SEC West

[big gumbo]

lookin like theres going to be a whole bunch of good teams, Arkansas has started very well including a no hitter yesterday down in Mobile against Okie St. They play South Bama this afternoon, They are already putting up temp seating at Baum and expectations of crowds of 8,000 plus for home stands. I hear the hot tubs at the left field foul pole are lease out for the enitre season already.

[Po Monkey Lounger]

will comment in about a month or so

too early to tell anything right now

but its never too early for the homer brigade

[Jeff]

I can comment right now, gonna be a long year down here in Baton Rouge, Smoke better start packin his bags. If he doesn't pull of a coaching miracle this year, time for a new face to run the show.

[big gumbo]

Ark 3-0, All the chairback seats at Baum are soldout, about 8,000 of em. they are trying to figure out how to add temp seat to boost cap to nearly 15thousand till permanent expansion, the UofA is currently building a new 9,000 seat outdoor track facility that will host Conference and Ncaa championships and olympic trails. Two world records fell this week at the Tyson invitational in the countrys best indoor track facility.

[SWAG]

Does Arkansas still have the turf or do they have grass now? I have been thinking Arkansas was going to be tough this year....rarely do they get any respect in the polls and just the fact that they were mentioned in this pre-season gives in to them being good.

[big gumbo]

Dave Van Horn is one the best coaches in the collegiate ranks, its a shame we can not get that kind of leadership in the revenue sports. Arkansas' playing surface has been "real" for several years now. Baum Stadium is one of the nicest if not the nicest college stadiums in the nation, thats not me talking thats Baseball America and the Sporting News talking, They plan to announce even more plans for it after the season rumor has it, Chairbacks may increase to 13,000 to 15,000, Its incrediably family family freindly with picnic areas and even hot tubs that one can lease out on a per game basis.

[Po Monkey Lounger]

"even hot tubs that one can lease out on a per game basis."

that sounds like a little too much togetherness for a baseball game

I can just picture ol Frank Broyles, Houston Nutt, Nolan Richardson, and other big hogs sitting in a hot tub out there in the outfield, smoking cigars, and laughing about the good ol days.

[RebelYelp]

don't let Ms State find out....

could you imagine Croom in a hot tub ? singing My Humps ?

[SWAG]

I thought the hot tubs sounded a bit over board myself. Glad that turf is gone from up there, an advantage I doubted Arkansas wanted to give up at the time as they were tough to beat there, of course that may have been their trouble spot when playing away. I have heard great things about the stadium and seating. The attendence standings prove that good facilities mean more people at the games. Still, you have to admit most schools are trying to mirror what MSU has had for years. May your hot tubs become a tradition as the Left Field Lounge is to Dudy Noble! Ole Miss fans can hopefully find some kind of quirk to maybe make their stadium/field something special as well (like getting rid of that hideous blue back stop).

[RebelYelp]

hopefully we'll begin the first phase of our stadium expansion at the end of this season, however it's looking like it will be next year..... should add a large amount of seating and alot more visible things (blue backstop for example). The new scoreboard/jumbotron is already in place. Coaches offices, locker room, and terrace areas should be completed by next season, then the actual physical stadium expansion will follow.

[big gumbo]

Heres some details for the proposed new expansion of Buam,

21 new luxury suites with sesting for 24 in each

1,500 new box seats the outfield foul lines

Expand Hog Pen to the left center batters eye

Expand chairback seating in Hog Pen area.

The nicest in the counrty, Ark has made a commitment to have the best facilities in the nation, not the biggest, just the best. Ya'll keep shopping at Wal Mart and buy Tyson shicken and ship stuff through JB hunt.

[RebelYelp]

finals plans haven't been released, but the last i heard, our expansion is similar, boxes down foul lines, luxury boxes (not sure on #'s of seats per box), then terracing the entire outfield area. Like Arkansas, working towards being one of the best, nto necessarily the biggest, we're just behind the 8 ball and got some catching up to do, but, with coach B calling the shots, i think we'll make up ground nicely.

[rebelduckaholic]

I have a feeling Coach B will be calling the shots as the future replacement of Smoke in Cajun Country before too long

[RebelYelp]

idk....

5 kids in oxford schools, just started building a big new house, and not NEAR the pressure on him here as he would have in BR, plus if i'm not mistaken he's 2nd or 3rd highest paid coach in the SEC..... it's not all about the $$.

[big gumbo]

Those boxes are in addition to the 20 something in place allready, if you've never seen Baum Stadium watch for a game on tv. Plainsman overtook us for about a year and then we added more features. The score board only blows everone else away

http://www.razorbackfacilities.com

That doesn't include into plans for the underway Outdoor Track Arena or the plans for Buam expansion that are set to begin at the end of this season.