FanPost

The Big Red Monster


I don't usually follow college baseball, especially during football season. Heck, I have a hard time keeping up with college baseball during college baseball season. But over the years, I've heard that one of the most persistent problems with UGA Baseball is the facilities at Foley Field. As Chuckdawg said last June, "If a twister took Foley Field off the map (with no loss of life), forcing us to build a new state of the art facility, then I actually support it." Time and again, I read on this site that the biggest obstacle to upgrading Foley Field was its location in the middle of campus, surrounded by other things. There was simply no space.

Well what if there was?

Not at the current site, mind you. And not down Milledge Avenue out in the countryside. What if there was a way for UGA to build a baseball park right across the street from North Campus, in the heart of Downtown Athens, overlooking the Oconee River valley? It would give UGA a chance to build a state of the art facility in an outstanding location. It would bring students into downtown to see the games, instead of hiding them in the middle of campus. It would look great televised on the SEC Network. Everyone wins.

But where to put this thing? There's a lot of stuff already in Downtown Athens and there doesn't seem to be much room for a state of the art baseball facility, does there?

Well, there is this one place. Just across Oconee Street from the North Campus Parking Deck and the Hobson Oil Building. Overlooking the Oconee River valley. Conveniently shaped like a baseball park. UGA missed out on the opportunity to do something in this space two years ago, when a developer got a hold of the land and planned to plop a Wal-Mart down on it. I don't know if any of y'all keep up with the happenings in Athens urban development, but the developer is pulling out. That space is available again for someone looking to use that spot, and it looks like the market studies say retail and more student housing won't pay the bills.

Here's hoping McGarrity sees the opportunity for something that does.

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