John Cohen- you are simply wrong.

[Coach34]

Coach Cohen,

Let me start off by saying I'm not some doorknob that runs a hardware store by day and watches baseball on the side. I've played baseball from T-ball thru HS, juco, and semi-pro ball. I pitched and hit for 22 years. I coached the game for a living over a decade and won a few awards doing so. I do not claim to know as much baseball as you do- but I can handle my own.

All this bullshit you are doing with the line-up is wrong. It's simply wrong- and it's costing the offense, team, program, and fans. Putting a small slash hitting, bunting CF'er 4th in the hitting order is not only wrong- it's stupid. Bunting in the 1st inning to just give the opponent the 1st out of the game is not only wrong- it's stupid. Case in point- yesterday's 1st inning of the game:

Brown leads off the game with a single
Vickerson bunts him over to give Auburn an out
Collins gets on base with a fielder's choice
Another bunt by Robson gets Brown thrown out at the plate
Gridley out on a FC- no runs

We get a single to lead off the game- and instead of trying to build on that momentum- we give Auburn an out by taking the bat out of our 2nd best hitter's hands. If we plan to bunt all the time when the leadoff gets on- why not have the guy the bunts all the time batting 2nd? Robson is the perfect 2-hole for a team that wants to bunt alot. Why in the flipping hell is he hitting 4th in an RBI slot? Why not put him in position to bunt Brown over then let Vickerson and Collins swing the bat?

I dont agree with bunting very often period- let alone in the 1st inning. But if you are going to do it- at least set your line-up in a way that puts people in the best position to use their strengths. Did it ever occur to you that we arent scoring because we take chances away from our best hitters by making them bunt? That we might not score because we give away outs to the other team by bunting so much?

Your philosophy is not working Coach. Get a damn traditional line-up for a few weeks and lets see if things improve.

1. Brown
2. Robson
3. Vickerson
4. Collins
5. Rea
6. Humphreys (yes he is going to K- but at least he has some nuts to swing the bat. His .240 this year will produce some runs)
7. Holland
8. Heck
9. Gridley

That line-up will score some runs and give us a chance if you will leave it alone for 2-3 weeks and let the players play. Quit worrying about alternating speed with whatever and play a traditional line-up for awhile. Over-coaching happens- even with the best- and right now you are overcoaching.

Go Dawgs,

C34

[GTHOM]

so can we put his seat on at least mild now

[Harrydawg]

I have to say C34, good post......dead on

[dawgs]

Over coaching is exactly what cohen does. Even in our best years with cohen I felt he toyed with the lineup way too much and never let guys get settled in and gather a large enough sample size to make informed decisions.

[AlSwearengen]

I was always in cohen's corner b/c he came here with a reputation as a very good hitting coach and a winner. However, this micro managing and over thinking the game reminds me of something a high school coach with an overmatched team might do.

I am starting to wonder about the hitters and lack of development. Where is swinarski? All signs pointed toward him being cohen's first elite prospect who could have gone anywhere. Something is definitely in need of changing.

[Dallas_Dawg]

I agree with your post, However a hardware store manager could figure that out by now

[dawgoneyall]

Where has the hit and run gone?

[WinningIsRelentless]

He needs to take Cal's words last night after they won: "we play to win; we never play to lose". Cohen got in a bad habit of playing small ball and not to lose when we had a shutdown closer and great bullpen. If we had a one run lead we would win.

That isn't true anymore so we have to score runs in bunches and he takes that away from us.

[Dawg61]

Over coaching is exactly what cohen does. Even in our best years with cohen I felt he toyed with the lineup way too much and never let guys get settled in and gather a large enough sample size to make informed decisions.

Is having 81 different starting lineups straight considered over coaching or just flat retarded? 81 games in a row guys. I think I'd rather have the Candy man making the lineup.

[Dawgface]

Is having 81 different starting lineups straight considered over coaching or just flat retarded? 81 games in a row guys. I think I'd rather have the Candy man making the lineup.

That's incredible.

I wonder what he thinks is wrong with the team?

[Drugdog]

Spot on Coach34. As a seasoned veteran of 24 years selling, I constantly have to adjust my message, priorities, and management of my territory. I will NEVER learn all that there is to learn. But i learn to adapt to changes in my environment.
This seesms to be weakness with Cohen. A lack of ability to changer with an ever changing game. A lack of SELF AWARNESS that HE may be the PROBLEM.

This is a classic trait of a Poor Manager. Anyone who has ever had a manager especially in Sales knows that this is the Kiss of Death. Cohen is on borrowed time IMO. When the stands are completely empty( not they are not now), and donations are down, THEN we may get his attention. Until then, i dont see him picking a line up and letting these KIDS play BALL.

[Liverpooldawg]

Oh boy, here we go again. I'm glad college baseball is a minor sport that I don't get wrapped up in one way or another. This one I'll sit out............that will make a lot of people happy at least, LOL.

[Drugdog]

its not our minor sport. ITs a major sport for MSU. People are concerned. We want a better product. We have Earned a better product.

[RougeDawg]

I was always in cohen's corner b/c he came here with a reputation as a very good hitting coach and a winner. However, this micro managing and over thinking the game reminds me of something a high school coach with an overmatched team might do.

I am starting to wonder about the hitters and lack of development. Where is swinarski? All signs pointed toward him being cohen's first elite prospect who could have gone anywhere. Something is definitely in need of changing.

I want to know why everyone thought Johnny was a "great" hitting coach. All of his MSU teams have had the same short slappy swings and passive approaches from the beginning. The swings And approaches of which I pointed out from day one as being unsuccessful.

Was he considered a hitting guru because of UK's short porch, or did he have a decent hitting coach on staff. I didn't follow him before he was hired, but something doesn't add up from the UK teams and now. They had a ton of offense before he left, so what happened? He's the common denominator so what it the park or a another coach.

As we've seen he's not going to change so the real question is how many years did the miracle Omaha run buy him? I've never been impressed from day one and have taken a lot of heat over it.

[bulldogcountry1]

Is having 81 different starting lineups straight considered over coaching or just flat retarded? 81 games in a row guys. I think I'd rather have the Candy man making the lineup.

You have to make a conscious effort to achieve that level of ridiculousness. It just doesn't happen accidentally. We could beat the New York Yankees 20-0, and Cohen would still change the lineup the next game.

...and probably bench someone for not getting the bunt down in the 8th, up 19-0.

[BulldogBear]

Great posts by OP and others. What always annoyed me in the over thinking department was ascribing what I believe to be too much significance on which hand the pitcher threw with and it's ugly stepsister, worrying too much which side if the plate the opposing hitter stands on. I mean, it's not that there's nothing to it, but put your best 4-6 hitters in the lineup every game - pitcher arm be d_____d! The best example was a Game against USCe a couple of years ago where we just HAD to switch arms after just a few pitches or maybe even just ONE because a lefty was coming up. He promptly knocked the first pitch over the 17ing fence. Man, 17 that sh*t. Play ball.

[sleepy dawg]

That's incredible.

I wonder what he thinks is wrong with the team?

I would love to know the answer to this question... I haven't really thought of it, but by now Cohen must realize we aren't a good team and are having major issues. We all know why, but why does he think we're struggling? Bad luck?

[War Machine Dawg]

Oh boy, here we go again. I'm glad college baseball is a minor sport that I don't get wrapped up in one way or another. This one I'll sit out............that will make a lot of people happy at least, LOL.

Good, because your opinion of how the Stands firing was received was flat out WRONG. We in no way, shape, form or fashion committed suicide by firing him.

[War Machine Dawg]

I would love to know the answer to this question... I haven't really thought of it, but by now Cohen must realize we aren't a good team and are having major issues. We all know why, but why does he think we're struggling? Bad luck?

Kids are pressing and trying too hard is what he told Jim after yesterday's game. Well damn, I wonder why a bunch of kids would press when they never know if they'll play that day, and should they play, where the **** they'll hit in the lineup? It's not like continuity and chemistry matter. There's no way you'd press trying to be perfect every day just to stay in the lineup the next day, even though you know you'll be hitting in a different spot should the Hitting Guru decide to let you play two days in a row.

[I seen it dawg]

Heres a letter to Cohen....****ing quit and take the whole ****** staff with you.

[AlSwearengen]

I want to know why everyone thought Johnny was a "great" hitting coach. All of his MSU teams have had the same short slappy swings and passive approaches from the beginning. The swings And approaches of which I pointed out from day one as being unsuccessful.

Was he considered a hitting guru because of UK's short porch, or did he have a decent hitting coach on staff. I didn't follow him before he was hired, but something doesn't add up from the UK teams and now. They had a ton of offense before he left, so what happened? He's the common denominator so what it the park or a another coach.

As we've seen he's not going to change so the real question is how many years did the miracle Omaha run buy him? I've never been impressed from day one and have taken a lot of heat over it.

When he was an asst. at florida, his teams hit very well and I believe, but am not sure, at the school that he was at before going to florida. He went to kentucky and won, a place that has never really won anything before. It was a pretty common perception around the country that he was a top notch hitting coach and that was earned before he ever went to kentucky.

My biggest gripes are the constant lineup changes and bunting incessantly.

[hells bells]

Plus 1.

[Coach34]

Today- he had the people in the line-up I mentioned- still out of order though.
We attempted to bunt once in the 8th with a 3-1 lead- that was an actual good bunt situation.

We scored and won

[Liverpooldawg]

Good, because your opinion of how the Stands firing was received was flat out WRONG. We in no way, shape, form or fashion committed suicide by firing him.

Let it go man. I have.