Duke Baseball to be televised

[CameronBornAndBred]

How cool is this (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=3642551)? One of the Duke-Wake games will be on TV. I've only been to one or 2 games in my life, but I know I've never seen one on TV. Says alot for our program, I think that McNally has things looking very good for Duke baseball. I wish I were more of a baseball fan, but I pay attention to records, and ours has been getting better. Crossing fingers for good weather!

[msdukie]

Every ACC team has to appear on RSN at least once a season. Like clockwork, Duke baseball has appeared on RSN only once each of the last several years. I know the release says "Raycom" but I'm assuming that it is RSN. After all, every set of Duke Women's Basketball game notes referred to every RSN game as being on Raycom too.

Hopefully, the baseball team will get more televised games this year, including in the ACC Tournament.

[Faustus]

I believe the ACC baseball tournament will be held in Boston's fabled Fenway Park this year. As I understand it, it was supposed to have been there last year but they messed up the scheduling and promised this year instead to make up. Would be cool if Duke could make it and win a game or more.

[msdukie]

I believe the ACC baseball tournament will be held in Boston's fabled Fenway Park this year. As I understand it, it was supposed to have been there last year but they messed up the scheduling and promised this year instead to make up. Would be cool if Duke could make it and win a game or more.

This was supposed to be the year -moved to DBAP. Fenway is next year.

[dkbaseball]

Had a chat the other day with Rick Jones, who has built the Tulane baseball program into a million dollar revenue model that goes to the NCAA tournament every year. He is very high on Duke's prospects. Praises McNalley (very different take than he had on the previous coach), says the latest recruiting class is Duke's first that has been ranked (I'm not sure that's true). He also believes Duke has the right AD now for making a commitment to the program and getting a new stadium built. White was the guy who hired him at Tulane and gave him carte blanche to go for the elite level. But that was in a very different economic climate.

[JD79]

I graduated 30 years ago and played in the first Duke Baseball ACC Tournament win in our history against Carolina in 1978. To see how far Duke has come in Baseball is very exciting.

Beating Carolina (they were ranked #9 nationally at the time) at their park in the first round of the ACC tourny was a thrill. We had no baseball scholarships and used several football players on the team who were really our most important players.

I imagine Duke hands out several scholarships annually for baseball and that is the only way our teams could ever be consistently good against Carolina, Clemson and the rest of the good baseball schools in the ACC and nationally.

But for one special day in 1978 the "students" at Duke beat a nationally ranked and much more celebrated Carolina program.

Good luck this year!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Nice post JD, thanks for the story. Always good to hear a David and Goliath tale, especially at Carolina's expense!

[Billy Dat]

I was at Duke when McNally was playing 3rd base and catching a game at Combs Field, tucked in right behind Cameron, was a very fun but typically something folks didn't take advantage of (like so many other opportunities in the gothic wonderland). The team boasted several future major leaguers, Quentin McCracken being the most successful. McNally was a local high school star up here in Westchester County, NY (Rye High School) so it's good to see a local boy do good for the alma matter.

[Mudge]

Had a chat the other day with Rick Jones, who has built the Tulane baseball program into a million dollar revenue model that goes to the NCAA tournament every year. He is very high on Duke's prospects. Praises McNalley (very different take than he had on the previous coach), says the latest recruiting class is Duke's first that has been ranked (I'm not sure that's true). He also believes Duke has the right AD now for making a commitment to the program and getting a new stadium built. White was the guy who hired him at Tulane and gave him carte blanche to go for the elite level. But that was in a very different economic climate.

Glad to hear that Duke baseball is looking up-- but why do we need a new stadium (any more than we need a new basketball arena)? I could see if we got really good that there might possibly be a need for slightly more seating, but until then, why do we need it? If you tell me that we need some kind of training facilities that we lack, OK, but what's wrong with the field itself?

[dkbaseball]

Glad to hear that Duke baseball is looking up-- but why do we need a new stadium (any more than we need a new basketball arena)? I could see if we got really good that there might possibly be a need for slightly more seating, but until then, why do we need it? If you tell me that we need some kind of training facilities that we lack, OK, but what's wrong with the field itself?

It's got to be the least fan-friendly stadium in Div. one. The only seating is about 50 yards behind home plate. It entices neither fans nor recruits.

[JD79]

Asking for a new field or stadium isn't new or surprising. We had the worst field in Division 1 30 years ago and (if it's still the same structure) it would be even worse now.

Imagine trying to recruit scholarship players against the real nice stadiums that exist for other teams. Or the workout facilities they have vs. us. Kids get swayed by the coolness factor when they are 18 and Duke would be better served long term to enhance the visual and real world facilities to show recruits that we are serious about baseball, just like other schools (and just like the other sports at Duke that have improved their fields and facilities). Look at what that has done for the Lacrosse program.

They don't need a completely new ball field - but stadium improvements would help.

[gotham devil]

Had a chat the other day with Rick Jones, who has built the Tulane baseball program into a million dollar revenue model that goes to the NCAA tournament every year. He is very high on Duke's prospects. Praises McNalley (very different take than he had on the previous coach), says the latest recruiting class is Duke's first that has been ranked (I'm not sure that's true). He also believes Duke has the right AD now for making a commitment to the program and getting a new stadium built. White was the guy who hired him at Tulane and gave him carte blanche to go for the elite level. But that was in a very different economic climate.

Thanks for the contribution.
Duke's incoming recruiting class was ranked #25 by Baseball America...ahead of Tulane, Miami, St. John's, Oregon St., etc.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/recruiting/2008/267018.html

[jimsumner]

"Glad to hear that Duke baseball is looking up-- but why do we need a new stadium (any more than we need a new basketball arena)? I could see if we got really good that there might possibly be a need for slightly more seating, but until then, why do we need it?"

Let's suppose Duke does get really good. Which is the goal. Good enough to host some NCAA Tournament games.

Nope. Coombs does not meet minimum NCAA standards to host an NCAA Tournament game. Not enough seats, woefully inadequate rest-room facilities, virtually non-existent press facilities. A grounds crew would help.

Wade is better relative to the competition than is Coombs. And that is not an endorsement of Wade.

And yes, Kevin White is aware of this and it is on his to-do list. But the timing is awful. Even rich, private schools aren't immune from the financial crisis.

But trust me, Duke's baseball facilities are totally substandard and are a major hindrance to McNally's efforts to make this program competitive. A significant upgrade is an absolute necessity.

[gotham devil]

"Glad to hear that Duke baseball is looking up-- but why do we need a new stadium (any more than we need a new basketball arena)? I could see if we got really good that there might possibly be a need for slightly more seating, but until then, why do we need it?"

Let's suppose Duke does get really good. Which is the goal. Good enough to host some NCAA Tournament games.

Nope. Coombs does not meet minimum NCAA standards to host an NCAA Tournament game. Not enough seats, woefully inadequate rest-room facilities, virtually non-existent press facilities. A grounds crew would help.

Wade is better relative to the competition than is Coombs. And that is not an endorsement of Wade.

And yes, Kevin White is aware of this and it is on his to-do list. But the timing is awful. Even rich, private schools aren't immune from the financial crisis.

But trust me, Duke's baseball facilities are totally substandard and are a major hindrance to McNally's efforts to make this program competitive. A significant upgrade is an absolute necessity.

Roughly, how much would it cost to meet the necessary minimum standards to host a NCAA Tournament game?

[jjasper0729]

Asking for a new field or stadium isn't new or surprising. We had the worst field in Division 1 30 years ago and (if it's still the same structure) it would be even worse now.

Imagine trying to recruit scholarship players against the real nice stadiums that exist for other teams. Or the workout facilities they have vs. us. Kids get swayed by the coolness factor when they are 18 and Duke would be better served long term to enhance the visual and real world facilities to show recruits that we are serious about baseball, just like other schools (and just like the other sports at Duke that have improved their fields and facilities). Look at what that has done for the Lacrosse program.

They don't need a completely new ball field - but stadium improvements would help.

I agree. The wind tunnel known as Jack Coombs Field could use a major sprucing up. I would contend that what they SHOULD do (and I'm no architect or engineer) is to

1) lift the roof up on the current structure

2) change the seats to seats all the way through

3) extend the seats with a tunnel to the front around the third base line (either carry the roof or no, i would say no (more on that soon))

4) underneath that, have a permanent concession stand and a clubhouse

5) underneath #4 (meaning dig a big hole) have a locker room so they don't have to come from either card gym/cameron (as they used to have to) or murray

6) terrace the hill so that it's a viable picnic type area

7) put a covered, dedicated press box along the top of the extended section (#3) so the score keepers and scoreboard operators aren't tempting fate when the water collects in the corner where all the electrical is

extending down the third base line would cut down on the wind through there and lifting the roof, maybe even pulling it back from the wall so it doesn't cover the whole thing might not be so bad either

just my $0.02

[jimsumner]

You're going to have to add restrooms.

Cost? Haven't a clue. Depends of the final plan. But that's above my pay grade.

[jjasper0729]

don't know why i left that one off... there are some, but moving the coaches office out of where it is now into a true clubhouse would allow for expansion of what is there already.

and jim, you mentioned virtually non-existent press facilities... it's not virtually.. there are none... you can't count that table down at the front...

i love duke baseball... i did p/a, scoreboard and scorekeeping for 4 years... just wish the stadium was better.

[jimsumner]

"and jim, you mentioned virtually non-existent press facilities... it's not virtually.. there are none... you can't count that table down at the front."

But where else can you have a foul ball bounce off the netting inches from your face? :)