Change is gonna come ...

new Jumbotron
possible sky box seats for viewing both baseball and football as a part of the football stadium renovation

Finally! I love Hawkins, but it pales in comparison to every other stadium I've been to in the SEC.

So true, but I have no doubt Corbs and Williams will develop a plan that pushes us forward ... especially after we take home a CWS title!

... would be to allow room for expansion of the Hawk.

A second level between the foul poles could add a few thousand seats and connect the outfield to the infield. That would be a start.

Connecting the outfield to the infield is sorely needed. The first year, I had season tickets in the outfield. It's like you're in a separate world out there. Now I know what the East Berliners felt like as they looked over the fence to the better side.

Versus75 wrote: ... would be to allow room for expansion of the Hawk.

A second level between the foul poles could add a few thousand seats and connect the outfield to the infield. That would be a start.

No need to expand the seats in the bowl until there is a waiting list for season tickets and people actually show up for the games. It was just last week that the last pair of season tickets with seats together in the bowl were purchased. Still a few singles in the bowl scattered about are left.

Guess I am a little leery of adding seats when I am at most of the games and there are plenty of empties, and adding additional seats will only make the tickets prices go up even faster than they do now to pay for them. Only for the regionals does there seem to be a shortage of seats.

The problem with not having excess seats in the bowl is that it prevents having any walk up sales. Really hate that a parent with kid(s) cannot walk up and buy a ticket in the bowl, but by the same token, I am glad that a UT, UK, etc fan can't. Wish there was some kind of ticket exchange where a season ticket could drop off tickets to future games that they know that they will not be attending, but how do you limit distribution to Vandy fans?

Don't ever think that there will be a plan to let people with tickets to the outfield annex move into the bowl. The last time that happened, there was a bunch of opposing fans that took advantage of it. Let's just say that it did not go over well.

Anybody hear of any details on the new jumbotron for Hawkins Field that ADDW mentioned Saturday in an interview? Wonder if it is to replace the old scoreboard with a video board like in the football stadium. That would be cool to be able to watch replays in hi-def.

I'm fairly certain that I had sent a copy of Kentucky's seating chart (and rules) to the baseball staff and the ticket office a year or so ago. I should bring it up again. (I'm not looking at the form right now; writing this from memory.)

Essentially, there is a preferred section of seating in the middle that is only available to the season ticket holders. The rest of the infield seating is "reserved" in that when you buy a ticket you are given a seat assignment. And there are a number of general admission tickets that allow access to an outfield deck, berm and perhaps standing room.

Knowing that the majority of the season ticket holders won't show up for a given game, the seating/ticketing rules allow that 30 minutes after the start of the game any ticket holder can sit in any seat other than above-mentioned preferred section. The single-game ticket buyer (seems like the price was only $5 for VU vs UK) can move to a better seat.

If the original ticket holder shows up later, he simply asks the newcomer to find another spot. That probably doesn't happen often as the original ticket holder is likely to show up early on.

The bowl fills up, fans get a better game experience, and everyone is happy. No students or general public are turned away because "all the tickets are sold." Vanderbilt should never turn away a student and should want to take anybody's money -- VU, UT, Alabama fans alike -- when there are empty seats to be filled.


I don't have a problem with opponents' fans taking good seats because the season ticket holder had first dibs and didn't choose to show up. They will still be outnumbered by the Vanderbilt fans. And a greater number of the season ticket holders will be in attendance for those games. Also, the opponents' fans may not be as aware of the seating policy and will not take advantage of the option.

To make this work, we would have to do one or both of two things:

* Set up a "general admission" category for the infield seating and figure out where those ticket buyers will sit for the first half hour. VU could charge the infield rate ($12) and make some serious bucks.
* Connect the outfield to the infield somehow; sell tickets to the entire outfield; let those patrons move to the infield after a specified period. One option that just occurred to me is a tunnel beneath the visitor's bullpen.

In either case, Sections E and F would be the "preferred" seating sections and those empty seats would not be taken. Also, by getting more fans into the infield seating Vanderbilt will make more money on concessions and souvenirs. The options are not as great in the outfield annex.

Versus75 wrote: I'm fairly certain that I had sent a copy of Kentucky's seating chart (and rules) to the baseball staff and the ticket office a year or so ago. I should bring it up again. (I'm not looking at the form right now; writing this from memory.)

Vanderbilt did this initially and did not like the results, so they stopped it.

For a mid-week game playing a local team, the fans would come in and sit behind the visiting team dugout after the second inning. If you are one of the season ticket holder in that section, you are not happy with the situation. It also tends to make them louder than the home team fans since they are all sitting together. Coach wasn't happy.

Also some other SEC teams have a good road following and this keeps them out of the bowl. Every school has their baseball fans that are a delight to sit around and talk with, but it is the bandwagon fans that show up because their team is playing in town. You knows these fans, they are the ones that go away mumbling that "their baseball team is not very good this year, but we will beat you in football."

... but I have never seen the infield close to full, even on the last SEC weekend of 2012 as the 'Dores were battling for an NCAA bid. I've heard stories of students being turned away due to "sellouts" and I've been to a couple games for which no more tickets were available but hundreds of seats were empty.

Until the last post, I was not aware that VU tried the general admission or flexible seating in the past. If the coaches didn't like something about it, I would be interested in hearing more specific complaints that would outweigh the value of packing the stadium. So what if there are some fans of the visitors sitting behind the visitors dugout? We give them tickets for the players' families anyway.

I captured this image from All-Access 10 minutes prior to the start of last year's Saturday afternoon home game against Auburn. Perfect weather. Middle of the day. SEC opponent that was 1 game ahead of us in the standings. PLENTY of empty seats. We need to rethink something here.

So, was that gogo taking a nap just off the infield grass behind shortstop?

Yes, I agree.  I don't make it down very often from DC so I won't be one of the people filling a seat in the spring.  It would be nice to get more people into the games.   When I was there, I arranged for Miller Beer to provide free beer beyond the fence in the outfield a couple times.  That helped get students there anyway.  That's not a practical solution these days though.

That is really 10 minutes before a Sat. afternoon game? There is a player lying in the grass and it doesn't even look like the visiting team is in the dugout. Not doubting you, but that looks awful sparse. I try to get there right at first pitch, so maybe a lot of other people do that same thing. I agree that we should draw better than we do. They certainly deserve it. Maybe some Change is Gonna Happen baseball spots will help.

SumnerCountyDore wrote: That is really 10 minutes before a Sat. afternoon game? There is a player lying in the grass and it doesn't even look like the visiting team is in the dugout. Not doubting you, but that looks awful sparse. I try to get there right at first pitch, so maybe a lot of other people do that same thing. I agree that we should draw better than we do. They certainly deserve it. Maybe some Change is Gonna Happen baseball spots will help.

They are finishing up watering the field so it's about 10 minutes before the game.
I, like many, arrive in time for the first pitch.
However, there are tons of season ticket holders who don't show up.  If Vandy could figure out a way to sell those seats to the walk-up crowd, it would be nice.
What would be nice is if there was a way to access the bowl from the outfield; I'd even stroll out to the outfield occasionally just to get a different perspective on the game.  It's also good to take a walk during a long game to get the blood flowing, but still be able to see the game.
Given the way the team was performing early last year, plus some below-par weather, our attendance wasn't all that bad.

That would be good to connect them. I enjoy sitting out there from time to time, especially when it's sunny and a little cool. It stays warmer out there. It is a different perspective as you say. The negative is that you have to walk forever to the concessions or rest room and end up missing at least a half inning by the time you navigate your way through Memorial.

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--- 1975grad wrote:

SumnerCountyDore wrote: That is really 10 minutes before a Sat. afternoon game? There is a player lying in the grass and it doesn't even look like the visiting team is in the dugout. Not doubting you, but that looks awful sparse. I try to get there right at first pitch, so maybe a lot of other people do that same thing. I agree that we should draw better than we do. They certainly deserve it. Maybe some Change is Gonna Happen baseball spots will help.

They are finishing up watering the field so it's about 10 minutes before the game.
I, like many, arrive in time for the first pitch.
However, there are tons of season ticket holders who don't show up.  If Vandy could figure out a way to sell those seats to the walk-up crowd, it would be nice.
What would be nice is if there was a way to access the bowl from the outfield; I'd even stroll out to the outfield occasionally just to get a different perspective on the game.  It's also good to take a walk during a long game to get the blood flowing, but still be able to see the game.
Given the way the team was performing early last year, plus some below-par weather, our attendance wasn't all that bad.

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... but I wouldn't want to live there for nine innings. It's like being a second class citizen out there with the restroom and concessions inaccessibility. I don't believe there was a souvenir stand.

The one time I had a ticket to the outfield, I found someone with an extra infield ticket and moved up to First Class for most of the game.

AtrumEtAureum wrote: Finally! I love Hawkins, but it pales in comparison to every other stadium I've been to in the SEC.

You obviously have never been to Auburn or Tuscaloosa.

I like the coziness of The Hawk as well as our pet hawk who lives high atop a light pole. What other SEC baseball facility has it's own mascot living on-site?

I realize he might not be a hawk, but he sure looks like one to my untrained eye.

Nope! Just the Box, Ole Miss, and Florida. I hope to go everywhere eventually.

Can somebody post a pic showing VU's ballpark in the 70s?

You mean the one with the telephone pole in right-center field?

I went to the Regionals in Charlotteville, VA in I believe 04 when Vandy won it and got sweep the next weekend by Texas in Austin....  I liked the stadium  in Va with a roof over you so when it rained you stayed dry.