A few random thought on game administration!

[factman]

Did you find it odd that they forcibly cleared the stands for the lightning delays at BG's game? Even Michigan just pulled the players, coaches and officials off of the field which is required by the NCAA, leaving the fans to make their own decision. The newspaper said about half of their crowd elected to leave the stadium, for an HOUR delay. The second delay at BG bordered on the ridiculous, as the storms were already by Bowling Green. I completely understand the rules for taking the teams off of the field, but clearing the stadium? WOW

Our scoreboard and sound admisistration is HORRIBLE! That blast that come out periodically with a certain ad they run is far more dangerous than any lightning!!

They needed to do a "trial run" on the nets behind the goal posts, prior to the game. It looked very unprofessional, maybe downright ugly, watching them try to get the nets to the proper level. If I was Allstate, I would withdraw my support.

I sure would be nice if they gave us some more score updates on the scoreboard, rather than running the same old tired, "groups in attendance", game sponsors, etc every time you look up. The scoreboard admisnistration needs some serious thought put into it.

It would be nice if they put some trash containers around the tailgate areas and Lot L.

I am hoping Greg Christopher noticed some of these and othercontinuing problems and will make some changes both in procedure and personel to get the problems solved.

Thank God, we won the game!!

[orangeandbrown]

This promises to be an active thread. The game management was awful yesterday.

Maybe the scores on the board could even be right. The UM-CMU and Akron scores were completely wrong at one point.

[FliccGirl]

Our scoreboard and sound admisistration is HORRIBLE!

I remember at one point, being very confused as to why Buffalo was going for it on a long-shot fourth down.

Then after they didn't make it and lined up again, I realized that it hadn't actually been a fourth down....... just the scoreboard said it was, and I (foolishly, apparently) believed it. I learned my lesson in that respect over the course of the game....

[Metz]

Even though I got my seat back, I didn't like them trying to get the students out of there. We get their early and wait to get front row seats and when everyone had to leave and come back, a lot of people were forced higher in the stands and away from their friends even. It was just redick.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Some guy on a golf-type cart was going around the tailgate area and handing out trashbags to people. I thought that was a good idea!!

Also....haven't read all of the football threads yet, so if this is posted, I apologize. We brought our new B!G camper into the East lot next to the grassy area in front of the hill. We got there VERY early before they were taking money for parking. At one point, I had to leave and come back (in my car) and as I drove up to the front tailgate area where we had the camper parked, some parking guy stopped me and asked me if I had a pass to park in that area. I pointed to the camper and said, "That's mine, I had to leave for a few minutes." He said ok, and left me in. Later on someone said they were told they were charging $25 to park in the first few rows..."prime tailgating" area. Does anyone else know about this????? I am totaly PISSED if this is true. They complain about attendance, then want to charge the fans that are ALWAYS THERE that kind of coin??? WTF????

[hammb]

I paid $5 to park, and if they think about charging me $25 to tailgate they can bite me.

[falconfan1]

I like these suggestions for improvements in game management- particularly those offered by the first poster.

Glad to hear someone was handing out trash bags for tailgating.

The lightning warning/clear the stadium is never easy, convenient etc at any stadium. At the Doyt, a number of fans can "fit" underneath the actual stadium- unlike UM. In any event, I commend the BGSU staff on taking the extra safety precautions as advised by NCAA and weather professionals. Can you imagine what would happen if a tragedy occurred in the stands with a lightning strike on/in the metal seats or on field area and a fan/student was seriously injured or killed?

This would be horrible for everyone including BGSU and I believe erring on the side of caution is a good "call" by our senior athletic administration.

Another good call was the first down OT pass to Jones. And the triple crossing pattern for the two pointer. And the spread punt formation- oops forget that last one. Please.

Go Falcons!

[factman]

As I said before, I have NO problem with them taking the teams off of the field, per NCAA regulations, but I do have a problem with them FORCIBLY clearing the stands. Im sure you were sitting in an enclosed box and watched this exercise, laughing and marveling at the effeciency of our "gestapo" telling kids they had to leave, so they could go run across open fields, or telling eighty year old handicapped fans they had to exit the stadium, even when it takes them 30 minutes to get to or leave their seat. There was little or no threat, because the storm had already passed. I believe the NCAA regulation of lightning within 6 miles of the stadium, only applies to the teams, officials and coaches, who many on this site seem to feel are not capable of making those decisions!! I think the large majority of adults can weigh the risks involved, and are perefectly capable of making these kinds of decisions on their own, not needing to be threatened with arrest, if they didn't leave. I found it especially interesting, since they never cleared the Falcon Club tent, which offers NO protection (not grounded) from lightning.
What is next.............a mandatory shower in suncreen when the sun comes out?

[hross1]

If I would have been there, I would have been upset as well, mainly because I'm usually first in line for seats in the student section. Now that I think of it, do they still have the first row of the section reserved for that stupid club? They did that to me last year, taking away my front row seats I had for 3 straight years. Trust me, I was ticked.

[FormerFreddie]

We left the stadium when the game was stopped the second time, went to Myles and had a very leisurely dinner, and came back to the stadium for the fourth quarter - the best part of the game!

I think the person in charge of the weather was also the one updating the out of town scoreboard: VERY OLD INFORMATION. I was pretty pissed to leave the stadium WHEN THE SUN WAS SHINING!

[BGDrew]

One scoreboard mistake that's most vivid in my mind was the:

Volleyball

Vs. Toledo

@ Cochrane Field

[1987alum]

I paid $5 to park, and if they think about charging me $25 to tailgate they can bite me.

Second that. I mean, it seems BG is just starting to develop a nice tailgating atmosphere. Why screw it up?

[cbjhack]

The threat of lightning must be taken seriously. The PGA Tour has a policy that lightning must be outside of a ten mile radius before play can resume. The tour uses the best technology in the world, provided through their deal with The Weather Channel. Most colleges have used this type of approach. Even if the system has "passed through" there is still a threat. What most people in the stands don't have is access to weather radar. I am sure someone up in the press box, in the Athletic Department office, or somewhere on campus is sitting at a computer monitoring all elements of weather that could lead to lightning.

I remember being at the Miami game last fall and having to wait out a threat of a tornado at Millet Hall. It was done raining by 7:30, but the game didn't start until nearly 9:30 because the threat of a tornado was still possible. In fact tornado's were spotted nearby in Indiana and south of Cincinnati in Kentucky.

Did I think it was a joke that we had to wait so long? Yes. But after I got home and watched the news and read the paper the next day, I was glad they took that action. If lightning had hit the Sebo Center or a house in Pemberville, would you have felt better about what they did?

Call if Gestapo if you want, but they were probably looking out for the best interest of fans. There are a lot of dumb people that don't think anything will happen to them and when it does, they blame others for their ineptitude (see Hurrican Katrina and the idiots that didn't leave New Orleans before the storm).

[PGY Tiercel]

I remember being at the Miami game last fall and having to wait out a threat of a tornado at Millet Hall. It was done raining by 7:30, but the game didn't start until nearly 9:30 because the threat of a tornado was still possible. In fact tornado's were spotted nearby in Indiana and south of Cincinnati in Kentucky.

.

Why the hell did you go to Millet. There was a large group of us enjoying a second round of drinks out at the car during the delay, you would have been more than welcome to join us.

[cbjhack]

I remember being at the Miami game last fall and having to wait out a threat of a tornado at Millet Hall. It was done raining by 7:30, but the game didn't start until nearly 9:30 because the threat of a tornado was still possible. In fact tornado's were spotted nearby in Indiana and south of Cincinnati in Kentucky.

.

Why the hell did you go to Millet. There was a large group of us enjoying a second round of drinks out at the car during the delay, you would have been more than welcome to join us.

I arrived at the game as the delay was being announced. I ran into a friend and we went into Millet and hung out there with some other people we knew. It was only my second time in Oxford and first time to the stadium (my last was to take a tour of their Rec Center, which is on the south side of campus, and I was in a hurry to get out of town, so I didn't get to tour Oxford. However, I have been there since with my girlfriend who I began dating two weeks after the Miami game.)