 01:16 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Not sure if I understand this. The rule was set to give the players adequate time to study for finals, the rule has been broken a couple times, the athletes are adamant about keeping the rule (as they should be), yet the administration wants to re-visit the policy?? Something does not smell right here.

Scheduling 101: Block out the dates on your calendar that you cannot schedule a game. How can a head coach and an AD mess this up?

STF damn well knows. Didn't he use this as a reason we couldn't play a bowl game he didn't want to go to in the past?

Found this whole thing interesting and disturbing as many of you have because I too went looking for the athletic board minutes of the meeting and read the Sept. 11, 2019 notes about Monty breaking policy two straight years.
Not certain why, but the Nov. 20, 2019 minutes are still not posted -- nearly three months after the fact? What would or should be a reasonable time frame for the minutes of a meeting held on Nov. 20, 2019; one month, two months?
Wonder if the whole moving the BYU game to Bridgeview was discussed with the athletic board and if that has something to do with those minutes still not being made available. Yes, I realize it's a done deal and some would say quit beating a dead horse, but unexplained and undeserved contract extensions, inconsistent behavior, and the lack of transparency are more reasons to have no faith in STF. He seems to continue to display a lack of understanding or even care for our athletic program other than to serve as his stepping stone to something else.
Yes, very few people have retiring from NIU as a goal, but there's a difference between those who just want to come and go -- examples: Gerald O'Dell, Charlie Sadler, Jim Molinari, Jeff Compher -- and those who are willing to put in the work for the good of the Huskies --examples: Cary Groth, Joe Novak, Pete Waite, Jim Phillips.
Unrelated to the above, have no idea who anyone on here is, but comments by HOF 08 regarding there being a different view of Coach O parallels the thoughts of more than a few alums and community people I've come in contact with. This also seems to speak to the disconnect between NIU athletics and true Huskie supporters.

In the the '70s and '80s, there were some movers-and-shakers at NIU including some who did some great things in sports, and they convinced the administration that they knew what was best. They squeezed out the alumni-fans and p'o'd the alumni association with the attitude that they and not alumni should call all the shots about fund-raising, promotions, etc. It got so bad at one point that the alumni association refused to share graduate contact information with the a.dept, leaving athletics to develop its own contact database.

So the old Huskie Club was forcibly morphed into the Huskie Athletic Association, which became the Huskie Athletic Foundation. Today the HAF is modeled after the NIU Foundation, a fund-raising and asset collection/holding entity. Even the Fan Advisory Board is marginalized (no offense intended to current members). The FAB can suggest, but really has no direct membership of its own to back it up. Alumni-fans are left to beg for attention from the athletic department. Even the Red Riot faded away, discouraged by "internalists" who could not control it. There is no "fan association" to speak of.

And there probably won't be. The a.dept. answers only to the internal influencers and anything -- such as the BYU game move -- can be done and just announced and that's it. The problem with internalizing an operation that depends on fan support and attendance is that the fans are expected to "just trust us." That's what makes this whole BYU "engagement" with those 160,000 alumni a farce. There is no engagement. There is only a new target to say "give us your money."

And that, Huskies fans, is where we're at.

(02-17-2020 02:16 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  In the the '70s and '80s, there were some movers-and-shakers at NIU including some who did some great things in sports, and they convinced the administration that they knew what was best. They squeezed out the alumni-fans and p'o'd the alumni association with the attitude that they and not alumni should call all the shots about fund-raising, promotions, etc. It got so bad at one point that the alumni association refused to share graduate contact information with the a.dept, leaving athletics to develop its own contact database.

So the old Huskie Club was forcibly morphed into the Huskie Athletic Association, which became the Huskie Athletic Foundation. Today the HAF is modeled after the NIU Foundation, a fund-raising and asset collection/holding entity. Even the Fan Advisory Board is marginalized (no offense intended to current members). The FAB can suggest, but really has no direct membership of its own to back it up. Alumni-fans are left to beg for attention from the athletic department. Even the Red Riot faded away, discouraged by "internalists" who could not control it. There is no "fan" association to speak of.

And there probably won't be. The a.dept. answers only to the internal influencers and anything -- such as the BYU game move -- can be done and just announced and that's it. The problem with internalizing an operation that depends on fan support and attendance is that the fans are told to "just trust us." That's what makes this whole BYU "engagement" with those 160,000 alumni a farce. There is no engagement. There is only a new target to say "give us your money."

And that, Huskies fans, is where we're at.

Well put and I guess unfortunately pretty right on for us common fans.

(02-17-2020 02:26 PM)HOF 08 Wrote:  

(02-17-2020 02:16 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  In the the '70s and '80s, there were some movers-and-shakers at NIU including some who did some great things in sports, and they convinced the administration that they knew what was best. They squeezed out the alumni-fans and p'o'd the alumni association with the attitude that they and not alumni should call all the shots about fund-raising, promotions, etc. It got so bad at one point that the alumni association refused to share graduate contact information with the a.dept, leaving athletics to develop its own contact database.

So the old Huskie Club was forcibly morphed into the Huskie Athletic Association, which became the Huskie Athletic Foundation. Today the HAF is modeled after the NIU Foundation, a fund-raising and asset collection/holding entity. Even the Fan Advisory Board is marginalized (no offense intended to current members). The FAB can suggest, but really has no direct membership of its own to back it up. Alumni-fans are left to beg for attention from the athletic department. Even the Red Riot faded away, discouraged by "internalists" who could not control it. There is no "fan" association to speak of.

And there probably won't be. The a.dept. answers only to the internal influencers and anything -- such as the BYU game move -- can be done and just announced and that's it. The problem with internalizing an operation that depends on fan support and attendance is that the fans are told to "just trust us." That's what makes this whole BYU "engagement" with those 160,000 alumni a farce. There is no engagement. There is only a new target to say "give us your money."

And that, Huskies fans, is where we're at.

Well put and I guess unfortunately pretty right on for us common fans.

Correct. As season ticketholders and donors, the only time we matter is in April. It may be time to use our dollars to do our talking.

(02-15-2020 05:50 PM)klake87 Wrote:  What bothers me is our State does not have the money for this.

I'm sure NIU is getting less from the state than we used to so the state should be money ahead.

(02-17-2020 03:09 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 05:50 PM)klake87 Wrote:  What bothers me is our State does not have the money for this.

I'm sure NIU is getting less from the state than we used to so the state should be money ahead.

The State has plenty of money. A lot may be in the pockets of the politicians and their friends, but the money is there. Just look at all the taxes and fees we pay. And get ready for a big surprise when you renew your state license stickers.