The Bobcat Nation

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

I don’t think synthetic turf freezes. Does it? I think people volunteer to clear snow out of the grandstands or get like $20 to help. Not sure the cost of clearing playing surface. I thinking that would be on-going prior to the season to avoid block of ice n

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:59 am

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

I don’t think synthetic turf freezes. Does it? I think people volunteer to clear snow out of the grandstands or get like $20 to help. Not sure the cost of clearing playing surface. I thinking that would be on-going prior to the season to avoid block of ice n

And there is a giant open field (Dyche Field) across the street to put any snow.

It does get icy in the winter on the Bobcat stadium turf.

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

charge it to the ski team budget and make some new ski trails for them and maybe a downhill slalom

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:59 am

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

I don’t think synthetic turf freezes. Does it? I think people volunteer to clear snow out of the grandstands or get like $20 to help. Not sure the cost of clearing playing surface. I thinking that would be on-going prior to the season to avoid block of ice n

Getting volunteers to clear snow after a single snowfall in November is one thing. Doing it for the 60+ inches Bozeman gets over the course of a winter is entirely different.

Not saying it can’t/won’t work...just saying it’s an order of magnitude larger than anything the program has ever had to deal with in the past.

I still don't think a Spring season is going to happen, and I don't think it's a good idea. Can you imagine some of these players playing potentially 25-30 games in a year? What are the chances that ANY players would make it through that without injury?

Why are we worrying about clearling snow from the stands? There won't be any fans in the spring either.

BleedingBLue wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 9:59 am

Why are we worrying about clearling snow from the stands? There won't be any fans in the spring either.

Sad. But likely true!

I agree with those who say this could amount to a JV season, and even Choate said he's not willing to put players at risk for the fall 2021, but I can also see the sentiment changing when it comes time to actually suit up. I like our depth and I really like the proven ability of Choate and staff to prepare, plan, and execute. Now I'm wondering, even with a conservative 2-deep, can MSU "steal" a National Championship this spring? This could be an opportunity.

Since the fall season is canceled due to player safety and unknown effects, what are the short and long term physical and academic effects of playing up to 26 games in less than one calendar year?

A spring playoff season and then a full fall season and playoff? Terrible idea for the student-athletes. Don’t do it.

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:59 am

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

I don’t think synthetic turf freezes. Does it? I think people volunteer to clear snow out of the grandstands or get like $20 to help. Not sure the cost of clearing playing surface. I thinking that would be on-going prior to the season to avoid block of ice n

Choate has said the turf is like cement in February. Sounds like it freezes badly.

PapaG wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:09 am

Since the fall season is canceled due to player safety and unknown effects, what are the short and long term physical and academic effects of playing up to 26 games in less than one calendar year?

A spring playoff season and then a full fall season and playoff? Terrible idea for the student-athletes. Don’t do it.

Yep, you and I agree here.... pretty much what I said above.

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:59 am

onceacat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:11 pm

94VegasCat wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:11 pm

Another point about playing in Bozeman spring vs fall: the field isn’t frozen solid yet in the fall but will be starting out as frozen solid in the spring.

The other thing is where do you put all that snow? Usually, the early snow keeps melting off until early November, and if theres a snowstorm before the game, we pile most of the snow out the end zone... but by the end of Feb, there's a good 2 feet of settled snow in my yard 6 blocks from the Stadium. My back of the envelope calcs say that's at least 300 dump truck loads of snow to be cleared out in February and hauled to...holy cow, I don't even know where they would put 600 cubic yards of snow, other than the parking lots, which would create its own set of issues.

Plus, 300 loads time $200/load for loading & truck time...Thats $60k just in snow removal on the field to start practice...PLUS 2 or 3 times that for the stands. So, $150k-$200k in snow removal.

Do we even have the budget to consider that?

I don’t think synthetic turf freezes. Does it? I think people volunteer to clear snow out of the grandstands or get like $20 to help. Not sure the cost of clearing playing surface. I thinking that would be on-going prior to the season to avoid block of ice n

The only reason I brought it up is because I’m one of Choates recent interviews, he mentioned that they often can’t practice in late Feb or March because the turf inside Bobcat Stadium was frozen solid.

grizzh8r wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 31, 2020 10:49 pm

TomCat88 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 31, 2020 10:41 pm

mslacatfan wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:19 pm

Luckily during that time of year, it’s usually a balmy -20 below zero in bozeman. Ha. This will be interesting.

The Bozeman temp range from February through May is nearly identical to Sept. through Dec.

Feb 38, Dec. 34
March 46, Nov. 43
Apr 56, Oct. 58
May 65, Sept. 72

The amount of precipitation and humidity, however, is not. I'll take the relatively dry cold of late November over the wet, slushy cold of early March every time. March is by far my least favorite month in Montana, specifically because of the crummy, unpredictable nature of the weather.

This x 100

The CDC is currently giving out directions for States to be prepared for a vaccine in November! This will all affect how the Spring ball unfolds.

Maybe, maybe not. I doubt there will be enough time to verify its effectiveness

thefrank1 wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:41 am

Maybe, maybe not. I doubt there will be enough time to verify its effectiveness

Rolling out a vaccine like that has me... concerned.

At least the wind never blows in March.

If I am MSU and I think there is the slightest chance for spring ball, I go out and buy one of those Fast Cover fabric sheds and get it set up so we have a "poor man's" indoor facility until a better structure can be put together. People that have them like them.

Listen - I love football and I'm just as big of a Bobcat supporter than anyone on this page. I've played the game, and I've been a season ticket holder for a loooooooong time. But spring football is a bad idea. Period.

I honestly can't believe we are so desperate for college football that we are willing to risk player safety so they can play a handful of games in the spring (which will really amount to a meaningless season) and turn right around in only 1-2 months time and have them start fall practices and play another 11-14 games in the fall! Can you imagine the physical toll that playing 20 games or more in the span of 10 months will take on these athletes? I don't care how young or how great of shape they are in - that's far more than they should endure.

The shear physicality of football alone makes this sport much harder than other sports to have multiple seasons in one year. How many times have we seen a guy tear up a knee or a shoulder, only to rehab it in the off-season and come back to full strength the next season? Well, forget about that with spring ball. Somebody sustains an injury like that in spring, they're done. You won't get them back for fall. What about the potential for higher concussion rates without letting the head & brain have time to rest & recover? I can imagine those numbers would dramatically increase in the fall after having played a full spring season just weeks before. And then there is the issue of soft tissue damage that is endured during a season. You think the bumps/bruises/sprains/aches/pains are gonna just work themselves out in a matter of a month between seasons?

And where will our guys practice - the fieldhouse? Forget about it. You can do walk-throughs, or shoulder pads & helmets, but you're not gonna be able to do full contact. And you need full contact in order to be adequately prepared for live-action. The stadium? Have any of you ever been on the field in the dead of winter? I have. It's slicker than snot. You need to have good footing while you are working on your routes, blocking, etc. Can you imagine the amount of ankle injuries our guys will sustain before a spring season even starts?

Football is a dangerous game even during normal times. It's a risk than anyone accepts when they suit up. But in my opinion, this more than doubles those risks. If colleges allow their student-athletes to play two seasons in one year, please don't ever talk to me again about concerns for player safety.