Courtesy of Western Michigan Media Relations
I will check in throughout the year with some thoughts on issues or stories that have caught my attention over the last few days. We discuss the beautiful new facility that Western Michigan is building, Rivals checking in on the Andrew Oliver situation, and Bryant University’s chances to succeed in Division 1.
We came across plans at Western Michigan for a renovation of Hyames Field. They are currently raising money for the project which will cost over 2 million dollars. I have had a chance to take a look at some of the plans and all I can say is WOW! You can check out the pictures of the new facility by clicking here.
I love how we are seeing more Northern programs upgrading their facilities to mirror some of the Southern schools. Off the top of my head, we have seen Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State all renovate or build new stadiums over the last few years. This is an important step to see as we will eventually these new facilities turn around into making these programs better.
Kendall Rogers of Rivals is reporting that Andrew Oliver of Oklahoma State will be suspended for the 2009 season due to his improper relationship with an agent. You can check out his article by clicking here. I really don’t like to discuss the bad side of College Baseball but I guess you guys want to know my thoughts. It looks like Oliver is being suspended over a dispute between Scott Boras and Robert Barrata which will reported a few months ago after a tip from Darren Heitner. You can check out our full report from back then by clicking here. I hope we see Andrew back on a college mound but highly doubt it. We spoke with someone in the industry two or three weeks that this news came out and he stated that Oliver will never play collegiate baseball again.
I am still a little miffed over the decision from Bryant University in Smithfield Rhode Island to move up to Division 1. I am used to seeing that school as the training camp home of the New England Patriots but once the Pats left, they built some excellent athletic facilities. These facilities should make their athletic department better but they will never be a national contender in baseball.
If you would like to see me discuss your team or an issue in college baseball in my next column feel free to email me by clicking here. I would like to make this more of a weekly Q & A then my thoughts but we can do both.
