Different angle on new Baseball stadium....

[CloverforkCat]

It is supposedly on the drawing board for a new stadium for UK baseball, the expected cost is 32 million. My suggestion is this......Why not build a mini dome facility that could be used by both the Baseball team and UK hoops ?
I have casually looked into these type facilities, and one could actually be constructed for approx. 50-55 million. Think about this the UK hoops team currently plays in 8,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, a mini dome could be constructed to seat 10,000 for basketball and . be configured to seat approx. 7,500 or so for Baseball. The grandfather of all domes, the Astrodome in Houston was 208 feet high, this would seem to be very doable by some 50 plus years of technology since 1965.
Why not go with this type facility, spend the extra 18-20 million, and help 2 sports. We would never need to have a baseball game cancelled, and it would certainly help in recruiting, and would boost attendance thru the roof, no pun intended !
What are your thoughts Cat fans ??

This post was edited on 2/23 2:16 PM by CloverforkCat

 

[cats1068]

I've never like the multi purpose facilities like Riverfront Stadium and the Carrier Dome. The baseball needs it's new place for itself only itself. The 1 thing to help with rainouts would to be to out an all turf field like U of L has. The best part of the new stadium for the players would be the hitting facility, lockers and rec room like the softball team does. I think the new location on Alumni Dr would do wonders for attendence. Better parking and off a main rd will be nice. According to Barnhart, it's not an if now but a when now, which is a good thing for the baseball program and its recruiting.

 

[Comebakatz3]

That is an interesting concept, but I don't really like the idea too much. Personally, I don't like turf baseball fields. I want dirt and grass. However, I do want to see UK build something creative. Find a way to make a home that is different and stands out. No cookie cutter stadium. I don't have much hope that we'll do anything like that though.

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Need to play ball outdoors...and sometimes players' best time is during a rain delay - rainout day...

 

[CloverforkCat]

Not talking so much about rain delays, talking about bad, cold weather. Instead of having an 'announced' crowd of 1,200, when there are actually 200 in attendance, having a comfortable fan and player friendly atmosphere where you know a game will be played, and people will come out to support the team, and not have to dress like eskimos !

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Although the ideal of a dome would be a great idea for the cold games, playing outdoors is a great thing about baseball. I like the thinking outside of the box, but I like being outdoors. As for the turf, I think Louisville has one of the nicest stadiums I've been to. I'd like to see UK do something similar. Especially with the turf layout. On a side note, I'd like to see UK play a game or two at Whitaker Bank.

 

[UKErik]

I'd be all for a baseball only facility with some type of retractable roof. I imagine the cost for something like that would be ridiculous though.

GBB!!!

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I've often wondered if there would be a way to enclose the bleachers in such a way that the space could be heated when it is cold and when it is warm the glass panels could be removed so it becomes open air. That's probably not very practical or realistic, but I think the cold weather really hurts attendance. Maybe it would be possible to incorporate heated seats of some kind. These ideas are probably not realistic, but I think some design element that makes the fans more comfortable in cold weather would really help.

 

[Tskware]

Originally posted by cat_in_the_hat:
I've often wondered if there would be a way to enclose the bleachers in such a way that the space could be heated when it is cold and when it is warm the glass panels could be removed so it becomes open air. That's probably not very practical or realistic, but I think the cold weather really hurts attendance. Maybe it would be possible to incorporate heated seats of some kind. These ideas are probably not realistic, but I think some design element that makes the fans more comfortable in cold weather would really help.

That is a good idea, much more cost effective than a domed stadium, yet still gets 90% of the job done. The players who are moving around are typically much more comfortable than the fans who are sitting in the cold and wind for 3+ hours.

What about space heaters like they have in the outdoor patios, like Malones?

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

There were heaters placed around last season but they were adequate at best. I like the idea of the panels. Never thought of that.

 

[wildcat1973]

A turf field in this part of the country is absolutely a necessity. I hate them, but it's just too cold and wet early in the season to play on a regular grass/dirt field. Louisville's stadium is great, and they rarely miss games.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Originally posted by wildcat1973:
A turf field in this part of the country is absolutely a necessity. I hate them, but it's just too cold and wet early in the season to play on a regular grass/dirt field. Louisville's stadium is great, and they rarely miss games.

In most years we might miss a game or two from a rainout, but that is most likely the case with teams regardless of surface. Our guys do an outstanding job keeping the field in playing condition no matter the weather. I am sure the turf certainly helps to make things easier and cheaper, but if you look at how our field looked this past weekend, despite the recent snow and crazy weather, you can see that we do a fine job making sure our field is in top notch shape.

This post was edited on 3/4 10:33 AM by Comebakatz3

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Played in Louisville for HS and college...natural fields and never had problems with the fields not being able to handle the elements.

HS practice starts Feb 15, college in Jan...we played through the ice storm around 08 (weird)...

Key for colleges is scheduling...trip down south or out west to start the season...with this current weather, doesn't matter what type of field you have!

 

[Comebakatz3]

Originally posted by CatsFanGG24:

Played in Louisville for HS and college...natural fields and never had problems with the fields not being able to handle the elements.

HS practice starts Feb 15, college in Jan...we played through the ice storm around 08 (weird)...

Key for colleges is scheduling...trip down south or out west to start the season...with this current weather, doesn't matter what type of field you have!

To be honest, I had to edit my post above because I said that it wasn't too often that games were completely cancelled because of rain or the field. Mostly because of lightning or the threat of major storms, and they are mostly rescheduled. However, about the time I got done posting that I looked at the UK website that said the UK game for today was cancelled due to the inclement weather. haha

To be fair, I have never played on an artificial surface baseball field. However, I just personally don't like the look of them and to me it takes away from the beauty of the game. Few things are more beautiful, to me, than walking out and seeing that big field of grass and dirt in front of you. Smelling the fresh cut grass mixed with the smells of the grill and popcorn. There is just some things turf can't give you, and I wouldn't want to give that up

 

[CatsFanGG24]

^ I didn't mind field turf...ULs field is just fine - easier for a marginal defense to play well (should cut down errors) - only worry as far as weather goes is the mound, but the rubber gets extremely hot in the summertime (not much of a worry for college scheduling though)

Supposedly UC bearcats had an early edition of field turf, and when I play there it was more like astroturf...Like concrete and not as nice visually.

I am a natural field fan as well, but IF you must go to field turf, at least have a dirt home plate area (UL did not when I played on that field)

 

[cats1068]

I'm a natural turf fan myself. But let's be honest here. The weather in KY is not the greatest in Feb and Mar. I'm for getting the games and if we have technology to help get that done, then I'm all for it. Idk why us fans hold on things sometimes. I used to be that way. But with the way life is constantly changing, I'm more open to different ideas. If we had some of the attitudes of sports traditions in life, we'd still have the telegraph and horse and buggy.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I think I could live with artificial turf as long as there is dirt in the base paths and on the mound. I really hate U of Ls field with a passion. I would hope we would not go that far if we install artificial turf.

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Originally posted by cat_in_the_hat:
I think I could live with artificial turf as long as there is dirt in the base paths and on the mound. I really hate U of Ls field with a passion. I would hope we would not go that far if we install artificial turf.

Problem with dirt in the base paths with field turf is that the dirt also would get into the field turf - then you have what I mentioned at Cincy with the field turf getting hard like astroturf. Mounds will always be natural ( at least hopefully!)

 

[CatsFanGG24]

And FTR, UL has canceled and postponed a few home games this year as well.

 

[cats1068]

The one thing comes to mind is the regional at U of L last year. They played a lot of those games in the pouring rain. With grass, you couldn't do that. I personally love grass as I've stated before. But sometimes you have to change, not for the sake of change, but to make things better. They already have turf in the foul grounds area. And look at football, CWS will have turf for the first time ever this coming season. The new types of turf are way better than the old concrete foundation AstroTurf like they had at Riverfront Stadium.