Domed stadium?

[Epictetus]

Trying to think about ANY way around the northern teams' disadvantages in college baseball...

Is it totally out of the question to consider building air-supported domed stadiums? I don't know what the budgetary limitations are for college ballparks; is this even feasible?

Having a temperature-controlled, weather-resistant facility for practice--and play--seems like it would be a bit of an equalizer. On the other hand, if the team later has to play most of its road games outdoors, maybe the indoor condition would be a handicap.

What do others think?

 

[RBB89]

Trying to think about ANY way around the northern teams' disadvantages in college baseball...

Is it totally out of the question to consider building air-supported domed stadiums? I don't know what the budgetary limitations are for college ballparks; is this even feasible?

Having a temperature-controlled, weather-resistant facility for practice--and play--seems like it would be a bit of an equalizer. On the other hand, if the team later has to play most of its road games outdoors, maybe the indoor condition would be a handicap.

What do others think?

There is no way anyone would invest in that.

 

[mk23]

We've actually got the very best "feasible" playing facility there is for Northern teams. Unless it's just brutally cold, it's game on!

 

[Epictetus]

We've actually got the very best "feasible" playing facility there is for Northern teams. Unless it's just brutally cold, it's game on!

Yeah, but I have sat through some "brutally cold" games as well as rainouts, so I know how frequent these problems are.

If the current setup is the best that is feasible, then is there no way to even the odds?

 

[Charlesroast]

Yeah, but I have sat through some "brutally cold" games as well as rainouts, so I know how frequent these problems are.

If the current setup is the best that is feasible, then is there no way to even the odds?

I don’t know about evening the odds but IU can be relevant nationally in baseball IMO. It starts with keeping the best Indiana kids in Indiana at IU. That is the hope with Mercer, et al. Indiana has one of the best amateur programs east of the Mississippi in the Bulls. Mercer has good ties there. We have good facilities, not Taj Mahal but a long way from the Sembower days.

He needs to win and continually cut down the loss of good kids going south. He will have to travel south and west in February and March and have success. Fred needs to help and try to get some names coming to the Bart or Indianapolis at least once a year. Of course he needs to be at the top of the B1G. The conference, despite the northern disadvantage, has put 4-5 teams in the CWS the past few years.

This isn’t a one year deal but frittering away games with UT & Coastal Carolina was unfortunate.

 

[biglewexpress]

Just a note, over the weekend and early this week the temperature in the south was in the 30s and 40s. The weather is highly unpredictable for most places this time of year.

A domed stadium? I’m not sure any D1 team has the kind of money a domed or retractable roof stadium would cost. Especially here at IU, that’s not a smart investment. In the grand scheme of things, it’s much cheaper to travel the first few months than it is to build something that would cost north of 100MM with very little ROI.

 

[Epictetus]

Just for the record, I wasn't thinking of building an Astrodome. I was thinking more along the lines of the $4 million inflatable domed sports facility being planned at U. Minnesota-Mankato. They also have one on the main campus.