knight_rider Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Many have expressed their thoughts on the arena issue lately, so here's my two cents. If this arena is not built correctly; with complete coach's offices, training facilities, etc, both basketball staffs should begin looking to coach at another school. It would prove yet again that this institution does not want to provide the resources necessary to produce high caliber athletic programs. It would be as if you give Rusty Wallace a Pacer to run at Talledaga with all the big boys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I hope Brad is Rusty Wallace. I want the arena. I'll never see the coach's offices nor will recruits on visits. I'd say do the arena ether way. I would hope it is done in a way that will make recruiting easier for Brad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victor Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Knight Rider has says it best. I couldn't put it any better. I'd rather them not waste the money if they aren't going to do it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 It all depends on your definition of "right" doesn't it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 victor, while i have to admit i dont like the way this whole arena thing is coming out to the public from every angle, i keep asking myself what building or project has biondi ever done that wasnt completed to the nth degree? i wish they were handling fund raising and comunications differently, but in the end, he has always come through. we are being asked for blind faith more or less. that is frustrating. but not much we can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Well, the Busch Center, while an improvement over the old, wasn't done right. Hermann Stadium, while very nice, wasn't finished. Maybe this time he bit off more than he could chew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 the busch center is a palace compared to what was there and when i went to school at slu, i thought the old busch center was pretty darn nice. so again, he completely exceeded expectations from what we previously had. as to the soccer stadium. we constantly hear that it is the best soccer facility in all the ncaa land. and even if it isnt the best, it is pretty high up proof of that is landing that ncaa championship. so again, he apparently did pretty darn good for a minor sport that at best breaks even financially. now he is faced with the entire athletic dept cash cow. for him to cut corners would be extremely surprising. if the offices arent there, it isnt for financial reasons. there is a different reason. why who knows. we arent told anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Everyone might want to note the "On the Record" thread below. Brad pretty much said quite plainly that West Pine is an embarrassment and a huge recruiting negative. If we build the Taj 79 Mahal and the guys still have to practice in West Pine, what will that say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newberry Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 What do you expect from fund raising. CL got rid of Jim Braun and a lot of doners were upset because of that. SO it is kind of hard to donate money to a school that got rid of a popular guy like Jim. Hell, I stopped donating and my wife works at the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 what i expect is accurate information and tools up to date. i have given all i will give. but if they want to attract new donors it seems they are going with "well give and we'll fill in the blanks later" strategy. i just dont think that plays. i liked jim braun a lot. he and his predecessor, matt oldani, were extremely personal and always responsive. hard to see what the beef would have been with jim if indeed he didnt leave on his own. i was under the impression he wanted to get back closer to his vegas home and thus took the colorado position to move west. at this point we dont know a lot about the new people in the levick administration. and we will have to see how they work out. i have met mr wright once and he seemed like a nice man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I'm overbuilt and there are no corners to cut ..... its all smooth and rolley-polley and soft. The pistons down in the engine room still work but I'm only good once as I ever was. That Taj Mahal stuff is rife with legend and urban myths. But thanks for caring .... bono ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Biondi half-assed the law school redevelopment, the Busch Center redevelopment, and the soccer facility redevelopment. He also spent excessive amounts on converting O'Donnell hall into a highly criticized art gallery; he insisted on creating a walkway/mall consisting of tacky, dated, worn astroturf; and he has trashed the campus with tacky, modern art. Other than that, he has always done everything first class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Myth? You're being too modest, Taj. We ALL went to school on you, when you were in school. But don't worry: Your daughter never has to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Roy, have you compared it to student centers at other major university's? Have you noticed that despite being a "student center" there are relatively few student-focused services in the facility? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 i love the campus. if only you would have been there in 1978. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 so we should have torn both the old busch center and duborg down and built one building? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 13,000 seats are too much. Similar to Xavier's Cintas Center, 9,000 - 10,000 would be fine. Plus, a smaller venue would create a better college basketball atmosphere and a bigger home court advantage. I say shrink the size of the facility and use the cost savings to include a practice facility and offices for the entire athletic department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 No one will argue that the campus isn't drastically better than it was in '78 when you were there or '93 when I was there. However, that doesn't justify tacky art, bad facility planning, and the waste of valuable space on an art gallery that has little benefit for the students, faculty, or overall reputation of the university. It also doesn't justify making MAJOR mistakes in the design and funcionality of the new arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I seem to recall a pair of pants exiting the car somewhere on west bound I-64 in East St. Louis after that girl with the chest cold asked you to leave. And they weren't my pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 which one was O'Donnell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 the art thing that keeps coming up. i will be the first to admit i dont give any piece of sculpture outside of the billiken at west pine more than a second's notice. and i wouldnt know the difference between a monet and a taj finger painting at all. but i have to believe that there is a value to that art in impressing the high rollers that typically bankroll the general fund as well. no one can argue the change in not only the physical appearance but enrollment, the growth of the endowments, etc since father biondi came to town. you wont catch me on the "lynch biondi" bandwagon. as far as i am concerned, as of now, biondi has a lifetime free pass to do what he wants. i just wish he would keep us informed a little more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 >Biondi half-assed the law school redevelopment, did Biondi even have anything to do with the renovations? He's said he doesn't give a damn about the law school. With zero support from the top, it makes Dean Lewis's accomplishments with the law school even more remarkable. Lewis wants a new building too but we're on our own with that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 we had about a seven year run where 13,000 capacity would have p!ssed off a lot of people. a winning team will likely bring those warm weather fans back. that said, i couldnt care less about them. if i get the same relative location view, it is fine with me to make it more intimate. just keep in mind at $20 per ticket for 15 games those 5000 seats would be quite the fund raiser if the good times return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 It still has to at least be big enough for graduation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I think it is clearly about money ... if it wasn't we would be building an arena with everything in it. We are having trouble raising the cash to get started now. Of course for the same money we could probably go smaller and put the offices and practice facilities in the arena ... but it looks like we decided on 13K and a few less amenities. Which way is right is still to be determined. 3000 seats at lets say $15. per seat is 45K per game over a season that is 3/4 mil per yr in revenue. Now of course if having less facilities hurt our recruiting and we don't start winning and have 3-4k empty seats ... I for one think we are going to start winning and will fill the 13K arena ... that makes it a no-brainer. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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