And I gotta say……. Top notch job admin!!! Couldn’t have done a better job
I watched the alumni game…..
- Thread starter champdawg.sixpack
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Should have had Clark & Palmeiro do the HR Derby at the end…
the players LOVED the fraternity of other players, it was evident
I dont know who deserves credit, but it was an absolute genius idea and something we should try to do every year.
I was there and as an upper 40’s baseball first guy it was like watching the superbowl to me…….but….I don’t know if you can replicate that experience if you do it every year.
had an absolute blast last night though. Thanks admin
Yep can’t do it annually.
If you can’t see that we’re a baseball school and should be dropping SIGNIFICANT resources into it……I can’t help you.
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I watched from the dugout last night on Will's team. I got there early about 12 and met Coach O'Connor and introduced myself. He let me watch practice in the dugout. Chatted with some of the players and new coaches. All very impressive. Had a good talk with Noah Sullivan.
I then visited to both the Thunder and Lightning dressing rooms and Will and Rafael were very gracious. Met a bunch of the guys who played for the first time. Jake Mangnum, Travis Chapman, Papelbon, Frazier, Moreland, Dakota Jordan and my old friends Bobby Thigpen, Trent Intorcia, Jeff Brantley, Scott Clark.
Will told me to hangout in the dugout for the game. It was a fun night.
I then visited to both the Thunder and Lightning dressing rooms and Will and Rafael were very gracious. Met a bunch of the guys who played for the first time. Jake Mangnum, Travis Chapman, Papelbon, Frazier, Moreland, Dakota Jordan and my old friends Bobby Thigpen, Trent Intorcia, Jeff Brantley, Scott Clark.
Will told me to hangout in the dugout for the game. It was a fun night.
That was an awesome thing to watch last night. I’m sure that was an amazing experience for you. Glad you had a great time.
That was incredible show. Who ever is responsible for bringing it together gets a big thanks from this old dog. It boggles my mind how much talent has come thru the Dude over the years. And how much quality baseball has been played. It was so much fun to watch on tv. The wife and I sat there reliving all the players. There were a bunch of players that had great playing careers at State that were not there or at least not recognized. Bart and Charlie did say that you Bruce was in the dugout.
What was crazy that we had 10k+ fans there for an alumni game on a Friday night in November. That is more than the university of Arkansas averages for in season SEC baseball games. We all know how crazy they are about their baseball.
What was crazy that we had 10k+ fans there for an alumni game on a Friday night in November. That is more than the university of Arkansas averages for in season SEC baseball games. We all know how crazy they are about their baseball.
Team lighting won because of the guest manager just saying**
Disagree. I think that it is a good revenue generator and should be done yearly.
Typical Mississippi state thinking. Find something that works, is a great recruiting tool, brings money and excitement to Starkville plus potential media attention... then say hey, let's do it every twenty years
Yeah, I agree. Mix it in with an SEC matchup every fall.
It wouldn’t work every year. It was successful because it’s been so long since they’ve done it. Fans will lose interest if it’s an every year thing because it will lose its uniqueness. Similar to how the spring football game has lost interest over time. Also have to wonder how many big name players we could secure for it if it was every year.
I think they should do it every 5-10 years or so. It’ll stay unique, it’ll give all former players a couple of legitimate opportunities to participate, and it should continue to draw good crowds with that frequency.
They even mentioned you during the broadcast when they saw you in the dugout.
We shouldn’t do it annually, but we should do it every other year. On the off years, we should have SPS vs ED. Bruce coaches us, Todd coaches them
I hope that you're no where near anyone that makes decisions.
Yeah it might not make as much but still brings in money and interest. Both things we are in need of. If it fails then sure back off the frequency but until then, why I the world not. Typical case of what do you have to lose.
Two other things
1 it's baseball at Mississippi state. People will show up.
2 don't do it on a weekend that is away (or yes, the turnout won't be great- only will work this way if you do it every 5 or ten years, etc).
1 it's baseball at Mississippi state. People will show up.
2 don't do it on a weekend that is away (or yes, the turnout won't be great- only will work this way if you do it every 5 or ten years, etc).
I don’t think there’s a question about people showing up but I think the issue would be participation by players. I’m sure it took a lot of work to get all this planned and get everyone on the same page. I’d do it every few years.
If they decide to do this annually, They will need to expand the rosters. A few things I noticed is that some of those that played and are playing pro ball had restrictions placed on them by their respective organization. I heard some of those conversations in the dressing rooms and dugouts. I also saw, before I left, that Will had to ask Jake to play longer because Cumbest was unable to make it to the game. So some more young bloods will need to be put on the rosters to cover.
Every 2-5 years seems like the sweet spot. Make it special for the fans and players, not some cash cow watered down obligation for everybody. It would feel forced if we did it every year and that’s a lot of pressure to put on our former players every single year.
This was awesome! Don’t kill the golden goose.
This was awesome! Don’t kill the golden goose.
To make it a little more fun, how about every batter coming with 2 strikes/3 balls, play out to 9 innings. Add some more fun to it.
That’s too extreme & would be a lightning quick game. Someone suggested start every at bat with a 1-1 count. I think that’s a really good idea.
To both of you. No. Just play baseball.
They should play it every year, but the fans who think that's not special enough, should only tune in once a decade so that it stays "special" for them.
our group would fill our rig every year
Don’t know who had what conflicts but there were definitely several guys I thought of from the 2000’s and 2010’s who would’ve been very worthy of being involved and weren’t. Maybe some of those guys that missed out will get another chance. I know I saw Ryan Gridley talking on Twitter about how he’d like to participate next time.
Exactly. Can’t get that name cache yearly.
I know Jeffrey Rea didn’t pursue it, but I’m sure he would at some point.
The biggest issue would be getting pitchers and catchers who have held up enough to play a legitimate game.
The biggest issue would be getting pitchers and catchers who have held up enough to play a legitimate game.
Could they feasibly play the current team? That would be fun. You wouldn’t need as many alumni to participate.
We really wanted him to play this time. He and some others had conflicts that kept them from being here, but the buy-in from the former players was awesome - and I’m betting it will be again because I have to hope this exceeded a lot of expectations about what an alumni game would be.
Was cool for me to see how much fun they had - including guys who weren’t playing. Bruce Castoria was the first MSU player I ever wanted to be like, and it was awesome to get to talk to him. Unfortunately his career home run total is exactly that many more than I ever hit after age 12.
Appreciate all the hard work that went into that event, Charlie. Seems like it was a huge hit with our fans hopefully it made the BI some good money, too.
So Bruce, any feelings about this coming year's team after hobnobbing with all the other players and new coaching staff, etc? Do you think we make a Regional and possibly a Super? I think we definitely make a Regional, but not sure about anything beyond that. I would like to know more in depth on what our pitching will be like. More experience or maybe not enough yet to make a big dent?
