UNO Maverick Athletics

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omaha79
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

I was blindsided by this. On the surface, this seems like an extremely poor decision. Herold has been the most successful coach at UNO during the D-I transition. The baseball team is the first to win a D-I conference title. They have done this in a facility that high school players laugh at.

If this is about wins and losses, I'd say UNO made an incredible mistake. But, it can't be that. I'm hoping there's no scandal...but, I could see Herold being upset if there has been yet another delay in the baseball facility...and having to use Werner in the interim. He had been promised a new facility for almost 20 years.

Unless there is another story here, I feel like this does not bode well for the state of UNO athletics.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by MadMartin8 »

Wow. Unless the reasons behind this firing are made public, I have a feeling Trev Alberts is going to get another reason for people to question his decision making.
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omaha79
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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MadMartin8 wrote:Wow. Unless the reasons behind this firing are made public, I have a feeling Trev Alberts is going to get another reason for people to question his decision making.
I would be shocked if at least some of it doesn't come out relatively soon. The baseball program supporters are a pretty tight knit community. Bob Herold has been there for a generation. If this is related to on field performance or something the baseball people perceive as unfair, it will be like a mini version of the football/wrestling fiasco. I could see them taking to the web to voice their displeasure.

If it's a program scandal, again, I can't see that staying a secret either.

The bottom line is we don't know anything right now and those that do aren't talking. The usual suspects that I would have figured would have some idea seemed blindsided too.

We will see.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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KETV is reporting that it is at least in part due to an altercation on a bus


http://www.ketv.com/sports/uno-maverick ... sWatch%207

KETV NewsWatch 7 has learned there was an altercation between Herold and a player two months ago on the team bus that may have played a role in his departure.

The Mavericks lost to the Huskers, 8-2, on May 11, and multiple players have confirmed to KETV NewsWatch 7 that Herold grabbed a player on the bus ride back to Omaha.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

That can't be the whole story here. If it really was about the bus altercation, why not fire him after it happened? Or, at absolute latest after the season? You wouldn't do it almost 2 months after the end of the season.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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nebugeater wrote:KETV is reporting that it is at least in part due to an altercation on a bus


http://www.ketv.com/sports/uno-maverick ... sWatch%207

KETV NewsWatch 7 has learned there was an altercation between Herold and a player two months ago on the team bus that may have played a role in his departure.

The Mavericks lost to the Huskers, 8-2, on May 11, and multiple players have confirmed to KETV NewsWatch 7 that Herold grabbed a player on the bus ride back to Omaha.

Scapegoat incident right there. There's way more to this than some simple grabbing a player, probably to correct behavior.

If there isn't, we've fallen really far as a society.
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omaha79
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

MadMartin8 wrote:
nebugeater wrote:KETV is reporting that it is at least in part due to an altercation on a bus


http://www.ketv.com/sports/uno-maverick ... sWatch%207

KETV NewsWatch 7 has learned there was an altercation between Herold and a player two months ago on the team bus that may have played a role in his departure.

The Mavericks lost to the Huskers, 8-2, on May 11, and multiple players have confirmed to KETV NewsWatch 7 that Herold grabbed a player on the bus ride back to Omaha.

Scapegoat incident right there. There's way more to this than some simple grabbing a player, probably to correct behavior.

If there isn't, we've fallen really far as a society.
Couldn't have said it better.

There better be something else going on here, or this is just sad.

The players that are coming forward seem shocked. Herold seemed surprised too.

http://www.omaha.com/uno/baseball/after ... cae8a.html

Again, I can't imagine there was anything that happened here that would have warranted a firing now, especially after he was allowed to finish off the season and there was no announcement for nearly 2 months after.

This firing, reportedly over a minor incident, seems suspect when in light of all of the incidents with players (many of which were captured on national tv) that the baboon of a former football coach down in Lincoln was allowed to get away with (and never actually got fired for) and his piece of trash brother who actually punched someone on a sideline and got to keep his job (until he started putting his johnson in places it didn't belong).

I just don't get it. I'm just disappointed right now.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Greg S »

Based on the news on Baxter I don't see a UNO baseball stadium happening anytime soon.

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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

I think the news about Baxter Arena's deficits may well have set back the baseball stadium 10 years at this point unless a big time donor steps forward and fully funds it.

I also wonder what this means for the rumors of UNO playing all games next year at Werner. Gary Sharp must have heard that somewhere if he was willing to flat out say that the Boys Town Ballpark era was over. Still, I can't see that happening now unless Sarpy/Storm Chasers are willing to give them a sweetheart deal, essentially with free rent.

I know the articles about UNO's finances did say that UNO expected ticket revenue to go up, but it didn't explain how. That was interesting to me since UNO lowered basketball ticket prices and hockey revenues should be flat, at best. So, maybe they are getting a sweetheart deal out west and think that they can increase their ticket revenue from next to nothing to $8-$9 a game. Even if they only draw a few hundred a game in paid attendance, it would be a huge increase to the free attendance out at Boys Town. The other option is they stay at Boys Town and try to charge $5 to walk in. They tried that in the early years out there and it didn't work.

This also takes me back to the strange timing and circumstances of Bob Herold's departure. I'm starting to believe there is zero truth to the "bus incident". I wonder if his dismissal could have been budget related, partly, and maybe he mouthed off just enough when he was told a baseball stadium wouldn't be announced this year as most were expecting (and I'm sure Bob Herold was expecting).

Interesting. Still, if I was part of that baseball program, I'd be on red alert right about now that the team could be on the budgetary chopping block.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

Well, it is what it is. This is a far cry from playing all games at Werner Park for the next 2-3 years while a new ballpark at Chilli Greens is completed. Considering the state of UNO Athletics, I don't see a new ballpark for quite some time. As long as baseball remains part of the athletic program now and in the future, I can accept them playing at Seymour Smith Park. It's better than Boys Town.

If memory serves me, I believe this is a homecoming of sorts. I seem to remember Seymour Smith being a temporary home for UNO for 1-2 years circa 2003-2004. It was after they played at Westgate and prior to Ballpark at Boys Town's debut in roughly 2006.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Coyote »

From 1975 till 2005, UNO's baseball team played primarily at Westgate and then at 1999 Nomads Ballpark. But they also played at Burke, Boyd, Millard West, Ralston, Creighton, or 25 other ballparks from 1999-2005, including Seymour in 2002.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Taco »

While I am no Catherine, here's my (somewhat already obvious) scoop: the University of Nebraska is giving a really long look at cutting UNO baseball. Decision still up in the air right now, but the people I've talked with have hinted they are leaning towards doing away with it.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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Taco wrote:While I am no Catherine, here's my (somewhat already obvious) scoop: the University of Nebraska is giving a really long look at cutting UNO baseball. Decision still up in the air right now, but the people I've talked with have hinted they are leaning towards doing away with it.

What in the eff is UNO going to keep regarding sports? The only sport they have an advantage on in the region is hockey. As bad as Nebraska football has been, I'm sorry UNO got rid of football. At least I could drive a few miles to watch a football game for a reasonable price.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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choke wrote:
Taco wrote:While I am no Catherine, here's my (somewhat already obvious) scoop: the University of Nebraska is giving a really long look at cutting UNO baseball. Decision still up in the air right now, but the people I've talked with have hinted they are leaning towards doing away with it.

What in the eff is UNO going to keep regarding sports? The only sport they have an advantage on in the region is hockey. As bad as Nebraska football has been, I'm sorry UNO got rid of football. At least I could drive a few miles to watch a football game for a reasonable price.
UNO really screwed themselves by cutting football in a way they surely didn't expect. Many donors and big names in Omaha were alums from the football team or associated with the team. Many corporations had pipelines to hire the high character, hard working football players. Now, the Baxter arena has set the team in a greater hole than the football program ever did and there are few donors to fill it in. Hockey attendance is down this year and basketball has been lower than expected so the money shortage isn't expected to end. The athletic department cannot continue taking loans from Bounds or drawing from the general fund, so they will have to reduce expenses. Baseball is one of UNO's easiest to cut sports due to budget, low fan engagement and lack of facilities. I would be very surprised if it lasted two years. Really, the way things look right now the athletic department needs to make major changes before it goes belly up. UNO's financial troubles are far from ending.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by choke »

Taco wrote:
choke wrote:
Taco wrote:While I am no Catherine, here's my (somewhat already obvious) scoop: the University of Nebraska is giving a really long look at cutting UNO baseball. Decision still up in the air right now, but the people I've talked with have hinted they are leaning towards doing away with it.

What in the eff is UNO going to keep regarding sports? The only sport they have an advantage on in the region is hockey. As bad as Nebraska football has been, I'm sorry UNO got rid of football. At least I could drive a few miles to watch a football game for a reasonable price.
UNO really screwed themselves by cutting football in a way they surely didn't expect. Many donors and big names in Omaha were alums from the football team or associated with the team. Many corporations had pipelines to hire the high character, hard working football players. Now, the Baxter arena has set the team in a greater hole than the football program ever did and there are few donors to fill it in. Hockey attendance is down this year and basketball has been lower than expected so the money shortage isn't expected to end. The athletic department cannot continue taking loans from Bounds or drawing from the general fund, so they will have to reduce expenses. Baseball is one of UNO's easiest to cut sports due to budget, low fan engagement and lack of facilities. I would be very surprised if it lasted two years. Really, the way things look right now the athletic department needs to make major changes before it goes belly up. UNO's financial troubles are far from ending.
That's funny because the athletic department just made "major changes." UNO isn't the only college competing in a lower tier when it comes to sports. How the heck did they get themselves in such a mess? Trev Alberts might be in some hot water.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Greg S »

UNO handled the cutting of football all wrong. That being said, I can't come up with a way it could have survived. Expensive sport, FBS teams no longer want to play FCS teams, and it had a very small fan base in Omaha.

UNO's finances were a train wreck long before this happened.

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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by cp jay 07 »

Greg S wrote:UNO handled the cutting of football all wrong. That being said, I can't come up with a way it could have survived. Expensive sport, FBS teams no longer want to play FCS teams, and it had a very small fan base in Omaha.

UNO's finances were a train wreck long before this happened.

Greg
It would not shock me to see UNO baseball go the way of football and wrestling in the next 5 years if Trev is still in charge, People in the program seem to think that way also. Hiring a first time head coach at any level that was playing baseball overseas at the time of his "hiring" after the firing of the winnigest coach in program history while putting a better band aid (Seymour smith) over the new stadium issue doesn't exactly scream support from the top.

While I agree about UNO's finances being a mess it is a little disheartening to see so many former conference mates succeed at the FCS level after the NCC broke up, NDSU, SDSU and UND all hosted home playoff games this year. Also hearing Trev say cutting football was about joining the Summit league always made me wonder considering 4 of the 9 league members have Football anyway and make it work.

Obviously to compete at that level Caniglia would have had to take on major renovations, closing the bowl and permanent seating on the east side, new player facilities, and much more would have been quite the task for UNO.

But seeing NDSU's almost immediate success after making the transition including having a roster with quite a few Omahan's playing key roles will always make me wonder if UNO football could have made it at the next level.

Think about this, NDSU is ranked number 1 and coming off of 4 straight National Titles and comes into Omaha for Saturday night game at UNO, think about how many people UND bring down for the hockey series and maybe double that for the Bison, a 4-3 Nebraska team is playing 2-5 Purdue at 11 AM so everyone in the city is done with that game, the town would be a buzz about UNO football that weekend and getting a ticket to Caniglia would be real damn tough. Would have been quite the scene in Omaha and Aksarben that weekend.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Greg S »

I just don't see it. Those schools don't have a Division 1 Power 5 school with a massive following in their state. UNO football never got any traction. I grew up 4 blocks from campus and only went to a few games. NDSU doesn't have hockey so that's their flagship program. Both of those schools are having budget issues too.

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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

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Greg S wrote:I just don't see it. Those schools don't have a Division 1 Power 5 school with a massive following in their state. UNO football never got any traction. I grew up 4 blocks from campus and only went to a few games. NDSU doesn't have hockey so that's their flagship program. Both of those schools are having budget issues too.

Greg
That's division 2 for you though. How many basketball games were people going to at the Sapp before the division 1? Now people actually go to UNO basketball and they are making it more of an event with the move to D-1 and Baxter. Moving to Division 1 would have helped especially if they could have got in the Valley with NDSU, SDSU, and USD from the NCC along with Northern Iowa being a regional rival and considering ESPN is broadcasting what seems to be a lot of FCS games now, even during the regular season sometimes the exposure for UNO football would have been turned way up. You can't judge attendance without factoring in the move in competition and level. If NDSU vs UNO happened in Omaha it would get 20k easily which is above the average for FCS.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by Greg S »

cp jay 07 wrote:
Greg S wrote:I just don't see it. Those schools don't have a Division 1 Power 5 school with a massive following in their state. UNO football never got any traction. I grew up 4 blocks from campus and only went to a few games. NDSU doesn't have hockey so that's their flagship program. Both of those schools are having budget issues too.

Greg
That's division 2 for you though. How many basketball games were people going to at the Sapp before the division 1? Now people actually go to UNO basketball and they are making it more of an event with the move to D-1 and Baxter. Moving to Division 1 would have helped especially if they could have got in the Valley with NDSU, SDSU, and USD from the NCC along with Northern Iowa being a regional rival and considering ESPN is broadcasting what seems to be a lot of FCS games now, even during the regular season sometimes the exposure for UNO football would have been turned way up. You can't judge attendance without factoring in the move in competition and level. If NDSU vs UNO happened in Omaha it would get 20k easily which is above the average for FCS.

I'm still not convinced. To move up and be competitive UNO would need to add scholarships. UNO would be so susceptible to anytime the Huskers were playing. UNO would not consistently draw well. You may get the occasional big draw, but not on a regular basis. Even with the move up, more fans and such, it would still lose money. How many FCS teams actually make money? We are spoiled around here with NU's athletic department not needing any state funds, that's the exception and not the rule in today's sports.

Also how often do you think they'd actually be on ESPN? Sharp and Benning were saying this morning the Saturday Night (national semifinals) were the first time Youngstown was on TV since Pelini was hired. Unless UNO went on some sort of crazy run like NDSU, they could go years between appearances.

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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

Taco wrote:While I am no Catherine, here's my (somewhat already obvious) scoop: the University of Nebraska is giving a really long look at cutting UNO baseball. Decision still up in the air right now, but the people I've talked with have hinted they are leaning towards doing away with it.
This is sad, but predictable and probably inevitable. To me, the writing was on the wall the minute they fired Herold and immediately hiring an interim coach with no experience. My guess is that the team plays out the upcoming season and unless something changes in terms of the overall finances (not looking likely) or they find an angel donor to fund the program and build the ballpark, they kill the program after the upcoming season.

Things are grim for UNO athletics. Baxter Arena and the overall athletic program is hemorrhaging cash and it doesn't appear things will get better this year.

If it goes down like this, Trev Alberts should be the next one out the door. He's in charge of the financials. If he were to be graded on fixing UNO Athletics finances, his tenure has been a dismal failure. Sure, he's taken the program D-I and changed the culture to an extent, but the bottom line is actually worse than when he showed up.
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Re: UNO Baseball Stadium

Post by omaha79 »

Also, if they do drop UNO baseball, any rumors as to what sport(s) they'd add to replace it? Cross Country? Track?

The one reason I thought baseball might be safe is that UNO is currently at the minimum number of sports allowed to be classified as a D-I institution as well as minimum required for membership in the Summit League.

You're supposed to have at least 7 men's sports and 7 women's sports or 6 men's sports and 8 women's sports. Dropping baseball would put UNO at 5 men's sports and 9 women's sports. My understanding is that they would need to add a men's sport at that point. I don't know if they could push the NCAA for a special exemption, but I kind of doubt it.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/who-we-are/me ... sification

The situation with the Summit League would also be problematic if UNO drops baseball. Yes, they could add cross country or track, but UNO dropping baseball puts the Summit League back into the same situation they were in a few years ago when Oakland left the conference. The Summit League is currently at 6 teams. That is the minimum required for the league to retain it's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. When Oakland left, they were given a 2 year probationary period to get back to 6 members or lose the bid. Adding Oral Roberts back into the mix got them back to six. Oral Roberts has had a strong commitment to baseball over the years. I can't imagine this situation would play well with them and I could see them looking to move again if the Summit can't provide a viable baseball league. Without UNO baseball, the Summit would need to add another school with baseball ASAP or look to add an affiliate member for baseball. Neither grow on trees.

In some ways, I would wonder if the Summit League would step in and try to force UNO to keep the baseball program? This isn't a rich league by any means and I can't see a scenario where they have anything to offer UNO from a financial perspective that would move the needle. There is no big TV contract to play with. But, I could see them putting pressure on UNO in other ways...or maybe enticing them with the ability to host league postseason tournaments in multiple sports if they keep baseball. UNO keeping baseball is easier for the Summit League than trying to find new full or affiliate members...or trying to petition the NCAA to keep their auto bid with 5 schools.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I'm not confident that UNO will have baseball in 3 years though.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

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I don't think UNO can drop baseball without closing the whole athletic department down. I don't think UNO can drop any sports without jeopardizing Summit League membership.

That being said, I don't think UNO is going to be able to build a baseball stadium unless a baseball supporter demands and funds it. General athletic department donations need to be targeted towards paying off the Baxter Error, so UNO is almost surely going to need to be a renter for the forseeable future. UNO might want to inquire about using TD Ameritrade Park for some future larger games with Nebraska; the games in Sarpy County have not drawn particularly well, and playing closer to campus may draw larger crowds. (I know UNO has had issues with rescheduling rained out games out in Sarpy County; I have this suspicion that MECA is going to be more flexible.)

The biggest issue facing UNO athletics is Baxter Arena; it was intended and planned to be the solution, but the reality is that it's magnified them. It's not a decision that can be renegotiated or reconsidered; the money is already spent, and there is no secondary market for arenas. (Unless one of the local megachurches is looking for space.) You are seeing the effects of the change on UNO's hires: they are hiring lesser experienced people (presumably at a savings) because the athletic department simply doesn't have the funds to hire people better qualified.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

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HskrFanMike wrote:I don't think UNO can drop baseball without closing the whole athletic department down. I don't think UNO can drop any sports without jeopardizing Summit League membership.

That being said, I don't think UNO is going to be able to build a baseball stadium unless a baseball supporter demands and funds it. General athletic department donations need to be targeted towards paying off the Baxter Error, so UNO is almost surely going to need to be a renter for the forseeable future. UNO might want to inquire about using TD Ameritrade Park for some future larger games with Nebraska; the games in Sarpy County have not drawn particularly well, and playing closer to campus may draw larger crowds. (I know UNO has had issues with rescheduling rained out games out in Sarpy County; I have this suspicion that MECA is going to be more flexible.)

The biggest issue facing UNO athletics is Baxter Arena; it was intended and planned to be the solution, but the reality is that it's magnified them. It's not a decision that can be renegotiated or reconsidered; the money is already spent, and there is no secondary market for arenas. (Unless one of the local megachurches is looking for space.) You are seeing the effects of the change on UNO's hires: they are hiring lesser experienced people (presumably at a savings) because the athletic department simply doesn't have the funds to hire people better qualified.
I once thought, like yourself, that baseball was safe since UNO is at the minimum number of sports for both NCAA D-I and Summit League membership...but, a compelling argument was made on this forum that men's cross country or track would certainly be lower cost alternative if UNO simply wanted to cut costs.

Now, that doesn't address the inevitable blowback UNO would receive in the community if they dropped yet another long standing part of the athletic department. As small as they might be, the baseball alums and boosters would flip out and it would bring the already jilted football and wrestling back out into the open. I would imagine the local media would take UNO's administration to task over this as well.

Dropping baseball for track or cross country also doesn't address the possibility of straining the ties between UNO and the Summit League if UNO puts the conferences auto bid to the NCAA baseball tournament in jeopardy.

I've supported UNO by purchasing season tickets to hockey, men's basketball, and soccer. Even though I absolutely understand the financial difficulties the athletic department has and continues to face, I will have to reassess my willingness to continue to make this kind of financial commitment to UNO athletics. If they are going to continue to drop sports that I care about, what's the point? I can't keep allowing myself to become emotionally and financially invested in sports that ultimately get cut. I also can't continue to fund ineptitude.

I'm probably in the minority here. Hockey is all that matters to all but a small devoted core of fans. That's fine, to an extent, but UNO hockey cannot continue to survive if the rest of the program is in shambles. It's a symbiotic relationship. And, as I've said before, at what point is Trev Alberts on the hot seat over this? He was hired to fix athletics bottom line. He's failed miserably at that stated goal.

There are no easy answers here, but I've, again, reached the point where I have zero faith in those in leadership of this athletic department.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by omaha79 »

and, as to your statement about UNO using TD Ameritrade Park for the games against Nebraska, I don't see it working, honestly.

The lack of attendance for the UNO vs. NU games at Werner Park has been mainly due to the weather. UNO has had extremely bad luck for most of their games at Werner with just awful weather. The one time they had truly great weather for a UNO vs. NU game, it was a nice crowd. Even if it was played at TD, I can't imagine the crowd being much larger when the temperatures are in the low 50's and raining.

The Nebraska fanbase drives the attendance at these games, and interest in Nebraska baseball has been down as well in recent years due to the relative on field struggles under Erstad. Nebraska vs. Creighton is no longer the event it used to be 10-15 years ago. Some have tried to blame the more sterile environment at TD Ameritrade Park vs. Rosenblatt. That is a factor to a small degree. Sure, some of those mid-00's Nebraska vs. Creighton games at Rosenblatt were absolutely electric, but you don't have Nebraska as a Top 10 team anymore contending for conference titles and CWS appearances. That has created a general malaise surrounding NU baseball. That is the main issue here. That's why NU vs. Creighton draws 8-10k now instead of 15-20k like we saw in the past.

Also, I've talked to a number of NU baseball fans and they don't see UNO as a rival. They'll go watch NU vs. Creighton as there is a perceived rivalry there, but NU vs. UNO doesn't move the needle enough to get that many people to come out for a mid-week game. Considering the way crowds have dwindled for NU vs. CU games and the lack of perceived rivalry between NU and UNO, the best you're going to get, even with chamber of commerce weather is 6-8k whether the game is played at TD or Werner.

And, I've heard the Storm Chasers have cut UNO some sweetheart deals to play games out there. I doubt there would be the motivation to cut the same deals at TD. MECA has shown that they don't really care about filling dates at the ballpark. By allowing UNO to play home games there, they risk blowback from Creighton. The juice probably isn't worth the squeeze for MECA just to have one night of 6-8k, at best, in the stands.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by Greg S »

HskrFanMike wrote:I don't think UNO can drop baseball without closing the whole athletic department down. I don't think UNO can drop any sports without jeopardizing Summit League membership.

That being said, I don't think UNO is going to be able to build a baseball stadium unless a baseball supporter demands and funds it. General athletic department donations need to be targeted towards paying off the Baxter Error, so UNO is almost surely going to need to be a renter for the forseeable future. UNO might want to inquire about using TD Ameritrade Park for some future larger games with Nebraska; the games in Sarpy County have not drawn particularly well, and playing closer to campus may draw larger crowds. (I know UNO has had issues with rescheduling rained out games out in Sarpy County; I have this suspicion that MECA is going to be more flexible.)

The biggest issue facing UNO athletics is Baxter Arena; it was intended and planned to be the solution, but the reality is that it's magnified them. It's not a decision that can be renegotiated or reconsidered; the money is already spent, and there is no secondary market for arenas. (Unless one of the local megachurches is looking for space.) You are seeing the effects of the change on UNO's hires: they are hiring lesser experienced people (presumably at a savings) because the athletic department simply doesn't have the funds to hire people better qualified.

The games with Nebraska at Werner have been weather related for attendance. The rent at TD outweighs scheduling flexibility. I do think you are correct though that based on use of the stadiums, there are probably more open dates at downtown, though you are still working around both UNO's and NU's schedules. FYI, according to google maps, drive time difference from Baxter to both Werner and TD is only 6 minutes....

Greg
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

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Despite the quotes essentially saying, "nothing to see here," this seems significant to the discussion. UNO is being asked to ask for review on any purchases over $10,000...yet, the other campuses aren't being given the same restriction. UNO has "particularly tight financial margins," and, compared to the other campuses, "UNO's situation is a bit more tenuous."

http://www.omaha.com/news/education/nu- ... a117b.html
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by omaha79 »

North Dakota officially joined the Summit League today. This is a good fit for the league.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by cp jay 07 »

Not a great sign for baseball with that addition.

While UND makes sense in all the right ways you would think if the Summit League was serious about baseball they would have added a program that didn't just drop baseball 8 months ago. Very interested to see how this all plays out.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

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I'm not sure this changes baseball for them at all. It was more big picture. You're adding a team that fits geographically and historically for many of the schools.

Greg
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by cp jay 07 »

If the Summit league is currently at the minimum amount of members (6) allowed to receive the auto NCAA bid and you go out and get a school that literally just dropped baseball it probably isn't sending a great message to your members who do play baseball about the future of the sport in the conference. All it takes right now is one athletic department to make a budget cut to kill your league and leave 5 other teams in trouble of finding an affiliate league to play in. Its sad but true

Other than that it really is a great addition and great to see the old NCC together not only in the Summit league but also in the MVC football league with the Dakotas all back in the same league. Also adds another team from the Summit to the NCHC now along with Denver.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

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Greg S wrote:I'm not sure this changes baseball for them at all. It was more big picture. You're adding a team that fits geographically and historically for many of the schools.

Greg
I agree with Greg on this. This was more about getting a school that fits with the current geography and makes the league more stable should they ever finally lose IUPUI and IUPFW as has been rumored for some time. This also gets them to 10 which makes scheduling and travel much easier. Schools can now travel to North Dakota St. and North Dakota on the same road swing. So, this is a good overall decision for the league, but it was a decision made independently of baseball.

I did read some chatter on this move in regards to baseball. Some are hopeful that this could pave the way for NoDak to reinstate baseball, but I think that's wishful thinking. There has been talk that the baseball boosters are still trying to raise money to reinstate the program. Also, the move to the Summit should decrease the travel budget a bit which would possibly make baseball more feasible going forward. Again, I see it as wishful thinking. Baseball is difficult in that climate and they'd still have to travel the first two months of the year due to weather.

I haven't heard anything more about the status of baseball at UNO; however, I almost take this as a net positive. I may be reading the tea leaves incorrectly, but if the Summit League really thought UNO was about to imminently drop baseball, they'd probably have targeted a school with baseball already or made the reinstatement of baseball a requirement for North Dakota's entrance into the league. A loss of a single program puts the Summit back into the position where the auto bid is in jeopardy.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by omaha79 »

Interesting piece on UNO baseball in the OWH today. Trev Alberts seems emphatic that baseball won't be cut and was never on the table saying that they would not even consider being a D-I institution 3 miles away from where the CWS is played and not offer the sport of baseball.

He did concede that there is currently no funding or real backing in place for the on campus baseball facility due to the budget.

http://www.omaha.com/uno/baseball/shate ... c10b0.html
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by omaha79 »

With roughly a quarter of a season in the books, Trev Alberts curious decision to replace Bob Herold with a coach with no prior experience is looking like an extremely poor decision on his part. UNO baseball sits at 1-11 after 12 games.

Trev may have some explaining to do this season.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by iamjacobm »

Great comeback by the Mavs tonight! Play the 7 seed tomorrow then potentially the title game on Tuesday. Only two wins for a tourney bid!
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by Uffda »

iamjacobm wrote:Great comeback by the Mavs tonight! Play the 7 seed tomorrow then potentially the title game on Tuesday. Only two wins for a tourney bid!

http://www.argusleader.com/story/sports ... /98785628/
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by iamjacobm »

Some twitter chatter that Valley officials will be meeting with UNO this week.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by skinzfan23 »

I still feel that the Valley isn't the best situation for UNO, especially since Wichita left.
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Re: UNO Maverick Athletics

Post by nebugeater »

Sounds like they are visiting four different schools
iamjacobm wrote:Some twitter chatter that Valley officials will be meeting with UNO this week.
For the record  NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER    !!!!!!!
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