Changes at Bob Sheldon

[Jacks15]

I noticed recently that it looks like a new scoreboard is going up behing the current one at Bob Sheldon. Hopefully that means the fences are being moved back that way also. "The Bob" is not a great pitchers park right now, mainly because of the short porch in left field. Hopefully they will upgrade the lights so we may be able to see possibly some Friday night home games. Kind of a gamble though with the weather in Brookings.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

From what i have heard, plans include the new Dak. Scoreboard, moving the fences back, moving the dugouts and expanding the foul territory, and possible new lights. I think SDSU should continue to invest money in Bob Sheldon. Adding a more permanent grandstand with maybe some chairbacks could really make it a great place to watch baseball. Plus being off campus, i think you can enjoy some frosty barley pops while watching the game. I don't think they sell there, but i thought i heard you can bring your own...i may be incorrect. Nothing better than baseball, hotdogs, and a beer on a nice SD day.

[Jacks15]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

I would love for them to create more foul territory, The Bob is just too small for the kind of team that Coach Christiansen would like to build.

[thebluehatman]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

adding a backyard like they have at thecanary's stadium would be sweet with hot tubs and girls in bikinis hotness.

[Jacks15]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

The other item I would like to see done is the practice field completed, the baseball team has in the last couple of years used Volga's field when The Bob was being used by the high school.

[SD-STATE]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

From what i have heard, plans include the new Dak. Scoreboard, moving the fences back, moving the dugouts and expanding the foul territory, and possible new lights. I think SDSU should continue to invest money in Bob Sheldon. Adding a more permanent grandstand with maybe some chairbacks could really make it a great place to watch baseball. Plus being off campus, i think you can enjoy some frosty barley pops while watching the game. I don't think they sell there, but i thought i heard you can bring your own...i may be incorrect. Nothing better than baseball, hotdogs, and a beer on a nice SD day.

Umm.... frosty barley pops, isn't Bob Sheldon field on high school grounds?

[GoJacks]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

I noticed recently that it looks like a new scoreboard is going up behing the current one at Bob Sheldon.  Hopefully that means the fences are being moved back that way also.  "The Bob" is not a great pitchers park right now, mainly because of the short porch in left field.  Hopefully they will upgrade the lights so we may be able to see possibly some Friday night home games.  Kind of a gamble though with the weather in Brookings.  

Out of respect to the person that the baseball field is dedicated too, Please call Bob Sheldon Field "Bob Sheldon Field". "The Bob" is Chase Field (formally Bank One Ballpark) in Arizona home of the Arizona Diamondbacks

[GoJacks]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

From what i have heard, plans include the new Dak. Scoreboard, moving the fences back, moving the dugouts and expanding the foul territory, and possible new lights.  I think SDSU should continue to invest money in Bob Sheldon.  Adding a more permanent grandstand with maybe some chairbacks could really make it a great place to watch baseball.  Plus being off campus, i think you can enjoy some frosty barley pops while watching the game.  I don't think they sell there, but i thought i heard you can bring your own...i may be incorrect.   Nothing better than baseball, hotdogs, and a beer on a nice SD day.

Umm.... frosty barley pops, isn't Bob Sheldon field on high school grounds?

Bob Sheldon Field is on owned by the city and on city grounds, not part of the high school campus. It would be legal to bring beer into the stadium because the same rules apply to any other city park. I do not know, but SDSU may have a no cooler policy or no outside food/ drink into the facility for there events. I would check with them to see what their policies are on this matter.

[Jacks15]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

You should mention to Tyler Merriam, to stop calling Bob Sheldon the Bob then. But Bank One Ballpark, no longer is used as the name in Arizona. Like you said it is Chase Field now. The point being it is nice to see money going into facilities.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

I am not to familiar with the name calling of the actual field, i did here coach c calling it "The Bob" a number of times during the post game so i would assume that is what the team calls it. If it is disrespectful, then i'm sure everyone would stop.

The park is on city grounds so the high school doesn't have any say over the beverage laws, and i don't believe SDSU does anything with the concessions at the games (it is through Brookings Friends of Baseball i believe) so i don't know if it would matter. Not like it is a big deal to bring in alcohol to the games, i just thought it would sometimes be a nice different part of SDSU athletics. Either way, i doubt it would ever effect me...

[SD-STATE]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

The park is on city grounds so the high school doesn't have any say over the beverage laws, and i don't believe SDSU does anything with the concessions at the games (it is through Brookings Friends of Baseball i believe) so i don't know if it would matter.

Sweet, I offer a toast to the Jackrabbit nation.

[GoJacks]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

From what i have heard, plans include the new Dak. Scoreboard, moving the fences back, moving the dugouts and expanding the foul territory, and possible new lights.  I think SDSU should continue to invest money in Bob Sheldon.  Adding a more permanent grandstand with maybe some chairbacks could really make it a great place to watch baseball.  Plus being off campus, i think you can enjoy some frosty barley pops while watching the game.  I don't think they sell there, but i thought i heard you can bring your own...i may be incorrect.   Nothing better than baseball, hotdogs, and a beer on a nice SD day.  

The more I think about this the more I become perplexed.  I do not understand why SDSU would invest in Bob Sheldon Field.  Nor do I understand why the city would invest in the facility that is adequate for all levels that play at Bob Sheldon Field.  

From SDSU's stand point having baseball game off campus is not a good idea.  First, it does not bring fans to campus.  Fans would have to make a special trip across town to visit the campus, buy merchandise at the bookstore, and check out campus in general.  Second, SDSU isn't able to sell stadium sponsorships to an on campus site, no potential for naming rights, isn't running the concessions for there games and has to move in and out each season (maybe each game).  Severly, limits baseball camps in the summer to evaluate talent and to increase revenue for the program.  Third, student attendance is most likely diminished because students have to travel across town and do not get the on campus walk up crowd. I know when I was on campus it was very enticing to skip class to watch baseball on the warm spring afternoons.  Plus it is harder for other athletic teams to come and watch (after practice) when it is off campus.

From the city's standpoint, I do not think they need to invest in certain aspects of the facility, stated above in the quote.  Moving the fences back will be a financially taxing event because the outfield light poles (two maybe thee) are right behind the fences.  The new scoreboard is moved back because moving the fences back is being considered.  But it will not happen until the new light poles and lighting is financially secured.  Also, SDSU is not the only team that utilizes the facility and is the only team in my opinion at least, that needs the fences moved back.  The field is not to small for Amateur (Cubbies and wood bats) or any other team that plays in Brookings, Legion, High school, and VFW.  The facility has hosted state tournaments at all levels at its current dimensions as is not too small.  (Hosting State [ch8220]A[ch8221] Legion tournament this year)

The Friend of Baseball is the organization that is using Daktronics Sports Marketing to sell sponsorships that is paying for the new scoreboards, video display and ad captions that will be added throughout the facility.  I am unaware (I could be wrong) that any of this revenue streams is going to SDSU.  I believe it is strictly for High School/ Legion on down to little league.

The facility really only needs (my opinion) a new bathroom/ concessions area.  I clubhouse would be nice but is probably not necessary.  The light poles next to the dugouts could be moved back or outside the stadium fences to increase available sight lines and increase the area for people to sit on the grass or bleacher seating. I would be apposed to increasing the foul territory because in keeps Bob Sheldon unique to other fields in SD and the area and is nice home field advantage to the Brookings teams.  It also brings fans closer to the action, which is nice.  

I guess if it were up to me, I would invest in an on campus field for baseball (new Huether Field).  Not in improving an already exception field when comparing to other fields in South Dakota and to some of the college baseball fields I a have seen.

I know I am partial to the way it was with Brookings having two fields (Erv Huether Field an Bob Sheldon Field).  I believe only one field is severely limiting growth in Brookings baseball at the legion and VFW levels.

[SD-STATE]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

I agree D-town. My question is with the leadership of the Athletic Dept. There seems to be a trend with finding the cheapest way to do things and with no real sense or direction. Attendance would be higher for teams like baseball, softball, soccer and there would be interest in track and field if students ever had a chance to see them in action. We've heard how that SDSU is the state's premier institution. Well to be that, things need to be done first class. I think that what has been done faciility wise the past thirty years is a joke. On campus, the track has been allowed to fall apart, baseball field torn down for parking space to be replaced by a field on the other end of town, run-down trailers for football (from their looks on the outside, I can't imangine how they look on the inside), and a feeble, never ending attempt to build a softball field, which at the pace they are completing they'll have to remodel when it is finally done. Correct me if I'm wrong, the only thing the athletic dept. has done is replace some thirty year scoreboards and new seating at Frost. I guess we can't forget the lights at Coughlin, with the help of Brookings High, even more people get to see the things that I'm talking about.

[Jacks15]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

I wonder if they even have a master plan anymore. With the move to D1, I would have thought our facilities would only get better. Obviously we are trying like crazy to up scholarship money, but when are we going to see vast improvments for our facilities. I to like the idea of having our sports being played on campus. When I played at Huether Field there was always a great walk up crowd. Plus the other athletes got to watch when their workouts were finished. I only hope that eventually we see the teams return to campus, but with the improvements to Bob Sheldon, I would think that SDSU will be there for a while. My hunch is that we will see programs like baseball, softball and soccer off campus for a really long time. Softball is the closest to being back on campus, but I am not going to hold my breath.

[Charger13]

Re: Changes at Bob Sheldon

There is a new master plan out there, but who knows if it will be followed.  SDSU seems to have a pattern of paying tons of money for a design firm to make a master plan, and then totally disregarding it when they build.  The new athletics master plan is impressive from what I hear.  A fieldhouse would be built on the North side of Coughlin.  This is really needed for indoor practice, and I think the most important step in our facility upgrades.  I've heard it will also be used for pregame activities.  A new track will also be built, I believe North of the shelter belt on the North end of the "Backyard".  The softball field will be completed, and the baseball field being built would eventually have stands and everything (although the road is a little close to put stands and everything in there).  I have a felling that SDSU is not putting money into Bob Sheldon, only the city is.  I think it is a sufficient park until the new one is built and upgrades will only make it better.  I believe the old field was turned into a parking lot because it works for Frost, Coughlin and the PAC.  I would have liked the field to stay there however (have lots of memories from when I was a kid).  The plan also included not only new East stands at Coughlin, but also new West stands and a new press box and everything.  I'm told the seating was in more of a bowl configuration kind of like Davis' new stadium (these are just initial drawings however).  If the athletic department follows this plan, it would make for a great athletic complex.  I agree that they need to finnish the baseball and softball field however.  They both should have been done by this year.  Does anyone know if the Physical Plant is in charge of those projects?  I also wish the athletic department would put up preliminary designs on the website.  If they want to increase donations, show people where there money will be going.  The campus has taken many steps forward with Peggy in office, but there is still a long way to go with the design of campus.

P.S.  If a soccer field is placed on the infield of the new track, then all of our sports would be on campus and in a centralized location.  They would also be on par with our peer schools at the DI level.  Scholarships then facilities, it all takes time (and money).