That was the original design/intention. They were going to have a big grassy knoll in the outfield. But I think it was too costly. The ended up 'blowing' the budget on the structure of the stadium. Skip told the architect & engineer that there would be absolutely NO columns in the seating areas, so they had to go with a cantilevered design for the canopy...which jacked up the price significantly. Anyway, I'm glad they didn't bring the intimidator. It's been almost 9 years since our last NC, so it was getting kind of dated. And we really don't want to look like the Alabama of college baseball...
I would think a pile of dirt and some grass would be cheaper than more stands. Price of dirt must have gone up. :shock: Also, that intimidator might change soon.
It wasn't for 'more stands,' it was for 'stands that don't have a canopy that will collapse and kill people.' :hihi: Also, you'd be very surprised to see how expensive imported (meaning off-site) dirt is, especially in the quantity required for a huge knoll.
We used to stand in the left field parking lot and watch the game through a gap in the fence, but I don't think there is anywhere outside the stadium that you can do that anymore. We weren't searched coming in either time I went, so besides the concessions that is my only complaint.
Remember, they would have to build up a 10' high hill, just to get to the height of the fence. And then have to build a mound on top of that. That is A LOT of dirt. Plus, i think that idea disappeared a while back. They have a slab poured behind right field. It looks like it will be stands before a knoll.
I would imagine that they would rebuild the left field bleachers first. Those are the exact bleachers from the Old Box, aren't they?
Apparently, you can find all the dirt you want right outside the University of Tennessee recruiting office for free !!!
