Bowling Green has reinstated baseball.

(06-03-2020 01:22 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Bowling Green has reinstated baseball.

They followed the UAB pattern - (1) kill it; (2) sit back while outraged alums and donors raise the money to save it; (3) bring it back. We'll see if they can get to (4) program immediately and vastly improves with new resources.

I've half-wondered if this wouldn't work for Rice on an all-sports scale: Announce a drop to Division III, and see what kind of cash whirlwind that produces to "restore" Division I sports.

(06-03-2020 07:45 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(06-03-2020 01:22 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Bowling Green has reinstated baseball.

They followed the UAB pattern - (1) kill it; (2) sit back while outraged alums and donors raise the money to save it; (3) bring it back. We'll see if they can get to (4) program immediately and vastly improves with new resources.

Cal-Berkeley used this pattern in 2010-11: https://archive.dailycal.org/article.php?id=112694

Daly Cal Wrote:A little over six months after it was slated as one of five teams to be cut, over $9 million in pledged donations have brought the program back for the foreseeable future.

(06-03-2020 07:45 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  I've half-wondered if this wouldn't work for Rice on an all-sports scale: Announce a drop to Division III, and see what kind of cash whirlwind that produces to "restore" Division I sports.

Seems high risk. What if the only reaction is folks on Parliament complaining about how the University has plenty of money and could easily afford to stay at D1 if they wanted?

UAH hockey got a 1-year reprieve.

https://uahhockey.com/blog/2020/05/30/pr...einstated/

And a few days later, the head coach (who had a losing record) resigned, and an assistant on the team (also program alum) is the interim head coach - with the support and recommendation of the head coach. Weird optics, but it is what it is.

In the 'Between Two Hedges' Zoom with Tanner yesterday, he mentioned that Rice Athletics had a 7 figure hit vs. budget this fiscal even after accounting for the reduced expenses.

Also, to dispel a rumor that has been circulating on this board, there are zero restrictions that the University places on corporate sponsorships of Athletics - other than the usual guidelines you'd expect such as being consistent with Rice values, etc. He made a point to say that the University has been supportive and encouraging vis a vis fund raising.

(06-05-2020 11:08 AM)NYNightOwl Wrote:  In the 'Between Two Hedges' Zoom with Tanner yesterday, he mentioned that Rice Athletics had a 7 figure hit vs. budget this fiscal even after accounting for the reduced expenses.
Also, to dispel a rumor that has been circulating on this board, there are zero restrictions that the University places on corporate sponsorships of Athletics - other than the usual guidelines you'd expect such as being consistent with Rice values, etc. He made a point to say that the University has been supportive and encouraging vis a vis fund raising.

That was a change that Todd Graham pushed for, and got, at least in some cases. I don't know the status since then, but we certainly haven't seen the kinds of corporate sponsorships that are part and parcel of other D-1 programs.

Great news-- Gneiting is returning to Reckling for a final season...

Quote:Mark Berman
@MarkBermanFox26
OF Bradley Gneiting, in the NCAA Transfer Portal as a grad transfer,decided to return to @RiceBaseball for his final year of eligibility:”I have some unfinished business.I think Coach Bragga can turn things around & start a new playoff trend of going to regionals 26 straight years”

...Edwards and Gneiting have now announced their return. The only question now is Comeaux and, given that he's graduated and already has a good job offer, I don't think the odds are high. However, 3B is Bulman's natural position, so he would slip into that spot if Braidon chooses not to return.

Brown University is reinstating its men's track and field, and cross country programs as varsity sports, effective immediately.

(06-09-2020 08:23 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Brown University is reinstating its men's track and field, and cross country programs as varsity sports, effective immediately.

There's a bit more to the story. There was a viral social media campaign pointing out that T&F had more African-American athletes than the non-eliminated sports of lacrosse, baseball, hockey and crew combined. In fairness, each sport that was cut likely had a social media campaign to restore it, but none with a racial justice component, and given the national climate that coincidentally erupted after Brown's decision, that won the day for Brown T&F (which I believe came to Rice during my time for one of our annual early-spring "Meeting of the Minds" track meets):

Quote: The men’s track, field and cross country teams have been reinstated to the varsity roster, a reversal of their recent demotion to the club level, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in a community-wide email Tuesday night. The other eight teams that were demoted as part of the Excellence in Brown Athletics Initiative will retain their new club status.

Paxson wrote that the University chose to reinstate men’s track, field and cross country partially in response to feedback about how cutting the three teams would “have real and lasting implications for efforts to build and sustain diverse and inclusive communities for our students at Brown, and particularly our community of Black students and alumni.” The adverse effects the cuts would have had on the women’s track, field and cross country teams also factored into the decision to reinstate the three men’s teams, she added.

Quote:Kendall Rogers
@KendallRogers
·
8m
BREAKING: The
@NCAA
Division I Committee for Legislative Relief has given D1 Baseball relief. Includes (for the 2020-21 academic year):

* 35-man roster cap lifted. No limitation.

* Annual counter has increased from 27 to 32

* The 25% scholarship minimum eliminated for a year.

(06-04-2020 12:44 PM)temchugh Wrote:  

(06-03-2020 07:45 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  I've half-wondered if this wouldn't work for Rice on an all-sports scale: Announce a drop to Division III, and see what kind of cash whirlwind that produces to "restore" Division I sports.

Seems high risk. What if the only reaction is folks on Parliament complaining about how the University has plenty of money and could easily afford to stay at D1 if they wanted?

no one ever does that...

Some more insights on the challenges, including some points on the short-sightedness of eliminating Olympic programs when most universities aren't at full capacity to begin with. I hadn't considered that part of the equation before.

https://www.si.com/college/2020/06/11/co...a-olympics

Quote:The Roost
UH oh.
Houston suspending all voluntary workouts for student-athletes after 6 symptomatic student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.

(06-12-2020 04:40 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

Quote:The Roost
UH oh.
Houston suspending all voluntary workouts for student-athletes after 6 symptomatic student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.

I wonder what will happen in 8 weeks when students start coming back to campus in the thousands?

(06-12-2020 04:54 PM)Rice Dad Wrote:  

(06-12-2020 04:40 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

Quote:The Roost
UH oh.
Houston suspending all voluntary workouts for student-athletes after 6 symptomatic student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.

I wonder what will happen in 8 weeks when students start coming back to campus in the thousands?

We're driving 16 hours to Purdue to drop off our daughter. From what I gather there, students who test positive will be immediately quarantined. I don't think a campus will shut down right away, but perhaps they will if a large percentage of the students are testing positive.

No word on Rice students yet? Testing began yesterday, and they begin their workouts mid-week next week.

I've been thinking about this a bit more - I really don't see how any school can begin workouts of any type without testing its student-athletes first. Merely monitoring them like UH did (and Rice plans to do) just seems to be a recipe for disaster. Especially when you're talking about a county and state whose case numbers are on the rise.

(06-12-2020 06:14 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I've been thinking about this a bit more - I really don't see how any school can begin workouts of any type without testing its student-athletes first. Merely monitoring them like UH did (and Rice plans to do) just seems to be a recipe for disaster. Especially when you're talking about a county and state whose case numbers are on the rise.

“Disaster” meaning an almost 0% chance of harm to any of the students who have it? Should let the whole football team catch it now and they will be set for the season. At least 10-15+ of them probably already had it.

(06-12-2020 06:14 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I've been thinking about this a bit more - I really don't see how any school can begin workouts of any type without testing its student-athletes first. Merely monitoring them like UH did (and Rice plans to do) just seems to be a recipe for disaster. Especially when you're talking about a county and state whose case numbers are on the rise.

I’m confused. The Roost says returning Owl student athletes were to be tested on June 11th, with workouts not starting until the 17th, I assume after the results of those tests are in. Seems contrary to your post. Or am I missing something?

I guess I'm thinking more of a PR disaster than a really bad health outcome. Even though the Texas ICU units seem to be more utilized now than earlier in the spring, the death rates in Texas continue to be pretty constant - despite the higher number of cases. So that would seem to indicate a less lethal strain of the virus (one hopes).

But bringing kids on campus and letting them workout for a few days before shutting it down due to a small outbreak is quite frankly a PR disaster. It would have been much better to get everyone tested ahead of time and chances are they would have known right away not to bother with the workouts. Maybe it's just too expensive for athletic departments to test everyone.

But it would be a good case study to see whether schools should consider doing the same with all of its students when they report back to campus in a couple of months. Most schools are going to set aside some beds to quarantine students but they may find out they have a woefully inadequate amount of beds. Testing the student-athletes could give schools some guidance on the percentages they might expect to see with the general student population.