Baseball's Coming Back

[Dave in Green]

Negative reader responses to internet-posted news stories are not news. They are the norm in modern America. The internet is infested with trend followers addicted to publicly posting clever trash talk in the comments section following any news story, each trying to one-up the others. They're like gang members with spray cans of paint or dogs marking their territory with urine. This type of abuse has caused many legitimate news sites to eliminate reader comments sections. Trash talk competitions do not accurately reflect a balance of legitimate public opinion, and they certainly don't represent newsworthy content from which to generate separate news stories.

[Dr Z]

Negative reader responses to internet-posted news stories are not news. They are the norm in modern America.

Not on Dejan Kovacevic's site. One of the best "hometown" sports sites I read.

[skip-zip]

Ok, I must admit that on the surface, losing baseball doesn't appear to be a big loss. Although I'll miss my annual trek with my wife to Canal Park to see the Zips and Ken+ play for charity.

But it's embarrassing when every other large school, and even some of the smallest, still have baseball. It also helps to create major news stories that give the impression that my alma mater is "failing" in some way to support a very common collegiate sport.

And if Title IX didn't exist, would we be cutting Softball too?

[morris buttermaker]

If title IX didn't exist, you would cut a lot more than softball.

[K92]

But it's embarrassing when every other large school, and even some of the smallest, still have baseball. It also helps to create major news stories that give the impression that my alma mater is "failing" in some way to support a very common collegiate sport.

I agree 100%. The recent news stories about football attendance fall into the embarrassment category as well.

[LZIp]

It could be a lot worse.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/maryland-cuts-seven-sports-on-sad-day-in-college-park/2012/07/02/gJQAqJFBJW_story.html

Even with that ACC and Under Armour money, the only thing that saved Maryland from that embarassment is getting into the B1G.

[Dave in Green]

Good find, LZip. Those who only read the local news might think that UA has unique problems. A quick internet search for colleges dropping sports shows that this is happening at many schools across the country due to budget problems. Visiting the sports fan forums of each of the schools dropping sports programs would likely reveal some fans blaming the previous school president for mucking things up.

[Dave in Green]

I don't recall anyone bringing up the question of exactly why the MAC decided a couple of years ago to quietly change the rule to no longer require all MAC schools to participate in baseball. I think the most likely scenario is that more than one school in the conference was quietly telling the MAC that there was a good possibility of budget cuts in the future, that some schools would have to cut some sports, and that baseball was a likely target. As I said earlier, I believe that UA was just the first of a number of MAC schools to actually pull the trigger.

[bengalboardgg]

The act of dropping baseball is not my issue, it's the timing of the announcement as this decision was likely made many months ago. You do not eliminate 212 jobs on a whim. The announcement coming in mid July seriously injures these young men to the point that the Juniors and Seniors will not be able to find competitive homes. There will be little savings for the 2015-16 fiscal year as all scholarships will be honored and likely the coaches will be paid as well so why not let them play a final season. Why this was not done can only be billed as the Administration looking to make a statement on sharing the cuts around all of campus and not looking at this from a human perspective.

[skip-zip]

Bengal...Some good points. It appears that although future cost savings would happen, cancelling this year's season in July doesn't help much at all since we're still paying scholarships and salaries. Maybe some travel expenses will be saved? The timing appears to be awful.

And besides the money, the July announcement really does put the upper classmen in a pickle. I feel badly for them, and it reflects badly on the U.

[a-zip]

Zips Baseball attendance - average 251 people per game. Is it a surprise baseball got cut? Lets not let the same thing happen to football!!!

Vs YSU 150

Vs Toledo 158

Vs Toledo 227

Vs Toledo 227

Vs N Illinois 364

Vs N Illinois 290

Vs Miami 163

Vs Miami 511

Vs Miami 304

Vs Malone 210

Vs Buffalo 221

Vs Buffalo 253

Vs Buffalo 209

Vs Canisius 105

Vs Can't 311

Vs Can't 327

[morris buttermaker]

If they cut sports based on attendance or profit/loss, UA would need to drop them all

[a-zip]

If they cut sports based on attendance or profit/loss, UA would need to drop them all

YUP!! I am just pointing out that only about 251 people seem to care but people blame SS for it all.

[zippy5]

well to be fair, the stadium probably had maybe 200 seats.

[Spin]

I guess that's all college sports are for. That's like considering basketball and football as "revenue sports".

There's a L O T of "fans" who have their priorities in the wrong places.

[infofan]

Steve French on his weekly chat on Joe Dunns radio show said UA dropping baseball may open the floodgates. That while no one wanted to be the first to drop any sport, others may well follow now. and we cant read much into our "avg attendance" of 251, since we dont charge admission. Even though we do in football,softball, M/W soccer, M/W basketball, and even volleyball and swimming.

[Dave in Green]

... and we cant read much into our "avg attendance" of 251, since we dont charge admission. Even though we do in football,softball, M/W soccer, M/W basketball, and even volleyball and swimming. ...

One thing that can be read into a sport that only averages about 250 spectators even with free admission is that there's simply not a lot of interest from either students or the general public. Certainly no one can use the excuse that they can't afford to attend. The top 50 schools in attendance, mostly in the sunbelt, all average over 1,300 spectators according to the NCAA report.

[Spin]

What was the attendance when they played at Canal Park?

The only 251 people who knew there was a game that day?

[Spin]

"since we don't charge admission"

How could we charge people to go to that middle school playground?

[Dave in Green]

What was the attendance when they played at Canal Park?

The only 251 people who knew there was a game that day?

Good question. The only game this season at Canal Park was against Can't and the announced attendance was 1,265. The next day's game against Can't at Lee R. Jackson Field drew 311. The one at Canal Park was the annual Diamond Classic for Kids charity game.

Last season the Zips played 3 games at Canal Park against Canisius, Youngstown State and Wright State, which respectively drew 87, 96 and 109 spectators for an average attendance of 98 per game. Last year's Diamond Classic for Kids, played at Can't, drew a crowd of 127.

[LoyalZIP]

Infielder Dom Iero transferring to Can't

http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20150717/SPORTS/st_refDomain=t.co&st_refQuery=/W8VR0f4qrH/?Start=1

[skip-zip]

Dave,

I go to the Diamond Classic every year, and I have to admit that this year's game at Canal Park "appeared" to be very sparsely attended compared to most in the past.

That 127 crowd for a Diamond Classic "At Ken+" has to be a mistake. You might not know that the game is always played at Canal Park, but they alternate by giving the Zips and the Flushes alternating "home" status every other year.

[Dave in Green]

Skip, I just double-checked. Again I went to GoZips.com, Sports, Men's Sports, Baseball, Schedule to get this season's results, then Archives for last season's results. On the 2013-14 Schedule it shows the Diamond Classic for Kids on Friday, May 16, 2014, at Can't. In the box score it says the game was played at Schoonover Stadium with attendance of 127. Looking closer, that game was at noon and there was a second game the same day at 6 p.m. The box score for that one says it was also at Schoonover Stadium with attendance of 564. Since I didn't attend the games all I can go by are the posted results.

Further update -- This 2015 story says:

The Diamond Classic was rained out in 2014. So, that means 2013 was the last time the game was played.

[skip-zip]

Good find, Dave. Looks like the rainout caused it to be played at one of the team's own fields as a make-up, before the already scheduled game the next day. That explains the almost nonexistent attendance.

I just didn't want you to confuse that with the fact that the Diamond Classic will often show Can't and Akron as the home teams in alternating years, even though the game is at Canal Park.

[Dave in Green]

Thanks for fact-checking me, Skip. I like to be as accurate as possible and appreciate added input. When I originally looked at the numbers I even checked to see what fields the games were played on and didn't just go by who was listed as the home team. The schedule and box score didn't indicate a rainout for the Diamond Classic.