We no longer have the biggest video board

4,764 Views | 20 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by John Dutton
Farmer1906
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Down to #3.

Apparently a new video board is all the rage in 2016.

Here is the soon to be top 5.

Baum - 2016 (1,775 sq. ft)


Cougar - 2016 (1,500 sq ft)


Olsen - 2014 (1,347.50 sq. ft)


Eck - 2016 (1301.75 sf ft)


Gross - 2016 (1,300 sf ft)
LSU Baseball Fan
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LSU definitely has one of the biggest scoreboards in the country, but our main video board is actually quite small compared to most, since our scoreboard has a couple small video boards, then the linescore panel, whereas all of these are one enormous screen that shows everything. I guess LSU wanted a lower electric bill or something.

Still way better than the old Alex Box scoreboard. That was a piece of crap. You could only see it well from the third base side, it couldn't do replays, and it only showed the player's last name and a couple basic stats.

Blue Bell Park is quite nice. Hope I can find the time to go to Texas during Easter break and watch some games.

The only thing I don't like about the New Box is that we still haven't put the flags of all the SEC teams behind the outfield wall. That was in the concept art, but we never did it for some reason. That was one of the only cool things about the old Box, which was a dump, aside from the amazing atmosphere.
dabo man
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I'm a sucker for old ballparks, but I found the old Alex Box to be miserable. I had to watch both games of the 2004 Super from here:


And there was zero air flow in the stands. It probably wasn't even 90F, but it was just miserably "stuffy" up there. My wife had to go throw up about half way through the 2nd game because of the heat/humidity.

I also saw part of the 1991 regional at the Box when it was so wet that they were running a pump in the outfield between games. Worst conditions I've ever seen baseball played in. One of the games we played in that regional had a dead ball when our outfielder couldn't find a base hit that had buried itself into the mud.
LSU Baseball Fan
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Yeah. I don't miss the Old Box much. I had a lot of great memories watching the championship teams under Skip Bertman on that field, but the New Box is like a palace compared to the Old Box. We needed a new home. The Old Box was made of almost 100% aluminum and concrete, which made hot days miserable for players and fans alike. I remember one Marist player in 2005 fainted in the dugout due to heat exhaustion and had to be airlifted to the hospital during the regional game against LSU. The stands were uncomfortable and there were annoying buttress (like the one in your picture) that blocked fans' views of the field all over the stadium.

The New Box is definitely the best atmosphere (excluding Omaha, of course) in college baseball, and I would say the stadium itself is in the Top 5 along with Blue Bell, Baum Stadium, and Carolina Park. I do wish we had added stadium seating all around the park like Baum Field does, instead of just the grandstand, but I guess they wanted to save money and keep the feeling of the Old Box intact.

I will say the worst field of a major university I've been to, surprisingly, was UCLA's. For such a great program, their baseball facilities are disgraceful. Most high schools have better facilities. The fences looked ready to fall apart, the lights barely lit up anything, the scoreboard was tiny, the grass was poorly kept, and the stands barely sat 1K fans. When LSU brought about 3K fans to LA for the 2010 regional, we all had to camp out in left field since there was nowhere to sit. I talked to a UCLA player's mom, and she said they'd never seen so many people come to watch a game before. UCLA has to compete with so many other things, so usually it's just the players families and friends watching them play. Maybe Jackie Robinson Field has improved since I first saw it in 2010, but if it's like it used to be, I would be ashamed to be a booster for the UCLA baseball program. Those boys deserve better. They're an elite D1 program playing on high-school level facilities.
falcon09
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quote:
The New Box is definitely the best atmosphere (excluding Omaha, of course) in college baseball

I really need to make it to a weekend series. I was able to go to a midweek out of conference game and it was just dead.
LSU Baseball Fan
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quote:
quote:
The New Box is definitely the best atmosphere (excluding Omaha, of course) in college baseball

I really need to make it to a weekend series. I was able to go to a midweek out of conference game and it was just dead.
Yeah, the Box for a non-conference game just isn't the same, except maybe when we play ULL and Tulane, back when they had an elite program. Even in a midweek game, LSU-ULL will probably sell out. Most non-conference midweek games you can buy an outfield ticket and just sit in the grandstand since there's maybe 2-3K at the most. Weekend non-SEC games will get around 8-9K fans, unless it's an elite opponent like Fullerton was in 2011, then it'll sellout. We don't lead the nation in attendance 20 straight seasons for no reason.

For SEC games, though, the atmosphere is just incredible. Crowds of 10-11K are regular. I think all of the LSU-A&M games last year sold over 12K. LSU fans aren't silent spectators either. We cheer and chant as if it were a game in Death Valley. Even players from SEC schools with weaker programs (Tennessee, Mizzou) are stunned by the crowds. It's a great experience, if you can make it. I would avoid sitting near the students, though. They get rowdy.

Prices are reasonable. Food is excellent.
dabo man
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quote:
I will say the worst field of a major university I've been to, surprisingly, was UCLA's.
College baseball is traditionally *nothing* in most of the country. When we joined the Big 12, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Kansas weren't even charging admission for baseball. Iowa State dropped their program after the 2001 season. They had been playing in a city park in Ames.

California has some incredible college baseball, but it also has "perfect weather," the beach, mountains, etc.
LOYAL AG
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I remember when UH didn't have lights, now they have the 2nd largest video board in the nation. Good for them!
Farmer1906
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They have made strides, but it still a little meh.


twk
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Glad this was posted--reminded me that I hadn't booked my hotel for Fayetteville. Now I can cross that off my list. While Baum is nice and big, the views down in the corners aren't as good as they could be, since the stands take a basically straight line from the end of the circle behind the plat to the foul line, rather than running parallel to the foul line to the vicinity of the first and third base bags and cutting in. I'm perplexed that ballpark architects still make this mistake, as these two basic designs have been around forever--Comiskey was like Baum, and Olsen is like Wrigley in that respect. So, it's a very good park, but flawed in one major respect.

The new Box is a great park and I enjoyed my visit. The access to some sections of the grandstand is a little funky (I had seats just above the club, almost behind the plate, but had to go all the way to the top of the grandstand to access my seats). I imagine that, someday, they will replace the bleachers down the line with a permanent grandstand. LSU is a little funny in that they have a lot of money, and have a lot of very nice facilities, but decide to cut corners abruptly, and the new Box is a good example. The grandstand is first rate, then the bleachers down the line are OK, but lesser quality, and then have little bleachers in the outfield that they apparently moved from the old Box, and cheap looking, shabby wooden fence surrounding the backside of the park in the outfield. Maybe money was a little tight when they finished it?
BQ_90
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we might of had the largest before but it was worthless. We have less stats up on our board than we used to have with the old board and separate screen. IMO we're terrible at using the info boards/screen we got. They are only platforms to sell ads
SeattleAg05
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Check the spelling on the Oregon state stadium. Goss not Gross.

Just glad to see money going into college baseball across the country.
75AG
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The Cougars need an even LARGER videoboard. I can still see the ghetto that surrounds their stadium.
dermdoc
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Been to all the venues mentioned. I like Olsen/Blue Bell the best but I am somewhat biased.
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Positive Yardage
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Construction is moving along on Wichita State's board. Will post a pic when its finished. Alabama's looks ridiculous!
Dale Gribble
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Construction is moving along on Wichita State's board. Will post a pic when its finished. Alabama's looks ridiculous!


I grew up going to Eck and seeing the likes of Darren Dreifort, Casey Blake, and Braden Looper suit up for the Shockers. Exciting that they're doing some renovation. That program needs a boost in the worst way!
Positive Yardage
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dangit, when I figure out how to embed a tweet
ClassOf17
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They have made strides, but it still a little meh.





Oh man is that red???
jkag89
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If you are asking about the faux dirt cut outs around home plate and the bases, yep.
Builder93
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quote:
we might of had the largest before but it was worthless. We have less stats up on our board than we used to have with the old board and separate screen. IMO we're terrible at using the info boards/screen we got. They are only platforms to sell ads
Blue Bell took a hit, boys! Let's get out there and sell some pixels!
BQ_90
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quote:
quote:
we might of had the largest before but it was worthless. We have less stats up on our board than we used to have with the old board and separate screen. IMO we're terrible at using the info boards/screen we got. They are only platforms to sell ads
Blue Bell took a hit, boys! Let's get out there and sell some pixels!
its in every venue. The ribbon boards in Reed used to have more stats, now it just has more ad spots.
John Dutton
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It's cougar high, what else do you expect, besides "Meh?"
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