Tubby: Gophers "desperately" need practice facility to stay competitive in recruiting

The Pope of Dinkytown said:

I am with you Johnny. Without the Metrodome the Gophers baseball team has nowhere to play unless they can work out a deal with the Twin. The new baseball park is the highest priority at the U. If it gets passed over for the BB practice facility I am out. Permanently. No more football season tickets and no more hockey season tickets.

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Siebert field isn't luxurious but it is sufficient. With baseball put your dollars into the field, who cares about the stands. How many people watch games anyway, a couple of hundred a game max. No matter what cost benefit model you use it makes no sense at all to put any money into a baseball stadium. The benefit from it is non existant.

The Pope of Dinkytown said:

I am with you Johnny. Without the Metrodome the Gophers baseball team has nowhere to play unless they can work out a deal with the Twin. The new baseball park is the highest priority at the U. If it gets passed over for the BB practice facility I am out. Permanently. No more football season tickets and no more hockey season tickets.

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Seems to me that the majority of funding for these two projects will come from donations. It may come down to which project receives their donations first, not which is considered more important.

Build the practice facility for crying out loud. This is insane to play chicken with revenue generating Gophers basketball.

Difficult decisions need to be made. When you have an AD who supports mediocrity in all sports, these decisions are not made. The Athletic department is in free fall if you look at the facts. I know many on this board desire a baseball facility ahead of basketball but if anyone takes an objective view, that does not make sense. I submit an opinion that Tubby Smith is winning in spite of our weak AD. Tubby wanted to handle the Royce White situation last year. Tubby has made numerous appeals for a Basketball facility and has a contract extension under legal review. Let's build the facility that will help Minnesota Stay on the National Basketball MAP no matter who the coach is. Tubby will not be here forever. Lets take advantage of the opportunity we have to solidify ONE Gopher program with a state of the Art Practice facility. THIS PROJECT NOW SHOULD BE JOEL MATURI'S Priority!

millions2spare said:

Most schools either have mens baseball or soccer. the U of M of course has baseball. However, a basketball practice facility is a higher priority than a new baseball stadium. Anyone who disagrees needs check the drugs they are smoking and look at reality and facts. Basketball is more important to the University than baseball. Basketball means more financial,socially, Nationally, and can enhance the U of M's global reputation with exposure only football could
top.

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If by chance fb, bb, and hockey are all in the top three in the BT this would surely expose the rest of the world to Gopyhers sports. IMO, if that did happen the money would be flowing in and they could pay for the non revenue sports and make them even more competitive.