Poor Setshot

[vu72]

Sadly, his Johns Hopkins Bluejays bit the dust in the D3 playoffs, losing 23-12 to a school named St. John Fisher.      I can only imagine the buildup to that game on the Hopkins Fan Board!

Anyway, setshot has to be excited about their basketball program who beat a very solid Goucher team in their opener.  Coming right up is a tourney where we will see what they really have!  They face Cabrini and then, in a showdown, Centre/Berry.  Great Stuff!!

Note:  I didn't make up the names any of the schools mentioned above.  Oh the joys of playing D3,  the alumni must be so proud!!!   

[setshot]

The lacrosse season is just around the cornor. D1 with nat'l championship possibilities. Also,Wabash ,Franklin,Mt.Union and Wisc. Whitewater all advance in D3 football. We should be there too!

[new2ff]

Sadly, his Johns Hopkins Bluejays bit the dust in the D3 playoffs, losing 23-12 to a school named St. John Fisher.      I can only imagine the buildup to that game on the Hopkins Fan Board!

Anyway, setshot has to be excited about their basketball program who beat a very solid Goucher team in their opener.  Coming right up is a tourney where we will see what they really have!  They face Cabrini and then, in a showdown, Centre/Berry.  Great Stuff!!

Note:  I didn't make up the names any of the schools mentioned above.  Oh the joys of playing D3,  the alumni must be so proud!!!   

No reason to knock D-3 football,there are some great players and teams in D-3. I read where UW-Whitewaters offensive line bigger than UW-Madison and they are big.

[vu72]

new2ff, the point is that setshot wants us to play D3, which means we must play D3 in all sports.  Not knocking D3 football at all.  Simply a friendly jab at our buddy setshot.  Would you prefer Valpo play St. John Fisher or Ohio State???

[historyman]

The lacrosse season is just around the cornor. D1 with nat'l championship possibilities. Also,Wabash ,Franklin,Mt.Union and Wisc. Whitewater all advance in D3 football. We should be there too!

So the Johns Hopkins lacrosse season is ready to see the coronor. Does that mean the team is ready to die? Or is this just another scandal that Quincy (Klugman not the college in Illinois) must solve? 

[VULB#62]

This is a fun post.

I've been irked by setshot's mantra of dropping FB all Fall.  Now maybe I understand this whole thing a little more.

First off -- I LOVE D-III.  It's the purest form of college athletics we've got in the old US of A.  My kid played soccer at the D-III level and they were the measure of a lot of D-I programs -- but he's on wall Street and many of the D-I kids are just on the street.  But I digress.   VU has opted to go D-I in BB.  That has a ripple effect don't it?  Yeah, I know -- that little foh pah would have busted me out of freshman comp, right?  Bootom line is that to be D-I ya gotta do certain things to qualify.  Anyway, to the post at hand. 

As a result  of that commitment, we are competing in multiple sports versus D-I programs.  And, ya-know-what, we don't do too bad - although with BB we are definitely "mid-major."

Getting back to FB and either dropping it or not:  setshot, is his twisted, perverted, and seemingly always pessimistic posts http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/Smileys/classic/screwloose.gif is right to a certain degree.  If you just want to show up to PFL games to pay lip service to the fact that you have a FB program (and a D-I BB program), he's right.  Drop it.

Mercer (new to the PFL in 2013) just announced the construction of a brand new stadium and FB/Lacrosse (listening setshot?) building -- check it out.  That's what Valpo is up against.  Coach Carson has indicated that he needs an expanded budget for recruiting.  He needs more than that.  He needs to be able to SHOW kids that Valpo wants to have a championship program.  I emphasize "show."  Brown Field and the weight training facilities don't do that.  Hell, there are no scholarships involved.  Throw (aka invest) some money at the FB-related facilities to give that program a chance.

Or drop the sport.

[vu72]

He needs more than that.  He needs to be able to SHOW kids that Valpo wants to have a championship program.  I emphasize "show."  Brown Field and the weight training facilities don't do that.  Hell, there are no scholarships involved.  Throw (aka invest) some money at the FB-related facilities to give that program a chance.

How quickly we forget.  This is from the description of the improvements  to Brown Field in 2008, not 1968:

Prior to the 2008 season, a new artificial surface was installed at Brown Field as part of numerous renovations. Valparaiso University is still in a fund-raising campaign known as FITT (Football, Intramurals, Track and Tennis) to provide funds for renovation to the stadium. The first phase of the multimillion dollar project included the installation of the ProGrass, as well as moving the grandstands and adding handicap accessibility.

The ProGrass50 Blend is a blend that consists of 100% polyetheylene fibers, that are 50% mono-filament and 50% parallel silt, that are tufted into a woven primary backing. The secondary backing consists of an application of heat-activated urethane to permanently lock in fibers. The turf has the appearance of a natural grass field.

A new 37-foot high scoreboard was erected in the northeast corner of the stadium, and with it, a new video board for graphics. New play clocks and goalposts were also included in the renovations.

Future improvements to Brown Field include the installation of game lights as well as adding a competition track around the playing surface.

As we all know the lights have been installed.  So the football field got improvements to the bleechers, a new scoreboard, new artificial surface and lights.  I would say that certainly qualifies as something to "show".  Look, we aren't Duke.  It will take some time to finish the stuff we all know we need.  Still, not that long ago (2003) we won the title without the improvements.  We can win again--with time.

[VULB#62]

Granted.  All that has happened. And so have new uniforms and a blow-up archway and a new Crusader mascot.

But after visiting Brown Field this Fall, visiting some other PFL facilities, and checking out others via their web sites, Valpo's is still well below the standard that is now the norm in that league.  We are in last place in the league record-wise -- and we are also still in last place in the league facility-wise (and we are not yet really close to the others).  Mercer doesn't even have a football team yet -- check out the PFL website to see their new stadium renderings and read about their plans for a new field house with offices, locker facilities and weight training.

My thought is that while a start has been made it falls short.  I'm still disappointed in the incomplete playing field with puddles between the stands and the Pro-Turf playing surface, grass where a track is supposed to be, rusty grandstands that look more like a high school field than a D-I facility (check out Franklin's D-III stadium by comparison), inadequate, make-shift weight training facilities and minimal locker space that is sadly in need of renovation. We're talking about attracting and retaining good student athletes willing to pay their own way.

The All-PFL team was recently released.  Morehead State (tied for 8th in the league) had 3 first teamers, 2 second teamers and 4 honorable mentions.  Valpo had one 2nd teamer (our punter) and 5 honorable mentions. 

The gap is huge and we need to close it.

[vu72]

I completely agree, VULB#62.  My point is that the administration agrees, posting that the improvements are:   The first phase of the multimillion dollar project.  We all want things to happen quickly but, with the economy and stock market being what they are, I suspect fund raising is very difficult.

At the same time I don't think spending money necessarily guarantees success.  We Valpo fans often look to Butler for comparisons and I just did.  Many would say that the Butler facilities are much better than ours and so I looked at their football record. They have had two winning seasons in the last ten including a 3-30 record from 03-05.  As for improvements, they just completed a 2.6 million improvement to the Butler Bowl, in 2010, after winning their only PFL title in 2009.  since spending the money they have gone 4-7 in 2010, and 5-6 in 2011.

Just sayin.

[78crusader]

VU hired a consultant last year to assist in the development of a new campus master plan.  A new football facility was discussed as a possible project but I very much doubt this outside group will recommend that a new facility be included in the short term (next 10 years) master plan.  The report is due out any time now (who knows, the administration may have it already.)

The addition of a track around the field would help immeasurably.  So would a new brick facade wall along the south side of the stands, and some attractive landscaping.

Paul

[valporun]

Now that we own the Porter Memorial space, and we get the remaining houses on McIntyre purchased, maybe just making the football/soccer/track facility look more like a stadium with a bowl, rather than a load of empty bleachers, we make sure that we get the place looking less like a high school field.

[Crusader03]

First, I have to say that I think it is in somewhat poor taste to start a thread calling out/mocking another poster.  I don't think it is necessary to make a point. 

JK, setshot totally had this one coming!    (Had ya goin' there for a minute, didn't I VU72?  )

Now, for my personal opinion....DIII sports are wonderful, but I don't want to see Valpo stooping to that level.  Eventually football will come around.  I love watching us compete at the D1 level and certainly don't want that to change.

[vu72]

You did indeed!  Then I thought, who wouldn't want to pick on setshot (in a friendly kidding way!)

[VULB#62]

Not to sound like a broken record (skipping CD?) about FB/Track/ Soccer facilities, but I just noted that the Valpo Pop Warner FB team won their regional playoff game in Michigan City this weekend.  They played at Michigan City HS's Ames Field.  The HS has less than 2000 students, but the place would make many college fields look sick.  It certainly would make a good FB player from just down the road in Michigan City think twice about playing at VU.

Go to NW Indiana Times Sports and check out the picture.  Use Google Maps for a satellite shot of it.

[valpotx]

Some high schools have some pretty nice fields that make D-1 programs look bad.  You can come down to many TX HS football stadiums and imagine that some D-1 head coaches are envious when recruiting these kids.  Case in point is Southlake-Carroll HS who has a fieldhouse that the Dallas Cowboys use for some parts of training camp, because it is a better one than they use at their official Valley Ranch location...

[VULB#62]

Not saying that VU needs a Taj Mahal or even 10,000 seats, but kids have to feel that they are at least playing in a college environment (even if it may not be the equivalent of Texas HS complexes like you mentioned).

There's another facilities string over in Basketball prompted by Loyola's new BB facility (under 5,000 seats, but apparently quite impressive) that discusses the ARC and it's short comings.  Wasn't aware that there were many, but haven't attended a game there since it was the old Brown Gym wand Gene Bartow was the HBBC.

Apparently, the facilities issue is bigger than just Brown Field.

[sectionee]

Not to sound like a broken record (skipping CD?) about FB/Track/ Soccer facilities, but I just noted that the Valpo Pop Warner FB team won their regional playoff game in Michigan City this weekend.  They played at Michigan City HS's Ames Field.  The HS has less than 2000 students, but the place would make many college fields look sick.  It certainly would make a good FB player from just down the road in Michigan City think twice about playing at VU.

Go to NW Indiana Times Sports and check out the picture.  Use Google Maps for a satellite shot of it.

Ames is a nice field.  USC practiced there a few years back before their game against ND. 

[milanmiracle]

Not to sound like a broken record (skipping CD?) about FB/Track/ Soccer facilities, but I just noted that the Valpo Pop Warner FB team won their regional playoff game in Michigan City this weekend.  They played at Michigan City HS's Ames Field.  The HS has less than 2000 students, but the place would make many college fields look sick.  It certainly would make a good FB player from just down the road in Michigan City think twice about playing at VU.

Go to NW Indiana Times Sports and check out the picture.  Use Google Maps for a satellite shot of it.

Ames is a nice field.  USC practiced there a few years back before their game against ND. 

Ames is a nice field, and it didn't cost a billion dollars, and it's not so big you'll never fill it. Something like that would be great at Valpo, especially compared to what they have now.