2022 Baseball Mega Thread

[APPdiesel]

If you assume that he is competent , capable and motivated ,I suppose the conclusion is that he doesn't have the resources required.I have no opinion to offer but I do have those questions and others about what our expectations should be.

My expectation is to win more than we lose and make a regional two or three times every five years. With as many quality programs as there are in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina there is absolutely no reason App baseball should be a sub .500 ball club.

I said it at the beginning of basketball season…it’s time we all raise our expectations and put pressure on those in charge to make the necessary decisions to win. That means writing letters, sending emails, tweeting and tagging the athletic director until change is made.

I’m all for raising expectations. However, unless we as fans fully have knowledge of all of the variables affecting results, then the actions that you speak of wreak of the “cancel culture” mentality. Programs go through an end of season evaluation and I trust those that know will make the correct decisions.

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

[AppSt94]

If you assume that he is competent , capable and motivated ,I suppose the conclusion is that he doesn't have the resources required.I have no opinion to offer but I do have those questions and others about what our expectations should be.

My expectation is to win more than we lose and make a regional two or three times every five years. With as many quality programs as there are in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina there is absolutely no reason App baseball should be a sub .500 ball club.

I said it at the beginning of basketball season…it’s time we all raise our expectations and put pressure on those in charge to make the necessary decisions to win. That means writing letters, sending emails, tweeting and tagging the athletic director until change is made.

I’m all for raising expectations. However, unless we as fans fully have knowledge of all of the variables affecting results, then the actions that you speak of wreak of the “cancel culture” mentality. Programs go through an end of season evaluation and I trust those that know will make the correct decisions.

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

[AppGrad78]

Sometimes I think those hinting at “regime change” have no clue at the kind of schedule we’re playing or the progress the team has made. Last I checked our strength of schedule was 30th in the nation out 301 college baseball programs. The Sun Belt’s RPI is seventh out of 31 conferences nationally. And our RPI currently sits at 106th. We’re 10-16 after losing three highly competitive games to a top-10 program. That never happened under the old staff, and to be honest, Chris Pollard’s best teams performed about to the same level as this year’s team. Yes, I wish we had a winning record. But personally I’m thrilled at the direction the program is headed.

[hapapp]

Sometimes I think those hinting at “regime change” have no clue at the kind of schedule we’re playing or the progress the team has made. Last I checked our strength of schedule was 30th in the nation out 301 college baseball programs. The Sun Belt’s RPI is seventh out of 31 conferences nationally. And our RPI currently sits at 106th. We’re 10-16 after losing three highly competitive games to a top-10 program. That never happened under the old staff, and to be honest, Chris Pollard’s best teams performed about to the same level as this year’s team. Yes, I wish we had a winning record. But personally I’m thrilled at the direction the program is headed.

All true. But, we are in the conference we are in. We currently sit in a tie for 10th, are 10th in the league in batting ,9th in ERA, given up the most walks, and 7th in fielding. Given those stats, we are basically performing to our ability level against the schedule we have designed. I'm certainly not calling for Kermit's job as frankly, I don't have very high expectations for our baseball fortunes in Boone. Outside of a year or two under Pollard we have been an average to below average program. The season is a long way from being over and when the weather warms perhaps we will see some better results. It's hard to maintain enthusiasm for a program if we are going to tie ourselves to moral victories.

[APPdiesel]

If you assume that he is competent , capable and motivated ,I suppose the conclusion is that he doesn't have the resources required.I have no opinion to offer but I do have those questions and others about what our expectations should be.

My expectation is to win more than we lose and make a regional two or three times every five years. With as many quality programs as there are in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina there is absolutely no reason App baseball should be a sub .500 ball club.

I said it at the beginning of basketball season…it’s time we all raise our expectations and put pressure on those in charge to make the necessary decisions to win. That means writing letters, sending emails, tweeting and tagging the athletic director until change is made.

I’m all for raising expectations. However, unless we as fans fully have knowledge of all of the variables affecting results, then the actions that you speak of wreak of the “cancel culture” mentality. Programs go through an end of season evaluation and I trust those that know will make the correct decisions.

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

It's not even MY expectation. I'm saying we should ALL raise our expectations. That means watching the games, going to games, supporting the team through both free and paid measures. And then admitting we're not winning when we're not winning and demanding change. Saying someone deserves to keep their job when they're not successful is weak and feeble minded. You wouldn't advocate for keeping Shawn Clark if he was a .400 coach would you?

[APPdiesel]

Sometimes I think those hinting at “regime change” have no clue at the kind of schedule we’re playing or the progress the team has made. Last I checked our strength of schedule was 30th in the nation out 301 college baseball programs. The Sun Belt’s RPI is seventh out of 31 conferences nationally. And our RPI currently sits at 106th. We’re 10-16 after losing three highly competitive games to a top-10 program. That never happened under the old staff, and to be honest, Chris Pollard’s best teams performed about to the same level as this year’s team. Yes, I wish we had a winning record. But personally I’m thrilled at the direction the program is headed.

We all need to stop making the "it's just too hard to win" type of excuses. We JUST watched our basketball program turn it around after 15 years of SUCKING. Fans changed their mindsets about what our program is capable of. Why can't we do the same thing with baseball?

[AppSt94]

My expectation is to win more than we lose and make a regional two or three times every five years. With as many quality programs as there are in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina there is absolutely no reason App baseball should be a sub .500 ball club.

I said it at the beginning of basketball season…it’s time we all raise our expectations and put pressure on those in charge to make the necessary decisions to win. That means writing letters, sending emails, tweeting and tagging the athletic director until change is made.

I’m all for raising expectations. However, unless we as fans fully have knowledge of all of the variables affecting results, then the actions that you speak of wreak of the “cancel culture” mentality. Programs go through an end of season evaluation and I trust those that know will make the correct decisions.

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

It's not even MY expectation. I'm saying we should ALL raise our expectations. That means watching the games, going to games, supporting the team through both free and paid measures. And then admitting we're not winning when we're not winning and demanding change. Saying someone deserves to keep their job when they're not successful is weak and feeble minded. You wouldn't advocate for keeping Shawn Clark if he was a .400 coach would you?

But it is YOUR expectations. You started out with we should be making a regional two to three times in a five year span. The point is that you and anyone else outside of the program and AD are making decisions that you deem to be top line decisions based on the record alone just don’t need to be making decisions of this caliber. Here is a suggestion, instead of firing off an email blast demanding accountability, how about sitting down with Gillin and Smith and show them that you care. Ask them about why the team struggles and if there is anything that you can do to help turn the tide. Seek to understand why things are the way they are instead of watching a game and think you see it the correct way.

Does this team underachieve? Hard to say. Do resources and support create a ceiling that would make most fans sour? Maybe. The difference between an excuse and a reason, is that one is based on understanding why things are the way they are. The other is a low hanging answer for those that don’t want to search for, or acknowledge the reason.

I get that you and others have “expectations”. That’s reasonable. But if you don’t have any direct control over the variables that affect the outcome, you are just a fan. And any coach will tell you, and AD, if you start listening to fans you will soon find yourself among them.

To answer your question as to whether I would support Clark if he were a .400 coach. The answer is yes. My rationale is that he, and any other coach currently in charge deserves my support. If the powers that be feel that he is/is not living up to the clearly defined parameters of his contract, then that is a decision based off of information that I am not privy too and should support the decision.

[APPdiesel]

I’m all for raising expectations. However, unless we as fans fully have knowledge of all of the variables affecting results, then the actions that you speak of wreak of the “cancel culture” mentality. Programs go through an end of season evaluation and I trust those that know will make the correct decisions.

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

It's not even MY expectation. I'm saying we should ALL raise our expectations. That means watching the games, going to games, supporting the team through both free and paid measures. And then admitting we're not winning when we're not winning and demanding change. Saying someone deserves to keep their job when they're not successful is weak and feeble minded. You wouldn't advocate for keeping Shawn Clark if he was a .400 coach would you?

But it is YOUR expectations. You started out with we should be making a regional two to three times in a five year span. The point is that you and anyone else outside of the program and AD are making decisions that you deem to be top line decisions based on the record alone just don’t need to be making decisions of this caliber. Here is a suggestion, instead of firing off an email blast demanding accountability, how about sitting down with Gillin and Smith and show them that you care. Ask them about why the team struggles and if there is anything that you can do to help turn the tide. Seek to understand why things are the way they are instead of watching a game and think you see it the correct way.

Does this team underachieve? Hard to say. Do resources and support create a ceiling that would make most fans sour? Maybe. The difference between an excuse and a reason, is that one is based on understanding why things are the way they are. The other is a low hanging answer for those that don’t want to search for, or acknowledge the reason.

I get that you and others have “expectations”. That’s reasonable. But if you don’t have any direct control over the variables that affect the outcome, you are just a fan. And any coach will tell you, and AD, if you start listening to fans you will soon find yourself among them.

To answer your question as to whether I would support Clark if he were a .400 coach. The answer is yes. My rationale is that he, and any other coach currently in charge deserves my support. If the powers that be feel that he is/is not living up to the clearly defined parameters of his contract, then that is a decision based off of information that I am not privy too and should support the decision.

Cool man. I'll never be that kind of fan who unconditionally supports coaches who lose. Period. But you do you.

[AppSt94]

Explain to me your thought process of calling it “cancel culture”. I think of it as accountability. If Kermit’s staff is not winning he’s accountable. End of story.

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

It's not even MY expectation. I'm saying we should ALL raise our expectations. That means watching the games, going to games, supporting the team through both free and paid measures. And then admitting we're not winning when we're not winning and demanding change. Saying someone deserves to keep their job when they're not successful is weak and feeble minded. You wouldn't advocate for keeping Shawn Clark if he was a .400 coach would you?

But it is YOUR expectations. You started out with we should be making a regional two to three times in a five year span. The point is that you and anyone else outside of the program and AD are making decisions that you deem to be top line decisions based on the record alone just don’t need to be making decisions of this caliber. Here is a suggestion, instead of firing off an email blast demanding accountability, how about sitting down with Gillin and Smith and show them that you care. Ask them about why the team struggles and if there is anything that you can do to help turn the tide. Seek to understand why things are the way they are instead of watching a game and think you see it the correct way.

Does this team underachieve? Hard to say. Do resources and support create a ceiling that would make most fans sour? Maybe. The difference between an excuse and a reason, is that one is based on understanding why things are the way they are. The other is a low hanging answer for those that don’t want to search for, or acknowledge the reason.

I get that you and others have “expectations”. That’s reasonable. But if you don’t have any direct control over the variables that affect the outcome, you are just a fan. And any coach will tell you, and AD, if you start listening to fans you will soon find yourself among them.

To answer your question as to whether I would support Clark if he were a .400 coach. The answer is yes. My rationale is that he, and any other coach currently in charge deserves my support. If the powers that be feel that he is/is not living up to the clearly defined parameters of his contract, then that is a decision based off of information that I am not privy too and should support the decision.

Cool man. I'll never be that kind of fan who unconditionally supports coaches who lose. Period. But you do you.

That’s not what I said. I said that they will have my support as long as they are the coach. I trust the AD’s to do what is best with ALL the information available to them to make the right decisions for the program. If you can feel good about yourself for leading a campaign for someone to lose their job and uproot a family so that you can feel better about yourself have at it.

[APPdiesel]

Insisting on change while holding someone accountable to your expectations, standards, and beliefs, without any real skin in the game is a form of cancel culture. Yes, you are correct in that the head coach is measured against the W/L record. But they are also measured against factors outside of said record. I’m sure that Kermit has been given expectations from Gillin in terms of what he wants to see in the growth and development of the program. If he meets them to Doug’s satisfaction, then he will still be here. If he doesn’t, then Doug will be looking for a new coach next season.

As it has been discussed during football season, no one is as disappointed with the losses than Kermit and the staff and players. How would you feel if an advertiser on your station called and stated that they were pulling advertisement spots until you were terminated?

It's not even MY expectation. I'm saying we should ALL raise our expectations. That means watching the games, going to games, supporting the team through both free and paid measures. And then admitting we're not winning when we're not winning and demanding change. Saying someone deserves to keep their job when they're not successful is weak and feeble minded. You wouldn't advocate for keeping Shawn Clark if he was a .400 coach would you?

But it is YOUR expectations. You started out with we should be making a regional two to three times in a five year span. The point is that you and anyone else outside of the program and AD are making decisions that you deem to be top line decisions based on the record alone just don’t need to be making decisions of this caliber. Here is a suggestion, instead of firing off an email blast demanding accountability, how about sitting down with Gillin and Smith and show them that you care. Ask them about why the team struggles and if there is anything that you can do to help turn the tide. Seek to understand why things are the way they are instead of watching a game and think you see it the correct way.

Does this team underachieve? Hard to say. Do resources and support create a ceiling that would make most fans sour? Maybe. The difference between an excuse and a reason, is that one is based on understanding why things are the way they are. The other is a low hanging answer for those that don’t want to search for, or acknowledge the reason.

I get that you and others have “expectations”. That’s reasonable. But if you don’t have any direct control over the variables that affect the outcome, you are just a fan. And any coach will tell you, and AD, if you start listening to fans you will soon find yourself among them.

To answer your question as to whether I would support Clark if he were a .400 coach. The answer is yes. My rationale is that he, and any other coach currently in charge deserves my support. If the powers that be feel that he is/is not living up to the clearly defined parameters of his contract, then that is a decision based off of information that I am not privy too and should support the decision.

Cool man. I'll never be that kind of fan who unconditionally supports coaches who lose. Period. But you do you.

That’s not what I said. I said that they will have my support as long as they are the coach. I trust the AD’s to do what is best with ALL the information available to them to make the right decisions for the program. If you can feel good about yourself for leading a campaign for someone to lose their job and uproot a family so that you can feel better about yourself have at it.

A coach's job is to win, right? They pay these guys A LOT of money to do so. Any coach who isn't winning isn't doing their job. If you are an employer, are you going to keep paying someone who isn't doing their job?

I don't WANT Kermit Smith fired. I've said many times I had high hopes for him because of his history and ability to turn programs around. I WANT him to win. I WANT him to stay in Boone a long time. I don't want apathetic fans. I don't want an AD to be willing to give 10 years to a sub .500 coach. If you do what you've always done you'll get what you've always gotten.

[AppSt94]

A coaches job is to direct a program and develop student athletes into being the best of both. You seem to be confusing a lack a of outrage or disappointment at a commiserate level as yours to be apathy. Not at all. Again, I don’t doubt your passion and love for App. And given your profession, I believe that you have an understanding of sports in a broad term. But where I think that you’re lacking is knowledge of this particular situation and you are allowing your fandom to cloud your judgement. Again, I encourage you or anyone else to sit down with Gillin or Smith and get to know the challenges that we face in terms or resources and player development. If that’s not possible then maybe wait and see how the season plays out and see if a change is made. If one occurs then great. If one doesn’t it, take a moment and acknowledge that maybe there is something that you may be missing in your assessment.

[APPdiesel]

I thought it was the athletic director's job to direct an athletic program.

I'm going to end my involvement in this discussion after this post 94. Reply if you want, argue if you want but I'm stopping here. But Tennessee, Virginia, NC State, Vanderbilt and North Carolina are ranked. Duke, ECU, Coastal, South Carolina and I'm sure others that aren't coming to mind right now are regularly in the hunt for post season ball. Texas State is in our conference and they're ranked. Louisiana is in our conference and they are good annually. Southern Miss who will be joining our conference is ranked. You're telling me it can't be done I'm telling you to raise your expectations.

[AppSt94]

Why put expectations on something that you can’t control? You are just setting yourself up for disappointment and resentment. I can watch a game and see what happened to cause the outcome. The difference is that I ask questions to understand and not demand accountability for things that I am not in a position to influence. And you know what, I am a happier person for it.

[WVAPPeer]

Those of you who want to claim it's a lame excuse, go ahead because you have an opinion but I will say this with complete conviction - Weather and Locale pay a huge role!

[BambooRdApp]

I do wonder as I have no clue. How many universities, that are located in a mountainous geography, have very good baseball and/or golf teams? Legitimately in mountainous geography..not like Blacksburg or Harrison..legit in the mountains.

[hapapp]

Notre Dame at #15 is the northern most school in the top 25. On the east coast, Maryland is the northern most in the top 25. Most of the top 25 are populated by teams in the south and west.

[Oldlknapp]

Maybe App should have a “spring training complex” in Florida like MLB teams

[huskie3]

‘68-72 I remember baseball team taking about 2 week swing through Florida - Georgia at start of season. So sort of spring training.

[Stonewall]

Texas State has a good team. They are far from" a top ten program" however.

[firemoose]

Texas State has a good team. They are far from" a top ten program" however.

Might want to check this out.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/arti ... r-rankings