Great Day for Baseball at the Joe

bamzoo · Apr 3, 2011

The crowd was decent today at the Joe but I was still pretty disappointed, a top 25 matchup in this conference with absolutely PERFECT chamber of commerce weather should bring out more support for our team. 3900/4000 is a nice number but the Joe should have been bursting at the seams today, and I almost don't even want to comment on the enthusiasm (indifference) of MOST of our fans. The loudest the ballpark got today was in the middle of the 6th for the "free T-Shirt toss". It is absolutely embarrassing that schools like LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and South Carolina (that most bama fans feel they are "superior" to) draw close to sellout for every game and we (first place in the conference) can't get butts in the seats because most of our fans are sitting at home listening to freaking softball on the radio.
I'm not saying we should draw as much as LSU Arky or Ole Miss, I understand the history of LSU baseball w/ Skip Bertman and the obvious size difference of their parks, their amenities, etc; but that doesn't mean that we should not be getting our 6k-6800 for our games at home in the middle of the SEC schedule when it's 72 and sunny.
I know the Joe sucks, and pales in comparison to the other parks around the conference, but the athletic department will never upgrade/change or build a new park if fans don't come out to support our baseball team. 1st overall in the SEC, top 25 matchup, perfect weather SHOULD = sellout every time.

JoJoforHeisman · Apr 3, 2011

You're exactly right. All excellent points. Sadly, the indifference of the fan base is just something we have to live with. Attendance has been in a decline for about ten years now. The number of season ticket holders has remained fairly steady, which accounts for the "paid attendance" figures that the University releases (using actual attendance would be embarrassing).

The Joe is a joke and it's clear that the Athletic Department, which, by the way generates more revenue than any other in the country, has absolutely no interest in upgrading the baseball facilities to a level comparable to the programs we have to compete with in the SEC. The athletic director is completely indifferent when it comes to baseball, and the best thing that could happen for this program right now would be his retirement. Tomorrow, preferably. What he's done for football is great, but why should we ever be content to have the absolute worst facilities in the SEC for any sport? I don't know about you, but I don't particularly enjoy our baseball facilities being embarrassingly inferior to places like Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.

Another way to look at the situation is that if fans stay away because of the ballpark, would that encourage the University to upgrade for the sole purpose of attracting fans and bringing them back? On the other hand, if fans were to come out in droves right now, would the University view upgrades as unnecessary based on the assumption that, if people are showing up, the ballpark must be good enough? Who knows? Something needs to be done, and soon. But I'm not getting my hopes up.

baseballfanatic · Apr 3, 2011

bamzoo, your posts have reminded me of something I meant to share with everyone a while back, when I "re-found" those sketches of renovations to the Joe.

Well after finding them, I emailed Davis Architects, specifically asking about the deal with them. A couple days later I got a reply back that said this:

"The drawings on our website reflect a conceptual design we did about 4 years ago."

And also, he told me that I should contact Thad Turnipseed for more details....

I vote that we bombard his email address asking for updates and/or "demanding" something be done.

Here's his email address: Thad Turnipseed

To email him, click and it should open up a message in your default email client. I didn't want to post his email directly because I didn't know if there were rules against it. If so, let me know and I'll edit it out.

can of corn · Apr 4, 2011

I have talked to Thad personally about this and believe me he knows it needs upgrades. In another thread we talked about the fact that plans are in the work for renovations including club room seating, improved sight lines and making the right field area beyond the fence more fan friendly.

baseballfanatic · Apr 4, 2011

can of corn said:
I have talked to Thad personally about this and believe me he knows it needs upgrades. In another thread we talked about the fact that plans are in the work for renovations including club room seating, improved sight lines and making the right field area beyond the fence more fan friendly.

We should do with that area what SCar did with their new stadium. They included it within the stadium, and that's where standing-room only tickets are for. You can bring a blanket/lawnchairs and claim a spot and watch the game. Of course, that requires us to need "standing-room only" tickets.

It just bugs me having people out there watching it "for free" when there are plenty of empty seats needing to be sold. If the game was a sellout that's one thing, but most of them aren't even close to sellouts.

bamzoo · Apr 4, 2011

I know and agree completely that the Joe needs to be renovated, or that they just need to pull the trigger and spend 25mil on a brand new park, but thats not what I think the issue is in this thread.
My issue is that regardless of the state of your park, our guys deserve more support and interest from the "fans" around Tuscaloosa than they are getting.
If we can get 15-16k out for basketball twice a week with good energy, it is downright embarrassing that we can't get over 6,000 for a Saturday afternoon top 25 matchup at the Joe, and that (for the most part, there are exceptions) most of the 3k there can't even get up and clap for a 2-2-2 in the eigth w/2 on in a 2 run game. It's like half the people there aren't paying attention to the game.
The old Alex Box was a Garbage Can, Sarge Frye was a dump, and Swayze was a landfill, and LSU, SCAR, & OleMiss never seemed to have a problem packing the park when their teams were playing well.

I know I'm beating a dead horse as well as preaching to the choir here, but dangit I don't know where else to vent. Sorry for my ramblings.

Clarkmom · Apr 4, 2011

I agree with some of the people not paying attention. Some of the people around me were reading books! I felt like I was the only one cheering for the boys. I think they need to do more with promotions and events during the game. They use the same music, sound effects, etc. that they have used for years. Hokey events like the dizzy bat race are silly but stuff like that gets the crowd involved at least. Maybe we need some cheerleaders (not to sound sexist, but I am a woman) or something to rouse the crowd a little. Use the scoreboard more to get the crowd going. It just seems so dead and quiet during the game.

Bama Baseball 1 · Apr 5, 2011

I really do not understand why people do not turn out. Why would you spent money on season tickets if you do not intend to go to the games. I sit in PP, and it is turning more and more into the student section. They come up ans sit in our section, and most are not in the least interested in the game. They spend all their time discussing last nights party, tonights party, texting on the phones, or talking on their phones. Friday night a girl sitting in front of me spent all her time playing solitaire on her phone. They simply are coming out to socialize wit each other, and could care less about baseball.
We also need to do a better job of using the technology that we have. They sometimes scan the tickets. I think they need to always scan the tickets. Season ticket holders that use the majority of their tickets should be given preference for upgrades, and / or discounts and promotions. I talked to one season ticket holder last year that had purchased 4 seats in the chairbacks, and I saw them attend 1 game! He should not get to renew those seats! We do not need him as a fan.

The product we have put on the field has been playing better than most had predicted. They need and deserve our support. If the tickets are affordable, which they are, and the product on the field is good, which it has been, then the university needs to seriously look at what the issue is with turn out.

I have had season tickets for more than 10 years, and I have always used at least 80% of my tickets. There have been a few years where I attended every home game. Unfortunately my work schedule forces me to miss a few games each season now.

Let's hope everyone will get behind this team and program. It could be really great!

RTR

baseballfanatic · Apr 5, 2011

The majority of people buy season tickets for the sole reason of increasing their point totals for Tide Pride. I can almost guarantee that if you want more people to show up for games, change the point system requiring you to use a certain number of tickets for that sport each season.

ElephanTideis · Apr 5, 2011

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like fan support would be higher if college baseball got more exposure on tv. Football and basketball are on espn and cbs all the time so it is very easy to keep up with them. Perhaps it's just a matter of people not knowing when our games are or even what our record is.

JoJoforHeisman · Apr 5, 2011

ElephanTideis said:
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like fan support would be higher if college baseball got more exposure on tv. Football and basketball are on espn and cbs all the time so it is very easy to keep up with them. Perhaps it's just a matter of people not knowing when our games are and even what our record is.

Considering the outstanding fan support they receive at places like Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and even Vanderbilt, I don't think the lack of TV exposure is really a valid excuse, at least for a school in the SEC.

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