As a University of Minnesota undergraduate and Daily sportswriter, I covered the Gophers 1956 to 1959. I have many fond memories of games at Siebert Field and memories of traveling with legendary coach Dick Siebert. Nevertheless, I am totally against the misguided plans of menâÄôs baseball coach John Anderson and Athletics Director Joel Maturi to renovate the ballpark. I think one could make the case that the $2 million the Pohlad family has pledged to help renovate Siebert Field is actually taxpayer money the Pohlads saved by extorting the new Target Field out of the governor and Legislature four years ago. What could that $2 million do if it were spent on education? What would the rest of the cost of a renovated University baseball stadium do to help education? How have University presidents, rubber-stamp regents, brain-dead alumni, the media and our elected public officials let the University slip into this slimy morass where athletics now comes first and education second? ItâÄôs time for a house-cleaning, top to bottom at the University, just as so many political incumbents were ousted May 18. Willard B. Shapira, Daily alumnus, University alumnus
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No to Siebert renovations
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