Michigan State announced today that its annual baseball game against the Lansing Lugnuts has been renewed for three more years.
One of the biggest concerns when the game launched was that MSU wouldn't be able to hang with a group of professionals, even at the A-class level. Those concerns were quieted after the Lugnuts pulled out two close ones, 4-3 and 4-2 in the first and second games respectively. No one's talking about it tonight after the Spartan baseball squad delivered a 12-2 horse whipping to the Lugnuts to record their first series win.
The game has become a massive success since its 2007 inception, a guaranteed sellout on one of the last Thirsty Thursdays when students are still in school. It's easily the biggest "home" crowd the Spartans play in front of all year, and it's an extra ton of cash for the Lugnuts, counting concession and ticket revenue. This renewal, to me, was a no-brainer.
However, just because something makes sense doesn't mean it always happens. It makes a ton of sense to move a spring grass sport into Spartan Stadium for a one-off game before spring football, but that doesn't happen. It makes a ton of sense to have MSU volleyball play in Breslin before Midnight Madness, but that doesn't always happen either. And it makes sense to broadcast MSU baseball's biggest game of the year, and if you read yesterday's post you know how that turned out.
So kudos to both the Lugnuts and Spartans for getting a sensible deal done.
Showing posts with label Crosstown Showdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crosstown Showdown. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hope You've Got Tickets...
Because if you don't have tickets to Thursday's Crosstown Showdown, well, you won't see it.
The Big Ten Network, unlike last year, will not be broadcasting the showdown between the Lansing Lugnuts and MSU baseball team. Instead, they'll be showing a replay of the Big Ten wrestling championships.
The game won't be broadcast on the Lugnuts' official TV partner, WILX, either. According to the Lugnuts, no games have yet made the broadcast schedule.
I'd love to tell you why the expected broadcast isn't happening this year, but emails to BTN and the Lugnuts' press offices weren't returned by press time.
The Big Ten Network, unlike last year, will not be broadcasting the showdown between the Lansing Lugnuts and MSU baseball team. Instead, they'll be showing a replay of the Big Ten wrestling championships.
The game won't be broadcast on the Lugnuts' official TV partner, WILX, either. According to the Lugnuts, no games have yet made the broadcast schedule.
I'd love to tell you why the expected broadcast isn't happening this year, but emails to BTN and the Lugnuts' press offices weren't returned by press time.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Final Four Friday - Spring Sports Spectaculars
We're beginning a new tradition here at TOSSS by rolling out a recurring feature we're calling Final Four Friday. Each Friday we'll take a look at the top four of various and sundry MSU venues, traditions, experiences and memories.
The entire feature is wholly subjective and purely for fun. This week, in honor of the warm temperatures that have enveloped most of the United States, we'll take a peek at the Final Four MSU spring sports events. In alphabetical order...
Crosstown Showdown
This is the third year of the baseball matchup between MSU and the Lansing Lugnuts, the class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The game is held Oldsmobile Park, which seats more than 12,000 - and every seat is filled. Oh, and did I mention it's on a Thirsty Thursday, when tap beers (including Molson and Labatt) are just $2? Admission, or "cover", as some over-21s call it, is as low as $7 for the cheap seats. Even though MSU is 0-2, keeping it close twice in this event has probably done more for casual fan support of Spartan baseball than anything else.
Munn Field "mudball"
Sure, the spring thaw brings out the folks with the frisbees, cornhole and other tailgate games. But nothing beats the south campus tradition of heading to Munn field and playing a game of full-contact tackle football. Sure, receivers have to dodge ice on the field, defensive blitzers who miss the QB have to keep running to avoid slipping and it's hard to tell who's on which team because those who played in white shirts and those who played in darks are both coated in mud by the second possession. But you've got the rest of the summer to play in perfect weather.
Sailing
Technically it's known as the "final exam" of MSU's beginning sailing classes, but how cool is this test? Head out to the lake and, well, go sailing. If you keep a positive attitude and don't crash the boat, you pull a 4.0. Plus, it's a day on the lake. For some classes, there's an overnight portion, where you get on the boat on a Saturday afternoon and leave Sunday mid-morning. Slightly better than a blue book, no?
Spring Football Game
You didn't honestly think this list would be complete without spring football, did you? It will have been almost a full six months from the last home tailgate, the last kickoff, the last touchdown. That ends the last Saturday in April with the Spring football game. It's a great time for the about 20,000 fans who file in for the free look at MSU's returning stars. There's nothing like football on the banks of the Red Cedar, and this is the perfect taste to whet one's appetite until September.
And the winner is... The Crosstown Showdown.
If the should-be annual MSU athletics tent sale actually did precede each spring football, this might be a different story. But spring is made for baseball. And it's not just any old game, we're talking about a sold out crowd at the best single-A baseball stadium in America. The grass is green, the beer is cold and, best of all, even the most remote Spartans - like me - can see it in high definition thanks to the Big Ten Network.
The entire feature is wholly subjective and purely for fun. This week, in honor of the warm temperatures that have enveloped most of the United States, we'll take a peek at the Final Four MSU spring sports events. In alphabetical order...
Crosstown Showdown
This is the third year of the baseball matchup between MSU and the Lansing Lugnuts, the class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The game is held Oldsmobile Park, which seats more than 12,000 - and every seat is filled. Oh, and did I mention it's on a Thirsty Thursday, when tap beers (including Molson and Labatt) are just $2? Admission, or "cover", as some over-21s call it, is as low as $7 for the cheap seats. Even though MSU is 0-2, keeping it close twice in this event has probably done more for casual fan support of Spartan baseball than anything else.
Munn Field "mudball"
Sure, the spring thaw brings out the folks with the frisbees, cornhole and other tailgate games. But nothing beats the south campus tradition of heading to Munn field and playing a game of full-contact tackle football. Sure, receivers have to dodge ice on the field, defensive blitzers who miss the QB have to keep running to avoid slipping and it's hard to tell who's on which team because those who played in white shirts and those who played in darks are both coated in mud by the second possession. But you've got the rest of the summer to play in perfect weather.
Sailing
Technically it's known as the "final exam" of MSU's beginning sailing classes, but how cool is this test? Head out to the lake and, well, go sailing. If you keep a positive attitude and don't crash the boat, you pull a 4.0. Plus, it's a day on the lake. For some classes, there's an overnight portion, where you get on the boat on a Saturday afternoon and leave Sunday mid-morning. Slightly better than a blue book, no?
Spring Football Game
You didn't honestly think this list would be complete without spring football, did you? It will have been almost a full six months from the last home tailgate, the last kickoff, the last touchdown. That ends the last Saturday in April with the Spring football game. It's a great time for the about 20,000 fans who file in for the free look at MSU's returning stars. There's nothing like football on the banks of the Red Cedar, and this is the perfect taste to whet one's appetite until September.
And the winner is... The Crosstown Showdown.
If the should-be annual MSU athletics tent sale actually did precede each spring football, this might be a different story. But spring is made for baseball. And it's not just any old game, we're talking about a sold out crowd at the best single-A baseball stadium in America. The grass is green, the beer is cold and, best of all, even the most remote Spartans - like me - can see it in high definition thanks to the Big Ten Network.
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