SLU Baseball 2024

[slufan13]

8 minutes ago, sm1117 said:

There was no specific donation or donation offer for new baseball lights. That is a rumor and has quite honestly turned into a lie from a poster with a vendetta against the athletic department. The baseball program is up to the standards of the people who matter within the program. 

Hey you have to have at least 10 posts before you can go after @billikenfan05. There are other posters you can go after from day 1. Mainly those who live at high school girls soccer games. 

[OkieBilliken]

28 minutes ago, sm1117 said:

There was no specific donation or donation offer for new baseball lights. That is a rumor and has quite honestly turned into a lie from a poster with a vendetta against the athletic department. The baseball program is up to the standards of the people who matter within the program. 

Up to the standards?  Speaking as someone who really cares about our baseball team, I hope this isn’t true.  

[TheA_Bomb]

3 hours ago, slufan13 said:

Hey you have to have at least 10 posts before you can go after @billikenfan05. There are other posters you can go after from day 1. Mainly those who live at high school girls soccer games. 

Not sure what Message Board Nabokov has to do with this...

 

I'll allow it.  05 is fair game dude wears his hat backwards, basically asking for it.

Also it's slow we need some one new to stir debate.

Wonder who the people that matter are?  Is it the head baseball coach? Or some other clowns.

[TRN]

6 hours ago, sm1117 said:

There was no specific donation or donation offer for new baseball lights. That is a rumor and has quite honestly turned into a lie from a poster with a vendetta against the athletic department. The baseball program is up to the standards of the people who matter within the program. 

Those must be pretty low standards since SIUE, Maryville, Lindenwood and a multitude of local high schools have better facilities.

[Westy03]

7 hours ago, TRN said:

Those must be pretty low standards since SIUE, Maryville, Lindenwood and a multitude of local high schools have better facilities.

The south county YMCA has a better baseball stadium setup and that’s for little league. 

[billikenfan05]

15 hours ago, sm1117 said:

There was no specific donation or donation offer for new baseball lights. That is a rumor and has quite honestly turned into a lie from a poster with a vendetta against the athletic department. The baseball program is up to the standards of the people who matter within the program. 

Besides you being an obvious troll. I’m curious if you count the head baseball coach in this group of “people who matter within the baseball program” who believe this. Because either yes or no would be very interesting assertions. 

[slufan13]

There's no chance anyone is happy with the baseball facilities. I could listen to an argument that there will always be more pressing needs but you can't tell me that what we have now is good enough for anyone. 

[OkieBilliken]

Dayton's excellent freshman arm Connor Fennell enters the portal.  That makes 12 for them since their coach to a job at Vandy.  Indiana State I think leads the country with 16 players in the portal.   

 

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, slufan13 said:

There's no chance anyone is happy with the baseball facilities. I could listen to an argument that there will always be more pressing needs but you can't tell me that what we have now is good enough for anyone. 

The Billiken baseball “stadium” seating areas, as they stand now are not ADA accessible. I really think the only argument anyone needs. If the powers that be are satisfied with that, then pink slips should be handed out. 

[Littlebill]

7 hours ago, Westy03 said:

The south county YMCA has a better baseball stadium setup and that’s for little league. 

You're right - it is better.

Its an adaptive baseball field (totally accessible for people who use wheelchairs or walkers to get around). We're doing really cool stuff at the south county Y  The Cardinals and the Boniface foundation (from the old St Anthony's), plus many other local people have made it happen

They set up a camera to track construction, but I think its just a still now that its basically complete.

UNews wrote an article from a SLU student perspective in December: https://unewsonline.com/2023/12/south-county-ymcas-5-2-million-inclusive-adaptive-sports-complex-to-open-in-spring-2024/

If anyone has any interest, questions about it or if you're wondering how you can help, feel free to slide in my DMs. This is a really cool thing happening in south county that will serve a good number of people in our area (and outside of it). Nothing in the area can compare to this at this moment - so its something to be excited about for those in our community

 

If you want to read more about it, or even donate if this would mean something to you, here is the website for the complex: https://gwrymca.org/locations/ymca-adaptive-sports-complex

I'm done guys - I promise.

[cgeldmacher]

NM - Little Bill said what I was going to say, but with much more info.

[slu92]

On 6/11/2024 at 3:36 PM, sm1117 said:

There was no specific donation or donation offer for new baseball lights. That is a rumor and has quite honestly turned into a lie from a poster with a vendetta against the athletic department. The baseball program is up to the standards of the people who matter within the program. 

This is 100% false. I personally know the guys who wanted to donate the lighting and all slu had to do was pay for installation. Chris May turned them down and their dad was a SLU alumni. And close to this baseball program does not think facilities are up to standard. Go for a drive just around local StL area high schools and a blind person can see how bad SLU’s facilities really are in reality, not your version of reality. 

[slu92]

Rumors are strong around ISU that Coach Hendrickson is #1 candidate for opening. If he leaves the fallout from alumni and current players transferring will be huge. More than AD can ever imagine. This program will revert back to 1990’s level instantly. People do not realize how many extra things coaches do for this program to be as good as it has been. The real Chris May will be exposed big time because he doesn’t have a baseball version of Chaifetz or Kavanaugh to tell him what to do and who to hire/make the hire for program. Grab your popcorn. 

[slu92]

Hohl Family - City Lighting. Everyone in town knows them and the amount of backlash and bitterness this caused is bad for SLU. If I’m lying, which I am not, ask the family yourself. 
 

Top 25 in country with a coach who has won 500 games at SLU and 1000 overall coaching and SLU might let him walk. When I hear AD say he’s committed to excellence I want to puke. He’s committed to doing what Pestello, Chaifetz and Kavanaugh tell him to do, and committed to winning AD of the Year Awards which are as valuable/regarded within industry like a participation trophy from a cyc youth soccer team is earned. Sounds really cool though and fools all the old timers into thinking May is Jerry West Jr. If coach leaves watch what happens. The real Chris May will re-emerge shortly afterwards. Will be great.  

[willie]

1 hour ago, slu92 said:

Hohl Family - City Lighting. Everyone in town knows them and the amount of backlash and bitterness this caused is bad for SLU. If I’m lying, which I am not, ask the family yourself. 
 

Top 25 in country with a coach who has won 500 games at SLU and 1000 overall coaching and SLU might let him walk. When I hear AD say he’s committed to excellence I want to puke. He’s committed to doing what Pestello, Chaifetz and Kavanaugh tell him to do, and committed to winning AD of the Year Awards which are as valuable/regarded within industry like a participation trophy from a cyc youth soccer team is earned. Sounds really cool though and fools all the old timers into thinking May is Jerry West Jr. If coach leaves watch what happens. The real Chris May will re-emerge shortly afterwards. Will be great.  

First of all I don’t think many on this board gives that much of a sheet about baseball except in the overall context of our athletic department. Do you really think Chaifetz or Kavanaugh care about baseball. Should we upgrade our baseball facilities? Of course . Is it a big deal for our program? No. For good or bad May is driving this bus and no one else. If there is a pecking order I would think bringing back field hockey from Sportport would have priority. 

[almaman]

41 minutes ago, willie said:

First of all I don’t think many on this board gives that much of a sheet about baseball except in the overall context of our athletic department. Do you really think Chaifetz or Kavanaugh care about baseball. Should we upgrade our baseball facilities? Of course . Is it a big deal for our program? No. For good or bad May is driving this bus and no one else. If there is a pecking order I would think bringing back field hockey from Sportport would have priority. 

bullseye 

[Speyburn]

1 hour ago, willie said:

First of all I don’t think many on this board gives that much of a sheet about baseball except in the overall context of our athletic department. Do you really think Chaifetz or Kavanaugh care about baseball. Should we upgrade our baseball facilities? Of course . Is it a big deal for our program? No. For good or bad May is driving this bus and no one else. If there is a pecking order I would think bringing back field hockey from Sportport would have priority. 

Tennis should be brought back to campus as well, as the Weber parking takes up their previous home. Maybe on the patch of grass between the softball field and Compton Ave. 

[Taj79]

In my previous life, we had a term we used for groups and individuals like this.  "Issue publics."  One group protested the overall issue focused on their specific concern.  If it was an environmental problem, there was the air public, and the water public, and the jobs public, and the recreation public, the emissions public, and so  on.  

That seems to what we have here.  People have some issue with May and it branches off into baseball, volleyball, field hockey, scheduling, and many other sub-issues.  Plus if you are fat, dumb and happy, you say nothing because only the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Frankly, the constant complaining is downright monotonous and boring but it is your right to  practice free speech.  

[DirtyRican]

12 hours ago, slu92 said:

Rumors are strong around ISU that Coach Hendrickson is #1 candidate for opening. If he leaves the fallout from alumni and current players transferring will be huge. More than AD can ever imagine. This program will revert back to 1990’s level instantly. People do not realize how many extra things coaches do for this program to be as good as it has been. The real Chris May will be exposed big time because he doesn’t have a baseball version of Chaifetz or Kavanaugh to tell him what to do and who to hire/make the hire for program. Grab your popcorn. 

I love Darin and would never belittle the accomplishments of the program during his tenure.  However, your comment about the 1990's is a little off base in my opinion.  There were many teams during that era that would do very well competing in the A-10.  It is not nearly the conferences the program played in during those years.  

I hope he sticks around, he is a tremendous guy but I would not blame him for moving on.

[OkieBilliken]

8 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

In my previous life, we had a term we used for groups and individuals like this.  "Issue publics."  One group protested the overall issue focused on their specific concern.  If it was an environmental problem, there was the air public, and the water public, and the jobs public, and the recreation public, the emissions public, and so  on.  

That seems to what we have here.  People have some issue with May and it branches off into baseball, volleyball, field hockey, scheduling, and many other sub-issues.  Plus if you are fat, dumb and happy, you say nothing because only the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Frankly, the constant complaining is downright monotonous and boring but it is your right to  practice free speech.  

I think the dichotomy exists between those who support men’s basketball exclusively and those who support the overall athletic program.   Those who support men’s hoops are fine when other SLU sports do well, but really don’t care one way or another.  They certainly don’t want resources that could be better used to support mbb to go anywhere else.  I am in the strongly in the other camp but I have family that is exactly the opposite.   
I would rather watch SLU women’s soccer or baseball on ESPN+ than just about any pro sport.  I think the wbb run in the WNIT was as enjoyable to me as some of the big mbb wins I have had the pleasure of attending.  
Overall I don’t think it’s a winning strategy to forsake other sports.   Schools that I would look to compare ourselves with are Xavier, Marquette, Creighton.   Our basketball arena is on par but would they have facilities as bad as our spring sports?  
The Big East has some excellent baseball teams in it.   Would they be interested in playing at our godawful embarrassment of a field? 

[billikenfan05]

11 hours ago, willie said:

First of all I don’t think many on this board gives that much of a sheet about baseball except in the overall context of our athletic department. Do you really think Chaifetz or Kavanaugh care about baseball. Should we upgrade our baseball facilities? Of course . Is it a big deal for our program? No. For good or bad May is driving this bus and no one else. If there is a pecking order I would think bringing back field hockey from Sportport would have priority. 

The major question remains: why would May turn down a donation of lights, including nixing the idea of crowdfunding to cover the installation.
 

Objectively, in the context of campus improvement, baseball and softball  should 100% be at the forefront of improvements. The track that runs between the baseball and soccer fields is falling apart, nobody wants to take responsibility to foot the bill(SLU/AD). The bleachers are falling apart and don’t fit in with campus at all. I could say the same for men’s soccer east stands. At least get a couple brick layers out there and give them a facade. I would throw in a press box for baseball and softball under this banner as the Jerry-rigged solutions for both are also visually unappealing. The vinyl SLU banners on the back of the bleachers is sun faded. How many soccer fans walk from Olive Compton to Hermann right past the baseball field with it looking like it does. 

It’s incredibly frustrating to see people defending the idea that SLU Baseball didn’t have operational lights for this season.
 

Field hockey is coming back to (med) campus next season. That is a SLU project that the AD worked to get the facility outfitted with NCAA approved FH turf(water based). This is an objectively great thing but Athletics twitter has been nearly silent on its progress. I’m not sure why only one project at a time can be fundraised for. 

[billikenfan05]

10 hours ago, Speyburn said:

Tennis should be brought back to campus as well, as the Weber parking takes up their previous home. Maybe on the patch of grass between the softball field and Compton Ave. 

100% have said this would be awesome. I know SLU Club sports like Ultimate and intramurals used that space in the past so I don’t know how much pushback AD would get by taking it away. I don’t quite know if they have the space but the hills up against Compton and the Arena would be great natural seating. 

[billiken_roy]

You guys act as though Chris May can spend whatever he wants when he wants.   Unless you have access to the complete BoT approved athletic budget and know the line items sport by sport, I'd venture to say you are clueless.

I'd suggest you find that, digest it and then you might have the needed proof SLU is indeed cheating the non revenue sports out of their needs.

If you do not have that you probably should again be addressing your concerns with the BoT.  That would be Chris May's boss.   Good luck.  

[billikenfan05]

12 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

You guys act as though Chris May can spend whatever he wants when he wants.   Unless you have access to the complete BoT approved athletic budget and know the line items sport by sport, I'd venture to say you are clueless.

I'd suggest you find that, digest it and then you might have the needed proof SLU is indeed cheating the non revenue sports out of their needs.

If you do not have that you probably should again be addressing your concerns with the BoT.  That would be Chris May's boss.   Good luck.  

I am once again asking why he denied the donation of lights and nixed any chance to crowdfund the installation and why this would have anything to do with the BoT? What does delayed timing of grass installation have to do with the BoT? 

I am once again telling you that it's explicitly Chris May's job to impress on the BoTs how important upgrades are and to get them "approved". However, as multiple people have stated this was an external donation from a friend of the Baseball Program, not some budgetary item. 

If the BoT is such a thorn in a 2 time award winner of one the 50 Athletics Directors of the Year when it comes to getting funding approved for Athletics advancement, why hasn't May booked a one way ticket to another school with more autonomy? 

[CenHudDude]

2 hours ago, Taj79 said:

In my previous life, we had a term we used for groups and individuals like this.  "Issue publics."  One group protested the overall issue focused on their specific concern.  If it was an environmental problem, there was the air public, and the water public, and the jobs public, and the recreation public, the emissions public, and so  on.  

That seems to what we have here.  People have some issue with May and it branches off into baseball, volleyball, field hockey, scheduling, and many other sub-issues.  Plus if you are fat, dumb and happy, you say nothing because only the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Frankly, the constant complaining is downright monotonous and boring but it is your right to  practice free speech.  

I don’t believe I have posted in this thread, so I must be fat, dumb, and happy.  Who knew?  I know that I am happy, but didn’t realize that I may also be fat and dumb.