Duke joins a laundry list of teams that are doing something about inadequate facilities.

Area programs such as North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest have made strides in the facilities department the past few seasons.

The Tar Heels built a new stadium on the existing site of Boshamer Stadium, N.C. State did a sparkling renovation of its ballpark a few seasons ago and Wake Forest moves into a good-sized stadium that previously was used by Winston-Salem's Minor League Baseball franchise.

Now Duke is doing something about its situation. The Blue Devils announced Tuesday they will play 18 home games at the 10,000-seat Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 2010. The ballpark serves as home for the Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay's Triple-AAA affiliate.

No details were released about the deal extending past the '10 season, but conventional wisdom suggests it will extend if the deal works out in year one.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to play downtown at the DBAP," said Duke head coach Sean McNally, now in his fifth year as head coach at his alma mater. "We are especially thankful to Jim Goodmon and Dr. Kevin White for their hard work in making this possibility a reality. It should be a great experience and relationship for our players, Duke University, Duke Athletics and the Durham community. We have made great strides as a baseball program over the last four years; this move downtown both recognizes that progress and absolutely helps us in our mission to elevate the program further. Opening Day at the DBAP for Duke Baseball can't come soon enough."

Duke's departure to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park could spell the end to using Jack Coombs Field as its home ballpark. The Blue Devils haven't played a home game away from Coombs field since it was constructed in 1931.

This is an interesting move for the Blue Devils. And a good one, too.

Sure, the Blue Devils are moving away from their 2,000-seat on-campus facility. But going to a great Minor League facility in the heart of their city is a wise decision. Duke doesn't have the athletic budget to build ballparks like North Carolina and N.C. State.

The Devils, in response, are doing the second-best thing.

It may not be the best situation possible, but it's certainly better than sitting back and letting your opponents build cathedrals while you do nothing.

Other programs that share minor league facilities include Penn State, Utah, New Mexico, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Nebraska and The Citadel.