OK
No. 1 Correct but I don't know how you'll change it. If they're not interested in having it by now, I don't see it in the future. The Big Ten is still a pretty solid baseball conference.
No. 2 I agree, for the most part. Only thing I'd challenge is that the ACC, SEC, Pac-10, c-USA ect. are the only place to find quality baseball teams.
OSU has played in one of our tournaments down here at the beach before against quality competition. It's out there, you just have to go find it.
No. 3 Again, probably true but it is a money issue again. Possibly some Big Ten teams could partner with a minor league team to make this a possibility. The kids don't come for the facility for the most part, they come to face quality competition and get to the regionals most years IMO
No. 4 Houston, we have a problem!!! Smaller schools, like where I am, cannot afford for the season to go any further into the summer. It is almost killing them now. Our season could potentially last until almost 2 MONTHS after graduation. Who do you think pays to house and feed the athletes for that time? See where I'm coming from. College World Series is around the last week in June, then we have 4 or 5 weeks of tournaments, camps ect. and the kids come back first week in August! It's almost as bad as golf and soccer where they play a fall season before Christmas and a spring one in Feb. March, and April. I really don't know how to address this problem any more than the NCAA has already done, with a Max. number of games and a modified start date.
All that being said, the one single thing that a northern team can do to make its situation better is to play quality opposition on a weekly basis. I really think that will help more than anything else.. Just my .02 cents..
