Why don’t we play USM more?

[GhostOfJackie]

With the Braves leaving and a beautiful park sitting there empty, you would think we could get a pre-SEC weekend round robin with State-UM-USM and La Tech or something. We could still do the midweek games like usual and add that series. Instead of playing snowbird teams and SWAC midweeks on the regular, why not do more to help everyone’s RPI in our region?

Anyway, good comeback win tonight against a good team. I like seeing us pull out close games. We will learn a lot next weekend.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I don’t see the ‘beautiful park’ part. It’s in a sea of asphalt by an outlet mall in Pearl.

Play in Biloxi if you want to go neutral.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

I don’t see the ‘beautiful park’ part. It’s in a sea of asphalt by an outlet mall in Pearl.

Play in Biloxi if you want to go neutral.

Ah it’s a good enough park. We should play at both. I’m just wondering how much push there will be to get more heavily attended games there. In MS, that’s college baseball. They usually sell out these games, but the rise in ticket prices pissed off a lot of people last year.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I don’t see the ‘beautiful park’ part. It’s in a sea of asphalt by an outlet mall in Pearl.

Concur, it is mid at the very best. The Ole Lady and I debated going, but we both agreed, it's just not the Dude.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

Concur, it is mid at the very best. The Ole Lady and I debated going, but we both agreed, it's just not the Dude.

What is the future of that park after the Braves leave? Are they trying to get another smaller professional team? I’ve also heard the Shuckers are close to leaving MGM, which would be a shame.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

What is the future of that park after the Braves leave? Are they trying to get another smaller professional team? I’ve also heard the Shuckers are close to leaving MGM, which would be a shame.

Don't know, I think getting and Single A or independent team wouldn't go over well. What about monthly travel ball tourneys? More college games? I doubt our AD (or OM's) would sign off on playing too many non conf games outside of campus. Concerts are kind of out as the Quarry is going to get most of those.

What about some type of summer league with mostly State, OM and USM players who can't or don't want to get into higher summer leagues?

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

If I remember correctly, Cohen decided he didn’t like playing them in Hattiesburg, so they decided they didn’t want to come to Starkville for a while, and we’ve mostly just played in Pearl. The home and home in 2018 and 2019 was set up out of necessity because we had to play a lot of road games in ‘18 due to stadium construction. Other than those two years, we’ve exclusively played in Pearl in the regular season since 2011. And only once a year.

 

[dawgstudent]

 

[Duke Humphrey]

If I remember correctly, Cohen decided he didn’t like playing them in Hattiesburg, so they decided they didn’t want to come to Starkville for a while, and we’ve mostly just played in Pearl. The home and home in 2018 and 2019 was set up out of necessity because we had to play a lot of road games in ‘18 due to stadium construction. Other than those two years, we’ve exclusively played in Pearl in the regular season since 2011. And only once a year.

We should play them twice a year; once in Pearl, once in Jackson.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

you would think we could get a pre-SEC weekend round robin with State-UM-USM and La Tech or something.

My vote is to do this at MGM. Plenty of hotel rooms and other entertainment for fans. Not as cold on Coast too

 

[skydawg1]

Superbowls have consequences.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

Wow. A midweek game against Southern Miss as our superbowl? Imagine that mindset. I love a player that plays with a chip on his shoulder but he just sounds like an absolute moron in front of everyone he knows. It must be tough losing year after year in literally everything to a cow college in your own state right?

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

If I was AD, MSU would not play them in any sport. Let them wallow in their insignificance.

 

[GloryDawg]

That is prime retail space with the outlet mall, Sams and Bass Pro. Pearl is not going to let it just sit there. I suspect if they can't get a team the stadium will come down.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

What is the future of that park after the Braves leave? Are they trying to get another smaller professional team? I’ve also heard the Shuckers are close to leaving MGM, which would be a shame.

There likely isn't a future. I would imagine it will be torn down unless Belhaven continues to pay the necessary money to maintain it.

They'll try and get another team, but it's really just a futile effort. A stadium can survive in the Jackson Metro, but it's got to be in a better location, preferably downtown Jackson or by the Reservoir.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I like the idea of a weekend tournament in Biloxi. However, that takes away from Dudy Noble, and would be neutral as far as the RPI.

 

[Chesusdog]

If I was AD, MSU would not play them in any sport. Let them wallow in their insignificance.

Bingo. We don't need them and they don't matter.

 

[patdog]

If I was AD, MSU would not play them in any sport. Let them wallow in their insignificance.

Actually, we do kind of need them in baseball and should be playing them more. Our OOC schedules are mostly embarrassingly awful and you need to play nearby schools for mid-week games. Southern Miss fits the bill. They're not going to be any more insignificant if we don't play them. It just doesn't matter. Just another non-conference game for both schools.

 

[HuntDawg]

If I was AD, MSU would not play them in any sport. Let them wallow in their insignificance.

yeah lets play Air Force and St. Mary's instead. That'll get us ready for SEC play

 

[ll Martain ll]

Don't know, I think getting and Single A or independent team wouldn't go over well. What about monthly travel ball tourneys? More college games? I doubt our AD (or OM's) would sign off on playing too many non conf games outside of campus. Concerts are kind of out as the Quarry is going to get most of those.

What about some type of summer league with mostly State, OM and USM players who can't or don't want to get into higher summer leagues?

Pearl's best bet is to get an expansion AA team if/when Nashville gets an MLB expansion team, or a relocating AA team from San Antonio when they inevitably go back to AAA. But those are both longshots. MLB wanting their minor league clubs physically close to the parent is hurting Jackson.

A ball isn't really an option, theres not a league to play in unless you can convince the Sally league to move further west. There's also a good chance High A and A consolidate in 2030 anyway, so not sure they'd want to get caught up in that.

Indy ball would be fun in theory, I'm just not sure there's enough support to make it worth it. Jackson on paper is a great MiLB market, it's unfortunate they can't get a team to stick long term.

If I'm Pearl I'm doing whatever I can to tear down that park and build a new arena the metro desperately needs and adjacent entertainment district. But I'm not sure the appetite for that kind of development either.

 

[MStateDawg]

What is the future of that park after the Braves leave? Are they trying to get another smaller professional team? I’ve also heard the Shuckers are close to leaving MGM, which would be a shame.

Belhaven plays a lot of their home games there: https://blazers.belhaven.edu/sports/baseball/schedule

I imagine they will play all of them there after the Braves depart.

 

[thatsbaseball]

They are competitive in various sports from time to time with the lower tier SEC schools . We have a lot more to lose by playing them than we have to gain thus we don't play them much.

edited to ad : I think think this is a chicken sh!+ approach but probably in the best for State.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

build a new arena the metro desperately needs and adjacent entertainment district. But I'm not sure the appetite for that kind of development either.

An "entertainment district" similar to Beale Street would kill it, but I doubt Purl has much interest in that. There are plenty of places DT to stand something like that up (Farish St, near Cat Head or Matins), but it would require a lot of security and city leaders that actually want dollars from the burbs to be spent in Jxn, and that doesn't appear to be the case. I haven't checked out Fertile Ground yet, that may be something to build around too.

 

[StateCollege]

What is the future of that park after the Braves leave? Are they trying to get another smaller professional team? I’ve also heard the Shuckers are close to leaving MGM, which would be a shame.

Are the Shuckers considering leaving? MGM just underwent a big renovation.

 

[dog99walker]

Ah it’s a good enough park. We should play at both. I’m just wondering how much push there will be to get more heavily attended games there. In MS, that’s college baseball. They usually sell out these games, but the rise in ticket prices pissed off a lot of people last year.

I am not paying $55.00 to go to Jackson to watch a ballgame. Who gets the money? I won’t pay that king of money for charity.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Indy ball would be fun in theory, I'm just not sure there's enough support to make it worth it. Jackson on paper is a great MiLB market, it's unfortunate they can't get a team to stick long term.

If I'm Pearl I'm doing whatever I can to tear down that park and build a new arena the metro desperately needs and adjacent entertainment district. But I'm not sure the appetite for that kind of development either.

You're right, MS is a baseball state, and that appetite is there. I think it gets eaten up by travel ball, MSU, Ole Miss and USM baseball, at least in the spring. Then again in the fall, except it's travel ball then football. But a downtown stadium with an entertainment district would be absolutely incredible in the summer.

An "entertainment district" similar to Beale Street would kill it, but I doubt Purl has much interest in that. There are plenty of places DT to stand something like that up (Farish St, near Cat Head or Matins), but it would require a lot of security and city leaders that actually want dollars from the burbs to be spent in Jxn, and that doesn't appear to be the case. I haven't checked out Fertile Ground yet, that may be something to build around too.

Perfectly said. That district must be in Jackson, but their heads are too far up their asses. Suburbanites are also scared to go to Jackson. None of these groups understand what they are missing out on.

Brandon, Flowood and Madison are doing their things (well, really just Brandon and Flowood, Madison has no interest in a downtown entertainment district). And that's fine. But not that many places can pull that off without a true downtown area, unless the area is plush with money. Atlanta is a good example of this - a lot of entertainment districts spread out all over, and multiple downtown areas - but Atlanta is also flush with cash.

But bottom line, it just seems like the MiLB thing just won't work the right way. It's time for Flowood to build an indoor arena somewhere around the Refuge/airport, and go that route.