Baseball Fields...

3,651 Views | 31 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Bunk Moreland
CWIsom
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My son is involved in select baseball... (spare the feedback) please. We travel all around central Texas to various parks in way smaller towns with all turf fields and what not. With all the select teams and talent here why don't we have something like this in B/CS? There is plenty of land and these things are big money makers every weekend. I know it has been tossed around plenty of times but why isn't it happening? We play our local tournaments at little league parks that couldn't handle the crowd if we tried to organize something. A perfect example is the park in Franklin. Meticulously thought out and one of the best parks that we have been to. In a town of 1500+. What gives? A rant i know but just thought i would put it out there...
birdman
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You could build the finest baseball park in Texas in College Station. Your team would still have to travel to Houston for nearly every game.
Oogway
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There may be land, as you say, but it ain't cheap.
Perhaps you and other like-minded citizens could approach the entities that distribute HOT funds and make a pitch (pun not intended) for a facility? IIRC this was something Bryan was mulling for some time.

Franklin does have a very nice park but they have different circumstances. Has worked out very well for their community.
Joe Schillaci 48
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AG
There is land for sale all over town and plenty of contractors who will build the complex.

Interest rates are still fairly low....what is holding you back?
Frio Cielo
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HavinThangs said:

My son is involved in select baseball... (spare the feedback) please. We travel all around central Texas to various parks in way smaller towns with all turf fields and what not. With all the select teams and talent here why don't we have something like this in B/CS? There is plenty of land and these things are big money makers every weekend. I know it has been tossed around plenty of times but why isn't it happening? We play our local tournaments at little league parks that couldn't handle the crowd if we tried to organize something. A perfect example is the park in Franklin. Meticulously thought out and one of the best parks that we have been to. In a town of 1500+. What gives? A rant i know but just thought i would put it out there...



I suspect that it has not been done as nobody wants increases in property taxes. They are too high now.

It seems like there are quite a few ball fields in the area. Is there a shortage? How many fields are needed on a given weekend? Cannot existing fields be further developed to handle crowds? How many weekends would they be used?

My guess would be that Franklin probably has/had so much gas tax revenues that they worked hard to just find places to spend it? I go past their complex many weeks and it sure is nice.

My guess would be is that the smaller towns have fewer issues to address and numbers of interest groups that competes for the tax dollars.

Has an economic analysis been done by anyone on the assumption that select tournaments would be big money makers every weekend? Every weekend? Would the revenues gererated really pay for much of the land acquisition and infrastructure development costs?

CrottyKid
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AG
The Franklin complex is technically part of the school. I don't know how true this is, but the rumor was that they had to spend a ton of money or share with Hearne and other surrounding schools. They opted to spend it.
Orlando Ayala Cant Read
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AG
Would a private venture even come close to making money on this?
InMyOpinion
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So are you not able to play baseball at Central Park, Veterans Park, Bachman Park?

Or are you just speaking to the quality of the fields?
Average Joe
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AG
InMyOpinion said:

So are you not able to play baseball at Central Park, Veterans Park, Bachman Park?

Or are you just speaking to the quality of the fields?


I will say that the quality of those parks lacks considerably.
Stupe
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S
Central and Veterans are not really built for baseball.
Bachmann is nice for a Little League complex, but the places being built for tournament teams are usually field turf.

I don't have a kid playing tournament ball or Little League, but I would be in favor of another complex being built. Even with the growth of the tourney teams, College Station LL is having problems with only having seven fields available for the Jr. Minor - Major teams.
techno-ag
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AG
I have heard there are some private volleyball facilities in the big cities that make bank with tournament play. But private baseball parks seem to be a different set of circumstances.

I do hope we can get more sports facilities built that lead to more out of town visitors. It's a great half way location between cities.
Chris98
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AG
You could build the biggest/ best facility, and you would still have a hard time bringing large tournaments here. Houston teams have Baseball USA, Big League Dreams, Scrapyard, etc. There is no reason for Houston teams to leave Houston (same with Austin, Waco, etc). Other than local teams needing a place to practice, a large/ majestic facility would not be able to make the money to support it.
SARATOGA
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Quote:

There is land for sale all over town and plenty of contractors who will build the complex.

Interest rates are still fairly low....what is holding you back?

If YOU want something, then YOU should buy it. But I'm not paying for your baseball field.
Average Joe
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AG
Chris98 said:

You could build the biggest/ best facility, and you would still have a hard time bringing large tournaments here. Houston teams have Baseball USA, Big League Dreams, Scrapyard, etc. There is no reason for Houston teams to leave Houston (same with Austin, Waco, etc). Other than local teams needing a place to practice, a large/ majestic facility would not be able to make the money to support it.
I think the beer league slowpitch softball does better with that. Being central to most everything you get a lot of teams from Houston, Dallas, SA, Austin, and Waco. Money flows better since they are all adults, too.
O.G.
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Try to build it on Rock Prairie. Traffic is too easy and unencumbered there. There is totally not constant construction, two school zones and a bunch of medical facilities to drive through.....
Sweet Kitten Feet
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S
That's just how it is. My kid plays club soccer. We get one tournament here each year, other tournies are in Houston and Austin. All of our game we're traveling at least to Waller if not Humble, Katy area, or NW Houston. At least our league tries to schedule fairly central areas for season games. Everybody has to travel some to get there so it averages out. Would love to play some home games at Veterans. Excellent soccer fields.
toocool
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Lets review, "plenty of land".....ok....what would work better for my 50 vacant acres. I could build a baseball park or an apartment complex for students renting by the room!
techno-ag
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AG
toocool said:

Lets review, "plenty of land".....ok....what would work better for my 50 vacant acres. I could build a baseball park or an apartment complex for students renting by the room!

ukbb2003
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InMyOpinion said:

So are you not able to play baseball at Central Park, Veterans Park, Bachman Park?

Or are you just speaking to the quality of the fields?
Bachmann is the only park out of the 3 you listed where baseball can be played.

There was a rumor a while ago that people were pushing for a "Franklin-like" park close to where the old landfill was located. I don't know if that is still being pushed for or not.
Rasslin Cheesehead
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AG
Several years ago a group of parents who were involved in select ball tried to take over the Little League fields in college station. It failed because land was donated to the College Station Little League to provide a place to play in perpetuity and they found out if they shut down the little league and went with a select style league the land would have been reverted back to the family who donated the land years ago. Fortunately for the kids in town, the select ball movement failed.

CWIsom
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Probably not in short term
CWIsom
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Agreed as we play all of them. Scrapyard is Amazing! Just a rant
CWIsom
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It doesn't just have to be baseball but multiple sports could be played
BrandoC
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AG
Because turf fields are not true to baseball. Stupid. Yea people like them so they can play on wet days but all you do is slide around anyways.
The Anchor
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BrandoC said:

Because turf fields are not true to baseball. Stupid. Yea people like them so they can play on wet days but all you do is slide around anyways.
Meh. As someone who played in college and around the country I will tell you it was nice playing on turf. It allowed us to not have to reschedule some games due to weather.
BrandoC
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I couldn't stand them. Guess I just prefer natural grass.
The Anchor
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BrandoC said:

I couldn't stand them. Guess I just prefer natural grass.


I prefer grass, too. But, it really doesnt matter once you get used to the difference in playing the ball.
Thisguy1
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I played college ball on a turf field. You can't beat it. True hop every time and played fast which I liked. Sometimes not getting a rainout when you could really use a rainout was more of a curse than a blessing.

The only problem was when you went and played elsewhere, you had to take a ton of ground balls pregame to get back used to a natural field.
JR Ewing
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I'm sure they'll try to use the HOT taxes for something stupid, like trying to start a new community college in a town where we have a free one. Why use them for something practical for the community, like improving the roads, when you can just add a tax to the C of CS utility bill for that?
techno-ag
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AG
JR Ewing said:

I'm sure they'll try to use the HOT taxes for something stupid, like trying to start a new community college in a town where we have a free one. Why use them for something practical for the community, like improving the roads, when you can just add a tax to the C of CS utility bill for that?
Well, improving roads doesn't put heads in beds. HOT funds come with restrictions.
JR Ewing
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AG
No, but those visitors drive on our roads and increased traffic damages them over time. Would it not make sense to have the taxes go towards something that gets damaged from them coming here? Seems like a case could be made pretty easily...
JR Ewing
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General governmental operations seem like roads to me...state's stipulations "Funds from the state six percent hotel occupancy tax flow directly to the Texas Comptroller's office and are largely used for the general governmental operations of the State. A portion of the state hotel occupancy tax revenue also goes toward funding tourism promotion through Texas's ad campaign."
Bunk Moreland
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I like natural because I like the idea of natural occurrences shaping the way the game is played. Don't get me wrong, I hated playing on ****ty fields, but if the field was in good condition, then give me natural every time.

Then again, I'm a guy who thinks a fixed strike zone without the subjectiveness of an umpire will be the end of baseball as we know it.

The human/natural element has always been what made the game great
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