Jan. 13, 2012
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
It would be easier to bring about world peace or cure the common cold than get a clear sound in our beloved and historic Memorial Gymnasium. Those concrete block walls and the four quadrants – elements that help bring the deafening sound that creates Memorial Magic – are nightmares for professional sound companies to battle. The issue is decades old, probably dating back to when the last of the “balconies that Clyde (Lee) built” were constructed in the 1960s.
Several reputable companies have been commissioned to fix it over the years. When the practice gym was built and the bowl of the gymnasium renovated nearly a decade ago, installing a quality sound system was a priority. Not to be. Among other challenges is the big variation in sound quality between a game in which there are 14,000 fans absorbing sound waves and those games in which the crowd is considerably smaller. Further, the sound may seem adequate in the some areas but is almost always shaky the closer one gets to courtside. We are aware of the problem and continue to investigate ways to improve it.
For all the naysaying about the rematch in the BCS Championship game and the lack of a playoff, once again the two best teams in college football played for the title. There are two camps of thought on a college gridiron playoff: the outsiders (media, public) that want a pigskin form of March Madness and the insiders (coaches, university administrators) who realize any football playoff system would be full of more holes than Swiss cheese. Bobby Johnson successfully led Furman in the I-AA playoffs before coming to Vanderbilt and he was opposed to them. Officials are studying new ideas, perhaps even a couple that have merit but if someone thinks ANY system exists that would be ideal, we’ve got a bridge to sell in Brooklyn. A new system will only create further outcry for an even newer system. Just look at basketball’s history and that’s an ideal playoff sport.
Did you notice that our baseball team will be signing autographs before Saturday’s men’s basketball game with Georgia?
