There was an interesting interview in the Tuscaloosa News today. Aaron Suttles interviewed Mal Moore about the current state of Bama athletics. In the first part of the interview, Suttles made mention of the facilities that the golf teams have access to (Ol' Colony Golf Course, Indian Hills CC and North River Yacht Club) and how that helps recruiting. A little later, the following exchange took place:
Suttles: "Earlier you mentioned facilities in relation to success. Specific to baseball, I know some of your senior staff visited other baseball stadiums within the conference. Where do you currently stand in regards to a new baseball stadium on campus?"
Moore: "Well, we have renderings and we're looking at different options at how to do it and what to do. But we are moving forward and strongly considering those options. So that is on the horizon and coming."
Suttles: "What options are you considering? Is it a remodel or a brand new stadium?"
Moore: "We've considered both. So we're still in that think-it-through phase."
Suttles: "Is there a timetable on it?"
Moore: "We do have it in our five year plan. We presented it to the board a year or so ago, so we're coming."
Sounds promising. Right? Let's take a look at what was actually said.
"We have renderings." We have had "renderings" for ten years. I personally saw "renderings" when we were having our best success. Renderings are nothing more than sketches. This statement means exactly diddly squat.
"We're still in that think-it-through phase." Translation: We aren't giving it any serious consideration.
"We do have it in out five-year plan." Know what a "five-year plan" is? It is a wish list that is put together and updated every year. It includes those projects that you would like to do if you had unlimited resources and were looking for a way to spend the excess cash.
Here is the long and short of it: We will get a new stadium when one of the following happens: 1) Someone donates the money to the athletic department and restricts its use to a new baseball stadium; 2) After Mal retires and we get an AD who actually gives a rat's ..... about baseball; 3) When Nick Saban decides that he is embarrassed by the state of the baseball program and demands that something be done; or 4) When Hades freezes over.
I truly hope that I am wrong, but I doubt it. Mal had an opportunity to step up and say that we are definitely going to build a new stadium and it will be built within the next X number of years. He didn't. His responses made it sound like something is happening, but they are so full of BS that they could be used to fertilize every blade of grass and every shrub and tree on the campus for five years.
Suttles: "Earlier you mentioned facilities in relation to success. Specific to baseball, I know some of your senior staff visited other baseball stadiums within the conference. Where do you currently stand in regards to a new baseball stadium on campus?"
Moore: "Well, we have renderings and we're looking at different options at how to do it and what to do. But we are moving forward and strongly considering those options. So that is on the horizon and coming."
Suttles: "What options are you considering? Is it a remodel or a brand new stadium?"
Moore: "We've considered both. So we're still in that think-it-through phase."
Suttles: "Is there a timetable on it?"
Moore: "We do have it in our five year plan. We presented it to the board a year or so ago, so we're coming."
Sounds promising. Right? Let's take a look at what was actually said.
"We have renderings." We have had "renderings" for ten years. I personally saw "renderings" when we were having our best success. Renderings are nothing more than sketches. This statement means exactly diddly squat.
"We're still in that think-it-through phase." Translation: We aren't giving it any serious consideration.
"We do have it in out five-year plan." Know what a "five-year plan" is? It is a wish list that is put together and updated every year. It includes those projects that you would like to do if you had unlimited resources and were looking for a way to spend the excess cash.
Here is the long and short of it: We will get a new stadium when one of the following happens: 1) Someone donates the money to the athletic department and restricts its use to a new baseball stadium; 2) After Mal retires and we get an AD who actually gives a rat's ..... about baseball; 3) When Nick Saban decides that he is embarrassed by the state of the baseball program and demands that something be done; or 4) When Hades freezes over.
I truly hope that I am wrong, but I doubt it. Mal had an opportunity to step up and say that we are definitely going to build a new stadium and it will be built within the next X number of years. He didn't. His responses made it sound like something is happening, but they are so full of BS that they could be used to fertilize every blade of grass and every shrub and tree on the campus for five years.
