[What kind of features would you like to see at the new stadium?]

"Serious question: You know a coach who, if offered, would turn down the Texas A&M job or Florida job (among others) because they don't have turf fields? I realize you specifically mention A&M later so I left that part in the quote. I pick those two schools because they take pride in their ag programs and grounds crews. I think they'll be two of the very last places to go to turf, if ever.

I'm just amazed that there's a coach out there who would refuse a Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, LSU, etc because they play on grass."

10Eagle10---- I hear you.  But, I am not making this up.  He was a big time assistant at a big time D1 school.  Now, I did not ask him if he would not go to the places you mention above.  I am sure he probably would.  I do know he preferred turf and thought it to be a huge recruiting advantage and told me he would only go to a place with a turf field and a legitimate shot at a national championship.   

UNT LIFER-- I am a purist too.  But I went to the dark side having to chase dry fields around in the play-offs the last few years.  Turf has been a life saver.

Look guys I am not trying to win an argument here. I like grass better than turf but I would sure prefer keeping up with turf over grass.   I just answered the question on what people would like to see in a new stadium and I put my two cents in--which is about what it is worth.  That was what I thought a dream field at U.N.T. should consist of. I'm not holding my breath.

As for me and how picky I would be about turf--if U.N.T. called me up and said "Doug, we want you to take the U.N.T. job but you will just have to start out with a throw-down backstop in the middle of a random area of the old North Texas golf course, get up every morning at 5 a.m. and work on turning the thing into a field all by yourself, all while you recruit, schedule, fund-raise, etc., etc.,  I would jump at the chance.  I am not picky.  I would just like to see U.N.T. start baseball back sooner than later-- turf, no turf, bleachers, no bleachers, fence, no fence, locker room, no locker room, whatever--just get it started.  I'm not holding my breath on this either.

Go Mean Green

[What kind of features would you like to see at the new stadium?]

4 hours ago, EagleMBA said:

My baseball-playing days were before the days of turf fields...you could say I'm as old as dirt. What kind of bounce and roll do you get off turf? Is it consistent or random bad hops? What kind of base do they put under it? Inquiring minds want to know.

Very true hops that play just like a grass and dirt field. Not bouncy at all anymore.   Regular bases, regular home plate, regular pitching rubber.  Plays just like a grass field.  I don't like the idea of turf fields either BUT they have come such a long way they are really the best and most cost productive way to build a major college field now in my opinion. 

[What kind of features would you like to see at the new stadium?]

6 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

You...you've...followed this game before.  Who..are..you?

Oldguystudent--- not sure if you were being serious or not-- but I am a 1986 North Texas grad who played baseball there from 1982-1985.  I am from Denton also.  I have been coaching baseball the last 31 years -- one at the juco level and 30 at the high school level--22 as a head coach.  I love baseball and I love Denton and I love U.N.T.

[What kind of features would you like to see at the new stadium?]

old guy student-- "Other times (Looking at you, TCU), there is zero sight line and the place is a repository of undisciplined feral children"  That was one of the funniest comments I have ever read.  I loved it.

 

UNT Lifer--- Here are my thoughts on a turf field.  It is just necessary in today's big time college game.  I know several college coaches and they are absolutely giddy when they get one.  I have talked to one who said he would not take a college job at a place that did not have one.  And I have talked to several that it is their main goal for field upgrade.  It is a huge recruiting bonus. 

I am the upmost traditionalist when it comes to baseball BUT-- the way they make turf fields look and play now is unbelievable.  Google Sam Houston State's field.  And there are several others.  You can tailor the turf to the kind of team you want to build--a fast team--high turf-- a big hitting team-- fast turf--you can stripe it-- it never has brown spots--and you don't get rainouts.  It can rain 5 inches-- stop raining-- and you can play in 45 minutes.  It can snow and ice-- melt during the day and you are playing that night.  I have been fortunate enough to coach several teams the last few years that have made deep playoff runs and the last two years we have been absolutely saturated with rain all during the playoffs.  We have had to hustle to find the few turf fields there are all over the Houston area and beyond just to get games in.  We have played high school playoff games in small towns like Jasper and Madisonville that have had the foresight to build turf fields.  We have played at Sam Houston and driven to Austin twice to play at Concordia University.  All in search of a dry place to play because we HAD to get the games in.  Turf solves that problem. 

Also, there is just not the man-power on a college staff to keep up with a grass field-- it is super time consuming caring properly for a field and U.N.T. certainly would not have the budget of Texas A and M.  You don't want to have one or more of your coaches wasting all their energy working on the baseball field when they should be coaching, recruiting, planning, etc.  Turf fields are ready to go without all the maintenance.  You get more practice time in without weather days pushing you inside. 

Finally-- turf fields would give a leg up on hosting a regional.  It would be one of the deciding factors for a mid-major like U.N.T. if they have a great season and they are a bubble regional host team. 

[What kind of features would you like to see at the new stadium?]

turf field. It is the only way to go now as they can make it look just like reel mowed striped grass and they can make it play to whatever type of ball club you want to build.  An indoor training facility with locker rooms and offices connected to the 3rd base dugout.  Partially covered stands with some reserved chair back seating---cover going almost to each dugout.  Then the rest of the field have stands that extend just past each dugout with the student section right over the visitor's dugout.  I don't want too much seating though because filling up a stadium with standing room only crowds can make the place rock.  After that, a minor league feel with a big wall that is full of advertising and a giant scoreboard that has a huge expensive advertising bill-board on the back of it facing I-35-- residual income from advertisers can really help sustain the program.  I would like to see some type of weird theme for every game like the do in the minor leagues and after every game I would like for the fans and especially the kids to be able to come out and run all over the field-- mingle with the players and coaches--get autographs, etc.  Bull-pens fairly close to the dugouts.  Behind the stadium I would like to see a variety of all kinds of food being cooked by local vendors.  Possibly beer being sold also. 

[New Athletic Director and Baseball]

Has anyone heard anything from our new athletic director on how he feels about adding baseball?

[MGB: UNT paying consultants $20,000 to evaluate program]

Interesting. At least it's not 100 grand I guess 

[Coastal Carolina and U.N.T.]

"However, I don't support NT starting another underfunded sport.  Many said the same thing about softball, that NT would be quickly good with all the talent in the area.   Program is still suffering"

Oh, I was not trying to imply we start out with donkey facilities and a program like we had in the 80's.  Just maybe a plan that does not require a taj mahal right off.  Maybe a 2 million dollar facility that can be added on to in phases.  I went to a University of Louisiana Lafayette game this past spring to watch one of my former players play.  There facility was great I thought and probably no more than a couple of million-- a little antiquated--but it was about the most fun college baseball atmosphere I have seen.  Of course hot Cajun women drinking beer at the campus ballpark might have added to that --but hey, it's south Louisiana.  I have to admit when I found out they are going through major facility upgrades for next season I was a little sad.  The game and the park as it was had a great "minor league" feel to it and was a lot of fun.  That facility certainly has not hurt their talent the last few years.

I guess what I was trying to suggest is maybe tone it down a little to get it going-- 1.5-3 million for a facility that can be added on to in order to get started.  Get a coach that will work for 80-90 grand to start and have him be an active part of fund-raising.  Give him incentives.  I just think it is more doable in that way. 

[Coastal Carolina and U.N.T.]

In 1988 I was a young varsity assistant  baseball coach at Denton High School.  I was from Denton graduating in 1981 and had played baseball at North Texas from 1982-1985 spurning a few other low level offers coming out of high school because North Texas was starting up a varsity program.  As I was getting out of high school I learned they were getting into the Southland Conference they were required to start a baseball program.    I turned down those few offers and stayed at North Texas because I thought we would be really,really good at baseball.  Little did I know that Fred McCain--the athletic director at North Texas at the time despised the very thought of having a baseball team and wanted to do everything he could in his power to get rid of baseball as quickly as possible.  To this day, I don't hate the man Fred McCain.  But, I hate the thought process that was prevalent at that time that baseball was a terrible choice as a varsity athletic sport.  And I hate how Fred  McCain treated the baseball program at North Texas.  Turn up the clock to 1988 and I was a coaching at my alma mater Denton HIgh when Fred finally found a way to drop baseball.  I wrote as scathing a letter as I could as a 25 year old guy  to the Denton Record Chronicle begging them not to drop baseball, going into detail all that was accomplished with extremely limited resources, and all that could be accomplished if they would just spend $20,000 on a coach that would care about building a program.  I am sure in my quarter of a century on the earth I was hoping North Texas would see the light--hire me--and I would eventually take them to the promised land.  It was not to be. 

Turn up the clock to today when Coastal Carolina wins the college world series.  A mid-level D1 with a D2 football team that has reached the pinnacle of success at the college baseball level. I watched today with admiration, envy, and anger as they showed pictures of the 90's club house for Coastal which looked like nothing more than a chicken coop--as they showed the 90's pictures of the field they played on that looked like Roberts Field (where we used to play) only worse.  And I admired the job the Coastal Carolina coach had done for staying there 21 years and having the foresight on what could be there. He never lost sight of his vision for Coastal and has built it into something really special out of nothing.   Today, the program is the pinnacle of success at Coastal Carolina.  They have a nice field, a  nice club-house and plenty of great players.  They were smart enough to know who they are.  They are a mid-level school who belongs in D-2 football and who can then spend resources to compete at the D-1 level in other sports.  Because of their coach, and their administration, and their fan base, they are bringing home a national championship today.  As I admired them and everything they stand for I could not help but think what could have been if North Texas had not of been so short sighted in 1988.

  I also wondered as we were trying to start baseball back up the last few years why we supposedly had to have some multi-million dollar stadium right off the bat in order to re-start the program.  I know it helps--but with only 11.7 scholarships per team-- there is plenty of competitive talent to make North Texas very competitive without all the ducks in a row yet.  Mr. Villarreal seemed to only want to start baseball if he could raise enough for a 7.5 million dollar stadium and a big name coach.  I think he was wrong.  We could be really competitive right away with a less than stellar field to begin with if we hire a coach that love the university and is sold on building the program like the guy at Coastal did.  I hope the next A.D. just dives right in and starts baseball.  The pristine facilities will come.  The vision won't become a reality until it gets off the ground.  They said in Field of Dreams "Build it and they will come".  In this case it should be "Get it started again, and everything will fall into place".  Congrats to Coastal.  That was an awesome ride. 

[Skip Johnson to O.U.]

http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2016/06/27/oklahoma-adds-skip-johnson-to-coaching-staff/

[MGB: Wondering what might have been with Tim Tadlock]

"Doug - this is certainly possible. What if he was an assistant at Oklahoma (like he was when Tech hand picked him to come in as "coach-in-waiting")? "

I think everyone would have been fine if we had gotten him from OU and most people if we had gotten him from Grayson. But, the news story was talking about his time at Grayson.   The point I was making is Tim was ready when he was at Grayson and would have done awesome here IF we had started a program. He just would not have been a big name yet. and there are people on here that seem to get caught up in big names. Fact is, all these big names were given a shot  sometime in their career because someone believed in them.  Then when they got their shot they took full advantage.  Tim would have been awesome for U.N.T. and Skip Johnson would have been too even when he was coming out of Navarro. 

[MGB: Wondering what might have been with Tim Tadlock]

As Howard Cosell used to say:  If if's and but's were candy and nuts, what a Merry Christmas we all would have!  Tim is a really good coach and a really good guy. One of the best in the country.  But,  I am sure if North Texas had of started a program while Tim was at Grayson a lot of people on here would have argued against hiring a guy that is "just a juco coach"-- including some newspaper people.   

[UNT Baseball: The Time Is Now]

UCSB and Coastal Carolina in the college world series.  That is all I am going to say about that. 

 

[Finances delaying addition of Mean Green baseball and men’s soccer]

oldguystudent-- I think the only way to challenge TWU on that is if an existing student suffering "real harm" from being discriminated against challenges them on this.  Personally, I would get a kick out of seeing this happen. 

On another note-- I sure wish U.N.T. would bring baseball back soon!

[Finances delaying addition of Mean Green baseball and men’s soccer]

I wished I had inside knowledge.  I also wished it was happening soon but really don't know.  Hey, a curious question.  Texas Woman's University now has an undergraduate enrollment of 10% men.  I wonder why they don't have to add men's sports under Title IX?  Maybe they should add men's baseball

[Benford's Replacement]

Tim Duryea.  Former point guard here who played in the N.C.A.A. tournament.  Denton High School alumni.  Former assistant under Jankovich here and one of his best friends.  And current head coach at Utah State. 

[C-USA Opening Day!]

Cool.  Thanks for posting the schedule.  Can' wait to see U.N.T. on it is a couple (few) years? 

 

[Baseball Further Delayed Because of McCarney Buyout?]

Kram1 "Nope...but perhaps a campaign earmarked for the baseball stadium could be started."

If this gets started let me know. I will contribute what I can and  I will try to round up some support from old baseball players and from Dentonites, etc. that I know.

Coach Rush

[That Meangreen baseball team !]

Tomball Cougars from the last four years currently playing college baseball---2012 grads-- Rex Hill, T.C.U., Spence Rahm, Sam Houston State University--- David Gonzalez, Sul Ross State 2013 grads-- Robert Dugger, Texas Tech-- Eric Dunbar, University of Texas-- Anthony Lucas, Norhwestern State University--- Bryce Welborn, Abilene Christian University--- Ishmael Edwards, University of Louisiana at Lafayette--- Nick Banks, Texas A & M--- Josh Horton, University of Mary Hardin Baylor-- Dylan Bass-- Texas A & M Kingsville--- 2014 grads-- Nathan Crowe, Mountain View College--- Braeden Holub, San Jacinto College---Josh Covey, University of Texas at Dallas-- 2015 grads--- Robbie Gillen-- University of Mary Hardin Baylor-- Nick Ludwig-- Richland College-- Matt Kirschke, Eastfield College--- Jace Jenkins, Sul Ross State--- Joe Breaux, McClennan Community College--- future 2016 signees so far-- Shane Daughety, Texas State University-- Josh Breaux, McClennan Community College-- hope I have not left anybody out. Tradition Never Graduates-- Go Cougars!  I would love to start sending some of this Houston area talent towards The Mean Green Baseball team someday real soon!  We will get baseball at U.N.T.  It has too much potential to not happen. 

 

[MGB: Three things UNT should wish for this Christmas]

a baseball program

 

[Todd Dodge]

"but you would be bringing in guys that know more than you and that would create all kinds of issues."

GoMG2013 I respectfully disagree with this as a blanket statement.  If I was to become a head college baseball coach right now straight out of high school (and trust me, no one is knocking on my door)  I have former minor league players, some college coaches, etc. who would love to work with me and for me.  I have coached some of them and have done clinics and camps with many of them and they respect my knowledge of the game as well as anyone's. A college coach does not necessarily know more than a high school coach.  Now, as for running a college program, yes.  But, the nuts and bolts of that can be easily learned in a short time. 

[Todd Dodge]

UNT-90-- I pretty much agree with that statement-- thanks

[Baseball Further Delayed Because of McCarney Buyout?]

" Perhaps one of the more in the know posters can make us feel better about this still being on the radar"

I am sure it is still on the radar just don't know how long it will take.  I think Mr. Villarreal works very hard at trying to start it up the right way. 

I will tell you this-- I would come take that job right now for what I am making in high school and play in a cow pasture until we get a field.  The place is a gold mine and baseball needs to happen.  It is long overdue. 

[Todd Dodge]

"Jinks comes to Bowling Green after spending the last three seasons as the running backs coach at Texas Tech. This season he also served as the associate head coach under Kliff Kingsbury.

His path from coaching in high school in Texas and becoming a head coach at the Division I level is becoming more prominent in recent years. Jinks is the 11th active head coach at the FBS level after having previously been a high school coach in Texas, joining Baylor’s Art Briles, California’s Sonny Dykes and Tulsa’s Phillip Montgomery, among others."  

I was reading about Jinks and saw this quote in the newspaper.  I did not know there was 11 active head coaches that started out as high school coaches in Texas. I find that very interesting as there certainly seems to be a bias against high school coaches moving up to college ball by some fans.  

[Todd Dodge]

Sorry guys-- I guess I shouldn't have started this post.  I was just trying to give props to Coach Dodge for a job well done this year.  Winning at any place in Texas High School athletics is not as easy as you think.  You have to win a ton of rounds to win a state championship in Texas and I would love to have as many rings as Coach Dodge.  I underestimated the bitterness people must still have for the guy.  And just so you know for you people who like to bash high school coaches Morris at S.M.U., Graham? at Arizona State, Briles at Baylor, and now Jinks at Bowling Green all started out coaching Texas High School football.  I am sure there are others I don't know or am not thinking of.  It just did not work out for Coach Dodge here but I think he is a good guy that could have been a successful college coach at the right place and at the right time.  Just my opinion.