2014 CWS

[Stargazer]

Did Stormchasers have a home stand during CWS last year? They had pretty decent attendance alongside this year's CWS.

[Brad]

Did Stormchasers have a home stand during CWS last year?  They had pretty decent attendance alongside this year's CWS.

I know there was some overlap. Not sure how much but I do remember wishing I would have done aerials one night because I could have hit both at once. CWS is so corporate, am guessing a lot of families will choose Storm Chasers over the CWS.

[Greg S]

Did Stormchasers have a home stand during CWS last year?  They had pretty decent attendance alongside this year's CWS.

I know there was some overlap.  Not sure how much but I do remember wishing I would have done aerials one night because I could have hit both at once.  CWS is so corporate, am guessing a lot of families will choose Storm Chasers over the CWS.

Yep they've done a home stand during the CWS ever year that Werner's been open. Now they don't have to go on an extreme road trip during June.

Brad's right, lots of families there. The CWS game I went to this year was with company tickets. This is the first year my family has not gone to the Chasers during the CWS. My kids baseball games got in the way.

Greg

[iamjacobm]

Obviously it is a home run derby with cupcake pitches, but if there were ever an indictment for the bats more than the stadium this is it. It is possible to smoke some home runs in this park with the old bats.

[Coyote]

Obviously it is a home run derby with cupcake pitches, but if there were ever an indictment for the bats more than the stadium this is it.  It is possible to smoke some home runs in this park with the old bats.

In the back of my mind... Were they not going to allow wood bats in the HR Derby?

[Greg S]

Obviously it is a home run derby with cupcake pitches, but if there were ever an indictment for the bats more than the stadium this is it.  It is possible to smoke some home runs in this park with the old bats.

They're not going back to the old bats in college baseball just to fix the issues with TD. They're going to try the new baseball this year with the flatter seams for all of college baseball.

Greg

[iamjacobm]

Obviously it is a home run derby with cupcake pitches, but if there were ever an indictment for the bats more than the stadium this is it.  It is possible to smoke some home runs in this park with the old bats.

They're not going back to the old bats in college baseball just to fix the issues with TD.  They're going to try the new baseball this year with the flatter seams for all of college baseball.  

Greg

I know. I was pointing out the misguided rhetoric about the park being the biggest thing next to the Grand Canyon is the main reason for the power outage. There are a lot of factors at play here. Heck College baseball as a whole had the lowest HR per game in 50 years this last season.

[MadMartin8]

It's not the park that is the problem. The elevation difference, the wind difference is simply minimal, and as buildings spring up in the area it'll be even less.

It's the bats and maybe the ball. This isn't just a TD issue, there weren't that many homeruns this year or last (repeating what was said above here). Anyone blaming TD at this point is just another person clinging onto Rosenblatt love.

[Greg S]

The wind blows in at TD where it blew out at Rosenblatt. They have TD face southeast because they wanted more inside the stadium to have a view of Omaha's skyline. The HR's numbers have fallen all across college but nothing like they have at TD.

Here's an article where they were even talking about this in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/co ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Another thing that did not impact HR's but has had a negative impact on offenses is the huge foul territory at TD. You can catch a lot more foul balls while in defense at TD. Almost all other parks built in the last 30 years have much smaller foul territories. Can't figure out why they NCAA wanted them so large. They moved the fans so much further away. I could see not wanting them too close for safety reasons but wow.

Greg

[iamjacobm]

Pretty sure the foul ground is so we could fit football.

[MadMartin8]

This implies the wind always comes in from the same direction, and that the intensities are always high during batting times. Unless that wind is a constant, then I'm more inclined to blame a change in the bats and the increase in pitching abilities due to the ball and kods throwing their arms off sooner rather than the degree orientation of the park. The article linked provided three major parts to the equation, and I lean more towards the equipment being the more prominent factor at play given the number of hr's this year overall in all parks.

[Greg S]

The bats definitely play a part. The two games I went to during the CWS and plus the Big 10 games I saw, the wind was definitely a factor. At Rosenblatt the wind blew out. Park orientation definitely is an issue at TD. I can't remember attending a game at TD were the wind was blowing out. I'm sure it happens, but it most not be frequent.

I don't see how anyone can deny though that the park is a big factor as well. The scoring is lower at TD than other parks. The teams and players are trying to be nice, but it is noticed.

Everything about TD was designed with the NCAA's strict input. Can't imagine they were thinking football when they designed it. They certainly did not take any input on the design from the Omaha Royals.

Greg

[Coyote]

I think the Omaha Royals were inside the loop, but only maybe a toe... Remember the removable stadium seats that a helicopter would bring in...

[Greg S]

They were involved in the very early stages. The Royals were actually the first to really push for a DT stadium. That stadium was going to be I believe, a little west and not quite as far north, but still in the area. I remember the Slowdown guys were disappointed that one did not come to fruition.

Then Fahey really pushed for the $48 million stadium with removable seats for both the Royals and the CWS.

Once the NCAA got involved, the removable seats were no longer on the table (the NCAA wanted no part of this). Then MECA got selected for a site (initially they were throwing a fit against the stadium, comparing it to having a gas station built next to your house). Once the NCAA got involved, there was no more true input in the stadium design from the Royals.

Greg