That's too simplistic. There are so many other variables besides money that MAY cause a coach to consider another job. Cast the line and see if there is a nibble. You never know.
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Decision Science: The Power of Doing Nothing
(1) Imagine in 2018 College World Series is over. You don't have an elite coach hired or interested. All you have is a mutt from Indiana interested. In Starkville, you have a coach that just got you to top-4 in Omaha. So you just roll another year. Do nothing but hire the best PC in the nation for Gary Henderson.
(2) In 2019 Gary Henderson takes you to Omaha again. Now you have a young Tennessee coach that is already recruiting better-than-you as an interested candidate but Vitello meets the Cohen family and throws-up. Henderson takes you to the top-4 again. Now you have more than mutts interested.
(3) In 2020, COVID do nothing
(4) Win the NC in 2021 with Gary Henderson, Cohen, his Weird Wife, and their off-putting-personality move to Auburn. Henderson Retires and you hire Vitello that summer.
(5) Omaha in 2022
(6) Omaha in 2023
(7) Win the NC in 2024 and we are now we are bored of winning and are mad that Texas tried to Snag Vitello.
Today, Lemons is fatiguing even the most low self-esteem MSU fans. Just start interviewing agents and get rid of Lemons and Cheese on Monday (3/21/2025) and upgrade Goat or Parker and see what-the-heck happens. You get 21 SEC games to see how they run a program. I bet both are likely better than Lemons and you spend almost no money. Then:
(1) If Goat or Parker spark the team, then we win.
(2) If Goat or Parker don't spark the team, oh well, it's not like Lemons was any better. Nobody is going to miss the "CEO Coach".
If you can get the guy you want in 2025, Rob Vaughn or Wes Johnson, then you hire them. Otherwise keep rolling with Goat or Parker. But I think either one would do just fine. This is a major decision factor, MSU is not getting creamed in these 2025 games. This is the most competitive 1-6 SEC record I have seen (thus far). In all the significant 2025 losses- one hit, one pitch, one inning, and/or one At-Bat made the difference. Just letting a competent Starkville 10th grader coach 3rd Base would be worth 1-run per game.
I'm sitting in the Dugout Club in Athens watching UGA mashing the ball and play mistake free thinking "bring Will and Ammo home"
Unless MSU makes some improvements they may kiss all the fans good bye. Sounds like you can slide into a UGA situation.
I could not. I will become a bitter hater. But I could watch non-MSU sports, college hockey and college ski is a ready substitute for me. Hockey is pure intensity. College Ski is awesome and the scenery is without parallel.
College baseball is very much unlike the other sports. You don't see very many coaches who hop around to get jobs in college baseball. Brian O'Connor was mentioned earlier. He's been at UVA for 20 something odd years. He has turned down numerous opportunities to leave UVA. The shine is off him now, but Dan McDonnell was "the top guy" the last time we had a search, and he turned us along with many others down. There's no chance you get him if you fire Chris Lemonis, but Dan seems to be having similar issues at Louisville. You can forget about getting Tony Vitello, Dave Van Horn, or anyone else like that.
It's very clear that this program needs to be reinvigorated with new energy. We have a damn good recruiting class that will be coming in next year on top of the class we just had. We need a head coach who takes a modern approach to baseball as well when it comes to recruiting, player development, lineup optimization, and pitching optimization.
sound like he needs a baseball expert to point him in the right direction. someone the polar opposite of cohen would be a good start.
Just spent 3 games watching UGA and Auburn sitting with some of their big donors. Their consensus is that Coggin is the next great coach and will be gone after this year or next. Charlie Condon gives him huge praise for helping produce the season he had last year - and I heard that straight from Charlie's Dad (yesterday happened to be Condon Bobblehead day and he threw out the first pitch). Their big transfer Zaborowski (who is hitting .440 with 14 HR) came specifically to work with Coggin.
Watching him for 2 days - I think he's there. People may not want to give it to a first time guy - but he's going to be very good and if it's not us, I think we will wind up regretting it.
Really, I've heard Coggin be bashed on ED plenty over the years.
I'd be OK with hiring Coggin if we look into some more experienced people first and it doesn't work out, but we need to set it up that we pay him a top 10 salary, but with low or not buyout if he sucks and we have to fire him.
I've changed my stance on this the last few weeks/months.
I was totally against hiring a first time HC. But with us having to buy Lemon out and to avoid sinking any more money in a non-revenue sport, just throw $600k at Josh Elander and call it a day.