cup of coffee

Among Tide fans, one of the most popular debates these days has to do with Bama baseball. Not on-the-field play, though Alabama’s season hasn’t finished with the promise with which it started.

Instead, talk among Bama faithful is in the stands. As in, literally up in the stands…where they’re sitting.

If you want to spark a good debate these days, just challenge a “Bama needs a new baseball stadium” proponent with the idea that the team should display success in order to get a new park. In fact, recently I inadvertantly found myself in a little Twitter wrangle over the subject:

baseball tweets

Kendall Rogers is the managing editor of college baseball for perfectgame.org. Aaron Suttles covers ‘Bama sports for the Tuscaloosa News, and Kevin Russo is a utilty player for the Detroit Tigers…though that’s not the Kevin Russo I was jawing with. This one is just a sport enthusiast, an LSU grad, and an interesting read on Twitter.

All three are right; Alabama’s baseball stadium is way behind other schools’ facilities in the SEC. Though I’ve never been there, I’m told South Carolina’s is the baseball version of Bryant-Denny. Bama’s is more like, well, Denny’s.

But are we asking the right question when we ask “Does Alabama need a new stadium”? We all know that answer is yes. Should the question instead be “Does Alabama baseball deserve a new stadium?” Has baseball shown enough fortitude to garner the fan support to put butts in the seats?

In the late 90’s and the turn of the century, Alabama baseball was a force. But somehow the Tide baseball program has slipped into Shula-esque mediocrity. And I’m sorry, that may mean people aren’t going to support it.

Should they? That’s another debate altogether. There are some who would say if Bama’s taking the field in something…anything…we as fans and alumni should do what’s necessary to buy tickets, make the drive and be present to cheer them on. But that’s not reality. If you think I’m wrong, then check attendance this season. There have been a few games at the Joe where a line drive fouled into the stands was a threat to NO ONE.

It’s the old chicken or the egg argument…should people come to support the team into success, or should success draw people to support the team? I don’t know the answer. But I do know Bama’s baseball facility is bad. We’ll see if the groundswell becomes large enough to change UA’s commitment to having the worst stadium in the SEC.

Speaking of SEC baseball, here are the current standings…

Auburn is still dead last.
Auburn is still dead last.

When I pointed out in a March 29th article that Auburn was attempting to finish dead last in all three major sports, an Auburn poster who visits this site (shocker) carried the crybaby mantle for all Auburn fans, whining that the season was too young to make such an assertion.

Well, here we are, and Auburn has climbed from dead last to #10 in a fourteen team league. Way to go Auburn. We knew you could do it. They’re still last in the West, so I’m gonna stick to my point. Jay Jacobs is making a fine salary to lead Auburn into last place.

Speaking of Auburn, what in the world is up with Charles Barkley?
The dude is everywhere. He was an analyst for the NCAA Tournament. He’s on every other commercial, and of course he’s been an analyst for the NBA on TNT for 13 years.

The ever Aubsessed, Charles Barkley
The ever Aubsessed, Charles Barkley
Barkley is an entertaining figure to say the least. He’s the kind of guy Tiger Woods would like to cat around with to pick up chicks…in fact, he apparently did.

Chuck’s gambling problem has cost him major bucks…$10 Million to be exact. And Charles likes the firewater, and a little honey to go with it…even if it means a DUI.

I like Charles Barkley for several reasons. One because he’s Aubsessed with all things Alabama, not missing an opportunity to voice his disdain for the Crimson Tide. He only validates Bama by harping about them. But the main reason I like him is, he shows you don’t have to be bright, considerate, or politically correct to make it in America…and this in a country where political correctness rules the day. Apparently, neither do you have to win a ring on the collegiate or professional level to be an expert.

Seeking Charles Barkley’s opinion on something…anything…is like seeking the political views of Lady Gaga. Neither mean anything, but both are fun to hear. Somehow Charles has been granted a pass by society to run that mouth. And I say good for him. I have heard as many stories about Barkley showing generosity as I have stories that paint him in a negative light. Go Charles.

Finally, it’s Mother’s Day…and I hope you all get a chance to spend some time with your mom today…or at least speak to her. For the moms out there who visit here, thanks for the endless hours you spend wiping butts, preparing meals, cleaning up, rocking children, refereeing siblings, offering widsom, giving hugs, tucking in, and starting over…the next day doing it all again.

I’m thankful to still have my mom, but that won’t always be the case. Don’t miss the opportunity to tell or show her what she’s meant to your life.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

14 thoughts on “Does Bama baseball need a new stadium? The answer is in your Sunday Cup of Coffee.”

  1. this is an argument I’ve had about Alabama basketball for years.

    Coleman Coliseum is an outdated dump completely inappropriate for basketball.

    rather than have been “renovated”, it should have been blasted and a new arena built years ago.

    but from the very top of the food chain (athletic director) on down, I ran into the same attitude I see here: if you advocate improving non-football sports at the Capstone, somehow you’re dissing football.

    I’m not that big a baseball fan period. but being every bit the basketball fan I am football, I know just how these guys quoted off twitter feel.

    and here’s the deal, being good in non-football sports only raises the image and reputation of the program as a whole.

    yes, committing to championships in other sports helps football.

    but, in the case of basketball in particular, there is the thought process that good basketball means bad football. and this this the thinking of more powerful people around the program than you would think.

    so yeah, while I’m not that big a baseball fan, I know EXACTLY how they feel.

    there used to being a saying around the athletic dept several years ago: “we strive for excellence in EVERYTHING we do”.

    oh that it were only so.

  2. “Should the question instead be “Does Alabama baseball deserve a new stadium?” Has baseball shown enough fortitude to garner the fan support to put butts in the seats?”

    I’ve been to Auburn’s new basketball arena, and if that program can have that nice of a facility, the answer to your question is HELL YES

  3. One option being discussed is building a new baseball stadium in a different location. If this happens, an idea I had was to bulldoze the current baseball stadium and build a newer, larger Bryant Museum. The current museum has gotten a little dated, and a larger facility could house exhibits for sports other than football. Plus, it wouldn’t be too far from the Champions Plaza.

  4. I’m not an Auburn fan but I said your previous article was too early and it is still too early. With bama only two and a half games ahead of Auburn in the conference and one game behind Auburn overall, and bama having to play Vandy, the best team in the SEC this year, the last weekend of conference play, there is a good chance bama may end up last in the SEC for the second year in a row.

    1. In BASEBALL, Mr. LMAO – BASEBALL. The point of ITK’s remarks is that the boogs are doing it in EVERY major sport. It isn’t too early – Jay Jacobs is nearly the highest paid college Athletic Director in Division 1 sports, and the quality of his major sports’ teams is pathetic. So, what if baseball ends up one floor above the basement, it’s still at the bottom. As usual, you get your value from comparing to where Bama is in the lineup, not where your crappy teams seem to be making their home. It must be nice to pay that much money to your AD for this kind of product. Maybe a season of football where you end up in the middle of the pack with the “Gus Bus” (snicker) will be enough to satisfy all the boogs. It wouldn’t fly in Tuscaloosa any more.

  5. Sorry to correct you Petie but my team just won the Western Division of the SEC and is ranked no. 3 in the nation and has a very good chance to return to the College World Series and a national seed! I know its been 14 years but you do remember what the College World Series is don’t you Petie? While it is YOUR team that is currently ranked 5th in the SEC West and 7th overall and has to go to Vandy to play this coming weekend, which means there is a good chance YOUR team will loose three more games to asure it finishes in the bottom half of the SEC. So to use your own words, “So what if [your] baseball [team] end up one [or two] floors above the basement, it’s still the bottom”, right Petie? YOUR team has only two more conference wins and has a worse overall record than the team you just called pathetic? What a gump.

    So lets see your football team is currently very successful, but we all know that is due the most powerful man in college sports, not Mal Moore. But YOUR basketball team is falling apart. Didn’t your best player decide to transfer away from bama? And YOUR baseball team is about to finish in the bottom of the SEC. So to turn your own question around on you, let me ask you, it must be nice to pay your AD however much you pay them, for that kind of product out of two of his three major teams? And you were paying Moore big bucks to get that kind of “pathetic” product out of all three of your major sports teams prior to Saban saving his ass.

    So according to you middle of the pack for baseball and basketball flies in Tuscalossa. That’s the problem with most gumps, ya’ll are not real bama fans, just football fans.

    So the point is two out of three of your major sports teams could also be called “pathetic”, yet all you gumps, like you and ITK, want to do is point your fingers and write ridiculas articles about other schools.

    1. Again, LMAO – getting your value from comparing your teams’ standings with where Bama stands shows who is obsessed and who is the standard. That’s some quality Little Brother Syndrome you’ve got going there.

      And I’ve been a fan of the football, baseball, basketball, swimming, golf, tennis, and gymnastics teams pretty much my entire adult life, as well as most of my childhood. Don’t go throwing stones until you know whose glass house you happen to be standing in.

      And if you want to refute someone’s point, go ahead and just call them names instead of making your case.

      Little Brother, indeed. I get the impression you aren’t even related anymore, just wishing you were.

      1. Hey little Petie put down the crack pipe, you’re setting a bad example for all your imaginary little brothers. For your information and education I get my value from comparing my team’s standings to other nationally ranked teams like my team currently is, not to some bama team that is not even in the top half of it’s own conference much less not ranked. That’s some quality Big Brother Sndrome you’ve got going there.

        You say you’re a fan of all these other mediocre sports teams at bama yet you speak out about the poor results of AD’s from other schools but not your own. That must mean you accept this mediocricty from your own teams or you just like to point out the speck in someone else’s eyes when you can’t see the log in your own.

        And I believe I gave you plenty of facts, such as your own baseball team having an overall worse record than the baseball team of Auburn that YOU called “pathetic”. Pretty hypocritical of you wouldn’t you say little Petie? I also pointed out the fact that your baseball team, which is one of the three major sports, is currently ranked 5th in the SEC-West. Your baseball team also finished dead last in the SEC last year didn’t it little Petie? I also pointed out that your basketball team, which is another one of the three major sports you mentioned in your earlier post, seems to be falling apart with your best player and your big center leaving the team. I would say your AD and 4th year coach got just above “pathetic” results out of a Top 5 ranked recruiting class just two years ago would you little Petie? Hell bama split with LSU in Johnny Jones’ first year at LSU, now that’s “pathetic”. I’ll bet you a cold drink LSU sweeps bama in baskeball next year because Jones also out recruited your 4th year coach this past year.

        The truth is I didn’t refute your point by simply calling you a name, like ITK did in one of his earlier post to me. I gave you plenty of information and facts to support my case, you just chose to ignore them. So the bottom line is, a gump is what you are, not a name I called you and you proved it by ignoring all the facts in your response to me, which is also typical of a gump.

        Nailed it ITK.

          1. It’s only a swing and a miss if you’re wearing crimson glasses. Maybe that’s your baseball team’s problem also.

  6. Barkley is a racist Bama hating POS. The world would be better if he went mute. As for Baseball, I personally like the Joe. New isn’t always better. The Joe feels like baseball. Fuckers always want to fix something that’s not broken – like Rosenblatt. I remember when you couldn’t find a seat at the Joe and no one complained. It was called winning. Tha will remain a foreign word with the current staff. Who the hell replaces a coaching legend wit an inexperienced pitching coach anyway? Win first and reap the rewards after. And bullshit on dipshits remarks about softball. They were pushing on a Natty for years before the new stadium – whichby the way was necessary because our softball teams has the #1 attendance in the nation. It’s called WINNING! RTR!

    1. Bingo. I remember those days too Crimsonite. Funny how winning will pack a house for you, regardless how nice it is…or isn’t.

      1. Just look at LSU’s old and new Alex Box Stadiums and the attendance records for the last 10 years for proof of that.

        But at LSU we don’t have to just “remember” those days, we are still living those days.

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