Freedom Field - Yea or Nay?

[cooperstown]

First off, this is not any type of sour grapes because Ryle lost. Ryle lost because they were outplayed by NCC.

 

I have decided I simply don't like games on all-turf fields. I love the environment of Florence Freedom - it's a great place and very enjoyable to watch a game. I just don't like the changes in the game because of the turf - the perfect infield bounces, never any bad hops, the changes in the bunting game, the effect on balls "in the dirt" at the plate, etc... A baseball field should have grass and dirt. I know the benefits of having a field that is difficult to rain out, but I just feel the disadvantages outweigh these benefits. And, yes, I also know that both teams are playing on the same surface and have to deal with the same conditions - but ultimately it's not a surface that is best conducive to a baseball game. Thoughts?

[Clyde]

Clint Brown and his staff do a great job hosting this tourney. For those whose priority is parking, concessions, and seating it's a perfect place.

 

However, you can't top the atmosphere at a high school field. Zero chance the environment at St Henry in 2005 when Rob Quast hit a walk-off to win the 9th can be duplicated at Clint's place.

 

As one of the few who say the basketball tourney should still be at high schools me being against it is no surprise. Supporters of BOK say it helps the winners get the big arena feel. Does that apply to baseball?

 

There are positives in Florence. I just prefer it on grass at a place like St Henry. I value the environment for the players more than the convenience and comfort for the fans.

[Theoldguy]

Clint Brown and his staff do a great job hosting this tourney. For those whose priority is parking, concessions, and seating it's a perfect place.

 

However, you can't top the atmosphere at a high school field. Zero chance the environment at St Henry in 2005 when Rob Quast hit a walk-off to win the 9th can be duplicated at Clint's place.

 

As one of the few who say the basketball tourney should still be at high schools me being against it is no surprise. Supporters of BOK say it helps the winners get the big arena feel. Does that apply to baseball?

 

There are positives in Florence. I just prefer it on grass at a place like St Henry. I value the environment for the players more than the convenience and comfort for the fans.

 

I believe if it were grass, then stay put but this year the teams were not even allowed to practice on the field on Sunday.

 

The turf makes it a different game completely, and while BOKC does make it easier for the players to transcend from a HS court to Rupp! The baseball state tourney is played on grass and not on turf!

[bulldog77]

For all the reasons stated above and more that need not be aired here, the tournament needs to go back to high school fields.

[Oldtimebaseball84]

IMO......You should play it on the surface that the state will be played on. That way we would be sending down the team that competes best on that surface.

[StraightShooter]

If baseball was better on an artificial surface, the pros at all levels would install turf. I don't like it and believe that St Henry is the ideal 9th region tourney site.

[OlDog75]

If baseball was better on an artificial surface, the pros at all levels would install turf. I don't like it and believe that St Henry is the ideal 9th region tourney site.

 

As much as I like St. Henry's facility, I'd like to see it rotate among the better HS fields in 9th region.

[SportsGuy41017]

I like it at Freedom Field! Where was this thread before the tourney? Hmmm.

[nkuclubbaseball19]

I like it at Freedom Field! Where was this thread before the tourney? Hmmm.

 

Seeing as the draw wasn't until Satirday it wasn't really known before the tournament that there would be no practice times available, only one makeup time available on Tuesday for any Monday cancellation, and no makeup times available for the semis and finals.

 

On top of that, the environment at a high school field is a lot better than at Champion Window Field. If you would have seen the Highlands/Conner game at Dixie on Monday compared to all the games held in Florence, you would agree.

 

Plus you have to add in the elements that make turf entirely different than a natural surface. Every team can field on turf and the playing field is leveled out by that. On a natural field you actually have to have a good fielding team that can play the hops and stay with a ball. As well, a ball hit into the gap on turf is an automatic double or triple because it rolls extremely fast where on a natural surface the outfielder has the chance to cut it off, holding the runner at first or at the very least have a legitimate chance for a play at second.

[futurecoach]

Most of the teams in the region this year have football fields that are field turf I believe. I wonder if those teams took advantage of that and practiced on that before the tournament, since they couldn't practice at Florence Freedom. That would have been a good chance to practice some infield on the turn, and as well as working with your catchers on some of the bounces they would get from pitchers off the turf.

 

For what it is worth I would like to see it back on high school fields too.

[cooperstown]

I assume there would also be financial benefits to holding games at a high school field? Again, I love Freedom's atmosphere. Great place. But they keep most (all?) of the gate money - and justifiably so IMO. But let's say games at held on a rotating basis between St. Henry, Dixie, Scott, etc... Who would get the gate money in those situations? Only the host field site? I know each year the regional tournament is officially hosted by one team in the region. (I believe this year was Cooper). Would the host team get some cut as well? If there are financial benefits for 9th region teams - and not just the few teams that host the games, as they'll make a ton on money on concessions - then that is another reason to consider moving back to high school settings.

 

What other high school fields would be worth using, considing quality of field, seating, parking, concessions, pressbox, etc? My thoughts on Ryle, as its the field I'm quite familiar: Positives - the actual playing surface of the field is as nice as any other NKY field, the football concessions are close by and could be opened, plenty of parking. Negatives - no actual pressbox, but a temporary one can be made; biggest problem is the lack of seating. In fact, so big a problem, IMO, that I'm not sure it would be useable if a really large crowd would need to be accommodated.

[cooperstown]

Most of the teams in the region this year have football fields that are field turf I believe. I wonder if those teams took advantage of that and practiced on that before the tournament, since they couldn't practice at Florence Freedom. That would have been a good chance to practice some infield on the turn, and as well as working with your catchers on some of the bounces they would get from pitchers off the turf.

 

For what it is worth I would like to see it back on high school fields too.

 

If they didn't, they were foolish.

[HoosierCB]

I understand the argument about natural grass vs. turf, but none of the high schools in this area can accommodate the crowds that the event draws at Florence Freedom Field. The tourney drew a record 2,300 people on Monday. Further, the pro ballpark offers better seating, parking and sightlines than any high school field. Besides, the kids love playing there. As for the financial arrangement, the gate belongs to the schools after the Freedom subtract their expenses for staffing, lights, etc. This year's tourney set total attendance records and netted the schools more money than they ever earned when it was played at St. Henry. With regard to a lack of practice time on the field, the Freedom hosted a youth tournament Memorial Day weekend. However, the Freedom offer every high school the opportunity to play regular season games there for FREE which would give them even more valuable exprience playing there than an hour of shagging flyballs. Yet, very few accept. Without taking anything away from Coach Schulkens or the NCC players who have won 2 in a row and 3 of the last 5 championships there, they have played more regular season games at the Freedom than anyone, perhaps giving them an edge. Very few communities have access to facilities such as the Bank of KY Center or a nice minor league ballpark for high school championships like we do. We should consider ourselves fortunate.

[Theoldguy]

I understand the argument about natural grass vs. turf, but none of the high schools in this area can accommodate the crowds that the event draws at Florence Freedom Field. The tourney drew a record 2,300 people on Monday. Further, the pro ballpark offers better seating, parking and sightlines than any high school field. Besides, the kids love playing there. As for the financial arrangement, the gate belongs to the schools after the Freedom subtract their expenses for staffing, lights, etc. This year's tourney set total attendance records and netted the schools more money than they ever earned when it was played at St. Henry. With regard to a lack of practice time on the field, the Freedom hosted a youth tournament Memorial Day weekend. However, the Freedom offer every high school the opportunity to play regular season games there for FREE which would give them even more valuable exprience playing there than an hour of shagging flyballs. Yet, very few accept. Without taking anything away from Coach Schulkens or the NCC players who have won 2 in a row and 3 of the last 5 championships there, they have played more regular season games at the Freedom than anyone, perhaps giving them an edge. Very few communities have access to facilities such as the Bank of KY Center or a nice minor league ballpark for high school championships like we do. We should consider ourselves fortunate.

 

So, so much of your comment is false.

 

1st did you count the crowd at Dixie in the Connor vs. Highlands game as part of the attendance at Freedom?

 

In another post you were told that the Freedom took $5.00 of the $7.00 adult admission, so the Ninth doesn't get all the admission.

 

The BOKC BTW guarantees the Ninth Region a set amount of money whether they sell one ticket or not! Will the Freedom do that?

 

Since Beechwood complained of Beer sales at the games, the games are no longer free but cost in the neighborhood of $300/$500 depending upon if you have lights. BTW it's free if you have enough fans enter the gate to cover the cost but you the High School take the risk, not the Freedom?

 

So just how many games has NCC played there, where it was the All "A" paying the freight and not NCC?

 

So the Freedom decided to have a kids tourney where very, very few attended (I drove past the place on Sunday at least a half a dozen times or more due to my job and never saw more than 20 cars there all day long) rather than take care of a long time customer!

 

So why doesn't the Freedom host a NKY HS Baseball Tourney during the season and not charge the teams and if fact pay them to play there (cover their expenses). Why not invite LexCath, some Louisville teams to play some NKy teams. You do the work, you do the planning, you take the risk, instead of just opening the doors and putting your hands out to take the money without taking any risk at all!

 

Nope give me St. Henry, Dixie, Ryle, CovCath and Cooper and real baseball on real grass....

 

BTW didn't public dollars build the Field in Florence?

[cooperstown]

I understand the argument about natural grass vs. turf, but none of the high schools in this area can accommodate the crowds that the event draws at Florence Freedom Field. The tourney drew a record 2,300 people on Monday. Further, the pro ballpark offers better seating, parking and sightlines than any high school field. Besides, the kids love playing there. As for the financial arrangement, the gate belongs to the schools after the Freedom subtract their expenses for staffing, lights, etc. This year's tourney set total attendance records and netted the schools more money than they ever earned when it was played at St. Henry. With regard to a lack of practice time on the field, the Freedom hosted a youth tournament Memorial Day weekend. However, the Freedom offer every high school the opportunity to play regular season games there for FREE which would give them even more valuable exprience playing there than an hour of shagging flyballs. Yet, very few accept. Without taking anything away from Coach Schulkens or the NCC players who have won 2 in a row and 3 of the last 5 championships there, they have played more regular season games at the Freedom than anyone, perhaps giving them an edge. Very few communities have access to facilities such as the Bank of KY Center or a nice minor league ballpark for high school championships like we do. We should consider ourselves fortunate.

 

Appreciate the info. You seem to have some inside info about the Freedom and the high school arrangements, so wonder if you can clarify a few other things.

 

First off, no disagreement at all about Freedom being a great place to watch a game, better parking, better seating, better lighting, better sightlines, better concessions than any high school field around here (concessions a little pricey, but acceptable).

 

I wasn't able to attend the championship game, so just want to clarify: You are saying that there were 2300 people in attendance for just the championship game on Thursday night? What is the total capacity of Freedom? I won't disagree with you since I wasn't there, but that number sure sounds high.

 

Given that high attendance number, can you share the specific numbers regarding the gate proceeds, your expenses, and how much the schools netted from the gate revenue? And to whom are these proceeds paid specifically, if you know?

 

I believe Oldguy is correct about the potential costs to schools using the field if they do not meet certain gate requirements or if they need to use lights. Has this policy changed? Do you have the breakdown of the high school teams that used the field this past regular season (including number of times each team played there)?

 

I absolutely LOVE Oldguy's idea about Freedom hosting a high school tournament during the season that would be free for the teams given the gate proceeds the Freedom would make. Would love to hear your thoughts on this and if it has ever been discussed in past.