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Will Missouri try and bolster their baseball program?

Posted on 5/20/14 at 11:08 am
Posted by CNB
Columbia, SC
Member since Sep 2007
96210 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 11:08 am
Not a flame thread!

I know most Missouri fans couldn't care less about collegiate baseball. My question is if there is anything in the works to strengthen the baseball program. Renovations, advertising, package deals, etc.

I seem to recall something about a new stadium/stadium renovations.

I would love to see Missouri find themselves being competitive in the years to come. Or is it doomed to be an afterthought due to weather and a strong professional baseball foothold?
Posted by Mizzoufan26
Vacaville CA
Member since Sep 2012
17315 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 11:20 am to
quote:

Not a flame thread!

I know most Missouri fans couldn't care less about collegiate baseball. My question is if there is anything in the works to strengthen the baseball program. Renovations, advertising, package deals, etc.

I seem to recall something about a new stadium/stadium renovations.

I would love to see Missouri find themselves being competitive in the years to come. Or is it doomed to be an afterthought due to weather and a strong professional baseball foothold?


There were stadium renovations, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have changed much. The proposed pictures didn't come to fruition, but I guess the locker rooms were redone. Others here I am sure can supply the proposed as opposed to what we received. It was a pretty awful difference though.

Hopefully it will pickup in time as it's part of the SEC big three. Will the admin take the steps to get there though? Unknown.
This post was edited on 5/20/14 at 11:23 am
Posted by reedus23
St. Louis
Member since Sep 2011
25485 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 11:27 am to
quote:

Will Missouri try and bolster their baseball program?


Short answer...no.

They did just do some renovations, but those basically involved putting new padding up, some new seating but not much and a new locker room at the ballpark so the players didn't have to walk a mile from the locker room to the field for games. Basically nothing worth bragging about but some minor improvements.

In the short term I doubt it. I doubt Alden does anything about the coaching position. TJ has been there for 20 years or so, has had some pretty decent runs, nothing great, but the last 5 years have been a dreadful downward spiral. He has one year left on his contract and I'd bet Alden lets him play it out.

From reading on TB, there apparently were a ton of cancers on the team, including a sophomore pitcher who hasn't pitched despite being a 2nd round pick coming out of high school. The word is that the closest to bolstering the program they're going to do in the short term is to clean house of a lot of players. One junior has already tweeted that it was essentially good knowing y'all so I'm sure he was one.

Mizzou had more promos but I know they weren't promoted in STL and I gather they weren't promoted locally so how people would know is beyond me. Tons of games where kids in a uniform get in free. 1st responders get in free. And so on.

I doubt anything changes with how baseball is handled until a new coach is brought in, maybe after next year. I'd imagine a new coach will want assurances that the program will receive a bigger commitment from the university.
Posted by Mizzeaux
Worshington
Member since Jun 2012
13894 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 12:00 pm to
I can't see why there would be much interest in putting a bunch of money into baseball. It's one of the few SEC big sports that is greatly effected by weather and Columbia is where it is. I don't think there's any real effect from the professional baseball in Missouri, baseball is likely never going to be a revenue producer. The weather during early baseball season stinks; the game is falling in popularity nationwide, and especially with young people, and it just doesn't have the background at the school to maintain a level of support.

I suspect there will be some investment to get the program respectable, but I don't see a major push to start winning national championships. Especially when so many other programs at Mizzou need investment as well.

Maybe if they lighten up on the drinking and put in some sort of party patio or something for students and fans it could pick up. That's not an unusual thing at any level in baseball, though. Minor league teams and even the MLB teams are concentrating more on the fan experience than anything else in an effort to keep attendance up. Mizzou is no different than some small arse farm club trying to keep people interested, except there's no beer or fireworks nights.
This post was edited on 5/20/14 at 12:01 pm
Posted by KCM0Tiger
Kansas City, MISSOURI
Member since Nov 2011
15580 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 7:08 pm to
quote:

doomed to be an afterthought due to weather and a strong professional baseball foothold
This post was edited on 5/20/14 at 7:09 pm
Posted by Tigersessed
Member since Feb 2012
498 posts
Posted on 5/20/14 at 11:33 pm to
It would be nice to be respectable, but I wouldn't want the school to put too much emphasis on baseball. We need to focus on football and basketball for men. I feel like that is what Florida did and should be a model for us. Get good and build your brand on football and basketball. Then as the money and name recognition grows, expand to supporting the other programs.

I agree with the idea they need to improve the experience of the fans. Winning cures everything, but if that is not happening any time soon, take the minor league park approach to garner attendance. Make it an experience by allowing booze and encouraging tailgating. Let the college kids have the outfield and let the young adults have the 3rd base side. Let families and kids have behind the plate and first base side. Everybody gets in just about free, no checking of coolers, etc.

If you are not going to do that, then I propose they tie TSF points to baseball season tickets. For example .5 pts for each adult season ticket and .25 pts for each kid season ticket. People will buy them as an easy upgrade to possibly jump up in the football que. Once the tickets are sold, people will start going to games because they will feel like using them since they paid for them. If they don't use them, they will be more likely to give them away so somebody will use them.

The SEC sucked at baseball until the 90s. The same thing with the Atlanta Braves. The Astros and Rangers got their first taste of success in the 90s. Florida didn't even have baseball teams until the Marlins and Rays joined in the 90s. Basically what I am trying to make a point of, is that baseball is a relatively new sport in the South as compared to the rest of the country. I believe baseball in the South will take the same life cycle as the rest of the country, just a few decades later. That is, IMO, baseball popularity will start declining in the future.
Posted by Mizz-SEC
Inbred Huntin' In The SEC
Member since Jun 2013
19265 posts
Posted on 5/21/14 at 8:07 pm to

LINK

If I was half the man I was 5 years ago...


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