Comcast Center

Looks like Maryland is going to add steel rigging to the Comcast Center in order to host concerts.

Most notably, the department is considering constructing steel rigging along the campus basketball arena's roof, which would enable large concerts to be held at the venue. The project would cost about $500,000, according to Randy Eaton, the senior associate athletics director for new revenue, facilities and operations. The department is currently discussing deals with promotion companies that would offer to cover the cost of installation in exchange for the right to host events at the venue.

http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/officials-discuss-comcast-upgrade-1.2714701#.Ts23lkq1IdU

Wonder if Seth is involved with this at all. Also, it's kind of hysterical that it took the University 10 years and and a financial crisis (about to eliminate eight sports) to finally realize that they can utilize this venue better outside of just hosting basketball.

Also wonder how good/bad the acoustics are and if they'll do anything to improve them.

Not sure how good of an indication this is but the acoustics were horrid for the graduation ceremonies I have attended there.

ideally they'll also do something to improve the acoustics, like putting baffles on the ceiling.

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Also, it's kind of hysterical that it took the University 10 years and and a financial crisis (about to eliminate eight sports) to finally realize that they can utilize this venue better outside of just hosting basketball.

The answers to your question are that Debbie Yow is an idiot and a decision like that likely would have went through Gary who probably wouldn't care much for it. A double whammy of idiocy, you could say.

Also, as a sidenote, I'd like to mention how awful it is that almost every story that has been written about the UMD athletic fiasco, few mention how Debbie Yow is responsible for most of it.

Thousand wrote:

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Also, it's kind of hysterical that it took the University 10 years and and a financial crisis (about to eliminate eight sports) to finally realize that they can utilize this venue better outside of just hosting basketball.

The answers to your question are that Debbie Yow is an idiot and a decision like that likely would have went through Gary who probably wouldn't care much for it. A double whammy of idiocy, you could say.

Also, as a sidenote, I'd like to mention how awful it is that almost every story that has been written about the UMD athletic fiasco, few mention how Debbie Yow is responsible for most of it.

Debbie Yow is like Manny Acta…she knows how to "talk" (i.e., bullshit artist)

Thousand wrote:
The answers to your question are that Debbie Yow is an idiot and a decision like that likely would have went through Gary who probably wouldn't care much for it. A double whammy of idiocy, you could say.

Also, as a sidenote, I'd like to mention how awful it is that almost every story that has been written about the UMD athletic fiasco, few mention how Debbie Yow is responsible for most of it.

Totally agree. She's the one that got Maryland into this mess from the get-go. She knew that robbing Peter to pay Paul would hurt UMD sooner than later, and that's why she ran off to NC State while leaving the athletic department in complete financial disarray. The amount of blunders she made were countless and Kevin Anderson inherited a disaster.

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Totally agree. She's the one that got Maryland into this mess from the get-go. She knew that robbing Peter to pay Paul would hurt UMD sooner than later, and that's why she ran off to NC State while leaving the athletic department in complete financial disarray. The amount of blunders she made were countless and Kevin Anderson inherited a disaster.

I don't have any connection to UMD, but I follow the school as it is metro DC's full-fledged Division I athletic program and I am now a Maryland taxpayer and I want the school to represent the metro area well. If you need any more proof how clueless Yow is (and there is more than plenty of proof), look no further than her press conference rant during the introduction of Mark Gottfried as NC State men's bball coach. I basically know this verbatim: "I don't have a reputation across all of men's basketball as being difficult to work with, I have a reputation for not getting along with Gary Williams, who has repeatedly tried to sabotage the search. C'mon now." Yeah, Debbie, don't hold yourself back admitting you couldn't do any better than Mark Gottfried because you perceive Gary to be fucking with you (no need for that, everyone with a pulse or even a near .500 record in D-1 bball saw how she treated Gary and wanted nothing to do with her) and show how you lack any sort of accountability bone in your body. Just pass the blame onto someone else. What a piece of work.

Yow and her cronies bet the farm on expanding Byrd Stadium during the cheap credit/boom era and they went bust, badly. Unfortunately with D-1 athletics, much like Wall Street, those who are truly to blame for problems not only are out of the reach of justice but receive golden parachutes and higher perches as a reward. Every single athlete whose sport gets cut should sent a nasty letter to Yow or at least seek her out and deliver a nice middle finger. Also, UMD also over extended itself with as many team sports as it had. It had the most sports, but had the least amount of spending per athlete in the entire ACC. Not exactly a blue print for success nor smart spending.

2011 will certainly go down as one of the darkest years for UMD athletics. Shitcan the reigning ACC Coach of the Year because the school overextended itself on Byrd Stadium renovations and hire a demagogue who took at 8-4 team and turned it into a 2-10 squad, all while declaring it to be a rebuilding season (but hey, at least they're not wearing earrings, do rags, baseball caps or last names on their jerseys), cut 1/3 of the athletic programs because the athletic department overextended itself during the boom years (see a pattern here?) under an AD who took off two years ago and see the school's flagship sport likely struggle to reach .500 on the year because the legendary coach retired in a huff because he couldn't keep the talent around (not that I blame Gary, but the timing was bad for the school). I hate to say it because I know the nerves will never not be raw for you true fans, but at least nobody died….

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Totally agree. She's the one that got Maryland into this mess from the get-go. She knew that robbing Peter to pay Paul would hurt UMD sooner than later, and that's why she ran off to NC State while leaving the athletic department in complete financial disarray. The amount of blunders she made were countless and Kevin Anderson inherited a disaster.

Fitting Yow would get hired at NC State, a shit athletic department basically considered an ACC backwater. A place where a true incompetent like Yow could get hired and earn a wealthy salary because she's the sister of a successful women's bball coach who happened to die of cancer.