BK: Field Turf is Coming

[Patulski]

This is a total red herring. The DeBartolos are a very wealthy family with strong ND connections. DeBartolo, Jr. was involved in the following scandal:

Both DeBartolo Sr. and Jr. are successful alumni who have donated lots of money to ND. Jr. was convicted for failing to report an elected official's attempt to extort him. Consequently, you feel that ND has lost any and all claim to "integrity", and that it should immediately sell out its academic standards in the pursuit of on-field success.

Am I following you?

You are deliberately misleading people about Debartolo Jr's. felony.

Read about it here

"In testimony leading to DeBartolo's admission, FBI agent Jeffrey Santini described an alleged two- year courtship in which DeBartolo at first resisted but then finally agreed last year to pay Edwards the money -- in crisp $100 bills -- to help him win the final riverboat license to be awarded by the state's gaming commission. DeBartolo got the license but later withdrew from the project when he was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the deal. "

See why its a felony? He bribed an ex governor for a Casino license. Jeez.

So, we've got DeBartolo front and center handing ND $33 million for he and his family's Quad and Performance Arts Center, and claiming that his ND education "enabled me to attain both my personal and professional goals". During which course was he taught to bribe an ex governor to help you get a casino license? "Bribery 101- How to designate the bag man."?

Look, I'm no Pollyanna. But it amazes me how people have selective standards for ND's integrity. This is the reality of the new ND, where the money is huge and has enabled ND to roll with the real dealmakers, instead of the old days when it was a lot of glad handing with smaller donors on the rubber chicken circuit.

 

[NDdomer2]

Do the ushers really need fired?

 

[irishtrinity]

Do the ushers really need fired?

No way totally cool ppl.. Need them b/c we have a Huge fanbase so alot of fans are first timers.. Never saw one rude or not cheering.. They are true ND ppl..

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

This was interesting on everydayshouldbesaturday.com:

AND FIELD TURF RUINS NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL FOREVER. We talked a bit about FieldTurf coming to Notre Dame on Twitter, but to reiterate a really obvious series of points:


•The problem with the ND in-game experience is not a Jumbotron, or the lack of one, or the wooden seats, or the grass. It is the ethos of sad asses planted to seats shushing anyone who shows enthusiasm.

•If you want this to be your thing, and to keep Notre Dame as the Westminster Dog Show of football environments, that's fine. That's your thing. It will be the opposite of fun, and a drudge to watch, and it will be tradition because tradition because tradition. You go ahead and do that.

•But if that is not what you want--and there are Notre Dame fans who do not want this, and would like to have a good time at games without things devolving to utter, LSU-ish anarchy--then you need to do a few things.

•You need to stand up. You need to stop telling others to sit down. You need to yell. You need to act like you care without being the repressed Midwestern uncle of in-stadium fanbases. You see what the student section is doing? DO THAT. Okay, don't attempt pushups on top of the extended hands of your friends, because that's a great way to dislocate a middle-aged shoulder. But the other stuff, yeah: DO THAT.

•Those who don't like it can go to the luxury boxes, where you can feel really great about all the money you've made via superior virtue, and most definitely not because of your social connections purchased through a degree. You go up there, and let the wolves have their fun in the stands.

•It is a football game. It is not Death of a Salesman in pads.

•Oh, and fire every usher in the place. They're worthless pocket fascists who wear--we are not kidding--UNIFORMS. Point and laugh at them until they leave if firing is too complex.
If you want a real environment, do all that. If you want the mausoleum, just keep on doing you, Notre Dame. We could couldn't care less, since there are no fewer than fifty or sixty college football stadiums we would rather see a game at. Boise has a better atmosphere than South Bend once the whistle starts, even if you get kicked out in the first quarter for drinking in the stands. Which we did. On a work assignment. Go Broncos.

[/end Notre Dame monologue]

I hope to see a loud Notre Dame Stadium again in my life.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Do the ushers really need fired?

Yes.

 

[NDdomer2]

Haha 1 yes 1 no

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Haha 1 yes 1 no

Their jobs are stupid and they think they are cops. There should only be ushers to help people to their seats and in case of emergencies.

 

[NDdomer2]

Their jobs are stupid and they think they are cops. There should only be ushers to help people to their seats and in case of emergencies.

This is closer to where I stand. Their position is needed due to the number of fans in the stadium but maybe they need to go through a seminar on what their duties are and restraints of power.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Suites would help a lot. Get the people who don't want to stand and cheer, get them out, and replace them with the people who want to cheer. It would make a massive difference.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I'm not sure how you went from my belief that we would have been better off hiring Meyer and giving him his JUCO concessions to being a snob. The only reason I talked about my experience and access to ND was because one of the posters told me that if I thought the ship was sinking, I should bail. I thought telling him my experience would help him understand why I wouldn't be the one to "bail".

This is a nice board and I don't want this thread to get locked, because the direction of the program is important to a lot of people for different reasons. So, debate is a good thing. So far though, I've been told that my logic is asinine and that I'm a snob. I have not returned fire with ad hominem attacks. I prefer this board because the moderators insist on decorum. I hope that continues.

You don't see it?

I have nothing against you personally. My point is that saying we need to go to a chain gang to win a NC implies pretty strongly that the three coaches since '95 Davies, Willingham, and Weis have been competent coaches. They haven't or weren't; they were more like Moe, Larry, and Curley. Saying that our only option is to go the chain gang route, from them, precludes that there is any possibility in between, (Kelly for instance). Especially in light of all the good Kelly has accomplished. Going into his third year he is ahead of Harbaugh. And Harbaugh might have done it if winning an NC was his goal.

See Kelly is the choice of some forward thinkers, not the of the old establishment. The first three were picked by cabal; Kelly by a straight forward business process. If Kelly succeeds, I am afraid the old guard sees it as an end of their influence.

The barbarian at the gates mentality, being an appoligist for the old guard, and listing your pedegree as a qualification for your point on the discussion, all do it for me.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

This is closer to where I stand. Their position is needed due to the number of fans in the stadium but maybe they need to go through a seminar on what their duties are and restraints of power.

Let's all become ushers!

 

[IrishMoore1]

No way totally cool ppl.. Need them b/c we have a Huge fanbase so alot of fans are first timers.. Never saw one rude or not cheering.. They are true ND ppl..

That has not been my experience. At least not consistently. I had a latino friend in the crowd with us, and an usher threw him out of the stadium for being obnoxiously drunk, which is reasonable. However, once away from the seats, the usher taunted him and started calling him "hombre" and told him to "go back to mexico" where he belongs.

At another game, none of my group were on their actual seats, but pretty close. No one in the majority of the section was in there proper seats anyway since people were in our seats. An usher comes walking along the row and sees me and my friend standing together, the only 2 minorities on the row, and he asks for our ticket, we show him (the tickets put us a couple seats down the row). He immediately tells us we have to move. I said ok but you'll have to tell other people to move from our seats, and he says no YOU have to move right now. After arguing with this idiot of an usher for a few minutes, we finally walk down and start telling people to move out of our seats.

I turn around and the usher is gone! He didn't ask ANYONE ELSE for their tickets, just the 2 minorities and made them move. WTF

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Racism. No. I don't want to make light of this, and I wasn't going to post here, but I saw that exact thing this last fall at the USC game. There were four of us in a row, and there were room for three of our @asses. But there was one open space in the row in front, next to a woman and her daughter, they had very small @sses. On the other side of the woman and child were several minorities. We were being obnoxious (not bad enought to incur the wrath), but the usher came up. Where it was clear the rough language and excitibility came from us, the usher went right to the two minority people and dressed them down. I had my attorney with me, and asked him if we could sue, he looked at me like and idiot and said, "No." But he did promise to intervene if the usher hassled anyone else that evening. I thought it was senility, but the more I hear . . .

 

[Whiskeyjack]

You are deliberately misleading people about Debartolo Jr's. felony.

And you're not doing the same, by attempting to portray this guy as some repulsive criminal from whom ND ought to disassociate itself?

See why its a felony? He bribed a governor for a Casino license. Jeez.

Yes, he committed a crime, and he was punished for it. Justice was served. I'm not arguing that this guy is Mother Theresa.

But the sad truth of the matter is that this type of thing happens at all levels of American government. DeBartolo is a business man who needed a state license for something. A corrupt government official extorted him for the license. He paid up, and because that corrupt official was under investigation by the Feds, he got clipped for it.

So, we've got DeBartolo front and center handing ND $33 million for he and his family's Quad and Performance Arts Center, and claiming that his ND education "enabled me to attain both my personal and professional goals". During which course was he taught to bribe a governor for a casino license? "Bribery 101- How to designate the bag man."?

There's a big difference in my mind between getting extorted by a corrupt official and offering bribes or threatening otherwise upright bureaucrats. The former is sadly just another cost of doing business in many places.

Look, I'm no Pollyanna. But it amazes me how people have selective standards for ND's integrity.

It's not a selective standard. DeBartolo, Jr. broke the law and paid the price. But a single white collar criminal conviction doesn't forever taint the name of a successful alumnus' family; nor does it tarnish ND's reputation for putting that family's name on buildings constructed with their charitable donations to the school.

This is the reality of the new ND, where the money is huge and has enabled ND to roll with the real dealmakers, instead of the old days when it was a lot of glad handing with smaller donors on the rubber chicken circuit.

To an extent, you're correct. ND is no longer just a regional Catholic school with a good football team; as an elite academic institution, its alumni are wealthier and more powerful than ever before. That's not something to be ashamed of.

 

[Kanye West]

We need field turf, too many leg injuries happened in that old grass. Plus it makes our fast players actually fast.

 

[irishog77]

Keep the grass...Love it!! No way it adds or slows us down... Both teams play on it..lol

Add more seats jumbotron.. Plus it's really old saying the same old things about the crowd.. First time i was there a 80 yr old lady was up cheering getting down, some teachers son was right beside me so we did some push ups with him we were all cheering clapping hands having a blast.. Western michigan by the way we had a double wave for like 12 minutes everyone was so happy and cheering greatest time ever..

Sorry to rant, but always want to give a true perspective from the 2010-2011 yrs.. Greatest 3 days of my life!

trinity is the man!!!

 

[Patulski]

You don't see it?

I have nothing against you personally. My point is that saying we need to go to a chain gang to win a NC implies pretty strongly that the three coaches since '95 Davies, Willingham, and Weis have been competent coaches. They haven't or weren't; they were more like Moe, Larry, and Curley. Saying that our only option is to go the chain gang route, from them, precludes that there is any possibility in between, (Kelly for instance). Especially in light of all the good Kelly has accomplished. Going into his third year he is ahead of Harbaugh. And Harbaugh might have done it if winning an NC was his goal.

See Kelly is the choice of some forward thinkers, not the of the old establishment. The first three were picked by cabal; Kelly by a straight forward business process. If Kelly succeeds, I am afraid the old guard sees it as an end of their influence.

The barbarian at the gates mentality, being an appoligist for the old guard, and listing your pedegree as a qualification for your point on the discussion, all do it for me.

You don't understand Notre Dame one bit. What you have to understand is (a) how much power the Board of Trustees has, and (b) how image and money are the two overriding elements of their value system. There is no old guard/new guard dichotomy at Notre Dame. That's some fiction you created in your mind, probably based on your opposition to NDNation, a friggin football forum.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

trinity is the man!!!

Hahaha. His typing literally cannot keep up with his thoughts.

 

[irishtrinity]

Hahaha. His typing literally cannot keep up with his thoughts.

I know man it's a problem..
I am glad i got to see ND with.. No music, real grass, and no jumbotron..

 

[BurningRiver]

I came to this thread hoping for conversation about the field turf. Guess I'm in the wrong place.

 

[returnofthemack]

I'm in support of the field turf, but I found it interesting that every time I brought this up with players, they've unanimously said that MSU's turf is the best, and I'm pretty sure they use real grass.

 

[Zwidmanio]

I'm in support of the field turf, but I found it interesting that every time I brought this up with players, they've unanimously said that MSU's turf is the best, and I'm pretty sure they use real grass.

It seems that players overwhelmingly prefer grass to field turf. I'm not sure why so many fans are so amped about installing it. My feelings are, if it came down to it I would not be opposed to installing field turf, but if there was any reasonable way to keep grass in the stadium I think that's the better choice for a number of reasons. Although, as I've previously stated, something absolutely needs to be done. The condition of the field nearing the end of the season or during inclement weather is atrocious and potentially dangerous. I certainly hope that they consider a field like MSU's (some kind of blocks of grass they install I believe) or a hybrid like Lambeau's before installing field turf.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Waves are also just despicable. They should be banned from all sports stadiums.

 

[dshans]

Where's Rudy going to sleep if there's no spare cot for the groundskeepers? Anyone thought about that?

In one of the luxury suites built in the coming stadium upgrade?

 

[irishtrain]

I'm in support of the field turf, but I found it interesting that every time I brought this up with players, they've unanimously said that MSU's turf is the best, and I'm pretty sure they use real grass.

First off MSU has one of the best ag depts in the world and they know how to do it. 2nd-Notre Dame has had trouble and the only way they have made it work was with very deep long blades that frankly does slow things down. I'm in for field turf and I find it interesting that according to reports the players dont like it. All I've ever heard was great reviews on its consistancy and cutting ability. Like to hear more official test review from those guys who are falling/cutting on it.

 

[Kansas Irish]

Q. Rumor has it field turf. Could you talk about that a little bit?
COACH KELLY: Yeah, I want to go back on that one a little bit and add one word. I said field turf is coming. I want to say I hope field turf is coming. As you all know and I've said this a million times, that is above my pay grade. I'm not the one who is rolling out the turf. I know you guys know that. So certainly Jack Swarbrick that is his domain. I do not want to do Jack's job. I've got enough to do with my own. But I think I've made it clear to all of you that I hope that's where we go, but that is clearly not my decision.

 

[BobD]

Fiber-optic turf....the field will be the jumbotron.

 

[dshans]

Fiber-optic turf....the field will be the jumbotron.

There ya go – an exquisite compromise. During play the field is green. Post play it shows slo-mo replays. During time-outs there could be music videos with the sound system blasting the old farts out of their seats. At Half time the field could map out steps for the band. At the end of the game it could display a map of the recommended routes to get to the interstate.

BRILLIANT!​

 

[GreatGolson]

Fiber-optic turf....the field will be the jumbotron.

this will happen in the NFL in our liftime

 

[Bobias]

Fiber-optic turf....the field will be the jumbotron.

That actually sounds really great. It would be beyond expensive but incredibly cool. Plus it could help with more acurate measurements since they could have the first down marker already on the field like we see it on tv. There are soo many options available for this type of technology