A few days ago, we talked a little about baseball at UO. According to The Oregonian, the idea of bringing baseball back is on Pat Kilkenny's radar. Turns out that Kilkenny is asked more questions about baseball than anything else. With Civic Stadium aging and its ownership in limbo, Kilkenny is talking about the idea of building a new stadium in conjunction with the Emeralds, which was proposed last week on this blog. It would keep the Ems in Eugene where they belong, and restore baseball at the UO. It would also be key for future UO revenue as baseball is quickly becoming a revenue sport for the NCAA and if Oregon is smart they won't want to be left out.
Now, its important to note that nothing is eminent and talks are very preliminary. Practically speaking, nothing will happen with baseball until a new basketball arena is built. There would likely also need to be some kind of city support to make the thing happen. And there are questions that would need to be solved, namely Title IX issues. One option would be to add women's rowing, as the Ducks already have a beautiful facility in Dexter Reservoir that they use for club crew. But it is unknown whether they would have to eliminate another mens sport such as wrestling. While I hope that no current sports are eliminated, baseball is growing in popularity and could be a major source of revenue for the Ducks in the future. Plus, it would give those of us who aren't track fans something to follow in the springtime. If Kilkenny pulls this off in addition to a new arena, he will be revered in Eugene for a long, long time.
GO DUCKS!!!
--Dave