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ivpartner
80 Posts |
 Posted - 05/22/2012 : 08:38:14
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When are coaches going to demand that tournament facilities have working scoreboards and bathroom. Travel teams pay large dollars for first class facilities and we rarely get it.
At East Cobb's park, the scoreboards haven't worked properly on several fields we play on since last fall. The electronic boxes that run the scoreboards are worn out. How much would it cost to replace them given the enormous amount of money that flows into the ECB park? The men's room has been overflowing at several tournaments in the Field 4 & 6 area. Ihear complaints about it at every tournament but nothing changes.
Am I the only one frustrated by the lack of maintenance? |
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longhorn
5 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 09:41:19
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| It wont be long and we will have a better option just up the road! |
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3sondad
220 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 09:49:12
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quote:
Originally posted by ivpartner
When are coaches going to demand that tournament facilities have working scoreboards and bathroom. Travel teams pay large dollars for first class facilities and we rarely get it.
At East Cobb's park, the scoreboards haven't worked properly on several fields we play on since last fall. The electronic boxes that run the scoreboards are worn out. How much would it cost to replace them given the enormous amount of money that flows into the ECB park? The men's room has been overflowing at several tournaments in the Field 4 & 6 area. Ihear complaints about it at every tournament but nothing changes.
Am I the only one frustrated by the lack of maintenance?
The scoreboards on Field 7 & 8 have NOT functioned more than they worked since 2005. But that is my experience. I think the third year they actually worked but everyone gave up on them and didn't even try. 
From my experience the level of the smell and filth in the bathrooms is unique to this year. |
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AA17Dad
211 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 11:33:51
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| Me personally, I don't like to play with electricity but I have often thought that there is a good opportunity for someone to get into the score board repair business. Score boards all over the state are often in some state of needed repair. |
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momof2
7 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 13:29:40
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3sondad...you are so right. We never expect working scoreboards at East Cobb.
Also, how about sweeping the bleacher area out once a day. It's disgusting to arrive for a Sunday morning game & have to sit in a bunch of trash from the day before. What does my gate fee cover? Surely not clean facilities. |
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peashooter
297 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 14:31:23
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| You can't touch the Coke scoreboards...They are very picky on those contracts. Even though they won't fix them anymore. |
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stevesax
26 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 15:19:53
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| I have personally seen ECB staff or coaches at least change out the trash cans during tournaments when they are about to over flow, but the stands area and bathrooms are disgusting. I can't imagine why the scoreboards don't work more often for a park that has such a nice cash flow. |
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bbmom2
119 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 16:27:49
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quote:
Originally posted by momof2
3sondad...you are so right. We never expect working scoreboards at East Cobb.
Also, how about sweeping the bleacher area out once a day. It's disgusting to arrive for a Sunday morning game & have to sit in a bunch of trash from the day before. What does my gate fee cover? Surely not clean facilities.
It's all those sunflower seeds... |
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michael payne
19 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 16:51:21
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| I have been hearing the Coke excuse since 2005, not that I do not believe it but if your motto is "simply the best" then get it done. |
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coach0512
123 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 17:27:09
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Coke is out of the scoreboard business. There are plenty of other sponsors who would like the advertising space and will provide new boards.
Sandy Plains Spring Swing made an incredible effort to have very clean facilities and spectator areas. Frequent bathroom cleanings with bleach and sweeping of the spectator areas as well as sweeping out the dugouts so even the players had a clean dugout. They even wiped down the aluminum stands in the morning to get rid of the dew so they were dry when fans arrived. Class act all the way........ |
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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 18:01:22
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| Scoreboards on 1-2-3 usually work. Field 7-8 still don't work????????? They didn't work 4 years ago. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 18:27:42
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So here's how you get the scoreboards fixed.
STOP PLAYING THERE!!!!
Guess what. Everyone's been complaining for the past 7+ years that the scoreboards don't work. When was the last time a team chose to skip tournaments there for that reason? When was the last time a parent decided to play for a different park because the scoreboards didn't work?
Here's a fact. The braintrust at ECB knows what the complaints are, but people continue to beat down their doors to play for and at their park. Where's the incentive to improve the facilities? There is none because they haven't been hit in their pocketbook.
When that happens, things will improve. Until then, we'll all continue to use up Stan's disk space complaining about the scoreboards at ECB. |
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peashooter
297 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 21:09:38
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| You would think with the cost of LCD TV's being so low, you could put a few 42" screens out there and use powerpoint...haha. I am sure the resume for Coke scoreboard fixers is about as rare as a COBOL programmer. |
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peashooter
297 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 21:10:57
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| Coke is out of the business, but guess who still owns that property? Coke....good luck. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 21:50:31
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quote:
Originally posted by loveforthegame25
Scoreboards on 1-2-3 usually work. Field 7-8 still don't work????????? They didn't work 4 years ago.
That is where the scouts watch baseball!!!
I agree it wouldn't be too tough to take a backpack blower and clean up the stand areas..... |
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spike
41 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 07:56:49
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| STOP PLAYING THERE? Last time i checked everyone comes there to play because the best competitiion in baseball comes there to play. Anyone looked at their summer tourny schedule and what kind of teams are coming just check 12 u Braves schedule and what they will compete against in their own backyard ( then look at their record over the past 78 games) THATS THE RESULT OF PLAYING THE BEST COMPETITION! Oh but we want to talk sunflower seeds in baseball dugout? Bathrooms dirty and scoreboards? When was the last time you went to Atlanta Braves game and were the bathrooms like that in a beach resort? With so many concerned parents there ought to be plenty of volunteers or options to help out with these issues, but oh parents these days dont even put in the effort to watch a practice they just drop Johnny off then complain about everything from playing time to shape of a world class facillity. Check out what teams say about their first time to ecb and you will gain more perspective. |
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Tribe
82 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 09:29:42
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Sorry Spike, clean restrooms and working scoreboards are more than reasonable expectations of a "world class" facility (your term).
Also, asking parents who pay top dollar to then donate additional volunteer time to spruce up this park is absurd. This isn't a county-owned rec ball facility.
In_the_know is correct: Up until now, ECB has had little incentive to address these issues, as they could always disregard the complaints due to the lack of comparable facilities to provide competition. That is about to change. ECB would be well-advised to listen to its customers, just like every other business in the world is expected to do. |
Edited by - Tribe on 05/24/2012 09:49:18 |
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spliter
121 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 09:39:08
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| I think all that is needed is easier controllers to use that is rookie friendly. Not sure but score boards have been replaced in the last five yrs or so. The real issue is getting practice field time. Maybe Stan can start another new section for those that have fields for rent. Bathrooms...We have all heard men are pigs. Just go in any high traffic bathrooms truck stops,concerts,etc. It gets back to lack of repect for others. |
Edited by - spliter on 05/24/2012 09:49:18 |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 09:41:48
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quote:
Originally posted by spike
STOP PLAYING THERE? Last time i checked everyone comes there to play because the best competitiion in baseball comes there to play. Anyone looked at their summer tourny schedule and what kind of teams are coming just check 12 u Braves schedule and what they will compete against in their own backyard ( then look at their record over the past 78 games) THATS THE RESULT OF PLAYING THE BEST COMPETITION! Oh but we want to talk sunflower seeds in baseball dugout? Bathrooms dirty and scoreboards? When was the last time you went to Atlanta Braves game and were the bathrooms like that in a beach resort? With so many concerned parents there ought to be plenty of volunteers or options to help out with these issues, but oh parents these days dont even put in the effort to watch a practice they just drop Johnny off then complain about everything from playing time to shape of a world class facillity. Check out what teams say about their first time to ecb and you will gain more perspective.
That was my point. Basically, there are reasons more important to the consuming public to overlook nonworking scoreboards and filthy bathrooms that keep people coming. And if all these complainers are serious, there is only one way things will improve.
So to my point (and your), the complainers aren't that serious, because they'll be back many more times this season and next. . . . . and the scoreboards still won't be working. |
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Newbie BB Mom
141 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 10:41:15
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| Last summer I took my son up to watch a team's tryouts at ECB, just to demystify the process a little and let him see for himself that he could probably play for one of these teams. The team we watched had very friendly coaches and parents in the stands. The boys seemed like nice kids and good ball players. Everything was going great. Then, my son went to use the restroom. He was so disgusted with the state of the men's bathroom he didn't want to go. I told him I'd "guard the door" while he used the women's room. He reluctantly agreed. But, ever since then he has said (only half jokingly) that he isn't sure he wants to play at ECB because of the bathrooms! |
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stepoff
92 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 11:13:13
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| Gotta love the food offerings they have though. |
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baseball_fan
72 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 11:51:16
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| whats the new facility everyone is speaking of? |
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jdrew
30 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 12:13:58
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| As for the scoreboards, why not go "old school" like Fenway. Have a few kids volunteer to put the digits up and then give them a concession stand credit for their work. Radio communication with the scoreboard and official scorekeeper could be used to keep an accurate score. That's how we used to roll and learned a lot by watching and keeping up with the game. I know we are in the technology age now and a world class facility like EC shouldn't have these issues but it's a thought. |
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spike
41 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 12:15:41
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| Tribe IM sorry you are right teams should inspect bathrooms and scoreboards an if they are unsatisfactory just refuse to allow their child to play against the best competition. Im not sure where you play every weekend but we have played at least 50 games and 30 of them didnt have working scoreboards and several didnt have bathrooms they had PORTAJONS. It depends on your goals and expectations for your child its about them. Just curious at DII ,small college,and minor leagues what are facilities like......something to think about players might even be asked to maintain their own facility.... I just get really tired of consantly hearing the the world bash ecb and wonder if its because Johnny didnt make team or they continue to lose to them . Maybe we should ask those EX- ecb guys that have left to start the new an improved program (like ecb)lots of those out there. How are thier facilities working out. Point is we all are going to play baseball and thats where the competition is, probly wont hear many scholarship recipiants complain about scoreboards or bathrooms when all they have to pay for is books in college. Truet Cathy says it best "Keep the main thing the main thing" And obviously at ecb, thats producing better baseball players. By the way i dont play for ecb. |
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ivpartner
80 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 17:59:52
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Spike, I didn't start this post to bash ECB baseball teams. There are numerous posts on this blog extolling the greatness of many ECB teams and coaches. The non profit ECB FACILITIES however take in millions of dollars annually and bills itself as a world class baseball facility. It really isn't that tough to have someone maintain and clean a restroom. ECB has been running multi team tournaments for 20+ years so it isn't like they don't know what is required to have their scoreboards and facilities in working order. There successfull because they have large facilities and a good name of promoting amateur baseball in an accessible affluent part of metro Atlanta. Pretty simple.
I would tell you though that this weekend the Battle of the South is charging $7 per person gate fee to attend games every day from Tuesday through Monday. That is a lot of green for baseball fans to pay. For that ticket price my son and I should be able to go to the bathroom without standing in 4 inches of someone else's poop. At times there are cheaper tickets to both the Atlanta Braves and the Gwinnett Braves games.
Just saying, if ECB and their facilities want to keep the train rolling, they need to invest a few dollars in a plumber and some new scoreboard controllers. That isn't too much to expect for this caliber venue. |
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F2202
63 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2012 : 00:38:11
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Personally, I enjoy walking into a stinky bathroom.
And OMG don't get me started on the scoreboards. Do you know how hard it is to keep track of balls and strikes while I'm working the dish without a scoreboard? Impossible. I rely on them because I refuse to use an indicator. Indicators are for sissies. |
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East Cobb Park Facilities
