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re: SEC Stadiums: Baseball Edition
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:09 am to Keltic Tiger
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:09 am to Keltic Tiger
When you listen to ESPN, etc., announcers call SEC baseball games on TV that always go on-and-on about SEC baseball parks. There are definitely some palaces in this league. I've been to all of them except for A&M and Mizzou's.
IMHO the nicest ballparks in the league are:
1 - South Carolina
2 - Arkansas
3 - LSU (although it smells like corndogs)
4 - Auburn
5 - Ole Miss
6 - MSU
7 - Vandy (cramped, but I like the layout)
8 - Georgia (cramped, but I like the outfield)
Just MHO but those are my favorites in that order. Anyone who has ever been to Carolina Stadium would have a hard time arguing it is not one of the finest, if not the finest, in the country. But, of course, it is one of the newest. There is an arms race on for baseball stadiums in the SEC right now, no doubt about it.
I got to meet Bill Murray, the actor, at a Carolina ballgame last year. He owns the Charleston minor league team and he came up to a our Super Regional (against Oklahoma) to meet Cal Ripken, Jr., who was there with his son Ryan who plays for the Gamecocks this year. I actually got to talk to both of them for awhile while we were standing at the bar waiting for a drink. When I asked what they thought about it he and Ripken got to talking about our stadium and what a palace it is and come to find out the same architects designed it that designed Baltimore's (Oriels) park and Charleston's Riverfront Stadium where Murray's minor league team plays. It was a coincidence that I was unaware of at the time.
I've been to Stanford's too, for a super regional, and to Virginia's, Clemson's, UNC's etc. Stanford's place is nice, so are the other three, but from top to bottom the SEC completely dominates when it comes to baseball facilities.
IMHO the nicest ballparks in the league are:
1 - South Carolina
2 - Arkansas
3 - LSU (although it smells like corndogs)
4 - Auburn
5 - Ole Miss
6 - MSU
7 - Vandy (cramped, but I like the layout)
8 - Georgia (cramped, but I like the outfield)
Just MHO but those are my favorites in that order. Anyone who has ever been to Carolina Stadium would have a hard time arguing it is not one of the finest, if not the finest, in the country. But, of course, it is one of the newest. There is an arms race on for baseball stadiums in the SEC right now, no doubt about it.
I got to meet Bill Murray, the actor, at a Carolina ballgame last year. He owns the Charleston minor league team and he came up to a our Super Regional (against Oklahoma) to meet Cal Ripken, Jr., who was there with his son Ryan who plays for the Gamecocks this year. I actually got to talk to both of them for awhile while we were standing at the bar waiting for a drink. When I asked what they thought about it he and Ripken got to talking about our stadium and what a palace it is and come to find out the same architects designed it that designed Baltimore's (Oriels) park and Charleston's Riverfront Stadium where Murray's minor league team plays. It was a coincidence that I was unaware of at the time.
I've been to Stanford's too, for a super regional, and to Virginia's, Clemson's, UNC's etc. Stanford's place is nice, so are the other three, but from top to bottom the SEC completely dominates when it comes to baseball facilities.
3
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:14 am to scrooster
quote:
1 - South Carolina
2 - Arkansas
3 - LSU (although it smells like corndogs)
4 - Auburn
5 - Ole Miss
6 - MSU
7 - Vandy (cramped, but I like the layout)
8 - Georgia (cramped, but I like the outfield)
A&M's should be somewhere near the top as well.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:16 am to scrooster
quote:
There is an arms race on for baseball stadiums in the SEC right now, no doubt about it.
I tend to agree with this as UK is looking at dropping 20 - 40 million on a new stadium. I think ESPN has told the SEC they want the content for the spring the way they made the deal with the ACC for basketball back in the late 70's - early 80's.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:16 am to ChargerDog91
quote:
Olsen Field (TAMU)
Blue Bell Park
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:24 am to spslayto
quote:
A&M's should be somewhere near the top as well.
I've not been there yet so I could not comment, but I hear it is nice. We ran into a bunch of A&M fans out in Omaha a couple of years ago and they kept telling us we would like their place when we got a chance to visit. They were talking about upgrades and all of that at the time, and about coming into the SEC and being competitive in baseball. Seemed like a bunch of good baseball fans for sure. They didn't get a chance to hang around long in Omaha, I think they were two and done, we beat them in their first game and then Cal knocked them out in the loser's bracket. Good fans though, and a few of them stuck around for the entire tourney.
That was the last year for the old Blatt and a lot of fans whose teams got knocked-out stuck around for the Championship that year. Hated to see the old Blatt go but TD Ameritrade is bad to the frickin' bone.
It was pretty neat South Carolina winning the last CWS in the Blatt and the first one in TD Ameritrade.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:40 am to scrooster
I know its a sore subject for LSU fans, but the fact that the entire stadium isn't chairback is a crime. The silver metal bleachers screams cheap. The rest of the stadium is a palace.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:40 am to ChargerDog91
I would love for us to tear down the Joe and build a hockey rink.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:45 am to Marty McFrat
quote:
If MSU is in that category than arky is way above it.
Dudy Noble(current configuration) was mostly completed 25 years ago. It was not all done in the last decade like the other stadiums listed.
Give us 2-3 years. Renovation of DNF is the next major athletics initiative @ MSU. It's being designed by the same architect who designed Camden Yards and the major Fenway renovation (MSU grad). Very likely that we do a start from scratch rebuild on the same location. When complete, it will take a back seat to no one...
We may not have the money/foundation to be nationally viable in football/basketball, but our baseball fanbase/alumni take a back seat to no one... Will become obvious this year now that we are finally back to where we expect to be as a program after over a decade of mediocrity.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:45 am to msuman2
quote:
Don't know about A&M
Was not impressed when we played there last year.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:47 am to scrooster
quote:
IMHO the nicest ballparks in the league are:
1 - South Carolina (Ya don't say.....)
2 - Arkansas
3 - LSU (although it smells like corndogs)
Get some unique material cockboy 
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:49 am to lsusteve1
His corndog comment was silly and unoriginal, but his rankings are accurate. LSU's park is at best third in the league behind Arky and USCe.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:50 am to bigpapamac
i wouldnt say so. its definitely not behind usc.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:52 am to bigpapamac
quote:
but his rankings are accurate. LSU's park is at best third in the league behind Arky and USCe.
IMO, no
But it's like choosing Giselle/Megan Fox/Marissa Miller
Posted on 12/17/12 at 9:59 am to lsusteve1
I mean Arky has suites from foul pole to foul pole, and USCe at least has very few bleacher seats. LSU has them all over the place. I've said it from the time the new Box opened, but LSU could've done a much better joh with the new stadium. They cut too many corners building it. I'd still trade half of LSU's for all of Alabama's though 
And come on dude, telling him to get some new material, but in the same sentence calling a USC fan 'cockboy?' How original.
quote:
IMHO the nicest ballparks in the league are:
1 - South Carolina (Ya don't say.....)
2 - Arkansas
3 - LSU (although it smells like corndogs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get some unique material cockboy
And come on dude, telling him to get some new material, but in the same sentence calling a USC fan 'cockboy?' How original.
This post was edited on 12/17/12 at 10:01 am
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:02 am to bigpapamac
if lsu cut corners then so did usc and arkansas. because lsu built a badass entrance. those two schools dont even have a homeplate entrance.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:03 am to bigpapamac
quote:
And come on dude, telling him to get some new material, but in the same sentence calling a USC fan 'cockboy?' How original.
I didn't feel like using his TD name.....
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:04 am to bbap
That is true, LSU has a very nice home plate entry. It's by far the nicest part of the park, but the rest of it, both inside and out, doesn't come close to matching it's visual ambiance.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:04 am to bigpapamac
the point is lsu didnt cut corners (unless the others did too). we spent our money elsewhere instead of putting in chairbacks. and im happy we did. because it makes our park stand out.
and the inside is awesome as well. i disagree that the inside doesnt match just because they put bleacherbacks instead of chairbacks along LF and RF.
and the inside is awesome as well. i disagree that the inside doesnt match just because they put bleacherbacks instead of chairbacks along LF and RF.
This post was edited on 12/17/12 at 10:06 am
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:06 am to bbap
quote:
we spent our money elsewhere instead of putting in chairbacks
Not to mention that chairbacks tend to be a lil' more expensive tickets.
Posted on 12/17/12 at 10:08 am to ChargerDog91
They all look good except Mizzou's. That one looks terrible.
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