Lights in Big House

Submitted by TurfGuy on

As I was driving in to work today, I noticed that the lights in the Big House were on this morning. I was east of the stadium, so I only know the west-side lights were up.  They are really moving along with those.


I know, I know, cool story, bro.

NomadicBlue

November 18th, 2010 at 8:22 AM ^

Don't worry.  the traps are completely humane for the badger who is known to become quite agitated by the smell of dilithium.  The traps can only be applied by large men that hate donkeys.  When applied correctly, the traps leave the badger lying peacefully on their backs with the sweet taste of maple syrup in his mouth.  Yum.  Badgercakes. 

Michigan football

November 18th, 2010 at 8:40 AM ^

I could never understand why they would spend 226 million dollars and not put up lights? I knew at the time they didn't want night games, but 3:30 games tend to bleed into the night. Oh well, I'm happy to see someone with a brain has decided to correct it, and I'm looking forward to the first night game being played in the Big House! GO BLUE!

ZooWolverine

November 18th, 2010 at 9:11 AM ^

Lloyd was never a big fan of late games, and even preferred noon games to 3:30.  Since the stadium plans were drawn up while he was coach, I always assumed that he was the force behind not including lights in the original plan.

There was always a place for rental/future permanent lights to go in the plan, so it was really just the lights themselves that weren't included.

rayfrom19

November 18th, 2010 at 9:38 AM ^

FWIW - At an alumni event in NYC, I spoke to Bill M and basically asked him "why don't we get lights"?  He was totally against it not that he wasn't open to night games per se but he felt that a TV network should pay for it.  I really didn't understand the logic but I believe he conspicuously did not include light in the new stadium (as dumb as that was).

MichiganPhotoRod

November 18th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^

As Bill Martin stated earlier, it's about cost.  If lights were needed, the network would bring them in...meaning, the network would have to pay for them.  In Michigan's mind, why pay for something that is going to be covered by another entity?

What this will provide our team are opportunities to practice under the lights at the stadium, which will help our guys prepare for night games elsewhere too.  Until now this has always been a problem.

pullin4blue

November 18th, 2010 at 9:54 AM ^

I might be wrong on this, but I would still believe these are the network lights. David Brandon has said that the work of installing the permanent lighting at Michigan Stadium would begin immediately following the Wisconsin game. They can have them completed in time for the Big Chill. Does anyone have a photo of the "new lights" to determine if they are temporary or permanent?

fifthangell

November 18th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^

The lights that they put up on the stadium yesterday are not the same as the temporary lights they had up for the Iowa game. The new lights appear to be attached to the cornice at the top front of the buildings, not on the platforms on the roof. It looks like a single, low row of fixtures running most of the length of the building.

Section 1

November 18th, 2010 at 10:33 AM ^

And at the time, I said that the lights were already going up; I had seen them up and in place for the Iowa game, which was a 3:30 start.

But I was wrong.  The lights were there for Iowa, but then they were gone for our noon game with the Illini.  Turns out that they had been temporary lights.  I sort of expect that these ones that have gone up for Wisconsin are the same; temporary, pending the permanent ones to go up shortly after we close out our home football season.

With the two new concourses, it is hard (impossible?) to "install" the old kind of portable lights mounted on hydraulic telescoping cranes.  Now, the cranes can't easily be positioned anywhere except near the endzones.  (Used to be that they could position four cranes at roughly the 20 yard-lines.)  And you don't want lights in the endzones.  I don't think we'll ever see those cranes at Michigan Stadium again.

Section 1

November 18th, 2010 at 11:25 AM ^

1.  Bill Martin was right about lights, as he was about practically everything related to the Stadium.  We would do well to let television install lights for television events, and do it at their expense.  Although our expense in installing them is tiny in comparison to a lot of Stadium expenses.

There are about five or six days a year, total, in which lights are essential to Stadium operations.  I include all of the 3:30 games in October-November, as well as the inconsequential one night game every so often.  (I'd make the case that I hope we have no more than one night game every two years.  I don't like them; I won't exactly protest, but if I have a vote, it will be against night games almost all the time.)  Those handful of occasions can be perfectly well-handled by temporary lights, just like this week.

2.  Lights are ugly, in general, and an architectural blight if we could otherwise get away with temporary lights, which was Bill Martin's appropriate plan.  It is 350 days of ugliness for 6 days when they are needed.

3.  Bill Martin had a hard enough time with promoting and permitting the recent Stadium renovations.  It may have been that much harder if the original plan had included lights, which a lot of traditionalists find offensive.

4.  David Brandon appears to have a few tricks up his promotional sleeve with regard to the lights.  I suspect he has in mind a plan to do more social/fundraising events in the suites outside of game days, and lighting the field for the simple purpose of having something to look at might be part of it.

Section 1

November 18th, 2010 at 2:39 PM ^

This really has not been my thread, has it?  If only I were Homer Simpson; all of these dumb errors would somehow lead to my being given the Key to the City of Springfield, in a comedy of errors.  After which I'd say one more dumb thing, and Mayor Quimby would take the Key back.

profitgoblue

November 18th, 2010 at 11:18 AM ^

Are you saying that permanent lights have now been installed?  Or did they just wheel in those temporary portable lights like they usually do for 3:30pm football game starts?

profitgoblue

November 18th, 2010 at 11:58 AM ^

What he said!  I ain't stoopid.  I be knowin' lots o' stuff, man.  I even be knowin' that dem peeps wuz gonna put in da permnent lights, yo.  I jus din be knowin' dat was happnen already.

P.S.  My question has still not been answered - are the permanent lights being installed already?  I'd be surprised if that's the case since the season's not over.

Section 1

November 18th, 2010 at 12:15 PM ^

As I already mentioned above, they have once already installed, and removed, the temporary lights we are seeing for the Wisconsin game.  It is an easy mistake to make, whether these lights are permanent or not, because they are installed on top of the concourses, and look very much like permanent structures, since they are not the crane-mounted lights we became used to, pre-renovation.

So, to answer -- Are there going to be lights for Wisconsin?  Yes; they are very much needed in mid-November for a 3:30 game after the Daylight Savings Time switch.

Are the Wisconsin game lights permanent? No.  They are temporary structures, installed on top of the roof of the West concourse.  (I forget if they were there on the east side concourse roof, for the Iowa game.)  They will be taken down, just as they were after our 3:30 game with Iowa, and then the work on the permanent lights will begin with our home football season over.

And no, I don't know what the permanent lights will look like.  Hopefully a helluva lot better than the temps.

In reply to by Section 1

Raoul

November 18th, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^

Isn't the Wisconsin game at noon? Why would they install temp lights for a noon game? Are they anticipating an octuple overtime game?

Section 1

November 18th, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^

Yes, it's a noon game.  Yes, I was wrong. 

Also, for further slap-down on me, I read above where the lights are being described as one long row, and not the kind of light tower we had for Iowa.  That's the best news I have heard about lights since the discussions began.

I am just going to shut up about lights now.

WolverineHistorian

November 18th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^

Cool.  I'm still thrilled that the stadium is actually getting permanent lights.  This is something that should have happened long ago.  You can tell the difference even on TV how much more pumped up a home crowd is during night games.  We should be allowed that experience as well. 

Next year's Notre Dame game is going to be awesome. 

pullin4blue

November 18th, 2010 at 12:56 PM ^

With respect to Bill Martin and the lights, Bill wanted the network to cover lights if we would agree to night games. NBC covered the entire bill for lighting ND stadium. Bill wanted the same for Michigan Stadiuim, but who would pay BTN or ABC? Neither was willing and since it was not put in with the stadium renovation package it didn't matter until Brandon came along.