There are a few facilities across the country that put up temporary bubbles for the winter (you see this at driving ranges, but there are a few baseball complexes that do it too.) The main issue is achieving sufficient height to play a regulation game.
The biggest challenge that Michigan would have is actually placing the bubble -- you need to anchor it outside the perimeter of the field, and because of the location and scope of the new stadium infrastructure (it is very close to the field itself) the base of the bubble would probably need to be built in the shared parking lot between Yost, Fisher and the outdoor track -- something that probably wouldn't fly.
The other issue is that if they were going to go this route, they would need to convert the entire field to artificial turf. While a very strong argument can be made that they should go this route anyway to facilitiate early-season ball in inclement weather, they would have to do it if they covered the field or they would kill all the grass.
All that said, they would end up spending a few million to build the new field and bubble, not to mention the (substantial) operating costs to keep the thing inflated and temperature controlled. Given the presence of Oosterbaan and the new cages adjacent to Fisher, it really doesn't make sense to do.
Even if DB is made of money, he still seems like an ROI kind of guy.
I think that Kovacs is a perfect fit for Ford's jersey, but I wonder whether these legends jerseys will be handed out at the coach's discretion (like the #1) or whether a mechanism can be set up to award the jersey based on a set of criteria.
For example, it would only seem fitting for Ford's number to automatically be awarded to the Defensive Starter with the top Academic performance.
NCAA Football schools are not much for seismic change, and presumably the Big Ten ADs fall into that camp. This makes me wonder whether there is a bit of a long con at play.
Big Ten abandons an home-field proposal that faces major objection from some of the game's power brokers (SEC, Bowls, perhaps TV), pushes for a conference champion rule instead.
With a 4-team playoff achieved, and the Rose Bowl "preserved," the stage is set for four years in which playoff teams are subjected to (up to) three road games, costs to the University are high and attendance is poor.
Simultaneously, the mounting dissatisfaction among schools about the logistical/cost challenges of the system dovetails with a movement to expand the playoffs to 8 teams (because of the monies)
Citing costs, logistics and atmosphere, home sites are advocated and well received for the round of 8 AND the round of 4, leading to a National Championship Game, as well as 3rd place, 5th place and 7th place games in the traditional bowls. All teams are now given the opportunity to travel, TV gets more marquee matchups and the schools roll around in their piles of money.
Furbush was a starter in the minors and had performed very well down there. Oliver has struggled in his chances, so this was a good chance to see what Charlier can do without having to make a roster move.
For the love of god keep Turner in the minors for as long as reasonably possible. Let's not destroy the kid.
Even the Lacrosse championships, which take up NFL venues and can draw 30k have a horrible atmosphere because the venue is just too big for the game. As a very temporary solution, Lacrosse at Michigan Stadium would be fine--better than not being a D-I program--but they would be much better off at the soccer stadium, even if it requires some turf replacement every year.
I didn't realize that a new track & field complex was a possibility. If that's for real, then a artificial turf lacrosse venue inside the track would be an ideal solution. They could really size that stadium perfectly for a sport instead of being forced to play in a cavernous, empty football stadium. Maryland is a great example of where this goes wrong.
Come to think of it, why not retrofit the existing track & field venue and play the games there? Parking is already on-site, it's in the middle of other sports venues, and some additional/upgraded bleachers can simply be installed where the old ones are right now. They wouldn't need more than a capacity of a few thousand. This could be a really good temporary solution if damaging the soccer field is a real and legitimate concern.
As for a dedicated facility, I don't think that Michigan even needs one to compete. Very few schools have a dedicated lacrosse stadium, including most of the national powers. A shared facility with soccer makes the most sense, but ultimately Lax will need an artificial turf surface, which real soccer folk are not big fans of. A bigger recruiting tool would be a dedicated team facility for practice and training. If Lax can get that (via Oosterban upgrades, perhaps?) they should be able to build the program up nicely.
This is fantastic news, even if it was teased out last month. I can't wait to see them at Loyola's kick-ass new stadium (and any other visits to the Baltimore area they may make).
As for venue: using the new Soccer stadium is the obvious (and correct choice), at least for now. The stadium is built, very nice and appropriately sized. Michigan would be silly to build an entirely new Lacrosse-only stadium, at least before the sport really develops and they need it. The Elbel Field location is a good one in theory, but the original plan was deeply flawed. Building an actual NCAA-caliber stadium on that site is likely unteneble.
The soccer stadium is by far the best choice for now (much better than Michigan Stadium), and even though its location leaves much to be desired, adding a second burgeoning sport to the venue should actually help make the location more palatable to the student body and improve the draw for both sports (as they would grow accustomed to going there for both Soccer and LAX).
Average length of a baseball game is no more than the average length of a football game. Condensed length of the games are also not much different.
Speeding up the game won't do anything--especially when it comes to participation which is what this whole article is about. It is the nature of the game that some people don't care for, (only 3 players are involved in most plays, 4-5 in most others) and they will either learn to understand the nuances of the sport that make it interesting (in the same way that someone will care about formations and strategy in football) or they will not be baseball fans long-term.
The sport doesn't need to fundamentally change--it does pretty damn well for itself. Just remember--participating in the sport is not the same as watching the sport. If it were, then Soccer would be the most watched sport in the country among people under 30.
Football blows everybody out of the water in viewership and the like, but there are only 16 games plus playoffs. Baseball has 162 games plus playoffs. Sponsorship value is based on total impressions, and there is no sport that comes remotely close to baseball in that category.
Clearly, what happened at the end of 2009 wasn't an isolated incident, and wasn't as easy to brush away as it appeared when he seemed "reformed" in 2010. Dan Lebatard tweeted that he showed up so drunk to an ESPN magazine shoot at age 20(!) that it scared everybody there.
This is a major problem for Cabrera and the Tigers. I don't see how they can do anything but give him the full Josh Hamilton treatment, complete with handler. This is clearly not something he can handle doing on his own.
People are furious with the collapse against the Steelers and ready to run the whole staff out of town on a rail. Who would want to involve themselves with such an atmosph...oh, right.
Seriously though, that may be part of it. Also, potential lockout. Also, the Ravens have a rapidly aging defense that isn't long for this world, and the team as a whole is about to lose a TON of starters to free agency. May be a good time for a change.
Would an undefeated TCU in the Big East be playing for the National Championship over undefeated Auburn and Oregon teams this year? No. Big East is a step up, and he can get BCS auto-bids, but he still has a good chance of being on the outside looking in more often than not. Not so in the Big Ten (esp. at Michigan).
Yeah, but when you look at the numbers he was probably the best NL shortstop of the 80s and 90s. The problem was he suffered from lack of exposure in a small market, a humble personality and lack of a singular defining moment. He was just quietly great for a long time.
At 62.1% he's a lock to get in, and it will probably happen next year with a very weak incoming ballot class. I hope so--one of the great players of his era.
According to Buster Olney, Inge and Damon went on waivers yesterday, which seems far too late and may have hurt the Tigers' return on Inge. St. Louis appeared a perfect destination but they filled their need by adding Pedro Feliz to fill the hole. Why the Tigers waited so long to place them on waivers makes no sense to me.
That said, with this season lost, they should try to get some return for both. Then, since they will need a 3B in 2011, they can either re-sign Inge (trade him with a wink and nod that this will happen) or go after Beltre. There are no good internal 3B candidates at this time.
Damon has been a nice addition and I wouldn't mind to see him resigned either, but it's worth getting rid of both right now, despite how embarrasingly awful it will make the team's already weak lineup. I feel sorry for Miguel Cabrera should this happen.
Carpenter (The Cards' Ace) was upset that that the SS was not prepared to start the game, potentially affecting the starter's rhythm and the team's focus in a game against their biggest competition for the NL Central. He wasn't mad because he switched gloves, he was mad because he wasn't prepared.
But the facility itself looks like it is on the other side of the train tracks, where there is currently a small building and a 5-6 car parking lot. None of the building itself would be on Elbel, although the field looks like it would take up the area that you describe.
...and also a little scary. I understand that land down there is scarce/nonexistent, but I think that these preliminary designs, although really cool looking, are functionally ridiculous. It doesn't make any sense (financially or logistically) to build a 4-story stand-alone Lacrosse building that isn't connected to any stadium structure with freestanding bleachers at the opposite end of Elbel, which would expose the main street-level view of the park to rather ugly bleacher undersides. If I were a player, I wouldn't want to have to go up and down a bunch of stairs to my 2nd floor locker room all the time, and a 3rd floor weight room either.
It would make more sense, at least temporarily, for the Lacrosse team to use the new soccer complex as their home stadium. Sure, it could be a death knell for attendance based on location, but if they weren't going to build a new soccer facility at Elbel, I'd be shocked/disappointed if they pulled the trigger for Lacrosse, especially with the plans as shown.
I do think that Michigan would have the ability to attract east coast talent better than many of its rivals--especially the kids from MD and NY. However, I think that 10 years after becoming DI may be optimistic for them making a Final Four. I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I see two things: an entrenched group of elite schools (Hopkins, UVA, Princeton), plus more recent programs (Duke, UNC) that have developed into elite programs, plus the new parity that has made lesser schools (Towson, Hofstra etc.) competitive week-in and week-out. I think that it will be harder than ever for UofM to develop into a final four caliber team that quickly.
I'd love to be wrong, and I think that Michigan could develop into a tournament team quite quickly, but there is a pretty substantial difference, even still, between borderline tournament teams and final four teams. Even a casual lacrosse fan like myself can see it from a mile away.
Varsity status is something that definitely needs to occur for this team, considering the strength of the program and the support that it has garnered.
On a side note--does anybody know who is responsible for designing that Lacrosse facility mock-up/video and pitching the Elbel site? Is this an independent project, or is it something formally being put together my UM-Lax? Does it have any legs?
Walk down Light Street for 5 minutes into Federal Hill and go to the Abbey Burger Bistro. You won't regret it.
--per your vegetarian comment below--they have ample veggie burger options as well.
I think it's too early for them--they close for the winter when Crabs aren't in season, and I think we're still a few weeks away from that point, and in the early season you'll probably get some stuff flown up from the Gulf (LA, TX) to supplement the local crabs.
If they are open though, they're great. They use their own spice mix that is a cool peppery departure from the Old Bay that you'll get everywhere else.
Is definitely worth checking out if you're never been, and has some good attractions and you could (and should) spend an afternoon walking around and checking it out, but there's not much to keep your attention after that. The life of Baltimore right now is in little neighborhood pockets throughout the city.
MARC is great if you're going during a limited set of hours, otherwise I'd take 95 or the BW Parkway down to the Greenbelt metro station and just take Metro in from there. Don't drive INTO DC, for sure, but driving to the outermost metro works pretty well. I prefer Greenbelt (Greenline) to Silver Spring (Red Line) for it's easier drive and parking options.
First, for Baltimore to DC renting a car is your best bet, hands down. There is a commuter train (MARC) that runs during the week at commuting hours, but beyond that the two cities are really disconnected.
If you're in town for a conference you're within striking distance to a lot of good stuff--assuming you're staying downtown. The downtown area doesn't really have much going for it at night but there are some nearby areas that are walkable, or a quick cab/drive away. I recommend:
Federal Hill--FULL of restaurants and bars just south of downtown. Easily walkable (up Light or Charles) from the convention center.
Little Italy/Harbor East--Little Italy is a nice neighborhood with great restaurants, Harbor East is a new development that is more high-end and has some retail. The two are essentially next to one another. These are just east of the Inner Harbor and are safe to walk to, although a little far from the convention center.
Fell's Point--Another Bar/Restaurant hub in the city. A must-go if you've never been there. There is live music all over the place and a pretty good diversity of choices. A hike from downtown, it's a pretty easy walk from Harbor East (just take the Waterfront Promenande)
There are more areas in the city (Mt. Vernon, Canton, Mt. Washington) that are cool and have a lot going for them too. The nice thing about those first three areas though is that they're all safe to walk to without getting stuck in bad areas in-between. Also, Fell's and Little Italy/Harbor East are all on the new FREE Charm City Circulator route, which I took this weekend for the first time and is really nice and convenient. You can pick it up right downtown and take it into Little Italy or Harbor East, with easy access to Fell's from there.
Short Term: The player who gives the team the best chance of winning is Granderson. He adds the most wins to the team, by any statistical measure, he is left handed and plays a premium defensive position. Given that Valverde will make MORE than Granderson would have made this year, I wouldn't hesitate to take Granderson back.
Long Term: The loss of the 1st rd. Draft Pick is a handicap, and Valverde is already 30. It is possible that DD looked at the closer market this year and next and thought: I can get a very good closer cheaper this year than next year, and next year I'll have some extra money to spend on some more Free Agents. That seems like questionable decision making though.
My thought is this: Valverde just got overpaid, but he is a good pitcher and a good addition to the team. He's just not a SMART addition to the team, and his signing flies in the face of what we all perceived to be the Tigers mission this season: get younger and cheaper. This move does neither, and the loss of the draft pick overtly sabotages the former.
"So… no problem. Just win at an 82% clip when you're at 50% on the season, can't score no matter how many..."
Hey, it worked for the Minnesota Twins this year.
+1 for that guy.
Fact: Detroit Tigers had the 4th highest attendance in the AL in 2009
Fact: Detroit Tigers had the 4th highest TV ratings in the MLB in 2009
Fact: TV ratings were up 10% YOY on Tigers Broadcasts
Despite Michigan's economy, the Tigers were able to draw on par with the elites. Yes, they need to cut payroll, but they have so many immovable contracts that they just can't do anything about it this year. We can afford expensive players (to a degree), and Granderson's contract, at its maximum, is a $13 Million option at age 32--aka, what they're paying Carlos Guillen for the next two seasons. Payroll shrinks to a sustainable level in 2011, but only because Willis, Bonderman, Robertson, Ordonez and Inge are off the books and replaced with lower-cost options.
The Tigers have basically said that "nobody is off-limits" this off-season, and Granderson is one of their largest potential trade chips. He is incredibly productive, plays a premium position and has a below market contract. Trading him for salary purposes wouldn't make sense, as he is only owed $23Mish over the next three years (and only 5.5M next year). After 2010, about $60M comes off the Tigers payroll. Unless they can get an incredible package for Granderson (and it would have to be out-of-this-world, notably improve the 2010 team and make sense long-term type package) they won't move him. He, Cabrera, Verlander and Porcello are a young core of the team that gives them through 2012-2013 to build around before the oldest of them (Granderson) starts to decline.
Bobby Scales on the North Side!
This move should work out nicely for Getz, who will have a chance to develop at a major league level without the immediate pressure of contributing to a team expected to compete for the division. With no heir-apparent in the KC system, he should have a couple of years to develop into a respectable, though unspectacular, major league player, with the x-factor of game-changing speed that could keep him in the league as long as it lasts.
That song is indescribably awful. The first time I heard it on the radio I thought it was a parody or radio-studio produced joke. I heard it pumping over the TV broadcast non-stop and it was driving me crazy. It is one of the worst songs out there. I had actually made fun of Ohio State for blasting it during their game earlier in the day. By the time I realized that Iowa was playing it a deep chill set in and I thought to myself: Oh god, this is going to happen to us. We're already playing the White Stripes bit that everybody plays. This is next and it will be the death of all that is holy in Michigan Stadium.
If you want, you can also purchase MLB.TV's postseason package for $9.95. Gives you access to this game and the rest of the playoffs, just in case you don't have cable (AL/NLDS, NLCS on TBS)...or a TV (ALCS, World Series on Fox)
Verlander is better than anyone we had in 2006. Porcello is Verlander circa 2006. Jackson 2009 is better than Bondo 2006. Then the 2009 team has NOBODY, where 2006 had some extra arms. The big question is who will be this year's Kenny "doesn't allow a run in the playoffs" Rogers (if they even make the playoffs) and will Jackson stay stable or is his arm toast? I think that if they can make it to the playoffs they can be dangerous. Pitching isn't the problem, its whether the offense can click that will define how far this team goes.
Avila should only start one with two lefties in New York (Sabathia and Burnett). Laird is way better defensively (best in the AL at throwing out runners) and plopped 3 hits down yesterday.
Recent Comments
There are a few facilities across the country that put up temporary bubbles for the winter (you see this at driving ranges, but there are a few baseball complexes that do it too.) The main issue is achieving sufficient height to play a regulation game.
The biggest challenge that Michigan would have is actually placing the bubble -- you need to anchor it outside the perimeter of the field, and because of the location and scope of the new stadium infrastructure (it is very close to the field itself) the base of the bubble would probably need to be built in the shared parking lot between Yost, Fisher and the outdoor track -- something that probably wouldn't fly.
The other issue is that if they were going to go this route, they would need to convert the entire field to artificial turf. While a very strong argument can be made that they should go this route anyway to facilitiate early-season ball in inclement weather, they would have to do it if they covered the field or they would kill all the grass.
All that said, they would end up spending a few million to build the new field and bubble, not to mention the (substantial) operating costs to keep the thing inflated and temperature controlled. Given the presence of Oosterbaan and the new cages adjacent to Fisher, it really doesn't make sense to do.
Even if DB is made of money, he still seems like an ROI kind of guy.
I think that Kovacs is a perfect fit for Ford's jersey, but I wonder whether these legends jerseys will be handed out at the coach's discretion (like the #1) or whether a mechanism can be set up to award the jersey based on a set of criteria.
For example, it would only seem fitting for Ford's number to automatically be awarded to the Defensive Starter with the top Academic performance.
NCAA Football schools are not much for seismic change, and presumably the Big Ten ADs fall into that camp. This makes me wonder whether there is a bit of a long con at play.
Big Ten abandons an home-field proposal that faces major objection from some of the game's power brokers (SEC, Bowls, perhaps TV), pushes for a conference champion rule instead.
With a 4-team playoff achieved, and the Rose Bowl "preserved," the stage is set for four years in which playoff teams are subjected to (up to) three road games, costs to the University are high and attendance is poor.
Simultaneously, the mounting dissatisfaction among schools about the logistical/cost challenges of the system dovetails with a movement to expand the playoffs to 8 teams (because of the monies)
Citing costs, logistics and atmosphere, home sites are advocated and well received for the round of 8 AND the round of 4, leading to a National Championship Game, as well as 3rd place, 5th place and 7th place games in the traditional bowls. All teams are now given the opportunity to travel, TV gets more marquee matchups and the schools roll around in their piles of money.
The long con?
He likely will be, but wasn't yet. Results of the writer's ballot voting come out Jan 9th.
Furbush was a starter in the minors and had performed very well down there. Oliver has struggled in his chances, so this was a good chance to see what Charlier can do without having to make a roster move.
For the love of god keep Turner in the minors for as long as reasonably possible. Let's not destroy the kid.
If you think the sightlines are iffy in a football stadium, they are even worse in a baseball stadium. Progressive Field is the home of the Indians.
Per Ann Arbor.com:
2 Years probation for the DUI, Suspended license charge to be dismissed pending successful completion of a "strict sobriety court program."
Even the Lacrosse championships, which take up NFL venues and can draw 30k have a horrible atmosphere because the venue is just too big for the game. As a very temporary solution, Lacrosse at Michigan Stadium would be fine--better than not being a D-I program--but they would be much better off at the soccer stadium, even if it requires some turf replacement every year.
I didn't realize that a new track & field complex was a possibility. If that's for real, then a artificial turf lacrosse venue inside the track would be an ideal solution. They could really size that stadium perfectly for a sport instead of being forced to play in a cavernous, empty football stadium. Maryland is a great example of where this goes wrong.
Come to think of it, why not retrofit the existing track & field venue and play the games there? Parking is already on-site, it's in the middle of other sports venues, and some additional/upgraded bleachers can simply be installed where the old ones are right now. They wouldn't need more than a capacity of a few thousand. This could be a really good temporary solution if damaging the soccer field is a real and legitimate concern.
As for a dedicated facility, I don't think that Michigan even needs one to compete. Very few schools have a dedicated lacrosse stadium, including most of the national powers. A shared facility with soccer makes the most sense, but ultimately Lax will need an artificial turf surface, which real soccer folk are not big fans of. A bigger recruiting tool would be a dedicated team facility for practice and training. If Lax can get that (via Oosterban upgrades, perhaps?) they should be able to build the program up nicely.
This is fantastic news, even if it was teased out last month. I can't wait to see them at Loyola's kick-ass new stadium (and any other visits to the Baltimore area they may make).
As for venue: using the new Soccer stadium is the obvious (and correct choice), at least for now. The stadium is built, very nice and appropriately sized. Michigan would be silly to build an entirely new Lacrosse-only stadium, at least before the sport really develops and they need it. The Elbel Field location is a good one in theory, but the original plan was deeply flawed. Building an actual NCAA-caliber stadium on that site is likely unteneble.
The soccer stadium is by far the best choice for now (much better than Michigan Stadium), and even though its location leaves much to be desired, adding a second burgeoning sport to the venue should actually help make the location more palatable to the student body and improve the draw for both sports (as they would grow accustomed to going there for both Soccer and LAX).
Average length of a baseball game is no more than the average length of a football game. Condensed length of the games are also not much different.
Speeding up the game won't do anything--especially when it comes to participation which is what this whole article is about. It is the nature of the game that some people don't care for, (only 3 players are involved in most plays, 4-5 in most others) and they will either learn to understand the nuances of the sport that make it interesting (in the same way that someone will care about formations and strategy in football) or they will not be baseball fans long-term.
The sport doesn't need to fundamentally change--it does pretty damn well for itself. Just remember--participating in the sport is not the same as watching the sport. If it were, then Soccer would be the most watched sport in the country among people under 30.
Football blows everybody out of the water in viewership and the like, but there are only 16 games plus playoffs. Baseball has 162 games plus playoffs. Sponsorship value is based on total impressions, and there is no sport that comes remotely close to baseball in that category.
Clearly, what happened at the end of 2009 wasn't an isolated incident, and wasn't as easy to brush away as it appeared when he seemed "reformed" in 2010. Dan Lebatard tweeted that he showed up so drunk to an ESPN magazine shoot at age 20(!) that it scared everybody there.
This is a major problem for Cabrera and the Tigers. I don't see how they can do anything but give him the full Josh Hamilton treatment, complete with handler. This is clearly not something he can handle doing on his own.
People are furious with the collapse against the Steelers and ready to run the whole staff out of town on a rail. Who would want to involve themselves with such an atmosph...oh, right.
Seriously though, that may be part of it. Also, potential lockout. Also, the Ravens have a rapidly aging defense that isn't long for this world, and the team as a whole is about to lose a TON of starters to free agency. May be a good time for a change.
And my avatar is already a cliche. I guess I should have figured.
Would an undefeated TCU in the Big East be playing for the National Championship over undefeated Auburn and Oregon teams this year? No. Big East is a step up, and he can get BCS auto-bids, but he still has a good chance of being on the outside looking in more often than not. Not so in the Big Ten (esp. at Michigan).
Yeah, but when you look at the numbers he was probably the best NL shortstop of the 80s and 90s. The problem was he suffered from lack of exposure in a small market, a humble personality and lack of a singular defining moment. He was just quietly great for a long time.
At 62.1% he's a lock to get in, and it will probably happen next year with a very weak incoming ballot class. I hope so--one of the great players of his era.
We had to say Dickety because the Kaiser stole our two.
Because there is something fundamentally wrong about going to the U-M/OSU game in shorts and a t-shirt. I think it's a law somewhere.
"We Like Our Beers Cold, Our Women Hot, and Our Rivalry Games in November"
According to Buster Olney, Inge and Damon went on waivers yesterday, which seems far too late and may have hurt the Tigers' return on Inge. St. Louis appeared a perfect destination but they filled their need by adding Pedro Feliz to fill the hole. Why the Tigers waited so long to place them on waivers makes no sense to me.
That said, with this season lost, they should try to get some return for both. Then, since they will need a 3B in 2011, they can either re-sign Inge (trade him with a wink and nod that this will happen) or go after Beltre. There are no good internal 3B candidates at this time.
Damon has been a nice addition and I wouldn't mind to see him resigned either, but it's worth getting rid of both right now, despite how embarrasingly awful it will make the team's already weak lineup. I feel sorry for Miguel Cabrera should this happen.
Is nothing sacred?!
Carpenter (The Cards' Ace) was upset that that the SS was not prepared to start the game, potentially affecting the starter's rhythm and the team's focus in a game against their biggest competition for the NL Central. He wasn't mad because he switched gloves, he was mad because he wasn't prepared.
The good NBC HardBallTalk blog runs it down.
Slow's BBQ in Detroit is one of my favorites.
Other local, off the beaten path gems are The Common Grill in Chelsea and Knight's on Jackson Rd @ Maple.
And Jeruselem Garden makes the best falafel this side of the mediterranian sea.