Despite frigid temperatures, it was all smiles last week in Mequon as Concordia University celebrated the groundbreaking of a state-of-the art baseball facility.
The small, NCAA Division III program will no longer have to worry about field conditions next season when it begins play on an all-synthetic field, the first of its kind for any collegiate baseball program in the state.
As exciting as that may be on the North Shore, it also brings a big problem to light.
At the Division III level, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference programs – especially UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point – have experienced high levels of success. They also have top-notch facilities.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee meanwhile, which offers the state's only Division I baseball program, exists in relative squalor.
The Panthers play their home games at Hank Aaron Field which, despite a fancy scoreboard and dugouts, its little more than a well-maintained field at Lincoln Park.
Let's forget for a second that the University of Wisconsin dropped baseball 20 years ago and still has no plans to bring it back. That's another argument for another day. That the Panthers don't have a respectable Division I facility is embarrassing.
Milwaukee, like most northern teams, already has to spend a majority of its early schedule on the road, facing a series of southern teams before returning home fighting the elements to finish the slate. But playing where they do makes things even more difficult.
The Panthers share the field with MSOE, Shorewood High School and an American Legion team. With a few hundred games played each summer, the field takes a beating, forcing the infield to be replaced on an annual basis. Seating is sub standard. There is no phone or internet access from the aging, wooden press box.
The Panthers have made the most of their situation over the years. They entered the season with a 181-80 record in games at "The Hank." After going 17-4 at home a year ago, Milwaukee won the Horizon League Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
The school has been talking about building an on-campus basketball facility and there has been back-channel banter about someday, maybe, possibly adding football. Neither idea is bad, but both need to be shelved until the baseball team is taken care of.
At this point the question isn't whether or not the Panthers need a facility, but instead, who will foot the bill. There are some leading candidates, notably MLB Commissioner Bud Selig (though if he plans on making a donation towards college baseball, hopefully he follows the lead of his college roommate, Sen. Herb Kohl, and helps get things started at Wisconsin).
But what about the Brewers and owner Mark Attanasio? Sure, the economy is still rough but both are making a little money. The Brewers and Attanasio have been very active in the community, but working with UWM to upgrade or build a new facility would be very commendable and an appropriate gesture to the local baseball community.
The Panthers need a new field. They deserve a new field. If it can happen at Concordia, there's no reason it can't be done at UWM.
Too much of a good thing: The Packers released plans for a proposed expansion of Lambeau Field. The project would add about 7,500 seats to the stadium, which holds 73,128 after the most recent expansion project.
The team has sent a survey to season-ticket holders to get their input on the plan which, if approved, would be done at the team's and not the taxpayer's expense.
The waiting list for Packers tickets is over 70,000 names long so there's no doubt that the new seats will be snatched up quickly. Still, though, is expanding the capacity of Lambeau Field the right thing to do? Part of its charm is the small, quaint atmosphere, no-frills seating and the fact that owning a ticket to a game is something only a small group of people can claim.
Predators hold on: If you're trying to find an NHL team to follow in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you might want to keep your eye on the Nashville Predators. The Preds forced a Game 6 in their Western Conference Semifinal series with Vancouver Saturday night and as the Admirals' NHL parent club, feature a roster stocked with familiar faces.
Nashville hosts the Canucks Monday at 6 p.m. You can watch it on Versus.
Larry King Lounge: Seven Packers players were named to the NFL Network's Top 100 list ... Two Big Ten Network analysts have picked Wisconsin to win the "Leaders Division" next season ... Few things are more beautiful in sports than the field coming around the final turn of the Kentucky Derby ... If you're a "Friday Night Lights" fan and want to watch from the beginning without buying the DVDs, the entire series is now available on Netflix ... General Manager John Hammond will represent the Bucks at the NBA Draft Lottery May 17 in Secaucus, N.J.
