New Hayward revealed

[Conor Dary]

I'm all for the balloon....

Anyways this is soon Hayward Field....Knight will take his vengeance and drop Pre's Rock on the East Grandstand....one of the Pre sisters begs for forgiveness...but it is too late....take that you ungrateful toads....

[DrJay]

That's hilarious!

[DrJay]

Talking to our friend Lisa Rainsberger at a club meeting Denver last weekend....she feels a new stadium is a must for U of O's track program to remain at or very near to the top of the heap. She's seen the new Michigan facilities (she's a Blue alum) and apparently they are very very nice. Kentucky has pretty new track facilities. I don't know which other schools have or are about to have new, but she said a HS recruit walking into Michigan's would be impressed. For a recruit visiting Oregon (where her daughter runs), it sounds like the main draw would be Oregon's legacy/reputation, not it's actual track facilities. So recruiting might start to suffer. With Mt. SAC rebuilding, and with seating in the future at Michigan (and maybe others?) that could accommodate not the OT but NCAAs and USATF, could Oregon start losing meets (meaning the hosting thereof) it otherwise would have been awarded? So step one is deciding Hayward needs a major rebuild/modernization. I think most are in agreement. Then there's question two, the East Grandstand. And there's the split, but $$ will win out.

[Conor Dary]

From my experiences with nieces and nephews the big factor in D1 is what they will cover in expenses and getting along with the coaching staff...this isn't football where everyone gets a free ride and facilities are what count...except for the very few in track....it really varies...Chris Derrick only got a one third ride at Stanford.

As for facilities...the student rec center is amazing at Oregon...and plenty of things for just athletes....they could use an indoor track but other than that I'm not sure what she is talking about other than she is dazzled, like many, by Knight's glass monument.

I've never heard anyone making the argument they can't recruit at Oregon..in fact the opposite, getting rid of athletes who can be replaced by someone better....and if they did it has nothing to do with the stands...people actually come to meets here...

[bad hammy]

Nice of the weather to dump a rainstorm on us for both the men's finals tonight and maybe again for the women tomorrow. All of you fans sitting in the stands tonight and tomorrow, enjoy the overhang protecting you from the weather. Based on the current drawings of the new place, version 3.0 of Hayward Field has no overhangs to protect fans from rain or sun.

[Conor Dary]

Hey but it will look fabulous on television....especially the dumb tower...

[Atticus]

Based on the current drawings of the new place, version 3.0 of Hayward Field has no overhangs to protect fans from rain or sun.

Well, that's crapola.

[Conor Dary]

Oh dear...

By the way I think this describes Phil Knight pretty well...and his real motivation in this project...

https://books.google.com/books?id=fc...epage&q&f=true

[bambam1729]

Oh dear...

By the way I think this describes Phil Knight pretty well...and his real motivation in this project...

https://books.google.com/books?id=fc...epage&q&f=true

Great article - don't agree with everything but most of it, and very well written (as you would expect from Tom Wolfe)

[bad hammy]

and his real motivation in this project...

My assumption is his basic motivations are positive - give back to the sport and university while creating a signature shrine to T&F. (Plus probably some tax relief.) Along with most folks around Eugene and around the sport, I'm happy to have him help out the area in massive ways. While not a fan of the Knight Arena architecture, the Student Athlete resource cube is cool and the library addition fits right in. The new STEM center looks great on paper.

My (sometimes caustic) comments here have been more about the process and the current results of the Hayward rebuild, not the motivation.

[Conor Dary]

I agree...it's not so much tearing down everything but the process and secrecy that is troublesome...the STEM center had a long drawn out process with input from different opinions....just weird the most noteworthy structure in Eugene is being destroyed in such a cavalier manner...especially when the atmosphere at Hayward is still magical as last night showed.

Anyways I hope the atmosphere in the new stadium can approach one of the best I've ever seen....bigger is not always better....

By the way security let a protester wearing a Save Hayward shirt run a lap.

PS. Heard today the protester was arrested and is the Lane County Jail.

Also a guy told of standing next to Lanana when the protester came on the track and he went ballistic...screaming into a phone...

[lonewolf]

Just get rid of the tower.. this ain't the Olympics..yet.

[gh]

I.......just weird the most noteworthy structure in Eugene is being destroyed in such a cavalier manner....

letter to the editor in the ERG this morning suggests there were 4 other iconic structures, now gone, which were much more deserving of preservation status. (apropos of nothing)

[Conor Dary]

I read that....actually never heard of any of them..or remember them....also didn't sound like he ever went to a track meet...
Especially when he writes "The important part of Hayward Field is the field and the track. That’s where the athletes perform and the records are set."

Yea I am sure Hayward would have been just as great a stadium without stands....or anyone watching...or not paying attention and getting drunk...I could see gh screaming...Wow...and everyone boos..'piss off you sod'...

Tinker Hatfield was at a meeting today about the stands in Agate Hall...he had lots to say...he has done lots of wind studies and the horseshoe shape is going to be a problem...and most of the seats will not be covered from the rain..

He's in touch with Phil Knight and often arguing but Phil is being stubborn and as Hatfield said misinformed on the condition of the East Grandstand and other things by Howard Slusher....and the tower came about because....Helsinki had one...also the university is so gung ho because apparently they intend to use it as a multi purpose facility...but the plans are pretty much still hidden.

Legally Howard Slusher could demolish it all starting Monday...but I don't think that will happen.

[Conor Dary]

In the Eugene Weekly this week...about Howard Slusher....aka Agent Orange..the guy Knight is listening to instead of Hatfield...

https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2018/06...nd-uncle-phil/