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Big Red Offline
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Post: #61
RE: Baseball
The game is on ESPN+ right now.

I don't watch a ton of college baseball but I do flip around through it and check out stadiums and whatnot. However, I do watch a lot of MLB/MiLB baseball.

With that said, I've never seen a team utilize the coded signs card (most of them have it on their belt) as much as this Huskies team. To be honest, I don't recall seeing a college team use them all that much but the Huskies seem to really use them.

Maybe I'm making more of it than I should be. I coached HS ball for 4 years and one used them once (on the wristband) for the catcher to communicate with the pitching coach.

But it appears every Huskies has one and they check it constantly.
04-24-2021 11:37 AM
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StevenNIU Offline
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Post: #62
RE: Baseball
(04-24-2021 11:37 AM)Big Red Wrote:  The game is on ESPN+ right now.

I don't watch a ton of college baseball but I do flip around through it and check out stadiums and whatnot. However, I do watch a lot of MLB/MiLB baseball.

With that said, I've never seen a team utilize the coded signs card (most of them have it on their belt) as much as this Huskies team. To be honest, I don't recall seeing a college team use them all that much but the Huskies seem to really use them.

Maybe I'm making more of it than I should be. I coached HS ball for 4 years and one used them once (on the wristband) for the catcher to communicate with the pitching coach.

But it appears every Huskies has one and they check it constantly.

I was watching Mississippi State and Venderbilt last night and they were also using the cards.
04-24-2021 01:01 PM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #63
RE: Baseball
(04-24-2021 01:01 PM)StevenNIU Wrote:  
(04-24-2021 11:37 AM)Big Red Wrote:  The game is on ESPN+ right now.

I don't watch a ton of college baseball but I do flip around through it and check out stadiums and whatnot. However, I do watch a lot of MLB/MiLB baseball.

With that said, I've never seen a team utilize the coded signs card (most of them have it on their belt) as much as this Huskies team. To be honest, I don't recall seeing a college team use them all that much but the Huskies seem to really use them.

Maybe I'm making more of it than I should be. I coached HS ball for 4 years and one used them once (on the wristband) for the catcher to communicate with the pitching coach.

But it appears every Huskies has one and they check it constantly.

I was watching Mississippi State and Venderbilt last night and they were also using the cards.

It's possible i'm just not used to seeing them on the belt buckle and seeing them bend over and look at their dick constantly seemed obsessive.
04-24-2021 01:10 PM
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HuskieDave Offline
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Post: #64
RE: Baseball
Lost the first game today 6-5.

7-26, 6-13

Our RPI is 242 out of 293.

Second game moved to tomorrow at noon due to rain.
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2021 02:42 PM by HuskieDave.)
04-24-2021 01:30 PM
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HuskieDave Offline
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Post: #65
RE: Baseball
Lost today 11-1.

7-27, 6-14
04-25-2021 02:34 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #66
Baseball
I think it’s time for Athletics to realize that this is a sad and losing situation, and just end the chapter on baseball. The money could be used elsewhere.
04-25-2021 02:40 PM
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pantone1935 Offline
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Post: #67
RE: Baseball
(04-25-2021 02:40 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think it’s time for Athletics to realize that this is a sad and losing situation, and just end the chapter on baseball. The money could be used elsewhere.

I believe you already said that.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!
04-25-2021 02:46 PM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #68
RE: Baseball
(04-25-2021 02:46 PM)pantone1935 Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 02:40 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think it’s time for Athletics to realize that this is a sad and losing situation, and just end the chapter on baseball. The money could be used elsewhere.

I believe you already said that.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!

Maybe. Or it just is what it is.

Just 4 years ago they came in 2nd in the division and did well in the conference tournament. Sometimes I think people just want to quit programs because of a lack of success.

Is the program hurting for money? Yeah, but so are all of the programs. There's people here who want to either drop the football program either to FCS or all together.

I mean, Men's Tennis had a really good year this year. Do they always? Hell no. They haven't won the conference since 1997. Good thing we didn't cut that program when they weren't good.

Women's gymnastics won the conference in 2019 but hadn't since 1993.

I know all of these sports aren't exactly apt comparisons and, from a facilities standpoint, its way easier to upgrade the tennis facilities than baseball and programs like gymnastics (and others like volleyball or wrestling) piggyback off of basketball because they share the same basic building(s).

And yeah, I find the baseball facilities and I really wish they were upgraded to be on par with all of the other facilities I see on espn+. Hell, I'd be happy with being on par with Chicago State (and that's a sad statement). But I don't feel like they should just disband the program because of it and because there isn't an improvement in the near future.

Bottom line, if cutting the baseball program fixes the problems the athletic program has (or makes a major impact), then go for it. Otherwise, just keep it.

But that's just my opinion.
04-25-2021 04:51 PM
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DogTracks Offline
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Post: #69
RE: Baseball
(04-25-2021 04:51 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 02:46 PM)pantone1935 Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 02:40 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think it’s time for Athletics to realize that this is a sad and losing situation, and just end the chapter on baseball. The money could be used elsewhere.

I believe you already said that.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!

Maybe. Or it just is what it is.

Just 4 years ago they came in 2nd in the division and did well in the conference tournament. Sometimes I think people just want to quit programs because of a lack of success.

Is the program hurting for money? Yeah, but so are all of the programs. There's people here who want to either drop the football program either to FCS or all together.

I mean, Men's Tennis had a really good year this year. Do they always? Hell no. They haven't won the conference since 1997. Good thing we didn't cut that program when they weren't good.

Women's gymnastics won the conference in 2019 but hadn't since 1993.

I know all of these sports aren't exactly apt comparisons and, from a facilities standpoint, its way easier to upgrade the tennis facilities than baseball and programs like gymnastics (and others like volleyball or wrestling) piggyback off of basketball because they share the same basic building(s).

And yeah, I find the baseball facilities and I really wish they were upgraded to be on par with all of the other facilities I see on espn+. Hell, I'd be happy with being on par with Chicago State (and that's a sad statement). But I don't feel like they should just disband the program because of it and because there isn't an improvement in the near future.

Bottom line, if cutting the baseball program fixes the problems the athletic program has (or makes a major impact), then go for it. Otherwise, just keep it.

But that's just my opinion.

Hell, I'd take the current crap field if we knew they had the kind of tech that baseball training centers in industrial parks use to develop guys.
04-28-2021 10:40 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #70
RE: Baseball
(04-28-2021 10:40 AM)DogTracks Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 04:51 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 02:46 PM)pantone1935 Wrote:  
(04-25-2021 02:40 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think it’s time for Athletics to realize that this is a sad and losing situation, and just end the chapter on baseball. The money could be used elsewhere.

I believe you already said that.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!

Maybe. Or it just is what it is.

Just 4 years ago they came in 2nd in the division and did well in the conference tournament. Sometimes I think people just want to quit programs because of a lack of success.

Is the program hurting for money? Yeah, but so are all of the programs. There's people here who want to either drop the football program either to FCS or all together.

I mean, Men's Tennis had a really good year this year. Do they always? Hell no. They haven't won the conference since 1997. Good thing we didn't cut that program when they weren't good.

Women's gymnastics won the conference in 2019 but hadn't since 1993.

I know all of these sports aren't exactly apt comparisons and, from a facilities standpoint, its way easier to upgrade the tennis facilities than baseball and programs like gymnastics (and others like volleyball or wrestling) piggyback off of basketball because they share the same basic building(s).

And yeah, I find the baseball facilities and I really wish they were upgraded to be on par with all of the other facilities I see on espn+. Hell, I'd be happy with being on par with Chicago State (and that's a sad statement). But I don't feel like they should just disband the program because of it and because there isn't an improvement in the near future.

Bottom line, if cutting the baseball program fixes the problems the athletic program has (or makes a major impact), then go for it. Otherwise, just keep it.

But that's just my opinion.

Hell, I'd take the current crap field if we knew they had the kind of tech that baseball training centers in industrial parks use to develop guys.

That's a good point that there are other ways to upgrade the program and help bring it away from a competitive disadvantage than upgrading the field. A new field would be wonderful, but there are other things that are probably needed as well and cost way less.
04-28-2021 10:49 AM
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pvk75 Offline
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Post: #71
RE: Baseball
IMO, some of these threads that get critical of a sport are really about the NIU a-dept. and how it handles things like facility projects, fund-raising, planning, donations, tickets, etc.

But IMO, mainly it's the shroud of secrecy that blankets the a-dept (this also creates the appearance that the a-dept. doesn't know what it's doing). It's gotten so bad that even when a major announcement is made -- e.g., fund-raiser to remake the baseball field -- the a-dept. does not even acknowledge that it's a major change from its own master plan for facilities.

BTW, this new plan to remake the existing field also wrecks the master plan for an Olympic Village and indoor/outdoor tennis center on the current baseball site. That, in turn, blows away the fact that the OV & tennis facilities would take up less of the site, freeing space for more west side parking/tailgating/The Yard for football. So ... do we have a master plan or what?!

This ^^^ is what ticks people off. It's always "Hey! Hey! Have we got a shiny new deal for you!" while ignoring something like the master plan, which in its heyday (2014-15) was also touted for a ton of free "aren't we great!" publicity. If the master plan was so damn good, why is the a-dept. throwing it under the bus? Athletics is just moving from big announcement to big announcement, with no patience or consistency with a real long-term plan.

This can adversely affect fund-raising, because potential donors don't realy know what the plan is or if what they're supporting will eventually get built. So unless someone comes up with several million up front to get it done (see Yordan, Cessick, etc.) it's not happening because there is no real commitment to a project.

Unfortunately, all that spills over onto a program that isn't performing like we hoped.
(This post was last modified: 04-28-2021 06:26 PM by pvk75.)
04-28-2021 06:23 PM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #72
RE: Baseball
(04-28-2021 06:23 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  IMO, some of these threads that get critical of a sport are really about the NIU a-dept. and how it handles things like facility projects, fund-raising, planning, donations, tickets, etc.

But IMO, mainly it's the shroud of secrecy that blankets the a-dept (this also creates the appearance that the a-dept. doesn't know what it's doing). It's gotten so bad that even when a major announcement is made -- e.g., fund-raiser to remake the baseball field -- the a-dept. does not even acknowledge that it's a major change from its own master plan for facilities.

BTW, this new plan to remake the existing field also wrecks the master plan for an Olympic Village and indoor/outdoor tennis center on the current baseball site. That, in turn, blows away the fact that the OV & tennis facilities would take up less of the site, freeing space for more west side parking/tailgating/The Yard for football. So ... do we have a master plan or what?!

This ^^^ is what ticks people off. It's always "Hey! Hey! Have we got a shiny new deal for you!" while ignoring something like the master plan, which in its heyday (2014-15) was also touted for a ton of free "aren't we great!" publicity. If the master plan was so damn good, why is the a-dept. throwing it under the bus? Athletics is just moving from big announcement to big announcement, with no patience or consistency with a real long-term plan.

This can adversely affect fund-raising, because potential donors don't realy know what the plan is or if what they're supporting will eventually get built. So unless someone comes up with several million up front to get it done (see Yordan, Cessick, etc.) it's not happening because there is no real commitment to a project.

Unfortunately, all that spills over onto a program that isn't performing like we hoped.

My biggest question regarding this is, is there any accountability for the money that has been donated?

Like, if someone donates to a project (like the master plan or the baseball field) and it doesn't get built, where does that money go?

Does the donor get notification of where their money is being re-allocated or is it just assumed? Is there a provision in the donation paperwork that dictates what happens to the money if the project is not completed?

I think this would alienate donors. It comes off like a shell game. If you can't rev up donors for just regular ol' donations and then get excitement over these projects and then don't ever follow through on them, then eventually you are being dishonest in your fund raising efforts.
04-28-2021 07:24 PM
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epasnoopy Offline
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Post: #73
RE: Baseball
(04-28-2021 07:24 PM)Big Red Wrote:  It's gotten so bad that even when a major announcement is made -- e.g., fund-raiser to remake the baseball field -- the a-dept. does not even acknowledge that it's a major change from its own master plan for facilities.

BTW, this new plan to remake the existing field also wrecks the master plan for an Olympic Village and indoor/outdoor tennis center on the current baseball site. That, in turn, blows away the fact that the OV & tennis facilities would take up less of the site, freeing space for more west side parking/tailgating/The Yard for football. So ... do we have a master plan or what?!

Agreed, the athletic department doesn't seem to have acknowledged that the latest plans for the baseball stadium have completely deviated from the master plan to move it over to the area west of Stevenson dorms.

Why spend money to create a master plan if you're never going to accomplish anything from it?

(04-28-2021 06:23 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  My biggest question regarding this is, is there any accountability for the money that has been donated?

Like, if someone donates to a project (like the master plan or the baseball field) and it doesn't get built, where does that money go?

Does the donor get notification of where their money is being re-allocated or is it just assumed? Is there a provision in the donation paperwork that dictates what happens to the money if the project is not completed?

I think this would alienate donors. It comes off like a shell game. If you can't rev up donors for just regular ol' donations and then get excitement over these projects and then don't ever follow through on them, then eventually you are being dishonest in your fund raising efforts.

I'm going to guess any donations that were collected for the baseball stadium or any other facilities project isn't just sitting around in a savings account waiting for that total amount to reach a goal. This athletic department has not done much to publicly push for facility campaigns. Making an announcement once last year for baseball and then never acknowledging it again is just poor marketing.
(This post was last modified: 04-29-2021 06:01 AM by epasnoopy.)
04-29-2021 06:01 AM
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pvk75 Offline
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Post: #74
RE: Baseball
The frustrating part about the baseball stadium project is that it can still be done according to the master plan. It just might take longer.

Consider this: the "new" project -- fixing the existing field in place -- consists of three phases: infield artificial turf, outfield artificial turf, grandstand.

The master plan calls for a new field on vacant land immediately west of the Stevenson parking lot, with home plate at the southwest corner facing northeast (the plan says this is the proper orientation, and IMO it's better than the plate at the north end facing south).

Anyway ... why not build the new field in the same phases while using the existing field?

Donors know where their money is going and can actually see something happening, the staff and student-athletes get an encouraging boost, the program has time to build up, there's an actual plan being carried out, and other elements of the master planned don't get screwed up.

Unless this has been thought about, and ... if the new plan doesn't pan out, baseball doesn't pick up, and a sport needs to be cut ... goodbye baseball.

(Note: The MAC does not require baseball; e.g., Buffalo does not have it. And I recall earlier in the ongoing financial crisis that baseball was mentioned as the top target if NIU had to cut a sport. That's been done before; it was dropped for 17 years, 1983-90.)

But who knows what's going on anyway?!
04-29-2021 06:25 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #75
RE: Baseball
(04-29-2021 06:25 AM)pvk75 Wrote:  The frustrating part about the baseball stadium project is that it can still be done according to the master plan. It just might take longer.

Consider this: the "new" project -- fixing the existing field in place -- consists of three phases: infield artificial turf, outfield artificial turf, grandstand.

The master plan calls for a new field on vacant land immediately west of the Stevenson parking lot, with home plate at the southwest corner facing northeast (the plan says this is the proper orientation, and IMO it's better than the plate at the north end facing south).

Anyway ... why not build the new field in the same phases while using the existing field?

Donors know where their money is going and can actually see something happening, the staff and student-athletes get an encouraging boost, the program has time to build up, there's an actual plan being carried out, and other elements of the master planned don't get screwed up.

Unless this has been thought about, and ... if the new plan doesn't pan out, baseball doesn't pick up, and a sport needs to be cut ... goodbye baseball.

(Note: The MAC does not require baseball; e.g., Buffalo does not have it. And I recall earlier in the ongoing financial crisis that baseball was mentioned as the top target if NIU had to cut a sport. That's been done before; it was dropped for 17 years, 1983-90.)

But who knows what's going on anyway?!

I'm assuming if you're going to build a brand new stadium then you wouldn't do it in phases. That seems like a huge waste of time and resources. Just build it all at once.

And as for baseball being on the chopping block, that's because of what you noted before. The MAC doesn't require it so it's easy to drop. But I'd ask, would the savings even make a dent in the budget?

I can't imagine a baseball program costs that much to operate. Also, if you build (or install) field turf in a field, the yearly operating costs go down a lot. It just costs a lot of money to install it but once its in, the maintenance is much less than a big grass and dirt field.
04-29-2021 07:56 AM
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HuskieJ Offline
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Post: #76
RE: Baseball
Travel to the South to start the season is the most expensive part of the program after salaries and scholarships. Maybe the new field would let them play up in DeKalb earlier and lower travel costs. Baseball is not like Football. No big paychecks to offset costs.
04-29-2021 08:08 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #77
RE: Baseball
(04-29-2021 08:08 AM)HuskieJ Wrote:  Travel to the South to start the season is the most expensive part of the program after salaries and scholarships. Maybe the new field would let them play up in DeKalb earlier and lower travel costs. Baseball is not like Football. No big paychecks to offset costs.

That's a good point. There's way less rainouts with a turf field (especially if there is no dirt on it).

And with a dirt/grass field, it could rain all day and then stop by 2 and you could play on it by 2:30. So yeah, scheduling becomes cheaper with a turf field.

Honestly, if there's a way to find get the money, every college and high school should have turf fields. And they're even more useful in high schools as they can be used for practice (we couldn't even look at our field in high school let alone practice on it until game day to keep the grass in good condition) and as another outdoor PE facility.

A grass football field is a colossal waste of space, resources and time for high schools
04-29-2021 10:04 AM
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HuskieDave Offline
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Post: #78
RE: Baseball
Beat Akron today 7-6 on a walk-off double by Dunham.

8-27, 7-14
04-30-2021 05:01 PM
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pvk75 Offline
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Post: #79
RE: Baseball
The reaction is obviously a case of not using the head for anything more than a hatrack, so I'll spell out why a phased new stadium plan can work and should be considered.

1. Installing an artificial turf in phases is no more damaging than not using the Huskie Stadium artificial turf in winter and summer. And they don't roll that up either.
2. The phases at the existing stadium will not be accomplished for at least several years either, at an official estimated cost of $2 million (plus another $500,000 for optional outdoor batting cages) with snail's-pace fund-raising.
3. Doing the same thing at a new stadium in three phases still costs half the plan for a new stadium, which is officially $4 million plus a $750,000 option for indoor batting cages. Cost for the new stadium can also be trimmed, since it includes bells and whistles, while the plan for the existing stadium does not.
4. The existing or new baseball stadium is for just one sport. The difference is that fixing up the existing stadium screws up the master plan for facilities for 10 other sports, plus plans to remodel the interior of the Huskie Stadium west grandstand and expand The Yard and west-side parking area.
5. Both projects are permanent. No way are NIU or its donors going to spend even $2-2.5 million on a temporary facility.
6. And finally, facility projects completed in phases are countless.

This all depends on how badly NIU wants or plans to keep baseball long-term, which is why I mentioned the MAC not requiring it. (SEE THE THREAD "NIU AND TITLE IX")

I really wanted to avoid this much longer explanation, but here you go.
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2021 10:19 PM by pvk75.)
04-30-2021 11:59 PM
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HuskieDave Offline
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Post: #80
RE: Baseball
Won the first game today 3-1.

9-27, 8-14

Edit. Also won the second game 11-2

10-27, 9-14
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2021 05:26 PM by HuskieDave.)
05-01-2021 02:03 PM
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