My first game at Dudy Noble in 3 years....man, it really is dead

[HammerOfTheDogs]

I took my first game at Dudy Noble in 3 years and I was surprised at how dead it was. I notice that they separated the bleachers from the box seats (ostensibly to keep freeloaders from sitting there). Also, outfield walkway wasn't open, so you couldn't walk through. Each LFL and RFLer had tables separating to keep people from walking through.

To me, it really led to a disconnect. In the bleachers, I could hear the box seat people yelling, but it was like listening to the game on the radio without hearing Jim Ellis and Bart Gregory. The fans didn't seem to be unified.

Finally, I was amazed at how sparse the crowd was. State has been playing well lately, it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and the university of ole miss was in town. Maybe other State fans took my words to heart and don't think uom isn't our real rival anymore, maybe it's the economy, maybe because the game was broadcast on SportsSouth, but I really thought yesterday's game would be played to a packed house (and I'm talking Clemson Superregional 2007 packed). Instead, it looked like a midweek game against St. Olaf College.

 

[57stratdawg]

Was a good day

 

[coach66]

of our past few teams is taking its toll. The improvement in pitching is great but we have to start finding some players that can hit the ball and hit it with power. I find myself not expecting much when we step up to the plate and that's not good.

 

[weblow]

There are a lot of factors at work but the school has done and is doing what it can to suck the life out of the crowd.

2 things need to happen immediately:
1. Ticket exchange
2. Sound effects guy should be dragged out of his booth and tied up until the season is over.

The other thing that needs to happen is that people need to show up again. I don't believe it is because we have not been winning. Hell, we have been on a pretty good run and this is a huge weekend against our rivals. We have just lost fan support. The entire layout of our stadium and fans needs to be looked at and revamped, including LFL.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

What was it with the tables and chairs blocking the outfield walkways? They really need to confine the Left Field Lounge to left field, and set up a terraced area in right field where ordinary people can grill and hang out, or simply drop a blanket and have a picnic.

Finally, where were "The Dudes"?</p>

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

You were pretty sparse and apathetic as well. I thought you took baseball from The Mississippi State University as the State's premiere team, and you had as fanatical following as tMSU had in the 1980's.

I just thought there'd be a 3rd base bleacher full of Bulldog fans, and a 1st base side full of R/B's. Neither side showed up.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

...and the only thing that would've impeded you was the fans leaning up against the fence. Now, there's no stepsfrom the bleachers to the Box seats, and you have to walk outside the bleachers to get to the outfield. Not only that, but the Outfield loungers (it's no longer the Left Field Lounge, it extends all the way to Right Field foul line) set up the table and chairs so you have to walk behind their contraptions to get around.

 

[BogeyGolfer.sixpack]

I attended my first game last weekend in roughly three years as well. I refuse to sit in those damn bleachers and bake like a lobster. Now, if I could carry my grill, cooler and chairs and haveaccesstopart of the outfield I would attend more often. I'm tired of sitting in the high school bleachers and watching college aged "kids" sit in a 1/2 full booth in the outfield while I sit and watch ****** baseball.

 

[baseballnerd]

...if this is the way it is now, what's the point.
Their grandfather takes them to oxford to games and they have a pretty good time. I was just waiting and saying to myself, I'll show them what a college baseball stadium should be like.

If you can't walk around the stadium and outfield and have tostay in those metal bleachers, they'll think I'm crazy. Not going now.
Something really needs to be done.

 

[RonnyAtmosphere]

..is over. At least it is in the SEC.


The only way to revitalize attendance @ MSU baseball games is for this program to go on an extended winning streak.

And in this conference, & with State's lack of recruiting, & with these dumbed-down bats, that's not going to happen.

Take Baylor: They just ended a 24 game winning streak. Baylor would never go on a 24 game winning streak if they were in the SEC & had to face SEC pitching every weekend, but that's beside the point.


If MSU was on a 24 game winning streak, there would be 15K at every MSU league home game (and 8K would show up for the mid-week games).

But MSU will never go on a 24 game winning streak because:


1) It's next to impossible to go on elongated winning streaks against SEC pitching.


2) Cohen will never recruit players of a caliber to go on a 24 game winning streak.


3) The dumbed-down bats has transformed the SEC into a pitcher's league. And in a pitcher's league, winning streaks can not gain momentum.

So the answer to revitalizing State's baseball attendance is an easy one, yet one that will never be realized.

 

[GerryBertier]

You were pretty sparse and apathetic as well. I thought you took baseball from The Mississippi State University as the State's premiere team, and you had as fanatical following as tMSU had in the 1980's.

I just thought there'd be a 3rd base bleacher full of Bulldog fans, and a 1st base side full of R/B's. Neither side showed up.

It's Double Decker weekend in Oxford. I know a bunch of State fans who went to that instead....including season ticket holders.

 

[weblow]

There are not enough state fans at double decker to fill the void at Dudy Noble. We have a problem and I still don't think that just winning will fix it. The atmosphere is as dead as it gets and I am not sure how to fix it. Double Decker is just another in a long line of convenient excuses for us not putting asses in the seats.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

We will pack it out at home, but that's as much because it's a great time. We aren't good enough to travel for.

 

[Mjoelner]

The entire layout of our stadium and fans needs to be looked at and revamped, including LFL.

I think I posted this last week but I'm not sure. What I would do is require that every spot in the LFL purchase a minimum of 4 season tickets and require that those tickets have at least a 50% usage. If those 2 things dont happen, then you lose your spot no matter how long you've been there, who you know or how much you donate. While the LFL is pretty much like the rest of the stadium in as much that winning brings bigger crowds, there's zero excuse for there to have been any empty rigs out there this weekend. There is one on the front row in left center that has only had people on it once this year and there is a small one in the second row in right center that had somebody on it last week for the first time since the super regional and the super regional is the only other time I have ever seen anybody on it and I've been part of our spot since 98. If a waiting list truly exists like we've all been told, why do these spots that never have people show up keep being rented out to them?

Also they should do away with all parking passes in the lounge. Some spots get up to 3 passes as it is now. The stadium is open most of the week for you to replenish your supplies of 'baseball water', charcoal, iceand other items so there is no need to pack in 200lbs of supplies on game day. Plus, they make these things called wheels that they actually put on coolers now. Hell, they even added handles to them to make them easier to pull.

 

[LightninInside]

I just think that basketball and football are much more fun to watch and people have better things to do than sit around and watch young adults play baseball in which most batting attempts are unsuccesful and maybe 5 defensive plays per game per position.

The outfield is the ONLY fun thing about attending a baseball game. Not for the game but for the grilling out, drinking with friends and oh yeah, theres a game going on.

 

[weblow]

The entire layout of our stadium and fans needs to be looked at and revamped, including LFL.

I think I posted this last week but I'm not sure. What I would do is require that every spot in the LFL purchase a minimum of 4 season tickets and require that those tickets have at least a 50% usage. If those 2 things dont happen, then you lose your spot no matter how long you've been there, who you know or how much you donate. While the LFL is pretty much like the rest of the stadium in as much that winning brings bigger crowds, there's zero excuse for there to have been any empty rigs out there this weekend. There is one on the front row in left center that has only had people on it once this year and there is a small one in the second row in right center that had somebody on it last week for the first time since the super regional and the super regional is the only other time I have ever seen anybody on it and I've been part of our spot since 98. If a waiting list truly exists like we've all been told, why do these spots that never have people show up keep being rented out to them?

Also they should do away with all parking passes in the lounge. Some spots get up to 3 passes as it is now. The stadium is open most of the week for you to replenish your supplies of 'baseball water', charcoal, iceand other items so there is no need to pack in 200lbs of supplies on game day. Plus, they make these things called wheels that they actually put on coolers now. Hell, they even added handles to them to make them easier to pull.

The waiting list has been a myth for years. It does not exist for several reasons. The first being the spots are so damn cheap that they never force a person that owns a spot to evaluate if it is worth it to renew. When I was in school in the mid to late 90's, the spot for our fraternity cost $150. The spots should cost 10 times that.

On top of that they allow the spots to be willed or gifted.

If a spot was to ever open up, the only list that exist is a list of the top donors that want a spot and they would have it offered to them before any of us knew that there was even a spot open.

What needs to happen is the price of the spots needs to increase 10 fold. This would force many of the spot owners to bring in more people to pay for their spots. This would insure more fans at each trailer or spot. You spend $150 for a season and even if you just make a game or two you don't feel like you have wasted your money. You spend $1500 and only make one or two games, you will probably re-evaluate if you need that spot next year or you will make sure you are going to a lot more games.

I would be happy if they increased the price by 20 fold. If it forces people to cancel their spots, great, maybe some fans that give a damn and will pack a trailer every weekend will rent your spot, better yet, if enough cancel or don't renew we can actually turn LFL into an area for students and younger adults that would pack the place with tents and coolers and actually make some noise.

Don't get me wrong, LFL was once a great place but it has changed. LFL used to be an area where you could wonder from trailer to trailer if you did not own a spot, meet some great fans, be offered beer and food and generally have a great time. That is no longer the case. Each spot is almost treated like a sky box at this point and the entire attitude of the place has changed.

I know that I am committing a massive sin in many older fans eyes by suggesting we change LFL but I believe it is needed. There are still some great fans and spots in LFL that pack the people in and are into the game but the number of those has decreased drastically in the past 10 years.

 

[weblow]

I love football but would much rather sit and watch a college baseball game than basketball. Hell, I would rather watch a girls softball game than basketball.

Just not a big basketball fan until March. I cannot tell you the last time I watch a professional basketball game, it has been years.

It also doesn't explain why we used to pack the stand and the outfield and set attendance records. Did everyone decide at the same time that baseball was boring or is it possible there is another reason?

 

[Mjoelner]

Great idea about increasing the price! I totally agree with that! I think its still $150/year now.That takes care of the problem I was talking about with the constant empty rigs out there and it raises more money for the university.

As far as strangers milling through the outfield, we've fed strangers before but its been rare. Put it this way, we feed someone if they ask us. We don't yell at every body walking by and ask them to come eat. Several times a year though people will see some empty spots on our trailer and ask if they can sit with us. To my knowledge, we've never turned anybody down.

"If a spot was to ever open up, the only list that exist is a list of the top donors that want a spot and they would have it offered to them before any of us knew that there was even a spot open."
The crew I joined up with in 98 has been in their spot since around 82 they told me. We're in the 2nd row in left center. When they opened up right field for spots, they didn't let our guy know anything about it or he would have moved to the front over there. So we're still stuck in the second row with no view at all of right field or deep center thanks to the green monster while the newer rigs got prime viewing spots. Thats why I'm hoping they'll do something about the empty rigs with prime spots out there such as increasing the price of a spot or my ticket idea. That way we'd be able to finally, after 30 years, snag a good spot. Even though we're partially blocked, we do havea couple of great advantages in our spot.We can call balls and strikes better than any other seat in the ball park and, we can tell if a ball is leaving the park before it barely gets out of the infield.

 

[SwaggDawg]

The Dudes was a set up for failure. The students are scattered all around the seats and usually have to move during a "big" game like this.

Wish we had a set up like Ole Miss were they just stuck us in right field. Having our own designated spot (that doesn't consist of the bleachers) would be nice.

 

[weblow]

My kids love to go. We did not have to sit in the bleachers but my kids have a blast and have been begging to go back. We would go every weekend if they both were not playing baseball and softball every weekend. We still might drive up for the Friday Kentucky game and drive back early Saturday morning.

Would have been there this weekend if between the two of them we did not have 4 games this weekend.

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

the passing of many of the fans who filled the stands.**