Posted by caskew on July 17, 2008 at 12:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

46 Days.......GO VOLS!

Posted by BillVol on July 17, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Removing the hedges was one of the dumbest things we've ever done. They were beautiful. Should have known that anything nice or tasteful at UT was doomed.

Posted by alfrizzle097 on July 17, 2008 at 1:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

200 mil? How many kids could that put through school? All I can say is this had better be a darn nice stadium

Posted by VolPride_13 on July 17, 2008 at 3:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree BillVol, those hedges were really beautiful and looked great next to the brick!!!
WOW, 8 to 12 years. Hopefully it'll be the BEST looking stadium in College Football!!!

Posted by rocky_topper on July 17, 2008 at 6:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, here goes another ticket price increase and more begging from the athletic dept. to the boosters! Just watch and see!!!!

Maybe they should scale back some as everyone else in America is having to do.

Just a thought!

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 17, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

rocky_topper - we urge you to pay these prices and please pay a lot more!

Posted by rusty_shackleford on July 17, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a HUGE economic engine. Looks like many contruction workers employed in the renovation process. Fans come to Knoxville six or seven weekends a year that probably wouldn't otherwise. They spend money in the hotels, restaurants, bars, malls and shops. Just try to get in the bookstore on a football Saturday!

Your righteous indignation can be spewed at the athletic department, but you are, in reality, spitting into the wind. Futile.

Posted by marc_ash on July 17, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

200 million hu? No worries....that cost will be passed on to the fans.

The excuse of 200 million makes me scratch my head. I understand the cost of building materials going up....but DOUBLE? Also, don't you sign a contract with a particular price to do the work? Seems to me that if i was building a home, I would agree to a price for a certain product...and then pay extra if things needed to change. Seems they would have locked in a ballpark price 4 years ago when they agreed to lock in a contractor.

Should be beautiful, but not without a price.

Posted by marc_ash on July 17, 2008 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

billvol,

I agree....we need the hedges back. Maybe we should shoot some emails to Hamilton and let him know how important it is to the fans.

Posted by Greyback_Vol on July 17, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Looks great from what we're seeing so far. Like y'all, I don't like the removal of the hedges. Overall though I think the place will look AWESOME whenever these projects are finished.

Posted by TurboFan on July 17, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Marc, the article stated "no one could have predicted the steady rise in construction materials", which is wrong. The construction contractors are pretty much on top of stuff like that and smart enough to write into the contract a cost plus clause, especially on a multi-year multi-phase project. You can build a house in less than a year so the risk is low.

Has anyone seen the new stadium Indianapolis built for the Colts? Looks like a huge warehouse built in the 1930s and, surprise!, a football field inside!

Posted by VOLstuckINky on July 17, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

let see ...200M divided by 106k fans = $1886. Really about 75k fans = $2666. Glad you koolaid donators have extra money these days. Time to pay up.

Posted by vol88 on July 17, 2008 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Bring back the hedges!

Posted by Sheepscape on July 17, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It's all perspective. All will be well with the fans, cost be damned, if Tennessee can beat Florida early on.

But, if the Vols lose(as usual) to the Gators, articles like this and the contract will make for a very heated fan base.

Posted by bloodrunsorange on July 17, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The stadium looks and sounds beautiful. With 4 kids in and going to UT, Mommy and Daddy Tennessee graduates will have to watch The Big Orange on TV probably most of the time. I wish my teaching salary had gone up 400% like gasoline. I’m sure there will be enough oil people, bankers, lawyers; etc… that will have the money to enjoy it. We always need to have the stadium packed and loud. The fans deserve the best. The team definitely deserves the best! I would just hope we all could afford to enjoy the best. Maybe next year I’ll try to teach in Sevier County and move. At least it would save a lot of gas that I could put into donations. I’m happy for everyone! Crompton and company are going to pleasantly surprise a lot of people in starting 45 days. GO BIG ORANGE!

Posted by pdhuff on July 17, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

VolstuckINky 8:52- How long does Dupree have to send in the $2666.00?

Can it go directly to a Golden Corral gift card for certain coaches?

Posted by mikevol on July 17, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If you want to bring in the best players you better have the best. Fla is spending a ton of money upgrading

Posted by GoshDarnGoodFootballPlayer on July 17, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You think little Mikey has any sleepless nights knowing the corner he's backed himself into with Fulmer's contract and a $200M renovation whose costs seem to be balooning more and more daily?

Maybe there was a reason Dickey never stood up for him to get the job.........

Posted by TurboFan on July 17, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Ohhhh, Naf, you almost did it! You got half way through a post before beating one of your two dead horses.

Posted by VolnDothan on July 17, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Awesome...the improvements look fantastic.

The hedges didn't fit. Sorry, but hedges are a Georgia thing. Besides, they were only there for a relitively brief period of time in the big scheme of things. The brick pavers look much cleaner.

Just my opinion...

Posted by Volchaz on July 17, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

i like the improvements, but this too, comes with a price....

Posted by arkyvol on July 17, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

when was the last time U.T. spent $200 mil on one of its libraries?

i'm as big a fan of tennessee as any of the other posters, but i'm beginning to wonder if anyone gives a damn about how much difference there is between the respect given U.T. as a university and the respect given its athletic teams.

Posted by Brama on July 17, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Where has Currie been everybody has seen building materials climb the last four yrs.

Posted by marc_ash on July 17, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

TurboFan,

Yea, I figured exactly what you were saying. By no means am I familiar with the building industry, but I would have thought (as you pointed out) that the builders would write in cost for building materials increase. The idea that materials are the reason the cost went from 100 million to 200 million is ridiculous.

As for the Colts new stadium, yea...its amazing isn't it. I lived in IN for 9 years and remember going to the RCA Dome (well, when I first started living there it was the Hoosier Dome). You think Neyland is big....try the Dome. My first seats were "obstructed view" behind one of the big pillars on the top row....may, that blew. I've made it to IN 3-4 time to see the progress and it looks great.

Indy has a way of building good facilities for their sports teams. Market Square arena gave way to the Fieldhouse...and now, the new football stadium. Good times.

Posted by marc_ash on July 17, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

arkyvol,
I'm sure if the library had 106 people in it on a Saturday, they would have received an upgrade too.

Posted by volboy81 on July 17, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

46 days til its FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!

http://www.geocities.com/jerrybecker/...

Posted by MOOREVOLS on July 17, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've worked in the steel business for 20 years now and the comment about not knowing prices would increase the way they have is correct. No one could have seen today's prices 2 or 3 years ago when the contracts were written. Even at that time prices were on the rise, but no one knew they would increase like they have. My guess is that the contractors put wording into the contracts that stated they had the right to increase their fees or prices if material costs increased to a certain level.

Right now steel prices are at the highest level I've seen in 20 years and we can't get solid information as to where the prices will go 2 or 3 months from now. We get pricing info from month to month. So,it doesn't surprise me that the cost for the improvements has gone through the roof.

By the way, the football team does give back to the university. A number of years ago the football team gave something like $500,000 of their bowl revenue to improve the library. Many improvements to academic buildings on campus are helped along with fooball money. Not all improvements, but many.

Posted by MOOREVOLS on July 17, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

People on here complain about what the $200 million is being used for. The fact is the money was given by donors, for the most part, to be used for football improvements, athletic scholarships and other athletic needs. If people want to cry or complain to someone they need to take it up with the donors, not the football program or athletic department. They're only using the money for the purpose it was given.

Posted by lilmoorevols on July 17, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

easy MOOREVOLS easy

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 17, 2008 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't kid yourself Moore. While vast majority of the money comes from private donations, there is a part that comes from ticket holders. We received our price increases. Remember?

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 17, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not to mention the people who have had to give up tickets for the rich people sky boxes. Yea, they were offered much worse tickets in there place.

Posted by miamiVOL on July 17, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hedges are not important, thats UGA's thing. They were nice, but big bulky and took up valuable room. with the new brick wall that is laid out i hope there is sufficient room ALL AROUND the field (esp. in the corners)

Posted by volboy81 on July 17, 2008 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

if we want quality, we have to pay for it! Decide if you want to compete or not. If you do, then don't complain about it, if you want to be mediocre or bad, then keep whining!

Posted by TurboFan on July 17, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Marc, I'm not in the building industry either but I am somewhat familiar with contracts for large projects with large companies. MooreVols is probably correct that the contractor included market pricing of materials on a annual or semiannual basis. No smart contractor is going to contract themselves into bankruptcy.

What impresses me about the Indy stadium is that the RCA Dome used to dominate the skyline driving in on I-70. Now you hardly notice this large building which fits in with the surroundings and doesn't look big enough to fit a stadium inside.

What beguiles me is that the RCA Dome wasn't very old. Major cities are spending major hundreds of millions of dollars to build brand new 60k seat stadiums to replace decrepit 20 year old stadiums? And Neyland (or parts thereof) is 80 years old?

Sorry for the long post.

Posted by rusty_shackleford on July 17, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Look at this another way. If you donated $100K to the library or an academic department, would you want people who don't know you or your priorities getting online to whine about how YOU spent YOUR money?

Posted by TurboFan on July 17, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Naf, maybe if you did give $2750 they could afford two books! LOL

Posted by tennisvol on July 17, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No recession for UT athletics. More big money for coaches and big building projects for athletics. Higher prices for tickets, charging students for football tickets and higher tuition for students.

Posted by GoshDarnGoodFootballPlayer on July 17, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Rev. Wright is correct, his hard-earned money from the Taco Bell drive-thru should not go towards something he himself cannot do, aka read.

As for the library itself, go in there. It's actually quite nice and is a very bad example of things to be improved on the UT campus. If you want a good example, I would use Ayers Hall.

That said, most of the administration at UT really isn't pro-donor capital improvement projects because they are afraid that if donor money is used to fund one project, the state will have a trump card when UT goes back asking for funds for another upgrade. That is the reason it took so long to upgrade Glocker. I would say once completed, it will be very nice.

Posted by MOOREVOLS on July 17, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

General--I don't like the ticket price increases either. That's more money out of my pocket too. But, if it gets to where I can't afford to go I won't blame the football team or athletic department. It's just the way of the world right now. There isn't much in this world now that isn't becoming more expensive.

Tennessee football and basketball are my only hobbies. Other than church and family that's where my money goes. I love football and basketball and I'll support them as much as I can without hurting my family. If I see my family will be hurt by it I'll quit going. But, I won't complain about the athletic department trying to improve something that I enjoy. Especially when they're trying to improve the very things many fans complain about.

Posted by pdhuff on July 17, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Repair it, refurbish it, build some more suites, throw some wrought iron and paint on it, its still 90 years old.

A grand ol' lady on the banks of the Tennessee.

I still liked my old idea of having them run thru a giant glazed for pre-game.

With the red light on.

Posted by alfrizzle097 on July 17, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

pdhuff: It would get the media interested again.

Posted by TommyJack on July 17, 2008 at 3:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Rev. Wright....now that's too funny.

Posted by CheckerboardPhilosopher on July 17, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VOLS NEW UNIFORMS?

http://3rdsaturdayinblogtober.wordpre...

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 17, 2008 at 5:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I've recently learned that you can go to school and get on the BASS Masters Circuit representing your school. I'm in!

Posted by Colliervol on July 17, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Note to our Memphis friends that seem to like to visit this site. See, now this article exemplifies what I've been trying to tell you for months now. We'll do $200 million to RENOVATE a stadium. You can't come up with a consensus to build an aluminum $50 million glorified high school stadium on campus. We probably spent that on the new women's softball and soccer stadiums and the new aquatics center.

Hope this helps clear up the question of who the big dog is around here and always will be. You can win a few basketball games (and heck, you might even beat UT every 3 years or so) while Calipari is around and that doesn't mean squat in the long run. We are UT and you aren't. It's that simple. Now move along and don't waste our time anymore.

Posted by rockytopfrog on July 17, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ahh. John Currie. The guy who could not get a job as an AD somewhere else this year, so we kept him and gave him a raise. I totally understand that logic.?!?

By the way, our ticket hike is paying for that raise and for the dude managing the paper clips in Stokely until it closes. Thanks Mike.

Posted by TommyJack on July 17, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Checkerboard: Orange pants, white jerseys ok.
Orange on Orange extremely cheesy. Looks like directional school. I'm sure all will agree.

Posted by IPOrange on July 17, 2008 at 6:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't care for the orange pants either way. Might as well be checkered pants.....

Posted by cdmav08 on July 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

General_Watermelom.... im with ya there man

Posted by GoIrish on July 17, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Once a dump always a dump...

Posted by tnsupervol on July 17, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Speaking of dumps...I have been to South Bend 3 times and it is average at best

gbo

Posted by tnsupervol on July 17, 2008 at 11:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

UT's athletic department is not spending taxpayer dollars....this project, like the basketball practice facility, TB Arena upgrades, ladies softball and soccer fields were all built with private maoney

It is also worth remembering that the Football program usually puts money back into the general find of the university, supports the pride of the southland marching band and funds every non-revenue sport, both men's and women's...you should also remember that success on the field equals more overall giving to the university including academic giving...Huge UT athletic donors are also academic donors...Like Haslem, Manning, Neyland and Dougherty

Academics and Athletics together are what makes UT a great university

gbo

Posted by rocky_topper on July 18, 2008 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Speaking of South Bend....I've been there three times as well. Although I admit it is a beautiful campus with beautiful architecture, their stadium lacks the criteria of even reaching the level of a dump!

Posted by hiresanders on July 18, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree, Neyland Landfill...once a dump always a dump...named after an overrated coach who isn't even known outside his own state.

Posted by marc_ash on July 18, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

South bend is not a pretty city. It might as well be in Michigan (and the feel of the town is about the same).

The stadium had renovations years back, but nothing special. The politeness of the folks at ND is very unique, but as far as I'm concerned, its a campus in the middle of a big field. Nothing special IMO.

Posted by vol4gzus on July 18, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

highersandurs is not a happy camper is he today? Not nice to talk about the dead that way. Oh BTW his accomplishments are pretty meager compared to mine and yours(NOT!) I'll leave my comments about kittycats stadium out to spare you the embarrassment. Have a nice day! Momma always said if I couldn't say anything nice to not say anything at all. So see ya!