Seven Years Ago Today

cybsball20 · 04-02-2008, 01:03 PM

The Iowa State Baseball team was fresh off a 2-1 series win over the #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Having a rare day off many of the guys were planning to go fishing or catch up some studies before a mid-week road trip to Iowa on Wednesday. Phone calls were made, asking all players to drop any plans, skip any classes and report to the Jacobson Building...

That's when Bruce Van de Velde dropped the bomb, Iowa State would no longer be fielding a baseball team.

jtdoyle1 · 04-02-2008, 01:07 PM

I was working at the front desk of Lied Rec that day. I remember it was very somber when the players came in for b.p.

dundermifflin · 04-02-2008, 01:07 PM

just upsets me everytime I think about Iowa State not having a baseball team.

Drive4cy · 04-02-2008, 01:08 PM

What was the reaction of the players when Bruce told everyone? People just like wtf or what? It would be weird to find out in April if you were an underclassman that you had to quickly find another school to enroll in for next year. Oh, and how did the mid-week trip to Iowa go?

bostinelosd · 04-02-2008, 01:08 PM

They will be back, oh yes, they will be back.

cytheguy · 04-02-2008, 01:08 PM

To this day, I still can't believe Iowa State doesn't have a baseball team. Pretty sad.

Anyone know if there are plans to bring it back?

wartknight · 04-02-2008, 01:13 PM

Its been debated on message boards every since.

cybsball20 · 04-02-2008, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by Drive4cy

What was the reaction of the players when Bruce told everyone? People just like wtf or what? It would be weird to find out in April if you were an underclassman that you had to quickly find another school to enroll in for next year. Oh, and how did the mid-week trip to Iowa go?

I beleive the first thing anyone said was, "that's f'n b.s!"

Most guys were extremely upset, some scared, some cried. Most of us had just signed leases for the next year (which they were not let out of without paying a fee). Most people were upset about being blindsided by it. Gene Smith had said the year before that baseball would always be safe, smashing rumors that had come up. VdV said that it came down to the fact that there was a deficit and cuts had to be made. Players asked how much money would need to be raised to save the team and he said that it wouldn't matter, the decision was made. Within an hour someone had a pledge to finance the team for ten years. VdV said it would take that PLUS the amount needed to get the department out of debt.

The game at Iowa didn't go well, despite the fact that we had destroyed them a week earlier.

Broodwich · 04-02-2008, 01:23 PM

I have heard that baseball will be back from a lot of people. Has this been officially announced? Is there a time frame?

theshadow · 04-02-2008, 01:37 PM

It would be listed about DFL in the order of athletics upgrades. Plus, there's a better than even chance that a women's sport would have to be added at the same time -- which would be MORE expenses to incur.

(1) Jack Trice expansion/renovation
(2) BB/VB Practice facility
(3) Hilton improvements (suites, boxes, etc)
(4) Current teams winning
(5) Huge stockpile of long-term cash
(6) Facility improvements for current sports
(7) Explore possibility of adding new sports
(8) Add new sports and build new facilities for them

cyclonedefender · 04-02-2008, 01:39 PM

what was the reason for the baseball team, actually being dropped

cycloneworld · 04-02-2008, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

Within an hour someone had a pledge to finance the team for ten years. VdV said it would take that PLUS the amount needed to get the department out of debt.

Is this true? If so, I wish that would have come out when Bruce was making that decision...

cybsball20 · 04-02-2008, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by cycloneworld

Is this true? If so, I wish that would have come out when Bruce was making that decision...

Yep, Minnesota's AD actually cited Bruce's mishandeling of the situation when they announced a plan to raise money to prevent cutting the men's and women's golf programs at the U. By getting ahead of it and telling the public that they may have to cut the sport if the money isn't raised, they were able to get more than enough money to fund the programs for many years.

cycloneworld · 04-02-2008, 01:47 PM

So was there a "real" reason baseball was dropped? Or was it really budget issues?

jay moe · 04-02-2008, 01:53 PM

I remember that day well. VdV was such a piece of crap for this university. It is hard to believe a Big XII school still doesn't have a baseball team. My family had purchased season tickets for years for football and when my dad heard they were dropping baseball he didn't renew the tickets in protest. He still to this day hasn't bought season tickets.