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When can we start a Baseball team now?

GoBuffs!!

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Now that we are joining the PAC-10, when can we start a baseball team again? Ill be the first to fork up the cash for season tickets
 
meh - college baseball doesn't do much for me, but I'd probably make a few games nonetheless. I'm really holding out hope to be the first one in line for D-1 hockey tickets.
I think it will be important for CU to bring back baseball at some point in the next 4-5 years, though. There are certain expectations that the Pac has for it's member organizations, and I think baseball is pretty important to them.
The nice thing is that there is a ton of local baseball talent. Once we have the team, we should be able to be reasonably competitive in a short time. Not going off to win any college world series, but competitive. Remember that Nebraska has a fantastic baseball team that is made up mostly of Colorado guys (or at least has been in recent years).
 
Doesn't CU still need to abide by the rules requiring the addtion of a women's sport first?

They would add softball at the same time, I'm sure. If they're going to build a baseball facility, they'll build a softball facility at the same time. They have the ground for it, just not the funds to build the facilities, pay the coaches, groundskeepers, utilities & scholarships.
 
Bohn specifically mentioned baseball/softball today. It's a hope, not a plan, at this point.

But the hope is that after 2 more years in the Big 12, the money that comes in from the Pac in 2012 and 2013 is up to expectations and we could start planning. I think Ringo had it right earlier this evening when he said we'd be looking at the last part of this decade before it was a reality.

My expectation would be that some major projects we've been neglecting such as Balch Fieldhouse, a permanent indoor practice facility for football, and improvements to both Folsom and Coors will all be above adding sports on the priority list.

Improving ski facilities so that we're the favorite to win the national championship ever year should also be a top priority. We need a partnership with a top resort much like we did between golf and Colorado National Gulf Club. Our home mountain should fulfill 3 functions: attract top recruits, serve as a fundraising and event venue for the university, and endow the scholarships, salaries and other expenses within the program. We now have the model in place. We need to make this happen for our ski team.
 
meh - college baseball doesn't do much for me, but I'd probably make a few games nonetheless. I'm really holding out hope to be the first one in line for D-1 hockey tickets.
I think it will be important for CU to bring back baseball at some point in the next 4-5 years, though. There are certain expectations that the Pac has for it's member organizations, and I think baseball is pretty important to them.
The nice thing is that there is a ton of local baseball talent. Once we have the team, we should be able to be reasonably competitive in a short time. Not going off to win any college world series, but competitive. Remember that Nebraska has a fantastic baseball team that is made up mostly of Colorado guys (or at least has been in recent years).

I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?
 
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?

I would.

But I understand and agree with you. I don't think the Pac would take too kindly to CU adding sports that aren't offered as a regular part of Pac competition.

Best guess is that we'll be in the Pac for 5-6 years at a minimum before we can start bringing back any sports. Too much to get turned around with the sports we have to start worrying about sports we don't. Item one - fire our football coach. Item two - hire a new football coach. Item three - facilities upgrades (particularly football). Item 4 - new sports. All three of the first things have to happen before the fourth can even be discussed.
 
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?

I don't know. I'd bet the majority of people find hockey more watchable than baseball. I'd be pleased with the addition of either one though.
 
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?

I'd be willing to guess that hockey would put more butts in the seats than baseball. College baseball isn't generally a huge draw, outside of perhaps the top 15-20 programs...

Of course, hockey would also be a lot more expensive to get off the ground and to operate...

EDIT: I looked it up... I'd be willing to bet hockey could average 5,000 fans in the stands. 5,000 fans average for baseball would put us #7 in the country for attendance in 2009...
Team Dates Attendance Avg

1. LSU 41 394,068 9,611

2. Arkansas 31 245,092 7,906

3. Mississippi 39 273,111 7,003

4. South Carolina 34 231,360 6,805

5. Mississippi St. 25 157,530 6,301

6. Texas 35 217,637 6,218

7. Clemson 36 170,156 4,727

8. Florida St. 39 184,227 4,724

9. Texas A&M 35 142,660 4,076

10. Alabama 29 116,294 4,010
 
Utah has a baseball team, which brings up two points: (1) CU is again the only team in their conference without a baseball team; and (2) don't give me lip about poor weather in the early spring. If they can play baseball in SLC, we sure as **** can play in Boulder.
 
The weather issue was always a straw man. It had nothing to do with anything. We'd still have baseball today if it weren't for Chuck Fairbanks. We still haven't recovered from the pit of despair he placed us in 30 years ago. Hopefully, the move to the Pac will help us dig out from that hole. It'll still take another 10-15 years, though.
 
Remember that Nebraska has a fantastic baseball team that is made up mostly of Colorado guys (or at least has been in recent years).

Nebraska actually sucks and is on the verge of firing their coach.
 
Utah has a baseball team, which brings up two points: (1) CU is again the only team in their conference without a baseball team; and (2) don't give me lip about poor weather in the early spring. If they can play baseball in SLC, we sure as **** can play in Boulder.

CU was not the only team int eh former big-12 without a baseball team, current member ISU has no baseball team.
 
**** baseball.

C'mon now. CU has a pretty strong baseball heritage, believe it or not. The right coach and the right facilities and CU could be a very good baseball school. There aren't any minor league teams in the area anymore, so having a college team might be a solid alternative for a lot of folks who want to see some baseball, but can't afford to go to Rockies games.

I'm confident that it will happen, I just don't know when. My best guess is another 10 years.
 
Hopefully no sports are added until CU shores up their existing sports and their existing financial situation.

:stupid:

From what Bohn has said, that's the plan, and it should be. But it is nice to talk about actually adding sports and have some realistic basis for thinking it might be possible, someday...
 
I love all the people who shout about bringing back baseball to CU, where were they when CU had a team and didn't draw flies. I know that a lot of people love the game and baseball is entrenched as a part of the American culture but the idea that thousands of people are going to go out and watch CU play in Boulder is hilarious. The Rockies do draw, but that is because it is major league baseball and quite frankly it is about the event not the game for many of those who are there. On the other hand, when CU had baseball, attendance sucked, CSU the same, Air Force plays a pretty good schedule and draws flies. High School baseball draws family, friends and a few baseball nuts but again not any significant numbers. The Sky Sox, one step away from the majors, are at best middle of the pack in attendance and various proposals to bring lower level minor league baseball to northern Colorado have always fizzled based on lack of interest.

If we at some point become flush with money it would be nice to have a place for local kids to play but baseball will be a money drain for the foreseeable future. I would much prefer Hockey which has proven to draw at the college level in Colorado with DU, CC, and the AFA. I would also much prefer to see wrestling. Colorado produces proportionatly more top quality wrestlers meaning that you could build a competitive team with a nucleus of Colorado kids, Balch would be a great facility for meets with the CEC also available meaning that facilities are much less an issue. Attendance for wrestling was higher than baseball when both were at CU, the HS state championships fill the pepsi center and HS matches at the better schools draw very well.

If you asked the PAC 10 schools which sports they would like to see us bring back I think their preferences would actually be mens soccer and tennis but we would have to find corresponding womens sports to balance those since we already have those two on the womens side, potentially gymnastics could be one.
 
I love all the people who shout about bringing back baseball to CU, where were they when CU had a team and didn't draw flies.

I think most of us were probably 10 years old or less... :lol:

But I agree with your overall point. College baseball isn't a big draw, even for the top programs in warm weather states. Hockey would definitely put more butts in the seats. It was also be vastly more expensive to retrofit the CEC for an ice rink than to put a baseball diamond on the south campus (not that either would be cheap). Plus, the Pac-10 is a baseball league. I doubt any of the schools have hockey. But baseball will have to happen when the budget can subsidize it. It won't be a revenue sport.
 
Here are the attendance figures for last season (2010): http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2010/100222attendance.pdf.

To give you an idea of what CU would draw for baseball, we're looking at 500-1,000 people per game once we've built it up. We'd get around 25 home dates.

At $10 per ticket, we'd be looking at somewhere between $125k to $250k in ticket sales. Scholarships are at 11.7 (usually used as 1/3 scholarships). With concessions, merchandising and in-stadium advertising plus other third-tier media, we would likely cover our scholarship costs and stadium maintenance. We'd lose money due to travel, coaching salaries and other operating overhead, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

Softball getting paired with it is what makes the finances difficult. 12 scholarships plus equal travel, virtually no attendance, and minimal revenue from merchandising and third-tier media.

We're going to need to find at least a few million dollars a year to make this happen (on top of the cost of the facilities).
 
C'mon now. CU has a pretty strong baseball heritage, believe it or not. The right coach and the right facilities and CU could be a very good baseball school. There aren't any minor league teams in the area anymore, so having a college team might be a solid alternative for a lot of folks who want to see some baseball, but can't afford to go to Rockies games.

I'm confident that it will happen, I just don't know when. My best guess is another 10 years.

There is a considerable amout of people that prefer to go to a "small" park instead of a MLB game. Going to the Rockies, althogh I enjoy it a lot, takes a long time. You get there at least a hour early, you have to deal with parking, and traffic. A "small" park, ie college, or Minor league can draw a considerable crowd, typically centered around families, and old people.

As for where I was when CU had a baseball team, well, I was far from even being born. Things were very different then too, Baseball in colorado I would imagine to say was far less popular. Now the Rockies are in Denver, baseball is more a part of colorado lifestyle, and I believe that will greatly translate into supporting a CU baseball team if promoted correctly.
 
Here are the attendance figures for last season (2010): http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2010/100222attendance.pdf.

To give you an idea of what CU would draw for baseball, we're looking at 500-1,000 people per game once we've built it up. We'd get around 25 home dates.

At $10 per ticket, we'd be looking at somewhere between $125k to $250k in ticket sales. Scholarships are at 11.7 (usually used as 1/3 scholarships). With concessions, merchandising and in-stadium advertising plus other third-tier media, we would likely cover our scholarship costs and stadium maintenance. We'd lose money due to travel, coaching salaries and other operating overhead, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

Softball getting paired with it is what makes the finances difficult. 12 scholarships plus equal travel, virtually no attendance, and minimal revenue from merchandising and third-tier media.

We're going to need to find at least a few million dollars a year to make this happen (on top of the cost of the facilities).

I dont know exactly how all this works, but there are a considerable amount of PAC-10 baseball games on TV (DirecTV). Would that help our numbers much? I know they dont generate the same viewership, but its still some. I think a lot of college stadiums also have High school tournaments, and such during the summer.

Having a CU baseball team, wouldnt just bring more CU baseball games to Boulder, it should help out with bring the Baseball culture to Boulder hopefuly.

Is there anyway Boulder City would sponsor a park that CU would play on?
 
GoBuffs,

That DirectTV stuff is part of the third-tier media I was referencing. In football, that can add up to a few million dollars a year. I'd think that in baseball it would be a few hundred thousand.

I highly doubt the city of Boulder would get involved. More likely they would require CU to spend extra money for road, highway exit and walk/bike path improvements to the Table Mesa Dr/ S Boulder Rd areas in order to get approval for the project. Maybe if there was a way to use the space for a Boulder Fairgrounds that could make money for the city. I wouldn't expect any assistance from the Republic, though.
 
GoBuffs,

That DirectTV stuff is part of the third-tier media I was referencing. In football, that can add up to a few million dollars a year. I'd think that in baseball it would be a few hundred thousand.

I highly doubt the city of Boulder would get involved. More likely they would require CU to spend extra money for road, highway exit and walk/bike path improvements to the Table Mesa Dr/ S Boulder Rd areas in order to get approval for the project. Maybe if there was a way to use the space for a Boulder Fairgrounds that could make money for the city. I wouldn't expect any assistance from the Republic, though.

That makes sense, I was just thinking of that ball park over by the Home depot, I believe it is a little league field, but if they turned it into a full size field they could likely draw a decent croud, and use if for other type leagues (Summer/Fall Men's Leagues). I believe there is room around that field, but if not something simular to that could bring a rather large local following, as well bring possible revenue into the local shops.

The Boulder Softball league is pretty strong, with nice fields, and I know there are a quite a few that play there that would be interested in a mens baseball leageue. When I lived back east there was a league that was pretty sweet. The best part was you had to be 35 or 40 years old to pitch, so there was no ringer pitchers resulting in much more entertaining games.
 
The ballpark you reference by the Home Depot is Scott Carpenter Field. It was, at one time, the home of a semi-pro team called the Boulder Collegians. It's also where Boulder High School played it's home games (I played there). It could be expanded - a little. I don't think this is what CU has in mind, though. CU has all that land on the South Campus that it wants to use for this kind of facility. Scott Carpenter is a city facility. CU doesn't want to deal with the city. CU doesn't want to be in a position where they have to adhere to somebody else's schedule and rules.

Growing up in Boulder, I did go to a few CU baseball games growing up. Not many. Probably 3-4 in my entire lifetime. They disbanded the program when I was 12 years old. Attendance was sparse. But keep in mind that at that point, there were half the number of people living in Boulder County as there are now. I suspect that if CU did have a baseball team, attendance would be decent, yet uspectacular. Probably around 1,500/game if we're lucky.

Hockey would be a better draw, but would be more expensive and wouldn't fit into the Pac footprint for intercollegiate sports. I think we'll see swimming/diving before we see hockey. There are a lot of talented high school baseball players, swimmers, and wrestlers in the State of Colorado. We wouldn't have that luxury when it comes to hockey players.
 
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