Great suggestions, thanks ! Maybe I can meet Naughty Nelly Nutmeg, Beatrix Bourbon, and Voodoo Mama Juju lol. ("Office" reference)

Perhaps the ucdavisaggies.com people have been reading our posts about eliminating field hockey. They posted a fluff piece about the coach yesterday. Yeah, we get it- she's a nice lady. I hate that kind of article, but it's a staple of college websites, so what are you going to do ?

Thanks ! I'm taking an indefinite break from major league sports. Tired of hearing wealthy major league athletes and coaches preach about issues just because they have a soapbox, so I'm de- funding them albeit mostly symbolically. Doing the same with movie stars. When I'm done though Fenway Park is on the list.

I have an old friend from HS who lives in Eugene. Hates it there, but to be fair she pretty much hates the whole state and the way- left governor. I've considered taking the Coast Starlight up there for the scenery once COVID isn't as big of a threat. I heard the whole city practically shuts down when the Ducks are playing.

I saw PSU and ISU play at Providence Park in 2016. It was fun, but very underwhelimg due to a pathetic crowd. They didn't allow anyone to sit at either end zone. PSU's fight song was weird, sounded like musical pirates being chased by hornets Should've entered the raffle the cheerleaders were selling tickets for. Good chance to win. Coincidence- on the flight back sitting right in front of was Sac State's volleyball team. I could tell because they were wearing their Sac State- branded jackets and talking about volleyball.

I forget the name of the quirky pizza place across the street, but that was the best (and only) slice of bratwurst pizza I've eaten. I think it was called Hot Lips Pizza.

I like how they just let people walk in and take pictures of the blue field at Albertson's stadium.
When I visited Rice- Eccles Stadium (mostly to see the Olympic cauldron) the groundskeepers had mistakenly left all the gates open and gone for lunch or something. I could've walked right onto the field and run for a touchdown. I think I have a picture somewhere of that.

I believe both Missoula and Fargo-Moorehead could be baseball destinations as well, although if MLB gets its way none of the minor league teams in Montana will continue to have major league affiliations. Fargo is a worthy destination on its own though. I think I read there's a Montana senator who's looking to get MLB's anti- trust exemption revoked if they cut ties with all of the teams, something about the economic damage to the communities. Good luck with that !

I remember in 2000 the Division III Savannah College of Art and Design baseball team came out to play UCD, Sonoma State, and maybe some other teams. Their manager was big leaguer Luis Tiant, and they were using wooden bats while the Aggies were using aluminum. It was kind of a farce with that happening. UCD won something like 15- 2. One of their pitchers from that team- Charlie Zink- made it to the majors with the Red Sox I believe. They have long since eliminated that program and feature some unique sports, like women's rifle. I didn't know about the voodoo culture in Savannah. That sounds really interesting.

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You raised a good point, although it wasn't the point of your post, about the falsehoiod being spread that all this outdoor dining is doing much to slow the spread of COVID- 19. All it is doing is making people think, "Oh boy, a picnic with my buddies...it's a nice day!" It's not making people any more cautious about avoiding close contact" I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Sacramento it borders on ridiculous. A big offender is the University of Beer (not the one in Davis- which I don't think serves any food made on the premises). Yesterday the porch was PACKED with football fans. Not only weren't the tables six feet from each other, but people were practically up in each other's faces when they got up to use the bathroom, etc. If anything they're conning a lot of not very cautious people. The thought process behind this reminded me of those students in the Segundo DC who would get two hamburgers, fries, and a diet cola. There's the UCD tie- in.

I don't want to disparage restaurants for doing the best they can to stay in business under the circumstances- it's the customers who are being stupid. I honestly felt safer from COVID eating inside a Texas Applebee's in July than I would have at any of the makeshift "street food" (because your table is in the middle of the road) places. What's really to stop some smartphone- obsessed nitwit from driving through that silly barrier and killing a bunch of people, all because of a TikTok video.?

The Boise State article was interesting. They had a separate article about their baseball program, which was eliminated.

Apparently the coach, Gary Van Tol, is still under contract for 2 more years (albeit at whatever reduced total was agreed upon). I wonder what random assignments they'll give him so that he can sort of earn his pay ? Teach a P.E. class ? Work in the academic advising area ? He could help the players who are still there, but Boise State would appear to have no vested interest in paying for their success at other colleges. It's not like BSU is a community college.

Yet, they still are supporting the student- athletes in an unexpected way. Of course you would expect them to get access to weight rooms and other services student- athletes would normally receive, but apparently the ones who are sitting there in limbo waiting to transfer will be given access to Memorial Stadium for practices. As I mentioned in the baseball section Memorial Stadium doesn't belong to BSU; it doesn't even belong to the city of Boise. It's located about 3 miles from campus in Garden City- at the county fairgrounds. There must be some multi- year agreement in place. They might have to be flexible with scheduling as the Boise Hawks of minor league baseball (the primary tenants) may become a full season team under MLB's new agreement with Minor League Baseball. Not sure why MLB wants to keep the Hawks and axe the Salem- Keizer Volcanoes. There are other league teams in OR, but not in ID. The ballparks are comparable. Must be Boise's proximity to the Portland area.

Anyway, what an odd situation for the players. About 3/4 of their 2020 team has transferred out and there aren't enough remaining to play intra- squad games or even scrimmage against say, a high school team. They'll probably have to limit their practices to taking BP and playing flies and grounders. I guess Van Tol's biggest role will be helping the holdovers find transfer homes, since he and his coaches are the ones who know these players best.

It wouldn't hurt to have someone with a vested interest in the program and lots of disposable income. If people are just donating to the university and hoping it will trickle down to the programs they care about they'll be disappointed. I think they'll start another women's team people care even less about before baseball gets its upgrades. Women's Ping Pong ? I joke, of course..it won't be Ping Pong..it'll be blindfolded e- scooter racing.

. You're both right about Dobbins Stadium. Community Stadium was built largely with volunteer labor. The Dobbins gift paid for improvements, such as the front gate, the ticket booth, the stairs, pressbox, concession stand, and permanent restrooms. This came near the end of the Division II era. Back in the DII days and prior to the donation I would have ranked Community Stadium as the fourth best in the CCAA (after Chico State, UC Riverside, and CSU San Bernadino). Now with the improvements and current CCAA configuration Dobbins would probably be the best in that conference. The wildcats and coyotes have let their stadiums go a little bit since they lost their respective minor league teams

I'm fine w/softball getting a big upgrade- La Rue Field really needed it. I haven't seen a game there in almost 20 years, but when I did it was just a set of bleachers that didn't really provide a good view of the game. It was ok for D- II, but barely.

As long as you weren't disrupting the gymnastics match one would think the band- uh would be quite welcome. Probably doubled the home attendance for that game at least- lol. Gymnastics was not a sport that I enjoyed.

I think the inhospitable private club atmosphere is primarily the fault of some of the student- athletes' parents/relatives that attend. In the absence of any regular community member or student attendance they seem to think they own the place.
And outdated ideas about women probably contribute. I get the impression some of the regulars take it upon themselves to be unofficial bouncers and keep the women safe, which they don't need- they're adults equally capable of protecting themselves. You attend a men's sporting event and the parents are only too happy to volunteer all sorts of things about their sons after you've merely exchanged basic pleasantries of any conversation between two adults.

I saw this kind of thing during summer sessions when I was a student. We had to share the Cuarto + Castilian DC's with those annoying convention visitors, as well as those voleyball and cheer camps. The other male students and I couldn't go a single breakfast without ugly glares from parents. Excuse us, folks. We're actually students here- you and your precious daughters are the ones invading our turf....

I was hearing a seven- digit pricetag for baseball lights some time ago. A big problem for fundraising is that hardly any baseball alumni make good money in baseball. They'll have good careers in other things, and probably make sizable donations to the university, but large monetary donations to baseball specifically. UCD doesn't have a Steven Schott (Santa Clara player and former A's owner) or Tony Gwynn to fork over lots of money. Daniel Descalso may be a millionaire now, but it's not at the crazy rich level where he could easily afford to pay for everything that would turn Dobbins into a top- rate facility.

Unfortunately Title IX has to play a role in everything. It's good, and it's terrible at the same time. On the one hand it forces schools to spend millions on programs that generate very little public interest, which can hold a university back from improving programs people care more about. On the other it at least attempts to provide equal opportunities for women to compete and enrich their educational experiences. It would be nice if these opportunities sometimes didn't get in the way of improvement.

For example, anyone who's watched the UCD baseball team at all over the years has seen that there are plenty of flubs on defense (especially in the infield). It can't be just the quality of the players vs. the quality of their opposition. They're clearly not getting enough fielding practice because they're out of sync it seems whenever there's a ground ball to someone with runners in scoring position (especially bases loaded). I can pretty much count on seeing one grounder per game I attend being flung hastily at a first baseman,who's not in position to catch it, and winding up in the dugout. They are limited to practicing in narrow windows of time between classes ending for the day and the sun going down because there aren't any lights. However, I've been given to understand that the program is solely responsible for raising any funds it wants to use for improvements to Dobbins Stadium, whereas I read somewhere that Sac State got money from the university to help install their lights. Tough to do with very few actual fans (not 'rentals) It makes a difference- Sac State baseball often practices at night and their fielding is pretty clean most of the time. It also helps Sac State that they have fewer programs, so what money they have isn't spread so thinly. UCD has too many sports programs. So baseball continues to try to tread water in perpetuity it would seem.

I also have to say that the women's sports at UCD, with the exception of basketball, do not have very wide appeal. It's not really the coaches or players' fault. It's the sports and the "private club" atmosphere, like if you're a member of the public that just strolled in off the street that you're a bum or some sort of creep that's just there to ogle the student athletes. This is coming from the other fans- I have rarely felt welcome at any women's sporting events other than basketball (especially not volleyball) And I'm talking about when I was a student. Just my opinion. Others may have different experiences

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I'm not saying the facilities are lacking now. My point was that in 15- 20 years they will need some serious work done- normal wear and tear at the very least, and the university will have to weigh the benefits of keeping the teams vs. the cost of renovating the facilities. If student interest continues to decline they have to rely on increased support from alumni and the community to make the events even worth hosting. Even though the students get in for free they still buy concessions and apparel at the games, not to mention the boost their vocal support gives the athletes. If the people who are supposed to care the most don't care...

It makes little sense to spend more money ( large sponsorship or not) for lower attendance and less revenue. I hope they can make it work.

I would not be surprised if, in about 15- 20 years (or perhaps a bit sooner), UCD were to eliminate all intercollegiate athletics programs. In 2035- 2040 the Pavilion and UC Davis Health Stadium will be quite advanced into their useful lives as intercollegiate athletics facilities, and they will be out of date. It will not seem absurd to eliminate the teams that occupy the facilities when the alternative is spending millions of dollars to renovate or replace them.

Another thing that will likely help ease this along will be the decreasing interest in school sports among the students at UCD. It used to be that there was a greater sense that being an Aggie was being part of a more tightly- knit community, and having school pride and attending sporting events was part of the college experience. I could already sense that was starting to decline when I was a student. Blame the internet. Now we can blame smartphones and the artificial social environments they provide. For example, there used to be a time if you wanted to meet a woman you actually had to go to someplace in person (like a party) where people are known to gather and introduce yourself. Now you can swipe your finger left or right across a screen and "get lucky" the same night. It used to be that to be on the internet and be completely oblivious to the rest of the world you needed to be seated at a computer inside of a building but now...

If you don't have any sports Title IX isn't so much of an issue.

Intramural sports will probably survive.

With previous posted edited this comment was no longer relevant.

Editing this post to make it more concise.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens if 2021 Spring sports are also cancelled.

I think the fair thing for the NCAA to do would be to only grant an extra year of eligibility to those student athletes who didn't receive the extra year in 2020, and this would be in lieu of the redshirt season if that hasn't already been used. There are quite a few reasons why there are limits, not the least of which is keeping aimless student- athletes (Van Wilders of the athletic world, if you will) from taking up roster spots and reducing opportunities for others to compete. Really, universities are under no obligation to act as springboards to the pros. If a college promises you a scholarship and it fulfills that promise their part of the deal is done. It's not their problem if the student- athlete misses a year or more of competition due to circumstances beyond their control. No one should be coming to UCD with the primary focus of playing professional sports- go to a CSU or a community college for that.

A Raider coached the 49ers ? How about that ?

Really ? That's awful. I say that because the coach was dismissed due to racism; that should void the contract as it makes the university look bad. This is worlds different than Gould's buyout. All he did wrong was not get the results expected of him.

According to the website Denholm is a managerial economics major, which I think is the same as (or similar to) Zach Stone. That's probably a program you can work a baseball season around, unless there's an internship component. If he were going for his teaching credential I would've said no way. A lot of UCD grads head there because Sac State offers a wider variety of credential options.

Well, Denholm had his time at UCD. It was time for him to pass the torch. I think Jackson O'Boy is really improving at the plate and Nathan Peng has some legitimate power if he gets the at bats and they don't make him a full- time pitcher.. Plus they have the new guy- Michael Campagna-who hit so well this year they put him at first base to take advantage. Pretty sure they recruited another HS catcher in their last class too. Plenty of depth at catcher. Now if they could only say that about the pitching...

I read in a Davis Enterprise article that senior catcher Logan Denholm is not coming back to UCD in 2021. He'll be headed to Sac State for graduate school. I don't know if he's necessarily going to play baseball there- that wasn't exactly spelled out. Although Sac State would be lucky to have him he would likely not be their starting catcher. He would probably have a swiss army knife role like Zach Stone when he went to University of Arizona. The Hornets have a "veteran" starter- Dawsen Bacho- who is pretty entrenched. They can still use Denholm's bat though.

And of course junior Tanner Murray signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.

I don't think they're going to expand beyond 35 players for 2021. And in a normal year UCD uses all 35 spots. I've heard some rumblings (mind you just internet rumors with no credible sources) that spring baseball could be just be conference only. With CSU Bakersfield coming aboard they'll have more players than games to play (27 or less). What the potential returning seniors represent is more downward pressure on the roster. Players that likely would have redshirted may transfer to a junior college instead. Don't count out the walk- ons and freshmen though. I think it was just two years ago that fifth- year senior pitchers Alex Trautner, Joseph Torres, and Dylan Spezia seemed like shoo- ins to make the roster. None of them did. Trautner wound up on the club team and Torres became an Aggie assistant coach.

It seems to me that if they were going to cut the program for Spring 2021 they would've done so already, as Boise State did. So if there's a 2021 season they'll play. Beyond that all bets are off.

Interesting tidbit I remember my former neighbor (an athlete himself at LBSU) telling me that Long Beach State kept their football program on life support for quite awhile while it was in decline but they cut the program as soon as the coach died. Don't know if that's true.

If I were University of Hawaii I'd want to opt out of the baseball season if the potential's not there for a full compliment of spectaors in the stands. Huge waste of money for them otherwise. UCD should consider playing without fans in the stands for 2021. I'm sure the ticket and concession revenue doesn't come close to covering the costs of having fans attend.

I read those FAQ'sabout football season tickets, and they mentioned they were doing whatever they could to reduce costs.

Baseball is either the most or second- most expensive sport at UCD. Though basketball travels more they have less than half as many players and a lot fewer games. Football has a lot more players and paid coaches but they play less than a quarter of the contests.

If baseball is staying I imagine there will be deep cuts. I think it would look like this

- a bare minimum of coaches, although I think currently only 2- 3 (counting Vaughn) are actually paid.

- fewer games

- smaller rosters

- less travel/hosting non- conference series

Even if it weren't a pandemic right now I'd still advocate a smaller schedule. Baseball plays more games than any other team. I'd get rid of the mid- week games. The attendance on a Tuesday afternoon is pathetic. The games seem more like exhibitions than real contests because of they're used mostly to audition 3- 4 little- used pitchers for 1- 2 innings apiece. No one wants to see that. You want to see a pitcher go the distance or come close, make it competitive. I noticed Ivy League teams mostly don't play in the middle of the week and I think that's a good practice for a very serious academic insitiution like UCD to take. More time to devote to coursework. Plus if you don't play as many games you don't spread the pitching staff as thin.

Now, the mid- week game does provide a bit more time to audition some little- used players but it's like I say you should be comfortable using any player in a game if they're on your roster. If they're not ready to go let them play at a junior college, knock out those GE couses, and come back when they are.

The maximum roster size is 35, but I noticed Sac State often comes in well under that. Even if a player walks on and gets no scholarship he still represents a fairly big cost all things considered. With fewer games they'd have fewer injuries and they'd need fewer players.