A question about Creighton playing in the TD Ameritrade Stadium came up today in my lunch chat and I thought it would be worth expounding on, rather than analyze the latest Bo Pelini press conference.

First, let's start with the stadium itself. A lot of us have been calling it "the downtown stadium'' or the "new downtown stadium.'' A good friend who works at Ameritrade, Bill Gerber, needled me recently that it was okay to mention the name of the stadium now. Actually, there are probably several million good reasons. He's right. So, from this point on, it will be TD Ameritrade Stadium in this space.

Now, about the Jays. I like this move, but only because it's better than where the Jays play now. Well, duh, right? I think CU baseball belongs in a stadium about the size of Morrison Stadium, where Jays soccer plays. Maybe the size of Haymarket Park, maybe a little smaller. A few thousand permanent seats, some nice suites, some good berm seating and there you go: a perfect place for Creighton baseball to thrive.

Well, that's not going to happen (why did soccer get a stadium instead of baseball? That's a story for another day). Not in this economy. And not with two new stadiums going up already. As Bruce Rasmussen says, three new ballparks doesn't make sense.

I don't necessarily think Creighton baseball will be transformed into a national power or CWS team or anything by the new ballpark. I think it's potentially a great selling point for recruits; play on the field where they play the CWS. But to get any more than a couple thousand (which is considerably more than they're used to at the CU complex), I think Creighton is going to have to think like a minor-league baseball club. I think you need to sell the stadium, the amenities, the total experience, the kids' stuff to do at the park, the sports bars down the street, and, last but not least, the local kids playing hard for ol' CU. Ed Servais is a good coach and his teams play good, sound baseball. But that's not enough. And you can't sell Missouri Valley baseball and hope to get the average fan to show up. You also have to be careful selling Creighton as an NCAA team or CWS hopeful; history shows it's very hard to do in the Valley. Heck, last year Wichita State won the Valley tourney and ended up having to travel for regionals. It's harder than ever. So I think they have to take that approach. It will look lonely some nights in that big 24,000-seat stadium, but CU played at Rosenblatt before small crowds and without the spots to go after the game. Fortunately, they have marketing man Mike West, who gets it, and will fight the good fight for your disposable income. But I think CU will have to do some minor-league baseball-type promotions and games to get folks down there, which is ironic, in a way, because the Omaha Royals didn't think that would work in a big ballpark.

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