Show some respect, watch field hockey
At 3 p.m. today the field hockey team hosts Indiana at CMU’s new field hockey complex.
It’s about damn time for a home game.
The team will play just four home games this season, even though it was scheduled to host seven.
Delays in construction of the new venue forced the team to play three home games in East Lansing.
Are you kidding? Four home games out of 19?
The $650,000 field was supposed to be ready by Sept. 13, but instead the team has been on the road for seven consecutive weeks.
That is ridiculous.
The resurfacing of Kelly/Shorts Stadium left the field hockey team without a place to play, but what if the roles were reversed?
Force Brian Kelly and the football team to have to practice indoors during the hot summer months. Have football play its first six games on the road. It would never happen.
That is how CMU treats its field hockey team.
Makes it go through all these hardships to play on a field that will have temporary seating and no fence to stop the balls from rolling for miles. Hell, they didn’t even put the scoreboard up until Thursday. Hopefully it works.
Forget all that. Don’t worry that the whole situation was a slap in the face to head coach Cristy Freese, who is in her 19th year as head coach.
Just forget it. I’m sure CMU already did.
Putting up money for the venue was an admirable thing that needed to be done. If the team was left without a place to play, Athletics Director Herb Deromedi may have been faced with a bit of a Title IX dilemma.
But CMU ponied up when it needed to, ensuring the Chippewas get four home games in 2004.
Thanks, but no thanks.
CMU did not put a timetable clause in the contract, thus allowing a scapegoat. Deromedi said the window of completion was so short, finishing on time would be tough enough.
Sorry, not buying it.
But forget all that. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that the stands be packed for CMU’s game today and Saturday’s 3 p.m. game against Ball State.
Show the support the university did not.
The Chippewas are 6-7 overall, and in fourth place in the MAC. With three conference home games remaining, CMU has a chance to move up and snag the No. 3 seed heading into the MAC Tournament.
People could even pretend like it’s a football game. Show up and tailgate for a little while before the game, and then stumble in half-drunk. But don’t leave early, this team is actually halfway decent.
The field hockey team will play its collective heart out this weekend, no matter how many people show up for the game. Show some respect for a team the university felt didn’t deserve any.
Life Assistant Sports Editor Dominic Adams at sports@cm-life.com.
