Yes, this is your second baseball post in a day. And yes, it will equal the number of baseball posts you'll probably get over the next 12 months.
Earlier today I said the improvement of the Hokies baseball team was promising because next year's ACC tournament was going to be held at Fenway and that seemed like a fun road trip. Well, um, yeah, about that.
Next year's tournament will be held in Greensboro instead of Fenway. This year's tournament was moved to Durham after MLB and Fenway Sports Group forgot to black out the dates for the ACC tournament and Red Sox conflicted with the ACC tournament.
So why is it being moved to Greensboro in 2010, Mr. Swofford?
“Cost-containment is very much universal at this point, and our conference and our schools are no exception,” Swofford said. “With so many issues at the moment in terms of budget and travel, we simply felt it was in the best interests of all concerned to hold the 2010 event at a more centrally located venue. As we look to the future, we do foresee holding the ACC Baseball Championship in Boston, and we are thankful to the Fenway Sports Group for their understanding and for maintaining a strong working relationship."
I'll believe that when I see it. So, forget the fact that the ACC has been wanting to go to Fenway Park for the last two years and forget the budget and travel for BC, who has to come South for every other conference tournament in every other sport. Just like everyone else, the ACC is using the economy as an excuse so its other members aren't inconvenienced by a trip to the conference's northern most outpost.
My guess is you'll never see the ACC baseball tournament in Boston. You'll see it in Camden Yards or Nationals Park long before it makes the trip all the way up to Fenway.
I'd also like to see the ACC basketball tournament in Boston at some point. The Garden did a great job of hosting a regional this year. It will be tough to do because of scheduling conflicts with the C's and B's, but the ACC was able to work around the Caps and Wizards when the tournament went to DC in 2005.