Is it practical for Arizona State to continue their yearly tradition of preseason at Camp Tontozona? It’s a very fair question to ask. Seems like an awful lot of effort, financial resources and lost practice time are being put out without nothing more than “bonding” and reminiscing about the good ‘ole days coming back.
Don’t get me wrong, I am one that believes that paying homage to the past is important, but at the end of the day, the yearly downpours, lightning, moving practices to Payson, and potholes on the field at Camp T simply aren’t worth the hassle. This past week was filled with distractions, rather than just getting down to work (something that could be done under a bubble in Tempe).
Todd Graham is here to win football games from September through the second week of January. Quantify how in the year 2016, practicing on a poor field helps the Sun Devils win football games? Move Spring Ball up to Camp T to keep the tradition and avoid the weather issues in August.
Sitting around a campfire and growing closer as a team can be done in March or April (spring football) without upsetting the routine and timing that is so critical to get the season off to a good start. Ray Anderson needs to raise money for a new stadium in Tempe, not asking donors for millions of dollars to refurbish a rundown facility east of Payson.
