The baseball HC decision has the potential to fracture the fan base

[MaroonFlounder]

If it turns out to be Henderson.

I?m torn. What is best for the program, going forward?

[bobcat91]

I dont envy John. If it's not Henderson, and I dont think it should be, he will get slaughtered by the media and half of our fans. If it's a hire that isnt considered a Grand Slam, he is going to get slaughtered. The decision should be based on our long term interest, not an emotional response to a great 3 week run. There are a handful of HR hires out there. Bring us one home. In Cohen I trust.

[Mobile Bay]

The best thing for the program is the guy who took over us in the toughest spot in baseball history and lead us to Omaha and deep into Omaha. Nobody worth having will come here if this isn't good enough.

[Mobile Bay]

I dont envy John. If it's not Henderson, and I dont think it should be, he will get slaughtered by the media and half of our fans. If it's a hire that isnt considered a Grand Slam, he is going to get slaughtered. The decision should be based on our long term interest, not an emotional response to a great 3 week run. There are a handful of HR hires out there. Bring us one home. In Cohen I trust.

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

[maroonmania]

Just like the Cohen hire over Raffo? Our baseball program is a freakin' soap opera. People just need to get behind whoever Cohen names. HE is the one in the position required to make the hire, not the fanbase.

[bobcat91]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

Are you Gary Henderson? GTFO

[CoachT14]

If it turns out to be Henderson.

I?m torn. What is best for the program, going forward?

If Henderson is the guy, not only will our fan base fracture, our program will too. Henderson is not the guy that is going to be successful for 10+ years here. He can't develop talent at a high level and can't build upon what type of program he is given. That was shown through his 8 years at Kentucky. We are going to get passed up really quick by Ole Miss and Southern, just like Kentucky was by Louisville.

[KOdawg1]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

This post is a special breed of stupid. Post less please

[Lord McBuckethead]

Are you Gary Henderson? GTFO

Only 5 people were listening to that broadcast and they were all, and I mean all MSU fans. Also, I would like to add, everything he said was 100% correct and on the nose. If you cannot handle the truth, switch to UM.

[bobcat91]

Here is the non emotional look at Gary Hendersons HC career. His best year was a 45 win season at UK. His next best season? This year. He averaged under 32 wins a season over his 10 year history. If you can honestly say he is the best choice, then you really dont care about our program.

[preachermatt83]

Here is the non emotional look at Gary Hendersons HC career. His best year was a 45 win season at UK. His next best season? This year. He averaged under 32 wins a season over his 10 year history. If you can honestly say he is the best choice, then you really dont care about our program.

Amen

[runwildjerious]

I really appreciate everything Gary did this year. He was absolutely the best choice to lead the team this year. However I am not convinced that he can win a national championship here. I just feel like we will be doing this again in a few years if we make an a emotional decision and name him head coach. I will obviously support him but I will be pretty disappointed. There is a reason USC didn’t hire O after his intern stint there. And a reason LSU shouldn’t have.

[Dawg61]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

You smoking crack? Cohen calmly and quietly hired Moorhead while Tennessee was busy looking like the biggest dumbasses in the history of college football hiring. Moorhead has us #6 in recruiting in the country right now after being on the job for only 7 months. Cohen coulda dog cussed Henderson on the air for 3 straight hours like he was the umpire in the LSU series in 2014 and he'd keep his job. Stop smoking crack and posting please.

[Cooterpoot]

No way we hire Henderson. We’d be doing it again in 2 years. He wasted a CWS trip.

[Mobile Bay]

I really appreciate everything Gary did this year. He was absolutely the best choice to lead the team this year. However I am not convinced that he can win a national championship here. I just feel like we will be doing this again in a few years if we make an a emotional decision and name him head coach. I will obviously support him but I will be pretty disappointed. There is a reason USC didn’t hire O after his intern stint there. And a reason LSU shouldn’t have.

LSU hired coach O because it was the only choice they had. They went after great coaches and every one of them said no. Because they saw what Les Miles had accomplished and how LSU treated him. If we fire Henderson, that is what coaches will see in us. Nobody wants to go to Starkville and be fired two years later

[CoachT14]

LSU hired coach O because it was the only choice they had. They went after great coaches and every one of them said no. Because they saw what Les Miles had accomplished and how LSU treated him. If we fire Henderson, that is what coaches will see in us. Nobody wants to go to Starkville and be fired two years later

This is such an uninformed and dumb opinion to have. For one, we aren't going to be firing Henderson if we go with someone else. Two, if we go after the right coaches instead of assuming we need to hire someone that already has a ton of Omaha experience, there are quite a few legitimate candidates that can win big here.

[runwildjerious]

LSU hired coach O because it was the only choice they had. They went after great coaches and every one of them said no. Because they saw what Les Miles had accomplished and how LSU treated him. If we fire Henderson, that is what coaches will see in us. Nobody wants to go to Starkville and be fired two years later

First of all, he is an interim coach. He would not be fired, he just wouldn’t be the full time head coach.

Second, you just said that Cohen should be fired and ran out of town. So please excuse me if I don’t find your option valid.

[Mobile Bay]

This is such an uninformed and dumb opinion to have. For one, we aren't going to be firing Henderson if we go with someone else. Two, if we go after the right coaches instead of assuming we need to hire someone that already has a ton of Omaha experience, there are quite a few legitimate candidates that can win big here.

It's a very reasoned and informed opinion. Henderson just went deeper in Omaha than Ron Polk ever did.

[CoachT14]

It's a very reasoned and informed opinion. Henderson just went deeper in Omaha than Ron Polk ever did.

Congrats Gary. You still didn't win it all and that's the only way you should even be considered for this job. Even then, I still wouldn't think you could be successful long term. At best, Henderson is successful the next 2 seasons and then we will be on a steep downfall to mediocrity, just like he was at Kentucky. Again, there are way too many good, young coaches that will be highly successful for 10+ years that we need to hire before even coming close to hiring Gary Henderson.

Oh and please explain your reasoned and informed opinion minus the fact that in a month and a half our players got hot and saved Gary Henderson's ass multiple times. What in his past leads you to believe he will be successful and bring a national championship to Mississippi State within the next 10 years? Please do tell.

[deadheaddawg]

It depends on who he hires. A true grandslam wouldn't be a slaughter in the media. Pro coaches have gotten fired after post season runs. The NBA recently had a coach of the year fired.

A true grandslam won't be questioned as much as people are suggesting. The media has seen it before and they understand the importance. And let's be honest. College baseball coaching hires don't move the needle with the national news. And tell me if I'm wrong, but I never heard anyone say Henderson had to be the coach during any of our tournament broadcast. I heard lots of "he has to be considered" which he is

As far as the fans, the sheep are the ones you are talking about. They follow what the AD and what the Mississippi media guys tell them. It would all hinge on how the guys that run the Mississippi State pages on SDS, 24/7, and the like do. And wyat our state homer writters like Gene do.

Win the press conference. Win the fans. National media doesnt give a crap

Now, you hire some unproven up and comer or someone that's not really really impressive, well then you might have a problem

[Dawg61]

It's a very reasoned and informed opinion. Henderson just went deeper in Omaha than Ron Polk ever did.

Henderson had a very magical run but we already would have a new coach if McNamee doesn't hit a 3 run bomb in the b9th vs FSU.

[Dawg2003]

LSU hired coach O because it was the only choice they had. They went after great coaches and every one of them said no. Because they saw what Les Miles had accomplished and how LSU treated him. If we fire Henderson, that is what coaches will see in us. Nobody wants to go to Starkville and be fired two years later

This is what I fear is going to happen and part of why I think big name head coaches don?t want the job. I have a bad feeling that it will be between Henderson and an up and coming assistant coach. The expectations of this job are intense, and the post season run made it even more so. I would consider anything less than Omaha next year a disappointment.

[Todd4State]

It's a very reasoned and informed opinion. Henderson just went deeper in Omaha than Ron Polk ever did.

No he didn't.

[Todd4State]

Hiring someone other than Henderson will not split the fanbase. 90% of the fans that want Henderson are casual baseball fans that will support anyone MSU hires even if it's Willy Wonka. And if the media turns on us those fans are going to be on MSU's side. Those casual fans are not as invested as the hardcore fans most of whom do not want Henderson.

We need to not care what the media thinks because they don't have our best interests at heart.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

There's people coming out of the woodwork for this thread

[Todd4State]

This is what I fear is going to happen and part of why I think big name head coaches don?t want the job. I have a bad feeling that it will be between Henderson and an up and coming assistant coach. The expectations of this job are intense, and the post season run made it even more so. I would consider anything less than Omaha next year a disappointment.

If that is the case we need to hire an up and comer. With the expectations come a lot of resources and salary that those coaches wouldn't be able to get elsewhere too.

[The Federalist Engineer]

I dont envy John. If it's not Henderson, and I dont think it should be, he will get slaughtered by the media and half of our fans. If it's a hire that isnt considered a Grand Slam, he is going to get slaughtered. The decision should be based on our long term interest, not an emotional response to a great 3 week run. There are a handful of HR hires out there. Bring us one home. In Cohen I trust.

What media is going to slaughter him? The CL that is Pravda to MSU fans? Housewives on twitter? D1 baseball dorks like Kendall Rodgers?

Henderson had a good run, he was hired to coach pitchers and assist Cohen and then later Andy Cannizzaro. He resigned his previous post and said the lifestyle was too much. That resignation was at a basketball school with no actual fans or season ticket holders. No way he is our next coach, unless he is the best candidate that is actually interested. That would suck tho.

This the MSU job after all. It's not like he took USM, Tennessee, or Bama to #4 in Omaha. We were ranked in the top-15 to start the year. We had a few AA contenders to start the year. If Mainieri were to die of a heart attack in early April next year and the interim took LSU to the CWS, that's not a miracle.

[Todd4State]

What media is going to slaughter him? The CL that is Pravda to MSU fans? Housewives on twitter? D1 baseball dorks like Kendall Rodgers?

Henderson had a good run, he was hired to coach pitchers and assist Cohen and then later Andy Cannizzaro. He resigned his previous post and said the lifestyle was too much. That resignation was at a basketball school with no actual fans or season ticket holders. No way he is our next coach, unless he is the best candidate that is actually interested. That would suck tho.

This the MSU job after all. It's not like he took USM, Tennessee, or Bama to #4 in Omaha. We were ranked in the top-15 to start the year. We had a few AA contenders to start the year. If Mainieri were to die of a heart attack in early April next year and the interim took LSU to the CWS, that's not a miracle.

Rep given.

[Todd4State]

I also kind of question why Henderson all of a sudden wants the job now? Probably to pad his nest egg. I doubt he has the motivation to stay with us long term.

[Dawg61]

I also kind of question why Henderson all of a sudden wants the job now? Probably to pad his nest egg. I doubt he has the motivation to stay with us long term.

He probably just had the most fun for the last month than his whole baseball life combined. I don't question why he wants the job now. Would you want to give up this job knowing Mangum, Small, McNamee and the freshman were coming back? I seriously doubt him wanting the job has anything to do with padding his nest egg. He just won 2 COY awards.

[MarketingBully]

He probably just had the most fun for the last month than his whole baseball life combined. I don't question why he wants the job now. Would you want to give up this job knowing Mangum, Small, McNamee and the freshman were coming back? I seriously doubt him wanting the job has anything to do with padding his nest egg. He just won 2 COY awards.

If we were to hire Henderson, we have to hire an elite pitching coach and have better support staff such as actually have a paid coach at first and not players coaching first. Also I?d like to see better discipline on the base paths, more hit and runs, and more stolen bases. We had a lot of speed that we didn?t take advantage of nor did we put more pressure on the other team. I also think if we do hire Henderson we will have some transfers like Jordan Anderson and a couple of others. I don?t think he?s the answer and I will be very disappointed if he gets the job. This has Polk III written all over it. Hopefully Cohen won?t fall for the LT allure here.

[Pit Bull]

The best thing for the program is the guy who took over us in the toughest spot in baseball history and lead us to Omaha and deep into Omaha. Nobody worth having will come here if this isn't good enough.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, I suggested this over a month ago. If Henderson takes us a long way into the playoffs, it will be difficult not to offer him the job....and if not....it will turn off most of the decent coaches that might have considered it in the first place. Most of the coaching fraternity knows Gary and he is well liked. I think we've already started to see some questioning of this already from coaches and pundits. John may have to go the unenviable route of selecting an up and coming assistant like Canny if not Henderson. And to be honest, we'll never know if Canny was the answer or not......he seem to recruit well, but we just never saw enough of him to really know if he could handle the job. I think it will all work out in the end as the program is much bigger than any one coach. Speaking of big, Fullerton's Vanderhook is a pretty dang good coach. I imagine he could do a lot better with the resources we have than what he has to work with out there. Just a thought.

[Dawg2003]

If that is the case we need to hire an up and comer. With the expectations come a lot of resources and salary that those coaches wouldn't be able to get elsewhere too.

That’s what I would favor, but how do you sell it to the players? How do you sell that you are getting rid of the staff these kids have been with? It’s a bad place to be.

[Dawg2003]

I also kind of question why Henderson all of a sudden wants the job now? Probably to pad his nest egg. I doubt he has the motivation to stay with us long term.

Yeah, this also gives me pause. I wonder if he wants a second chance to prove he can be a head coach. I also don?t think you are destined to be a terrible head coach because you were average at one place. Maybe he learned some things. Perhaps the safest route would be to hire him and give him a short leash. If he underperforms, he?s gone. And for effs sake, please put out money for a pitching coach. The pitching situation is untenable and bad for my mental health.

[msstate7]

Given the choice, I choose someone other than Henderson. With that said, if you're a state fan you should support whoever is hired. Don't let pride get in the way of your support of your university.

[msstate7]

I also kind of question why Henderson all of a sudden wants the job now? Probably to pad his nest egg. I doubt he has the motivation to stay with us long term.

Jeez dude. He wants it bc it's a great job. If Henderson were just trying to get a paycheck, this team would've packed it in at 14-15 (2-7)... maybe earlier.

[MarketingBully]

Given the choice, I choose someone other than Henderson. With that said, if you're a state fan you should support whoever is hired. Don't let pride get in the way of your support of your university.

Sure I’ll support whoever is hired but Gary Henderson has Polk III written all over it.

[MSUMatt]

We have had a a romantic season. However, to romanticize it and hire a coach at the same time is a mistake. Gary is not the guy long term. He is a good coach but I think we can do better than good. Compensate him and the staff for what they did this year. Go find a head coach if you don?t already have one.

[Todd4State]

That’s what I would favor, but how do you sell it to the players? How do you sell that you are getting rid of the staff these kids have been with? It’s a bad place to be.

The players have been through three head coaches, two pitching coaches and three hitting coaches. Their job is to play for whoever the coach is. Just like my boss and supervisor changes from time to time. Cohen will sell them on how great the new coach is.

[Todd4State]

Jeez dude. He wants it bc it's a great job. If Henderson were just trying to get a paycheck, this team would've packed it in at 14-15 (2-7)... maybe earlier.

I'm just concerned about his quote about being burned out and how baseball is an around the clock job. If I had an opportunity near the end of retirement to make a million dollars or so a year I'd probably do it too- but to be honest if I as near burnout I probably wouldn't do that great of a job.

[MetEdDawg]

Here's what we have to at least all agree on. This has got to be one of the more unique situations ever in a head coaching search. HC is gone after week one of the season. That never happens. But then your pitching coach/interim head coach takes you to the Final Four in your sport.

When the hell has that ever happened? In addition to that, this interim coach has had prior HC experience in the same conference and had very mixed results at a not great program. And he's up there in age relatively speaking. Add in the fact this is a Top 10 job with the best stadium in the country almost completed.

There's no book on hiring a coach for this situation. We all need to make sure we understand that there's a case to made for virtually any type of candidate including Henderson. If you can't see why he's a possibility you don't understand the gravity of what he just did. This is not a good situation for Cohen. Important thing is that no matter who it is, we HAVE to support them going forward.

[Todd4State]

Yeah, this also gives me pause. I wonder if he wants a second chance to prove he can be a head coach. I also don?t think you are destined to be a terrible head coach because you were average at one place. Maybe he learned some things. Perhaps the safest route would be to hire him and give him a short leash. If he underperforms, he?s gone. And for effs sake, please put out money for a pitching coach. The pitching situation is untenable and bad for my mental health.

And that's another issue. At Kentucky Henderson didn't have a pitching coach. Not sure how willing he is about giving that up. And his hitting coach was Rick Eckstein- basically a pro hitting coach. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

I think in the long run the PR hit would be worse if we hired him and then fired him because now at this moment we can point to the fact that he is an interim coach.

[msstate7]

I'm just concerned about his quote about being burned out and how baseball is an around the clock job. If I had an opportunity near the end of retirement to make a million dollars or so a year I'd probably do it too- but to be honest if I as near burnout I probably wouldn't do that great of a job.

That's fair. Personally I think the quote was just the type of thing a guy says who just got fired and had no good option on the table to go to

[Todd4State]

Here's what we have to at least all agree on. This has got to be one of the more unique situations ever in a head coaching search. HC is gone after week one of the season. That never happens. But then your pitching coach/interim head coach takes you to the Final Four in your sport.

When the hell has that ever happened? In addition to that, this interim coach has had prior HC experience in the same conference and had very mixed results at a not great program. And he's up there in age relatively speaking. Add in the fact this is a Top 10 job with the best stadium in the country almost completed.

There's no book on hiring a coach for this situation. We all need to make sure we understand that there's a case to made for virtually any type of candidate including Henderson. If you can't see why he's a possibility you don't understand the gravity of what he just did. This is not a good situation for Cohen. Important thing is that no matter who it is, we HAVE to support them going forward.

But if we get Kentucky level Henderson which history suggests we will not to mention we were close to going two and bar-b-que support will naturally decrease.

Cohen can't afford to make a bad hire here. Not with where we are as a program and not with the new stadium and etc. and especially after Cann didn't work out because whether that was Cohen's fault or not- it was a Cohen hire that didn't work out. If he hired Henderson and it doesn't work out with hai known track record and then people will start to question Cohen. Fair or not. That's why I don't think he hires Henderson. Plus his criticism of the team on the radio. If he was about to hire Henderson he probably would have been pumping him up.

[Todd4State]

That's fair. Personally I think the quote was just the type of thing a guy says who just got fired and had no good option on the table to go to

Either way it's not a good look.

[CoachT14]

But if we get Kentucky level Henderson which history suggests we will not to mention we were close to going two and bar-b-que support will naturally decrease.

Cohen can't afford to make a bad hire here. Not with where we are as a program and not with the new stadium and etc. and especially after Cann didn't work out because whether that was Cohen's fault or not- it was a Cohen hire that didn't work out. If he hired Henderson and it doesn't work out with hai known track record and then people will start to question Cohen. Fair or not. That's why I don't think he hires Henderson. Plus his criticism of the team on the radio. If he was about to hire Henderson he probably would have been pumping him up.

As I’ve said in the past, if Cohen hires Gary all of the progress we have made with Cohen since ‘08 is through. Same thing happened at Kentucky with Henderson. Gary took what Cohen built and made it stagnant. He will do the same here and get passed up by the in-state teams, which is exactly what Louisville did.

[Todd4State]

And to add to the above about the players:

The players deserve a coach that is going to develop them and elevate their game and make good decisions in the dugout. I didn't see that from Henderson this year.

[Mutt the Hoople]

LSU hired coach O because it was the only choice they had.
Coach Hendgeron?

[Todd4State]

As I’ve said in the past, if Cohen hires Gary all of the progress we have made with Cohen since ‘08 is through. Same thing happened at Kentucky with Henderson. Gary took what Cohen built and made it stagnant. He will do the same here and get passed up by the in-state teams, which is exactly what Louisville did.

You are exactly right. I've followed baseball for awhile and you always have to stay ahead of the curve to succeed at a championship level. That's why we fell off with Polk II. We were in a sort of similar position in 2001 when we hired Polk II. We didn't make it to Omaha but we won the SEC a Tournament and made a SR with a young team. Polk came in and we declined the next year, hosted a regional when that group was made up of juniors and then declined after that.

[BrunswickDawg]

That's fair. Personally I think the quote was just the type of thing a guy says who just got fired and had no good option on the table to go to

Have you ever spent 15 years at a job where you never got the resources your competitors get, never got the support of your organization as a whole, while producing as good or better results as anyone in the job ever has with less? I have. And it doesn't matter how good you are it burns you out in ways you can't imagine. And you'd be amazed at how just the act of stepping away can rejuvenate you.

And I'm not saying hire Hendo. Just saying unless you've been there, you don't know.

[Mutt the Hoople]

casual baseball fans that will support anyone MSU hires even if it's Willy Wonka.

Everlasting Gobstopper Tuesdays at Dudy Noble? I'M IN!

[CoachT14]

You are exactly right. I've followed baseball for awhile and you always have to stay ahead of the curve to succeed at a championship level. That's why we fell off with Polk II. We were in a sort of similar position in 2001 when we hired Polk II. We didn't make it to Omaha but we won the SEC a Tournament and made a SR with a young team. Polk came in and we declined the next year, hosted a regional when that group was made up of juniors and then declined after that.

Exactly. We don’t need an old retread right now. We either need Schloss or to hire one of the top non-P5 guys. And there are plenty of those that will be way more successful here for 10+ years than Gary Henderson.

[ShotgunDawg]

To add to this, Cohen has get to out of the radio booth.

As a baseball nut, I love his commentary up there & eat it up, but, unless he's 100% positive, it's undermining to the head coach.

When a normal color analyst has a negative view on something in the game, it's not a big deal because that analyst doesn't control the job security of the coach. However, when the AD is disagreeing publically with the coaching staff on the radio, it has the potential to create an extremely toxic situation that devalues our head coaching position.

[Mutt the Hoople]

Sure I?ll support whoever is hired but Gary Henderson has Polk III written all over it.

To be more accurate, it'd be Polk IV...Polk quit on us in 1992, and was talked back into coaching by Lonnie Tinkle. Then he quit on us in 1998, then finally he was pretty much shitcanned by Byrne after floundering in 2008.

[ShotgunDawg]

Exactly. We don’t need an old retread right now. We either need Schloss or to hire one of the top non-P5 guys. And there are plenty of those that will be way more successful here for 10+ years than Gary Henderson.

I'd take Southern Miss' coaching staff 10/10 times ahead of Henderson

[LibraryDawg]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

What was said on the radio Friday? I missed it

[Cooterpoot]

I'd take Southern Miss' coaching staff 10/10 times ahead of Henderson

No you wouldn’t. Trust me. Berry will retire in a few years and USM fans will be happy about it.

[MetEdDawg]

But if we get Kentucky level Henderson which history suggests we will not to mention we were close to going two and bar-b-que support will naturally decrease.

Cohen can't afford to make a bad hire here. Not with where we are as a program and not with the new stadium and etc. and especially after Cann didn't work out because whether that was Cohen's fault or not- it was a Cohen hire that didn't work out. If he hired Henderson and it doesn't work out with hai known track record and then people will start to question Cohen. Fair or not. That's why I don't think he hires Henderson. Plus his criticism of the team on the radio. If he was about to hire Henderson he probably would have been pumping him up.

I just don't think Henderson is that bad. He developed talent at Kentucky. But that program isn't committed to baseball. And I would argue that he was hampered by what Cohen left him (or should I say didn't leave him). Cupboard was bare when he left. And we are comparing Henderson to Cohen's success there. Cohen was the only coach to ever have success there. Maybe Henderson isn't as good as Cohen. Doesn't mean he's bad.

I get some of the in game decision making. But again, he had to do it all this year. It's not easy to manage the college game and have to be in charge of the pitching staff. Most everyone on here gives him shit but would crap their pants having to do the same. Give him a pitching coach that's good and can make suggestions on matchups, moves, etc and I think he would be fine.

I'll also add this. Who was the last unsuccessful HC for us? Our program and culture drives our success. We need organizational structure in the worst way right now and I think that lack of cohesiveness is a bigger threat to us right now than Henderson is.

I'll add that I would prefer a big time hire. But right now with all the turnover and all the craziness, I'll take Henderson over someone who's never been a HC all day. This team is going to be very gun shy pouring themselves into another HC. A guy like Mangum will have had 4 different head coaches. And a lot of these young kids will be asked to buy in to 3 guys in less than one year. That's just something to keep in mind.

[shoeless joe]

Henderson wouldn't be some gosh awful hire that some of you think...he prolly wouldn't be the best either. But I don't think he'd tank the program. Obviously if we went that route some staff decisions would need to be in place for sure.

All that said, I have come to the belief that if he was going to get the job he'd already have had the interim tag removed. I think Cohen has someone and it's not Henderson.

[CoachT14]

You don’t have to hire an upcoming assistant this year. There are plenty of legitimate coaching options for us that are guys who are now head coaches.

[Dawg2003]

You don?t have to hire an upcoming assistant this year. There are plenty of legitimate coaching options for us that are guys who are now head coaches.

I?ve become skeptical of how true this is. I think Cohen talked a big game and put that idea into people?s heads. I could see it being hell to be a baseball coach with Cohen as your AD. He?s the IB for a reason.

[msbulldog]

Henderson had a very magical run but we already would have a new coach if McNamee doesn't hit a 3 run bomb in the b9th vs FSU.

And if we don't sweep Florida, we don't even make the SEC tourney. That's the real reality with Hendo.

[Dawg2003]

And that's another issue. At Kentucky Henderson didn't have a pitching coach. Not sure how willing he is about giving that up. And his hitting coach was Rick Eckstein- basically a pro hitting coach. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

I think in the long run the PR hit would be worse if we hired him and then fired him because now at this moment we can point to the fact that he is an interim coach.

We need a fresh pitching coach. It?s not even remotely acceptable for Hendo to be the pitching coach if he?s the head coach. Cohen better lay down the law if he hires Hendo.

[msstate7]

And if we don't sweep Florida, we don't even make the SEC tourney. That's the real reality with Hendo.

So Henderson got his team to respond?

[maroonmania]

You are exactly right. I've followed baseball for awhile and you always have to stay ahead of the curve to succeed at a championship level. That's why we fell off with Polk II. We were in a sort of similar position in 2001 when we hired Polk II. We didn't make it to Omaha but we won the SEC a Tournament and made a SR with a young team. Polk came in and we declined the next year, hosted a regional when that group was made up of juniors and then declined after that.

Yep, and people forget that even though we malign the Polk II era, it still got us to Omaha. Just another reason to suggest that getting a team to the CWS still doesn't mean you are necessarily the right head coach for the long haul. I'm thinking though at this time that if Cohen already had his guy prior to the CWS run then that will stick, but if Cohen is still trying to get someone the candidates may very well back away because of not wanting to follow what Henderson just did and Cohen will hire Hendo pretty much by default.

[msstate7]

We need a fresh pitching coach. It?s not even remotely acceptable for Hendo to be the pitching coach if he?s the head coach. Cohen better lay down the law if he hires Hendo.

Is it acceptable for Moorhead to be the OC for the football team?

[CoachT14]

I?ve become skeptical of how true this is. I think Cohen talked a big game and put that idea into people?s heads. I could see it being hell to be a baseball coach with Cohen as your AD. He?s the IB for a reason.

I’m not even talking about the Schloss’, Corbin’s, McDonnell’s. I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again.

Dan Heefner at DBU, Greg Lovelady at UCF, Todd Whitting at Houston, and several others are better options than Henderson or Up-and-coming assistants.

[Dawg2003]

And if we don't sweep Florida, we don't even make the SEC tourney. That's the real reality with Hendo.

Playing devil’s advocate, but what if Hendo coached them to that sweep? Actually, we owe Kevin O’Sullivan for not starting their ace, but, still, they capitalized on what they could. They straight up abused FL’s bullpen.

[msbulldog]

Here's what we have to at least all agree on. This has got to be one of the more unique situations ever in a head coaching search. HC is gone after week one of the season. That never happens. But then your pitching coach/interim head coach takes you to the Final Four in your sport.

When the hell has that ever happened? In addition to that, this interim coach has had prior HC experience in the same conference and had very mixed results at a not great program. And he's up there in age relatively speaking. Add in the fact this is a Top 10 job with the best stadium in the country almost completed.

There's no book on hiring a coach for this situation. We all need to make sure we understand that there's a case to made for virtually any type of candidate including Henderson. If you can't see why he's a possibility you don't understand the gravity of what he just did. This is not a good situation for Cohen. Important thing is that no matter who it is, we HAVE to support them going forward.

Great Post! +1

[msbulldog]

I'd take Southern Miss' coaching staff 10/10 times ahead of Henderson

No, Berry looks like an ex-con.

[msbulldog]

So Henderson got his team to respond?

Hendo's decisions put us in that position, someone posted earlier his decisions cost us 8 or 9 games.

[msbulldog]

Is it acceptable for Moorhead to be the OC for the football team?

Well it was for Mullen for 8 years.

[Todd4State]

Yep, and people forget that even though we malign the Polk II era, it still got us to Omaha. Just another reason to suggest that getting a team to the CWS still doesn't mean you are necessarily the right head coach for the long haul. I'm thinking though at this time that if Cohen already had his guy prior to the CWS run then that will stick, but if Cohen is still trying to get someone the candidates may very well back away because of not wanting to follow what Henderson just did and Cohen will hire Hendo pretty much by default.

But what could we be with an elite coaching staff? I think Cohen understands this.

[tcdog70]

Damn what a soap opera. If we keep Henderson we will be fine, If we hire a big name , we will be fine. I will support the Coach JC picks. Henderson has proved he can get His players to buy into his plan. sure, he was less than stellar at KY, but we aren't KY. Any Coach worth a shit should be able to win big at MSU. The Key is the Players, get some damn good ones, put them on the diamond and let them play. Can Henderson recruit? That is the question.

[msstate7]

Hendo's decisions put us in that position, someone posted earlier hi decisions os us 8 or 9 games.

I'm just at the point where I wish our fanbase had more class about this. Henderson will most likely not get the job, but our fans feel the need to run him in the ground after this great run. Pretty childish really

[CoachT14]

I'm just at the point where I wish our fanbase had more class about this. Henderson will most likely not get the job, but our fans feel the need to run him in the ground after this great run. Pretty childish really

I thinks more the fact that we have a portion of the fanbase spouting that Henderson should be the guy no questions asked (which is absurd) and the folks running him into the ground are just a reaction to it. No one would feel the need to do that if so many fans weren't caught in the moment thinking Henderson should be the guy based off of 5 weeks of a season.

[msbulldog]

I'm just at the point where I wish our fanbase had more class about this. Henderson will most likely not get the job, but our fans feel the need to run him in the ground after this great run. Pretty childish really

I am sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to run Gary in the ground, I am just stating the facts. I really like Gary and hope there is some way we can keep him at MSU in some capacity. I am forever thankful for what he did this season, I just don't think he is the best choice for our program going forward.

[BB30]

No way we hire Henderson. We?d be doing it again in 2 years. He wasted a CWS trip.

How did he waste a cws trip? Oregon State was just that much more talented than us. The team has 6 first rounders (talent wise) and probably another 4-5 that will be top 2-10 rounds. We had one kid selected in the 3rd round and a couple other draft guys.

They are stupid good. We just ran into a buzz saw. Nothing he could have done would have changed the outcome.

[msstate7]

I thinks more the fact that we have a portion of the fanbase spouting that Henderson should be the guy no questions asked (which is absurd) and the folks running him into the ground are just a reaction to it. No one would feel the need to do that if so many fans weren't caught in the moment thinking Henderson should be the guy based off of 5 weeks of a season.

I can't remember but maybe 2 or 3 posts here the last few days wanting Henderson to be hired. Those few have been countered with 54,675 saying how terrible Henderson is. I think we can do better than Henderson; but unlike the loud majority/minority (who knows?), I don't feel the need to constantly run the man in the ground.

[shoeless joe]

I thinks more the fact that we have a portion of the fanbase spouting that Henderson should be the guy no questions asked (which is absurd) and the folks running him into the ground are just a reaction to it. No one would feel the need to do that if so many fans weren't caught in the moment thinking Henderson should be the guy based off of 5 weeks of a season.

Wrong. He's been gettin run into the ground by the little league coaches all year

[CoachT14]

I can't remember but maybe 2 or 3 posts here the last few days wanting Henderson to be hired. Those few have been countered with 54,675 saying how terrible Henderson is. I think we can do better than Henderson; but unlike the loud majority/minority (who knows?), I don't feel the need to constantly run the man in the ground.

I don't either. I'm extremely thankful for what he's done this season, I think he was the perfect guy to hold this team together for this season. But moving forward he isn't, there's too much at stake and his track record shows he won't be successful long term here.

[Cooterpoot]

How did he waste a cws trip? Oregon State was just that much more talented than us. The team has 6 first rounders (talent wise) and probably another 4-5 that will be top 2-10 rounds. We had one kid selected in the 3rd round and a couple other draft guys.

They are stupid good. We just ran into a buzz saw. Nothing he could have done would have changed the outcome.

We gave up 5 runs with 2 outs because he refused to change pitchers just like on Friday. Guess what? That’s all they scored after we made the change. He saved his pen on Friday for absolutely nothing.

[shoeless joe]

How did he waste a cws trip? Oregon State was just that much more talented than us. The team has 6 first rounders (talent wise) and probably another 4-5 that will be top 2-10 rounds. We had one kid selected in the 3rd round and a couple other draft guys.

They are stupid good. We just ran into a buzz saw. Nothing he could have done would have changed the outcome.

This is exactly correct. In fact Casey and their pitching coach are the ones that should prolly be catchin some flack for this year and last...and not just for keeping the heimlich kid on the team.

[Liverpooldawg]

Hiring someone other than Henderson will not split the fanbase. 90% of the fans that want Henderson are casual baseball fans that will support anyone MSU hires even if it's Willy Wonka. And if the media turns on us those fans are going to be on MSU's side. Those casual fans are not as invested as the hardcore fans most of whom do not want Henderson.

We need to not care what the media thinks because they don't have our best interests at heart.
The only people threatening to split the fan base are the ones that don't want Henderson. It's like give me my way or I'll throw a tantrum and go home. It's unreal. I personally think Henderson earned a shot. It's hard to overstate how difficult a situation he took over. It wasn't just the three week tournament run. It was the whole season's progression. Most of this team is coming back. I have yet to run into a non-internet MSU person that doesn't think we should at least offer it to Henderson. I'm sure they are out there. What the media thinks matters. They lead opinions.



That being said I don't think it will be him. If it was we would have already done it I think. I'll be behind whoever. I would hope you anti-Henderson zealots will do the same if I'm wrong.

[shoeless joe]

We gave up 5 runs with 2 outs because he refused to change pitchers just like on Friday. Guess what? That’s all they scored after we made the change. He saved his pen on Friday for absolutely nothing.

The only big blow was the homer. Otherwise they score 2. The homer was left on left and that's why he stayed in the game. And he ended up throwin a couple more good innings. I had no problem with small throwing to the kid that hit the homer. To me the pitch of that whole inning was the elevated fastball that started the 2 out rally. That was a classic case of relaxing with 2 out none on and not executing a pitch. Of all the missteps Hendo can get blamed for how he handled in game pitchers during the CWS isn't one of them IMO.

[BB30]

I don’t theink the elephant in the room has been discussed. If it’s not Henderson who do you go get that’s better. Our top three candidates publically said they are staying at their schools. If we don’t hire Henderson and then go get some mid major coach the entire fan base will be against the hire not just a fraction.

I am all for it not being Henderson if we have a truly elite coach lined up. If not, it should be Henderson even if we have to revisit this again in 2-3 years. Let the negativity die down and try to land an elite coach again. Either that or offer what ever it will take to Land a big time coach now and don’t take no for an answer.

[msbulldog]

I will be for whoever is hired, because they will be MSU! Hail State!

[sleepy dawg]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

You are the worst poster on this site.

[Dawg2003]

I don?t theink the elephant in the room has been discussed. If it?s not Henderson who do you go get that?s better. Our top three candidates publically said they are staying at their schools. If we don?t hire Henderson and then go get some mid major coach the entire fan base will be against the hire not just a fraction.

I am all for it not being Henderson if we have a truly elite coach lined up. If not, it should be Henderson even if we have to revisit this again in 2-3 years. Let the negativity die down and try to land an elite coach again. Either that or offer what ever it will take to Land a big time coach now and don?t take no for an answer.

Bingo. That?s on Cohen. He put the idea in people?s heads that we could get a sitting head coach on the elite level. I love Cohen, but he shouldn?t have said that. At the end of all of this, he may be thanking Henderson for giving him cover for not being able to get an elite head coach.

[msstate7]

Bingo. That?s on Cohen. He put the idea in people?s heads that we could get a sitting head coach on the elite level. I love Cohen, but he shouldn?t have said that. At the end of all of this, he may be thanking Henderson for giving him cover for not being able to get an elite head coach.

Yeah, Cohen ran his mouth when silence was the better option. Essentially, Cohen sold us a dream that the vast majority of our fan base never even considered a possibility

[bobcat91]

Yeah, Cohen ran his mouth when silence was the better option. Essentially, Cohen sold us a dream that the vast majority of our fan base never even considered a possibility

Well let's see who the hire is before we run John down. Secondly, I dont think the folks who want someone other than Henderson are trashing him. We are passionate about the team and think we can do better. I respect Coach Henderson, but dont think he is the right person for the long run.

[msstate7]

Well let's see who the hire is before we run John down. Secondly, I dont think the folks who want someone other than Henderson are trashing him. We are passionate about the team and think we can do better. I respect Coach Henderson, but dont think he is the right person for the long run.

Maybe schloss and McDonnell publically pulled their names bc you know like they aren't coming.

[maroonmania]

I don?t theink the elephant in the room has been discussed. If it?s not Henderson who do you go get that?s better. Our top three candidates publically said they are staying at their schools. If we don?t hire Henderson and then go get some mid major coach the entire fan base will be against the hire not just a fraction.

I am all for it not being Henderson if we have a truly elite coach lined up. If not, it should be Henderson even if we have to revisit this again in 2-3 years. Let the negativity die down and try to land an elite coach again. Either that or offer what ever it will take to Land a big time coach now and don?t take no for an answer.

Exactly, who do we get? My first question when asked if I want Henderson is well, who is the alternative? If we get some unproven assistant then there is just as much risk to that as there is giving Hendo the full time gig. GH is not my first choice by any means but if we don't hire him I want someone that is no doubt better on paper at least.

[BB30]

Exactly, who do we get? My first question when asked if I want Henderson is well, who is the alternative? If we get some unproven assistant then there is just as much risk to that as there is giving Hendo the full time gig. GH is not my first choice by any means but if we don't hire him I want someone that is no doubt better on paper at least.

Yep, many are acting as though we are going to go out and land Joe maddon . That is now a pipe dream. We struck out on the majority of the top coaches on our list or at least it looks that way. It seems Cohen may have botched this one. Could be wrong and if he goes and gets a proven winner that was in our top 5 from the get go then I don't think there will be a person in our fanbase complaining. If he goes and gets a mid major coach with zero CWS experience a lot of our fans will be extremely upset and rightly so.

He said we were going to get a coach with CWS experience and we have one in our current interim coach. You can think what you want but Henderson played a major role in getting us to where we got(there are very few coaches that could pull of what he did). It isn't all about in game coaching decisions and many coaches make poor in game decisions from time to time. It is always easier looking at it in hindsight. It's also not like this team was just loaded down with first round talent everywhere and he just had to plug and play. This team overall wasn't a CWS final 3 type talent he had a major hand in what we accomplished. One of the hardest things to do in sports especially baseball is turn around a sinking ship which is exactly what we were and he did that both on and off the field.

We gave him hell for bringing Gordon in a month ago and now look. Kid turned out to be one of our best relievers. Myself included was calling him crazy for continuing to go with him. Maybe just maybe he knew what Cole could do and was giving him the opportunities to do that and it clicked due to getting those tough innings early. Shows he might know more about his team then we as fans do.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Cohen should be fired and run out of Starkville. He slaughtered Henderson and our team on the radio last night and that should be enough to march him out.

This is some elite dawgs hall of shame material right here. Cohen was right to bash the stupid ass defensive shifts and he was right to bash Skeltons lazy ass.

Grow a set

[I seen it dawg]

If we hire Henderson we are ****ed. Like happy to be an average program ****ed. Please don't hire this guy we will become Kentucky. Lotsa noise with no substance.

[BuckyIsAB****]

The only people threatening to split the fan base are the ones that don't want Henderson. It's like give me my way or I'll throw a tantrum and go home. It's unreal. I personally think Henderson earned a shot. It's hard to overstate how difficult a situation he took over. It wasn't just the three week tournament run. It was the whole season's progression. Most of this team is coming back. I have yet to run into a non-internet MSU person that doesn't think we should at least offer it to Henderson. I'm sure they are out there. What the media thinks matters. They lead opinions.



That being said I don't think it will be him. If it was we would have already done it I think. I'll be behind whoever. I would hope you anti-Henderson zealots will do the same if I'm wrong.

This just proves the point that only the casual MSU fans want Henderson. Not trying to bash you here but you have even said you dont follow baseball closely.

This was the greatest stretch in Gary Hendersons baseball coaching career and he ended it, say what you want, totally wasting a friday game to get in to the CWS finals.

Its going to be Schlossnagle

[Liverpooldawg]

This just proves the point that only the casual MSU fans want Henderson. Not trying to bash you here but you have even said you dont follow baseball closely.

This was the greatest stretch in Gary Hendersons baseball coaching career and he ended it, say what you want, totally wasting a friday game to get in to the CWS finals.

Its going to be Schlossnagle

Some of the non-internet folks I'm talking about are far from casual fans. I don't have a clue but my hunch is it's not Henderson.

[Tbonewannabe]

And if we don't sweep Florida, we don't even make the SEC tourney. That's the real reality with Hendo.

We also benefited from UF taking their foot off the gas.

[Tbonewannabe]

This just proves the point that only the casual MSU fans want Henderson. Not trying to bash you here but you have even said you dont follow baseball closely.

This was the greatest stretch in Gary Hendersons baseball coaching career and he ended it, say what you want, totally wasting a friday game to get in to the CWS finals.

Its going to be Schlossnagle

If it really is Schloss then you make that hire 100% of the time.

[bigplayslay]

The best thing for the program is the guy who took over us in the toughest spot in baseball history and lead us to Omaha and deep into Omaha. Nobody worth having will come here if this isn't good enough.
If Henderson gets hired he better give Macnamee at least a quarter of his salary.

[preachermatt83]

This just proves the point that only the casual MSU fans want Henderson. Not trying to bash you here but you have even said you dont follow baseball closely.

This was the greatest stretch in Gary Hendersons baseball coaching career and he ended it, say what you want, totally wasting a friday game to get in to the CWS finals.

Its going to be Schlossnagle

Just curious what makes you so confident of this? I would like to think it?s him to but I have no reason other than just my own personal opinion.

[confucius say]

Is it acceptable for Moorhead to be the OC for the football team?

If he is what he appears to be (young, energetic, innovative, attacking) then yes. Hindu is not. Hindu's greatest asset as a head coach would be his demeanor and maturity.

I do believe Hindu can be a big winner here if he keeps JG and adds a dynamic pitching guy who is a great recruiter.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Just curious what makes you so confident of this? I would like to think it?s him to but I have no reason other than just my own personal opinion.

Where theres smoke, theres fire. And I may turn out to be wrong, wont be the first or the last time. But he has made it known that he wants the job in Omaha.

Regardless of what was said a while back.

[CoachT14]

Exactly, who do we get? My first question when asked if I want Henderson is well, who is the alternative? If we get some unproven assistant then there is just as much risk to that as there is giving Hendo the full time gig. GH is not my first choice by any means but if we don't hire him I want someone that is no doubt better on paper at least.

For the umpteenth time in this thread. If Schloss falls through, there are plenty of way better candidates than Henderson that have been way more successful at smaller schools (worse programs than Kentucky) as head coaches. Dan Heefner, Matt Riser, Todd Whitting, Link Jarrett, Greg Lovelady are all coaches that would win big here and are way better than Henderson.

[Goldendawg]

The Cohen interview regarding the type coach State would hire and Henderson helping turn the team around along with his COY awards sets this up for a lot of opinions, threads, posts, and media know it all's/backlash no matter who is hired.

[sleepy dawg]

The Cohen interview regarding the type coach State would hire and Henderson helping turn the team around along with his COY awards sets this up for a lot of opinions, threads, posts, and media know it all's/backlash no matter who is hired.

It's true. There isn't potential for a fracture among the fan base. There will absolutely be a fracture among the fan base. There's no way around it now.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

If it turns out to be Henderson.

I?m torn. What is best for the program, going forward?

More than a tear if Henderson is hired. I would say the majority are smart enough to see what we need longterm

[Goldendawg]

More than a tear if Henderson is hired. I would say the majority are smart enough to see what we need longterm

Hardcore, dedicated MSU baseball fans, yes. True maroon fans who don't even know SPS, Elite Dawgs, etc, exists and kept up with little baseball until the Henderson led team made the WS run and he got two COY national awards, no. We have little choice but to trust the ones who will make the coaching hire and get behind it. I have heard many State fans, friends and relatives who think Coach Henderson earned it. We will see. Hail State!