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Post by Den60 on May 20, 2021 19:30:37 GMT -8
But, it is still below what the game has drawn. Add to this new competition in LA (SoFi) and Las Vegas (Allegiant) and I just don't think we will be that big of an attraction. We are still more attractive than places like Boise, Albuquerque, Frisco TX etc. and I see a future bowl game here as better than what we saw with the Poinsettia Bowl but not on the same level as the Holiday Bowl. SoFi (MWC champ vs. P12; lowest priority bowl) & Las Vegas (P12 vs. SEC) already have their bowls, and the Holiday bowl is currently slotted above both. The Las Vegas bowl could jump the Holiday Bowl, but I doubt any of the others - Red Box, Sun, Independence, LA - come close to doing so. It'll still be a top 4 bowl for the P12 with its ACC matchup. It'll probably generate as much revenue at 40k in the new stadium as it would at 46-50k in SDCCU, possibly more given the increase in premium seating. Both SoFi and Allegiant can and will get multiple bowl games (just like New Orleans). Allegiant is a given since many consider Vegas to be the ultimate party destination. I think SoFi my eventually get the Rose Bowl but it is an artificial turf stadium when can hose multiple events with no field issues.
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Post by Den60 on May 20, 2021 19:38:09 GMT -8
But, it is still below what the game has drawn. Add to this new competition in LA (SoFi) and Las Vegas (Allegiant) and I just don't think we will be that big of an attraction. We are still more attractive than places like Boise, Albuquerque, Frisco TX etc. and I see a future bowl game here as better than what we saw with the Poinsettia Bowl but not on the same level as the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl folks are hellbent on having the game at Petco Park going forward, including having the game this year. I don't have any insight into how exactly they plan on doing that since it's pretty well established that you can't fit a gridiron in there without modifications, but the latest info from Neville is that "we've been talking with the Padres and they've been great so far." Whatever discussions have been going on have been kept pretty secretive. Bottom line for 2021 if they're going to play the game it's Petco or nothing, and they are absolutely insistent so far that they're going to play the game. Somebody somewhere must have a plan. I don't see it happening without pulling out the jackhammers but I've been wrong once or twice before. Petco is just a temporary solution. It would not be near as nice a venue for football than the new Aztec stadium. Petco is a baseball park. The new Aztec stadium is designed for football and soccer. It will be a great venue for either but just not large enough for the better bowl games. Again, we will have a bowl game here, that is a given. It just won't be at the same status of the Holiday Bowl. Not sure if we want to tie it in with the MWC or not. One of the things about the Holiday Bowl is that they wanted teams to travel here (meaning no SDSU) so as to maximize tourist dollars.
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Post by Den60 on May 20, 2021 19:50:10 GMT -8
I guess we will find out soon enough. I usually get my Holiday Bowl ticket renewal notice around mid-June with the bill due by the end of July (I've attended every single Holiday Bowl since it first came into existence). My gut says if they have it in Petco then it is there for good. They'll have to do some mods, and with as much concrete is in that place no mod is going to be quick and easy. Anything they do will require a substantial amount of money and they're certainly not going to do that for one game. They are saying that absolutely the game is going to be played this year. It could just be Neville talking a good game. There has been close to zero public information put out there so who knows? People complained about not being able to see over the players while watching football in The Murph from the field level, and you will have the same problem if football is ever played in Petco Park. They will probably be able to hold more people who can actually see the game in the new Aztec Stadium, and they will be closer to the field. Of course (assuming a football field even fits in Petco Park, and the MOU between the city and Padres is changed to allow football in the ballpark), people might really enjoy sitting in those lower level seats in Petco, while watching the game on the big video board. Also--I think Fowler was more on board with making Petco Park available to the Holiday Bowl, and he is no longer with the club. I don't know how thrilled Peter Seidler is regarding that. People used to say that "The Murph" was better for baseball than football. Petco is nothing but a stopgap to continue the Holiday Bowl here in SD. It only holds some 42K for baseball, which is what it was designed for. The new Aztec stadium, even with the addition of temporary seats to 40K will be far superior as a venue than Petco. Still, 40K is smaller than what the Holiday Bowl normally draws. I see people on here talking about charging more for seats as if that matters at all. It doesn't. Bowl games are meant to bring people into town to spend money in the city where the game is played. Part of that is making sure seats are affordable and competitive. If you charge too much, then no game. SDSU likely would not make much more in revenue from ticket sales than for other games save for the fact they won't have discounted student tickets. Still, it is one more revenue date and exposure for the naming rights sponsor.
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Post by aardvark on May 20, 2021 20:47:23 GMT -8
People complained about not being able to see over the players while watching football in The Murph from the field level, and you will have the same problem if football is ever played in Petco Park. They will probably be able to hold more people who can actually see the game in the new Aztec Stadium, and they will be closer to the field. Of course (assuming a football field even fits in Petco Park, and the MOU between the city and Padres is changed to allow football in the ballpark), people might really enjoy sitting in those lower level seats in Petco, while watching the game on the big video board. Also--I think Fowler was more on board with making Petco Park available to the Holiday Bowl, and he is no longer with the club. I don't know how thrilled Peter Seidler is regarding that. People used to say that "The Murph" was better for baseball than football. Petco is nothing but a stopgap to continue the Holiday Bowl here in SD. It only holds some 42K for baseball, which is what it was designed for. The new Aztec stadium, even with the addition of temporary seats to 40K will be far superior as a venue than Petco. Still, 40K is smaller than what the Holiday Bowl normally draws. I see people on here talking about charging more for seats as if that matters at all. It doesn't. Bowl games are meant to bring people into town to spend money in the city where the game is played. Part of that is making sure seats are affordable and competitive. If you charge too much, then no game. SDSU likely would not make much more in revenue from ticket sales than for other games save for the fact they won't have discounted student tickets. Still, it is one more revenue date and exposure for the naming rights sponsor. Well then, we are pretty much in agreement--except that I don't think the Holiday Bowl will ever be played in Petco.
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Post by sdcoug on May 20, 2021 23:36:45 GMT -8
SoFi (MWC champ vs. P12; lowest priority bowl) & Las Vegas (P12 vs. SEC) already have their bowls, and the Holiday bowl is currently slotted above both. The Las Vegas bowl could jump the Holiday Bowl, but I doubt any of the others - Red Box, Sun, Independence, LA - come close to doing so. It'll still be a top 4 bowl for the P12 with its ACC matchup. It'll probably generate as much revenue at 40k in the new stadium as it would at 46-50k in SDCCU, possibly more given the increase in premium seating. Both SoFi and Allegiant can and will get multiple bowl games (just like New Orleans). Allegiant is a given since many consider Vegas to be the ultimate party destination. I think SoFi my eventually get the Rose Bowl but it is an artificial turf stadium when can hose multiple events with no field issues. The P12 would not have multiple bowls at the same location. Not happening. And no, the Rose Bowl is never leaving Pasadena. Ever.
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Post by sdsustoner on May 21, 2021 4:39:39 GMT -8
The bowls need the WAC/MWC when nobody watches them and then they always leave us once they get popular for the cool kids like the Pac-12, Big-12 & SEC also-rans.
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Post by AzTex on May 21, 2021 4:52:39 GMT -8
I guess we will find out soon enough. I usually get my Holiday Bowl ticket renewal notice around mid-June with the bill due by the end of July (I've attended every single Holiday Bowl since it first came into existence). My gut says if they have it in Petco then it is there for good. They'll have to do some mods, and with as much concrete is in that place no mod is going to be quick and easy. Anything they do will require a substantial amount of money and they're certainly not going to do that for one game. They are saying that absolutely the game is going to be played this year. It could just be Neville talking a good game. There has been close to zero public information put out there so who knows? People complained about not being able to see over the players while watching football in The Murph from the field level, and you will have the same problem if football is ever played in Petco Park. They will probably be able to hold more people who can actually see the game in the new Aztec Stadium, and they will be closer to the field. Of course (assuming a football field even fits in Petco Park, and the MOU between the city and Padres is changed to allow football in the ballpark), people might really enjoy sitting in those lower level seats in Petco, while watching the game on the big video board. Also--I think Fowler was more on board with making Petco Park available to the Holiday Bowl, and he is no longer with the club. I don't know how thrilled Peter Seidler is regarding that. I don't understand how anyone who has actually sat in the stands and watched a football game in a baseball park would be in favor of playing a game there.
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Post by robthevol on May 21, 2021 8:59:49 GMT -8
It was my understanding that Petco was designed for baseball only. The dimensions were designed to prevent a debate about playing football.
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Post by jp92grad on May 21, 2021 9:53:11 GMT -8
People complained about not being able to see over the players while watching football in The Murph from the field level, and you will have the same problem if football is ever played in Petco Park. They will probably be able to hold more people who can actually see the game in the new Aztec Stadium, and they will be closer to the field. Of course (assuming a football field even fits in Petco Park, and the MOU between the city and Padres is changed to allow football in the ballpark), people might really enjoy sitting in those lower level seats in Petco, while watching the game on the big video board. Also--I think Fowler was more on board with making Petco Park available to the Holiday Bowl, and he is no longer with the club. I don't know how thrilled Peter Seidler is regarding that. I don't understand how anyone who has actually sat in the stands and watched a football game in a baseball park would be in favor of playing a game there. 91 Freedom Bowl Anaheim Stadium Remember it well, not only the painful loss but the Terrible site lines because all the seats were at the wrong angle, it really SUCKED!
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Post by panammaniac on May 21, 2021 10:57:10 GMT -8
I'm not trying to get argumentative here, just trying to keep everything in full perspective. Keel in mind that college bowl games aren't all about having the best venue to play the game in. They're about the best overall bowl EXPERIENCE, which means everything in addition to the game. It's no question that watching football in Petco would be subpar and might even flat out suck based on sightlines and such. But there's a trend of having bowl games in baseball stadiums even when better football venues exist not very far away. The Pinstripe Bowl and the one in Fenway are the first ones to come to mind. I can't even imagine how awful it would be watching a football game in Fenway Park. But it's not so much about that. The Downtown San Diego overall experience - everyone stays downtown, the parade is downtown, the game is downtown, most of the team's pre-bowl activities are near downtown, the blimp views from a game held at Petco in December, just everything about the whole experience makes a lot of sense. I'm sure someone is imagining a scenario where 20,000 visiting football fans stay downtown, eat at the Gaslamp, walk to the game, and party in the Gaslamp after the game. The people who organize these games couldn't care less if the fans present at the game have a less than optimal sight line. These are teams that are going to play in the game once every several years if even that much. They'll go to the game, grumble about the crappy sight lines, then forget about it until the next time their team is in the Holiday Bowl which may be years away or never. And Petco, unlike Qualcomm, actually has good video boards to watch the game on if you have an obstructed view.
There's absolutely no question that watching a football game in a venue designed for football (Aztec Stadium) is a much better option. From a pure football point of view it wouldn't make sense to play it anywhere other than Aztec Stadium, but the bowl experience goes so far beyond "just football."
There's also the situation of whether or not a football field will fit in there without modifications (I doubt it) and if modifications are required to the ballpark, how extensive/expensive are they? I remember Fowler saying something to the effect of "we've already renovated the ballpark and finally got it to where we like it," meaning that they wouldn't necessarily be open to breaking out the jackhammers for anything substantial. The place wouldn't fit a field for CIF finals a number of years back, or it would fit a field but just barely without sufficient safety distance behind the end zones, and they've brought the right field fences in 11 feet since then. I think the only way you make it work is if you demo a portion of the 3B field level seats and replace them with something movable.
What will actually happen is anybody's guess. Wherever the game is played I will be there. Wherever it is played, they will have to make an announcement relatively soon because it takes time to plan the venue, do ticket sales and so on. As I mentioned, I typically get my ticket renewal bill in June with the payment due in July. I don't imagine they can lag much beyond that and still get the game in.
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Post by MontezumaPhil on May 21, 2021 11:35:48 GMT -8
A buddy who has worked at the Padres forever says “no way” on the Holiday happening at Petco. The Padres love the park just the way it is, as does the MLB head office, which would have to okay any structural changes. And the refit work would have to begin before the end of October, during which the team expects to be using the place.
The Holiday people would also be required to come up with the millions for putting in, and then taking out, their modifications, including tearing out and rebuilding the Party Deck in right center. And they would need to solve the problem of providing temporary football locker rooms, probably with multiple trailers located outside the stadium proper, which means negotiations with City Hall.
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Post by hoobs on May 21, 2021 12:19:57 GMT -8
Should play the Holiday Bowl on the deck of the Midway... it's downtown and would offer an unforgettable experience! (yes, that's sarcasm, just in case anyone is wondering )
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Post by Cwag on May 21, 2021 12:54:35 GMT -8
Should play the Holiday Bowl on the deck of the Midway... it's downtown and would offer an unforgettable experience! (yes, that's sarcasm, just in case anyone is wondering ) The rolling motion might affect the kicking game....
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Post by sdcoug on May 21, 2021 12:57:26 GMT -8
I'm not trying to get argumentative here, just trying to keep everything in full perspective. Keel in mind that college bowl games aren't all about having the best venue to play the game in. They're about the best overall bowl EXPERIENCE, which means everything in addition to the game. It's no question that watching football in Petco would be subpar and might even flat out suck based on sightlines and such. But there's a trend of having bowl games in baseball stadiums even when better football venues exist not very far away. The Pinstripe Bowl and the one in Fenway are the first ones to come to mind. I can't even imagine how awful it would be watching a football game in Fenway Park. But it's not so much about that. The Downtown San Diego overall experience - everyone stays downtown, the parade is downtown, the game is downtown, most of the team's pre-bowl activities are near downtown, the blimp views from a game held at Petco in December, just everything about the whole experience makes a lot of sense. I'm sure someone is imagining a scenario where 20,000 visiting football fans stay downtown, eat at the Gaslamp, walk to the game, and party in the Gaslamp after the game. The people who organize these games couldn't care less if the fans present at the game have a less than optimal sight line. These are teams that are going to play in the game once every several years if even that much. They'll go to the game, grumble about the crappy sight lines, then forget about it until the next time their team is in the Holiday Bowl which may be years away or never. And Petco, unlike Qualcomm, actually has good video boards to watch the game on if you have an obstructed view. There's absolutely no question that watching a football game in a venue designed for football (Aztec Stadium) is a much better option. From a pure football point of view it wouldn't make sense to play it anywhere other than Aztec Stadium, but the bowl experience goes so far beyond "just football." There's also the situation of whether or not a football field will fit in there without modifications (I doubt it) and if modifications are required to the ballpark, how extensive/expensive are they? I remember Fowler saying something to the effect of "we've already renovated the ballpark and finally got it to where we like it," meaning that they wouldn't necessarily be open to breaking out the jackhammers for anything substantial. The place wouldn't fit a field for CIF finals a number of years back, or it would fit a field but just barely without sufficient safety distance behind the end zones, and they've brought the right field fences in 11 feet since then. I think the only way you make it work is if you demo a portion of the 3B field level seats and replace them with something movable. What will actually happen is anybody's guess. Wherever the game is played I will be there. Wherever it is played, they will have to make an announcement relatively soon because it takes time to plan the venue, do ticket sales and so on. As I mentioned, I typically get my ticket renewal bill in June with the payment due in July. I don't imagine they can lag much beyond that and still get the game in. Playing in Mission valley is also very conducive to a "downtown event". Most already stay downtown, as is apparent with the Friday activities & team hotels. They can still do all the Friday activities (parade, rally, etc.), while also being able to take the trolley to the game. The Holiday bowl hasn't been one to generate tourists in Mission Valley hotels - it's always been about downtown stays, which is why they hold all the Friday events there and only the pre-games in MV. Walking to Petco (or Uber/Lyft/Cab, etc.) is nice, until their "experience" is terrible inside. Plus little to no tailgating options. Taking a trolley may be slightly more challenging, but the pre-game & in-game experience is 100% better. Hence why they're looking at renting from SDSU when the stadium is complete......
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Post by Gundo on May 21, 2021 12:58:18 GMT -8
We've kicked PAC-12 Ass in Football and Basketball the last few years. The PAC is running scared of SDSU.
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Post by panammaniac on May 21, 2021 14:16:53 GMT -8
A buddy who has worked at the Padres forever says “no way” on the Holiday happening at Petco. The Padres love the park just the way it is, as does the MLB head office, which would have to okay any structural changes. And the refit work would have to begin before the end of October, during which the team expects to be using the place. The Holiday people would also be required to come up with the millions for putting in, and then taking out, their modifications, including tearing out and rebuilding the Party Deck in right center. And they would need to solve the problem of providing temporary football locker rooms, probably with multiple trailers located outside the stadium proper, which means negotiations with City Hall. I think it could be done if the powers that be wanted it to. I only say that because when I was bored during lockdown I was playing around with CAD layouts trying to figure out how/if you could fit a gridiron in Petco. The way you potentially do it is demo a portion of the 3B-side field level seats and make them movable - basically jackhammer a few sections and replace them with the exact same thing on a steel frame and wheels, similar to what the Q had. Then you run the gridiron down the first base side. That way you don't have to mess with the party deck at all, and you can then bring temporary grandstands in on the outfield side of the gridiron similar to what they did in SF before they moved that bowl game to Santa Clara. They did something similar at Wrigley when they did their big renovation - they replaced some old permanent seats with ones that are movable so they can get a football field in there. That's the type of architectural modification that doesn't really affect the ballpark at all - you're just replacing a big chunk of permanent concrete with an equally sized chunk of structural steel. It's likely do-able, but of course would cost millions of dollars, so if it's done, rest assured it won't be done for one year. They will have a multi-year contract in place to justify the expense. For the locker rooms you do something similar to what they did for Covid - cordon off a big section of the inside corridor of the stadium where the baseball clubhouses are and build temporary locker rooms there. It makes field access a little more challenging for the grounds crew because now they only have one way in and one way out, but it's for one game. Where there's a will, there's a way, and again I'm not being argumentative, just pointing out that it CAN be done if the powers that be want it done that way. If the game is to be played in 2021, and the Holiday Bowl folks are very adamant that it's going to be played, then it's Petco or bust because there simply are no other options in the county. As others have pointed out, negotiations are tricky, and as I've pointed out, the HB committee doesn't give a rat's behind about seats having suboptimal sight lines. People are coming to support their team for their bowl game whether it's at Petco, or Aztec Stadium, or on a makeshift field on Shelter Island with rickety wooden bleachers and porta potties. All I'm saying is I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. As someone who just goes to the Holiday Bowl every year to watch a good college bowl game and doesn't have a tie to either team, I'd prefer it to be at Aztec Stadium. But I can also see a lot of logic for wanting to hold it at Petco. Conventional wisdom doesn't always apply to bowl games. Logistics of course are a huge problem. If they were going to do this, then the ideal time to do it would have been after the end of last season.
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Post by aardvark on May 21, 2021 14:56:00 GMT -8
A buddy who has worked at the Padres forever says “no way” on the Holiday happening at Petco. The Padres love the park just the way it is, as does the MLB head office, which would have to okay any structural changes. And the refit work would have to begin before the end of October, during which the team expects to be using the place. The Holiday people would also be required to come up with the millions for putting in, and then taking out, their modifications, including tearing out and rebuilding the Party Deck in right center. And they would need to solve the problem of providing temporary football locker rooms, probably with multiple trailers located outside the stadium proper, which means negotiations with City Hall. I think it could be done if the powers that be wanted it to. I only say that because when I was bored during lockdown I was playing around with CAD layouts trying to figure out how/if you could fit a gridiron in Petco. The way you potentially do it is demo a portion of the 3B-side field level seats and make them movable - basically jackhammer a few sections and replace them with the exact same thing on a steel frame and wheels, similar to what the Q had. Then you run the gridiron down the first base side. That way you don't have to mess with the party deck at all, and you can then bring temporary grandstands in on the outfield side of the gridiron similar to what they did in SF before they moved that bowl game to Santa Clara. They did something similar at Wrigley when they did their big renovation - they replaced some old permanent seats with ones that are movable so they can get a football field in there. That's the type of architectural modification that doesn't really affect the ballpark at all - you're just replacing a big chunk of permanent concrete with an equally sized chunk of structural steel. It's likely do-able, but of course would cost millions of dollars, so if it's done, rest assured it won't be done for one year. They will have a multi-year contract in place to justify the expense. For the locker rooms you do something similar to what they did for Covid - cordon off a big section of the inside corridor of the stadium where the baseball clubhouses are and build temporary locker rooms there. It makes field access a little more challenging for the grounds crew because now they only have one way in and one way out, but it's for one game. Where there's a will, there's a way, and again I'm not being argumentative, just pointing out that it CAN be done if the powers that be want it done that way. If the game is to be played in 2021, and the Holiday Bowl folks are very adamant that it's going to be played, then it's Petco or bust because there simply are no other options in the county. As others have pointed out, negotiations are tricky, and as I've pointed out, the HB committee doesn't give a rat's behind about seats having suboptimal sight lines. People are coming to support their team for their bowl game whether it's at Petco, or Aztec Stadium, or on a makeshift field on Shelter Island with rickety wooden bleachers and porta potties. All I'm saying is I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. As someone who just goes to the Holiday Bowl every year to watch a good college bowl game and doesn't have a tie to either team, I'd prefer it to be at Aztec Stadium. But I can also see a lot of logic for wanting to hold it at Petco. Conventional wisdom doesn't always apply to bowl games. Logistics of course are a huge problem. If they were going to do this, then the ideal time to do it would have been after the end of last season. Nope.
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Post by aztecfred on May 21, 2021 18:05:26 GMT -8
I'm not trying to get argumentative here, just trying to keep everything in full perspective. Keel in mind that college bowl games aren't all about having the best venue to play the game in. They're about the best overall bowl EXPERIENCE, which means everything in addition to the game. It's no question that watching football in Petco would be subpar and might even flat out suck based on sightlines and such. But there's a trend of having bowl games in baseball stadiums even when better football venues exist not very far away. The Pinstripe Bowl and the one in Fenway are the first ones to come to mind. I can't even imagine how awful it would be watching a football game in Fenway Park. But it's not so much about that. The Downtown San Diego overall experience - everyone stays downtown, the parade is downtown, the game is downtown, most of the team's pre-bowl activities are near downtown, the blimp views from a game held at Petco in December, just everything about the whole experience makes a lot of sense. I'm sure someone is imagining a scenario where 20,000 visiting football fans stay downtown, eat at the Gaslamp, walk to the game, and party in the Gaslamp after the game. The people who organize these games couldn't care less if the fans present at the game have a less than optimal sight line. These are teams that are going to play in the game once every several years if even that much. They'll go to the game, grumble about the crappy sight lines, then forget about it until the next time their team is in the Holiday Bowl which may be years away or never. And Petco, unlike Qualcomm, actually has good video boards to watch the game on if you have an obstructed view. There's absolutely no question that watching a football game in a venue designed for football (Aztec Stadium) is a much better option. From a pure football point of view it wouldn't make sense to play it anywhere other than Aztec Stadium, but the bowl experience goes so far beyond "just football." There's also the situation of whether or not a football field will fit in there without modifications (I doubt it) and if modifications are required to the ballpark, how extensive/expensive are they? I remember Fowler saying something to the effect of "we've already renovated the ballpark and finally got it to where we like it," meaning that they wouldn't necessarily be open to breaking out the jackhammers for anything substantial. The place wouldn't fit a field for CIF finals a number of years back, or it would fit a field but just barely without sufficient safety distance behind the end zones, and they've brought the right field fences in 11 feet since then. I think the only way you make it work is if you demo a portion of the 3B field level seats and replace them with something movable. What will actually happen is anybody's guess. Wherever the game is played I will be there. Wherever it is played, they will have to make an announcement relatively soon because it takes time to plan the venue, do ticket sales and so on. As I mentioned, I typically get my ticket renewal bill in June with the payment due in July. I don't imagine they can lag much beyond that and still get the game in. Went to Navy vs ND at Fenway. It was fun and depends where u sit. Hadn't been to Fenway since 1962. Sat up high in end zone so had great view. Got to walk out on Green Monster for a look, would of been awesome to watch from there but,$$$$$.
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Post by aardvark on May 21, 2021 22:18:56 GMT -8
I'm not trying to get argumentative here, just trying to keep everything in full perspective. Keel in mind that college bowl games aren't all about having the best venue to play the game in. They're about the best overall bowl EXPERIENCE, which means everything in addition to the game. It's no question that watching football in Petco would be subpar and might even flat out suck based on sightlines and such. But there's a trend of having bowl games in baseball stadiums even when better football venues exist not very far away. The Pinstripe Bowl and the one in Fenway are the first ones to come to mind. I can't even imagine how awful it would be watching a football game in Fenway Park. But it's not so much about that. The Downtown San Diego overall experience - everyone stays downtown, the parade is downtown, the game is downtown, most of the team's pre-bowl activities are near downtown, the blimp views from a game held at Petco in December, just everything about the whole experience makes a lot of sense. I'm sure someone is imagining a scenario where 20,000 visiting football fans stay downtown, eat at the Gaslamp, walk to the game, and party in the Gaslamp after the game. The people who organize these games couldn't care less if the fans present at the game have a less than optimal sight line. These are teams that are going to play in the game once every several years if even that much. They'll go to the game, grumble about the crappy sight lines, then forget about it until the next time their team is in the Holiday Bowl which may be years away or never. And Petco, unlike Qualcomm, actually has good video boards to watch the game on if you have an obstructed view. There's absolutely no question that watching a football game in a venue designed for football (Aztec Stadium) is a much better option. From a pure football point of view it wouldn't make sense to play it anywhere other than Aztec Stadium, but the bowl experience goes so far beyond "just football." There's also the situation of whether or not a football field will fit in there without modifications (I doubt it) and if modifications are required to the ballpark, how extensive/expensive are they? I remember Fowler saying something to the effect of "we've already renovated the ballpark and finally got it to where we like it," meaning that they wouldn't necessarily be open to breaking out the jackhammers for anything substantial. The place wouldn't fit a field for CIF finals a number of years back, or it would fit a field but just barely without sufficient safety distance behind the end zones, and they've brought the right field fences in 11 feet since then. I think the only way you make it work is if you demo a portion of the 3B field level seats and replace them with something movable. What will actually happen is anybody's guess. Wherever the game is played I will be there. Wherever it is played, they will have to make an announcement relatively soon because it takes time to plan the venue, do ticket sales and so on. As I mentioned, I typically get my ticket renewal bill in June with the payment due in July. I don't imagine they can lag much beyond that and still get the game in. Went to Navy vs ND at Fenway. It was fun and depends where u sit. Hadn't been to Fenway since 1962. Sat up high in end zone so had great view. Got to walk out on Green Monster for a look, would of been awesome to watch from there but,$$$$$. Sat in the Monster Seats some years ago. Orioles vs Red Sox. Whatever year that was (2012, I think), it was $140 each, which was 1st row. I don't know what they are now, but I do know they aren't $140 any longer.
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Post by AztecCamera on May 22, 2021 9:00:28 GMT -8
Yes, Petco was designed solely for baseball and should be used as such. It is a ballpark not a "multipurpose" ugly concrete LA freeway overpass like what used to be in Mission Valley. Have some respect. Stop trying to have football games, monster truck rallies, Rolling Stones concerts, and socker and roogby games there just to make an extra buck in the off season, you don't even need.
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