Sorry it took me a little while to post these, but as I’m sure you understand there is a lot going on in the world of college baseball, so I’ve had to get to other duties first. But here are some of the additional interesting shots that I got while in Ohio for the conference tournaments this past week.
When dogpiles attack... IU's Jake Dunning with his bloodied nose after being on the bottom of the mound of human celebration.
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THE STADIUMS.
Here is a quick good-and-bad about the three stadiums I went to:
- Huntington Park, Columbus (Big 10 tourney)
I can’t emphasize enough how good of an idea it was for the Big 10 to switch their tournament to this palace in downtown C’bus. What a great freakin’ field/stadium/cathedral. I’ve been to a good number of minor league parks that host college baseball games, but this is by far the best. Great seats, lots of shade, a restaurant and bar beyond left field and a big league feel all the way around. Every coach raved about this place.
Down Side:
The “VIP” section behind home plate went mostly unoccupied. So even on the two nights that had big crowds, on TV it still looked like there were hardly any people in the seats behind the umpire. (Note that in the picture)
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VA Memorial Stadium, Chillicothe (MAC tourney)
For the complete opposite reason, this stadium was really cool too. Like, an old blues guitarist with dirt under his nails and gravel in his voice, it’s old-school cool man. The grandstand was sort of like old Alex Box Stadium at LSU, with a metal overhang that reverberated noise. But the picnic tables and sun deck down the left field line provided lots of cool shade and a close-up feel to the games. Rustic sure, but that was part of the charm.
Down Side:
Obviously, there are no perks. Though there have been improvements over the years (including field turf), everything is pretty old. The bathroom was pretty gross too. But whatev.
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Fifth Third Field, Dayton (A-10 tourney)
Pretty nice, relatively new joint too. Smack dab in the middle of downtown, it is like a lot of new parks, two-level structure provides lots of protection from the elements and has pretty good concessions. Picnic areas all around the outfield are great for breaking monotony. The upstairs suites/press area has a hotel feel about it with lots of indoor area up there. And the second level overhang puts you right on top of the game, which made for great picture-taking vantage point.
Down Side:
Two things… 1- They roped off most of the stadium, keeping the fans between the dugouts and leaving no room to roam for nervous parents of players, etc. And 2- I don’t know what the hell the “Fifth Third” name thing is, but it makes you sound like Sylvester the Cat to say it – and spray it.
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OTHER PICS:
Captions below each.
Brad Stillings (33) and the Kent State bullpen try to beat the heat on championship Saturday, draped in wet towels.
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It was a dog day afternoon as everyone looked for a little shade at VA Memorial Stadium.
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Almost like something you’d see Annie Savoy in Bull Durham do, this Chillicothian is sewing team jerseys together during the games.
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After a collision going after a fly ball, Ohio’s Gauntlet Eldemire was knocked loopy and after dizzily stumbling around had to be helped back down to the ground by umpire Chuck Adya. He was able to stay in the game.
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Old school and new school. The scoreboard at VA Memorial Stadium had a manual operated linescore and also a digital readout. Only problem I have is the ludicrous number of advertising boards that surround the scoreboard and the fence. Talk about overkill.
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This great Kent State dogpile picture was sent to me by Ray Klafczynski, father of Ben, a player on the team. Note the bald guy in the background with the camera aimed at the dogpile? That’s me. And you’ll also notice why I didn’t get this shot from that other side, as you see the first base umpire walk right in front of my shot of the dogpile. Dammit blue!
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The down side of championship games. Toledo players in despair over the 5-2 loss to Kent State that ended their season. But what a season it was for the Rockets, going from last place to second in the Western Division of the MAC.
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Saw this scary, abandoned house on a back road on the way to Chillicothe. With broken out windows and overgrown grass, I’m pretty sure this was the house that was used in the original black-and-white “Night of the Living Dead” movie.
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This young fan is giddy over getting her hands on a foul ball at the Atlantic 10 Tournament. What do you think she’ll remember more when she goes back to school in the fall, that she got a foul ball at a baseball game? Or that Xavier stunned Rhode Island to win the A-10 championship?
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Xavier outfielder Drew Schmidt has an attractive group of fans checkin’ him out in the on-deck circle.
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Like Pedro Cerrano in “Major League” Rhode Island assistant coach Idris Liasu has a special dirt ritual he does to his bat before hitting infield practice for the Rams.
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Rhody players and coaches point to the third base umpire that ruled a ball that went off the wall was a home run/grand slam vs. Xavier.
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UMass players jog to the outfield fence and back, warming up for their last ever game as a program.
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Xavier’s Billy O’Conner gets a round of applause from his teammates after being named the A-10 tournament MVP.
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The Friday night crowd of 4,575 at the Ohio State-Illinois game also included these people that were chilling out at the bar beyond the left field wall. Note the bleachers placed way up high in the building.
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Illinois infielders feel the pain of seeing their season end in Columbus, instead of in the NCAA tournament.
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Indiana players hold up the Big 10 tournament trophy after beating Minnesota on Saturday night. It was IU’s first conference title since 1996.
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TWO WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT.
Got to hang out all weekend with my bud Chris Webb, who is the big cheese at the Buckeye 9 website. It’s a good site, especially for a program that could use as much publicity as it can get. Here’s where you can check out his stuff:
http://www.buckeyenine.blogspot.com/
As usual, Brian Decaussin does a wicked-good job with Big 10 baseball, and this year, that includes three teams that are in the NCAA Tournament. So any of you in Big 10 country need to go ahead and give his Big 10 Hardball site a whirl this weekend as the Big Dance kicks off:
http://www.bigtenhardball.blogspot.com/
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TEN OBSERVATIONS ABOUT OHIO.
Here are ten things I noticed, good and bad, about my week in Ohio for the Big 10, MAC and A-10 tournaments. In no particular order…
- Very clean.
Not a lot of graffiti or trash along the downtown streets at all the whole trip.
- Ohio drivers aren’t fast, but are courteous.
And unlike Texans, Ohio drivers don’t go slow in the passing lane either.
- Not a lot of cops out.
From Wednesday to Friday, saw none. Saturday and Sunday? Lots.
- Interesting billboards.
Here is an example or two:
Silly billboard. Don't you know the rule of no more than six words on an outdoor board? People won't read it now.
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Just to show you that Ohio billboards also cater to the heathens of the world.
- An overdose of country music.
For a state that houses the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I was disappointed.
- Also an alarming number of dead animals on the side of the road.
Mostly deer.
- Bad food restaurants.
My hotel was surrounded by five of the most overrated restaurants in the world:
Cracker Barrel.
Waffle House.
Fridays.
Dairy Queen.
Bob Evans.
- Bad place for a cell phone.
My phone kept freaking out all week, quickly running low on battery, getting poor reception and suddenly quitting on me. Is it just MY phone?
- Love Columbus airport.
Free wireless! LOVE that. None of that stupid “Boingo” service that costs $12.95 when all you want to do is check Email.
- The Shawshank Redemption prison.
No baseball on Sunday meant a visit to the prison where they filmed the famous movie. It was well worth the drive.
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irvinebaseballfan says:
Is that building with the bleachers in it part of the stadium? If not, that’s pretty freaking cool, and I would be there every weekend.
Assuming that Ohio kid is ok, that’s a pretty funny picture.
Love the VA Memorial Stadium. You’re right about the grand stand being like the old Box. It also reminds me of some of the minor league parks I went to as a kid. Very much like Athletic Park in Wausau, WI. These fancy new stadiums lack the heart of the old dingy bandboxes.
Brett Conrad says:
Texas is a big state. Wasn’t your experience with Texas drivers just in the Houston area?
I’m disappointed my alma mater didn’t make it (DBU Patriots). Thanks for mentioning them as one of the teams that should not have been left out.
Also, thanks for covering all the teams, and not just the major conferences.
Stitch-head says:
Thanks Brett. I cover all of college baseball because, well, for instance, Fresno State isn’t in a major conference. And I’m really bummed about DBU not making it in, especially since their RPI was almost exactly the same as last season. Back in my CSTV days last season I was able to score an interview with Coach Heefner. Great dude. But Brett, I actually lived in Dallas for a couple of years, so unfortunately, my experience with driving there is extensive.
KC says:
That bloodied nose is a reminder that there are too many injuries that occur as a result of dogpiles. Although they may look fun, the potential for serious injury ought to be incentive to avoid them altogether.
In your review of the 3 stadiums you didn’t mention one important thing- did any of them have trains running past them like so many other college stadiums?
Stitch-head says:
Well KC, that’s how I KNEW these weren’t college stadiums. None of them had a train going by them, so it was obvious.
Gusball says:
Stitch, do you know what’s up on the TV rights for the regionals? I assume ESPN has exclusive rights but it looks like ESPNU is only showing one game for the entire country Friday night (UVa-SDSU). If so, that’s BS. They should be regionalizing them so everybody can see their own teams play.
PhxTitan says:
Great set of pics. You can sell that pic of the girls of the on-deck circle. Fab pic! That’s poster material. Do you know what school they’re from. That would a month of May calendar pic for that school.
cats says:
stitch,
nice pictures!! love to see what other tourneys are like. ive been going to the SOCON tourney in charleston since i stop playing in 2000. i love charleston but this year they moved the tourney to Greenville, SC. the ball park in Greenville was a much better set up for a tourney than the JOE. it was a mini Fenway park right near downtown and alot of restaurants and bars(if you like). more fan friendly that the JOE. more shade, better concessions. its was a good time other than fact my boys didnt play well in 2 of 3 games. you should check out the SOCON tourney some time. alot of teams are losing alot this year(ELON, GSU, CITADEL, and WCU) so the league will be young and have a lot of new comers next year
Stitch-head says:
Not sure how it all works out Gusball. I do know that ESPN has first dibs on regionals and they chose to televise the Irvine regional this year. Other outlets are picking up regionals as well, for instance Sports South is going to televise the Clemson Regional. Apparently, unless I didn’t see it, CBS College Sports (my old affiliation) isn’t going to be televising a regional, even though they telecast the Conf. USA tournament… just another example of how they screwed up our spot.
When I was doing the in-studio TV thing with CSTV in ‘06 and ‘07, they had a wall of televisions set up with a couple different regionals on them. So even though ESPNU is only televising one regional, there are other networks out there showing games, you just have to dig a little. And you have to have DIRECTV, I assume.
cats says:
CSS is airing the Clemson regional!!!
Stitch-head says:
Thanks PhxTitan. The chicks in the Xavier picture are Xavier fans.
Doug says:
Creepy house!
What, no love for the Uncle Herschel’s breakfast at Cracker Barrel?
Congrats to Xavier for getting new blood into the tourney, but Rhode Island got hosed.
What kind of ticket prices were you paying in Ohio? The Northeast Conference tournament in New Britain, Conn., was played at the New Britain Rock Cats stadium (Minnesota Twins Double A team) and charged $10 per day for adults.
Admohr says:
Stitch – thanks for a great year of pictures, travel & writing. Your site really captures the joy in being a fan of college baseball, from the scenery to the action & analysis.
My apologies if you’ve referenced this before – are you on twitter? I’d enjoy following any 140-char analysis you’ll have of the tourney.
To all/anyone – does any one know of a twitter tag (#) that could be used in tracking tweets regarding the regionals? (background – on twitter if you put something like #ncaabb at the end of each tweet, you can search on that tag on search.twitter.com and immediately return all up-to-date-tweets w/ that tag). I’d be interested in tracking observations regarding regionals action – especially considering we can’t watch it all online or on tv ourselves. I’m hoping to tweet some of my obs from the Fort Worth Regional myself.
Thanks again!
Whisk E. Clear says:
Can’t believe you’re busting on The Waffle House. For value, speed and cholesterol, its hard to beat The Waffle House.
Did you find any bargains at the corner of I-71 and I-35? I hope you didn’t forget to pick up a patch kit.
Nice pics. Again, I deeply appreciate your coverage of the “mid-majors” (a term I don’t really like). You can’t get this kinduv coverage and commentary anywhere else. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Gusball says:
Well, good news, it looks like CBS Sports.com is going to be streaming free video of all or almost all of the regionals this weekend; can be accessed through cbssports.com or ncaa.com. Hallelujah!!
Stitch-head says:
Hey Gus.
It also looks like – gulp! – CBS Sports is going to use me for some writing in the post-season. I’ll talk more about it on Thursday night when I post.
Stitch-head says:
Hey Admohr. Mighty cool of ya’ to be readin’ and writin’ man. Bitchin’.
I don’t do the twitter thing yet. I figure my ass is busy enough at ball games and on baseball trips that it might get in the way of the things I really wanna/needta do. Maybe down the line as I reassess in the off-season.
Beavis says:
Guys -
I’ve got a thread on the Rice message board with links to the web streams from the various regionals.
http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=371347
MOBalum says:
Any reason the MWC’s home network is not televising the TCU regional? They’re showing repeats of the MWC tourney instead!! And last year, the Big Ten network did not show the Michigan regional. Does ESPN charge outlandish rights fees? Anyone know? Eric?
Kinda curious.
John says:
What regional(s) do you plan on attending?
PhxTitan says:
“Well, good news, it looks like CBS Sports.com is going to be streaming free video of all or almost all of the regionals this weekend; can be accessed through cbssports.com or ncaa.com. Hallelujah!!”
HEY… can someone flush this info, schedule out!? I couldn’t find a video schedule at cbs sports. If this is true, this is worth a blog entry headline, schedule, and links. Anybody?
Beavis says:
Phx:
I also didn’t find anything at CBS – and that’s why I put together the link above (from all of the individual websites). I’ve just gone back and rechecked websites for “Watch” links at 9pm PT Thursday. Fullerton is one of the few sites without a video option as of Thursday night (saw the “Titan” in your handle – I’m in South O.C.).
Stitch-head says:
Hey John.
After last week’s drive-fest between Columbus, Chillicothe and Dayton, I’ve decided to drive between Venice, Irvine and Fullerton. Can’t get enough of that grid-lock traffic, ya’ know?
Stitch-head says:
Ya’ know MOBalum, I don’t know the answer to that one. Wish I did. Like I’ve mentioned before in response to other comments, I know that Sport South is showing the Clemson Regional and there have been other networks in the recent past that have shown regionals. But I don’t have any info on other regionals or how they are divvied out..
PhxTitan says:
Thanks Beavis. Missed that previously; thought it was for Rice only. That’s a great post with most of the video feeds over at the Rice board.