Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Lee Weld blog: TD Ameritrade Park
April 28, 2011
Southern Illinois sophomore pitcher Lee Weld is keeping a blog throughout the entire 2011 season. Weld, who is going to miss the entire year because of a shoulder injury, will talk about his rehab and what is going on with the Saluki baseball program in his blog. Here is his eighth entry of the season...
Hello Saluki Baseball fans,
I'm back from a long trip to Omaha, Neb. where we played Creighton last weekend in their brand new TD Ameritrade Park. I'm going to give you a little inside look at the stadium from a player's perspective and another update from my rehab.
As we arrived at our hotel on Thursday evening, we couldn't believe our eyes as it was right next to the stadium. The view of the stadium out of my hotel room was phenomenal, as we could almost see in through the gates.
The city of Omaha spent $131 million dollars to build it for the College World Series and for Creighton to play some home games in. We were the first series to be played in it, which was extra special.
As we walked to the stadium on Friday afternoon, everyone on our team had their phones, cameras, and video recorders out to take in as much as they could. I probably took fifty pictures and had a couple minutes of video myself.
We were walked in through a side door that led us to the clubhouse, which was basically a Major League clubhouse with wooden lockers surrounding couches in the middle. Everything was extremely well done and completely brand new.
As we walked out of the clubhouse, we went down a ramp directly to the field. When we walked out of the opening, it felt like you were walking into something unreal. Everything about the stadium was state-of-the-art and it was massive.
There were so many seats and everything just seemed bigger than what you could see from the outside. When 10,000 people showed up to the Friday night game, you could hardly tell because it didn't seem even halfway full.
The atmosphere for Friday's game was amazing since it was such a close game. The fans in Omaha really love their baseball, even if they were not Creighton fans. As a college baseball player, you cannot ask for a better venue to play a weekend series in.
The dugouts were huge which was good because you were able to move around freely and I could actually see over the rail that was in front of them, which was awesome. The only words that come to my mind whenever I talk about the stadium is professional.
Everything about it was done to perfection and even more than that, done with the goal in mind for it to be a great baseball experience.
So there you have it Saluki fans. We head back to Omaha in a month for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and it would be the perfect opportunity to cheer on your Salukis while seeing a brand new stadium.
On Monday, April 25, I had another appointment with my doctor in St. Louis. He told me that everything was going very well and that I am progressing further along than most other people. The bad news is that I won't start throwing for another six weeks.
Even with all the progress that I have made, he is still taking it slow with me as my goal is to be ready for next fall. So, I have begun my third phase of rehab and will begin to go to therapy three days a week now instead of the normal five.
I was sort of saddened by the news, but I feel glad that everything is going well. I just can't wait to throw! It's frustrating because I thought I saw that light at the end of the tunnel, as I still do, but it's a little further away than expected.
I'll keep my head up and continue to work as hard as I can to be ready for the day that I do get to throw. Thanks once again for all of the support and encouragement you have all shown me.
Thanks for reading! And Go Dawgs!
Lee Weld #29