At the earliest

[fryeguy93]

We will not hear anything about Raleigh's job until June 1 or 2 due to SEC Tournament, NCAA bid announcement and Memorial Day Holiday.

I would hope that Mike would listen to the fans' anger but I think he will listen to the fans' silence more.

Attendance, despite millions of renovations sucks. It will only be worse next season without significant changes.

A new coach (especially one with a track record of success and a good presser) will be given the benefit of a doubt.

In the winter, CTR can not do what he has done the last two seasons and claim inevitable success. The fans will laugh at him.

8th Place is NOT good enough. In the unfortunate event that Todd returns, he must finish in the top half of the conference. That infers that Vols need to be ranked by the end of the year.

There must be no dugout drama!

[STEELERVOL14]

Originally Posted by fryeguy93

We will not hear anything about Raleigh's job until June 1 or 2 due to SEC Tournament, NCAA bid announcement and Memorial Day Holiday.

I would hope that Mike would listen to the fans' anger but I think he will listen to the fans' silence more.

Attendance, despite millions of renovations sucks. It will only be worse next season without significant changes.

A new coach (especially one with a track record of success and a good presser) will be given the benefit of a doubt.

In the winter, CTR can not do what he has done the last two seasons and claim inevitable success. The fans will laugh at him.

8th Place is NOT good enough. In the unfortunate event that Todd returns, he must finish in the top half of the conference. That infers that Vols need to be ranked by the end of the year.

There must be no dugout drama!

Jimmy Himes reported on 104.5 in Nashville that M.H. said Raleigh will be back next year no matter what. I think they both should be gone. IMO-GBO

[Domestic Silence]

I wish Jimmy Hyams and Raleigh would both be gone...

[VolsSportsFan]

Sadly I'm pretty sure he'll be back, which means you can already pretty much write off next season. Fan support will be rock bottom, and by th end of the season home games will be lucky to have 500 fans show up.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

[Yankee_Vol]

He hasn't done anything for the program.....he needs to go....along with his buddy MH

[volwarrior33]

Word on the street is that Big Jim is saying he is gone.

I am hearing we might get Rick Honeycutt or atleast that there is some mutual interest.

This is just what I have heard over the weekend.

Per a poster on TOS.

[Vols4life]

MH hinted earlier in the season that raleigh would be gone if baseball didn't step it up...then baseball starting winning only to falter....my guess TR is gone

[gvillvol]

Originally Posted by volwarrior33

Per a poster on TOS.

Rick Honeycutt would be an awesome coach!! That would be good news!!

[fryeguy93]

Originally Posted by gvillvol

Rick Honeycutt would be an awesome coach!! That would be good news!!

I like Rick personally. He is an alumnus who always participated in alumni events and fundraisers.

HOWEVER, he is woefully unqualified to be a college baseball coach in the current environment.

His only qualification, other than being likable, is that he played college baseball when the sport and its administration was VERY different than it is today.

Mark Conner was slightly more qualified than Honeycutt with only pro experience. Look how that turned out.

Todd Raleigh was and is more qualified than Honeycutt, Phil Garner and Alan Cockrell.

I'm sorry to say that but it's true with ZERO doubts.

I appreciate how Vol Fans love their former players but hiring them just based on that is a disaster waiting to happen.

If we hire Cockrell, Garner or Honeycutt tomorrow, I would feel worse (without doubt) than when we hire the current bozo.

You guys that suggest these names have no idea how difficult it is is to coach college baseball. It is (without a doubt) the hardest collegiate sport to manage.

Scholarship restrictions.
JUCO transfers
Gametime interfering with classtime.
APRs
Weather
recruiting
Interfering helicopter parents
scheduling
travel
3 year and often 2-year draftees
draft of high school and juco recruits
limited practice time
fundraising

All before you even consider managing a game.

You can't just drop a pro coach into that situation and expect him to succeed.

Todd Raleigh couldn't handle it and he's been coaching college ball for 12 years.

I'm sorry and you will hate me for saying all this but there is nothing but truth in what I write.

Tennessee MUST hire a proven college coach or assistant at a Top-5 program. and the fans have to stop living in the "Alumni Dream World"

[VolsSportsFan]

Amen frye

[gvillvol]

Originally Posted by fryeguy93

I like Rick personally. He is an alumnus who always participated in alumni events and fundraisers.

HOWEVER, he is woefully unqualified to be a college baseball coach in the current environment.

His only qualification, other than being likable, is that he played college baseball when the sport and its administration was VERY different than it is today.

Mark Conner was slightly more qualified than Honeycutt with only pro experience. Look how that turned out.

Todd Raleigh was and is more qualified than Honeycutt, Phil Garner and Alan Cockrell.

I'm sorry to say that but it's true with ZERO doubts.

I appreciate how Vol Fans love their former players but hiring them just based on that is a disaster waiting to happen.

If we hire Cockrell, Garner or Honeycutt tomorrow, I would feel worse (without doubt) than when we hire the current bozo.

You guys that suggest these names have no idea how difficult it is is to coach college baseball. It is (without a doubt) the hardest collegiate sport to manage.

Scholarship restrictions.
JUCO transfers
Gametime interfering with classtime.
APRs
Weather
recruiting
Interfering helicopter parents
scheduling
travel
3 year and often 2-year draftees
draft of high school and juco recruits
limited practice time
fundraising

All before you even consider managing a game.

You can't just drop a pro coach into that situation and expect him to succeed.

Todd Raleigh couldn't handle it and he's been coaching college ball for 12 years.

I'm sorry and you will hate me for saying all this but there is nothing but truth in what I write.

Tennessee MUST hire a proven college coach or assistant at a Top-5 program. and the fans have to stop living in the "Alumni Dream World"

No hate here...maybe we are just wanting CTR gone so bad that anyone looks good. You might be right about Honeycutt not being the right guy but I disagree that Raleigh is more qualified. CTR is a psycho...he can't motivate and he doesn't have the respect of his players. He hires asst. coaches that will just do what he says--not ones that actually know what they are doing. If Honeycutt, or any other candidate, was smart enough to put together a group of qualified coaches, and he was able to motivate and improve his players, he could develop a winning program. Just my opinion...

[bowlinggreenvol]

I agree with Frye on finding a proven head coach or an assistant coach from a high level program. Although I agree a coach from a top 5 program would be great it would never happen. We're not even a top 5 job in our own conference. Before the CTR hire I made the case for two relatively unknown coaches: Kevin O'Sullivan from Clemson and John Pawslowski from College of Charleston. Low and behold in the same amount of time CTR has had their programs are now 1-2 in the SEC (UF & Auburn). Here's three suggestions that I have based on what I've seen following college baseball pretty extensively.

1) Gary Gilmore Coastal Carolina. Has produced a conisistent winner in his 12 years and taken it to another level the last 5 years. Plays a great OOC schedule every year which is evident by the 12-6 record vs the top 50 RPI this year. Currently #3 in the RPI. What really impresses me is the fact that only 6 of his players are from SC/NC, he has really recruited nationwide and has players from RI, OK, FL and 5 guys from VA (an area we should have a good chance of recruiting based on proximity).

2) Dan McDonnell Louisville. Top 10 program the last 4 years and a probable national seed this year. CWS appearance as recently as 2007. Has a stronghold on Louisville HS players. If he could tap into Ballard & Male in Louisville for us, along with Farragut in Knoxville he could build a great core.

3) Chris Finwood WKU. I'm partial to this one being from Bowling Green and having the opportunity to see his teams the last 3 years while being in grad school. Team has struggled down the stretch this year to finish 8th in the Sun Belt (#5 conference) but this is a team that lost 6 draft picks including the Sun Belt player and pitcher of the year, so it was expected to be a down year. Yet he managed to get and keep this team in the top 25 for half the season, reaching as high as 17. Beat the likes of Baylor, TXAM, UT, Vandy, UK twice, and was competitive with UofL twice, losing by a total of 4 runs. Has made a regional the last two years and came within 1 run of beating Ole Miss in Oxford, to reach the Super Regionals last year. Plus has a 2005 UT grad in Chris Meyers as his pitching coach who tutored last years pitcher of the year and this years probable pitcher of the year. Back to back pitchers of the year speaks volumes to me. Same as McDonnell, Finwood owns Apollo HS out of Owensboro one of the best HS programs in the state and does really well in middle TN. Getting some of those same guys could bode really well for building a foundation.

Just my suggestions feel free to debate.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

[fryeguy93]

Whatever happened to the 6 or so guys who came to these boards defending Raleigh's record of almost success at Western Carolina?

Where did they go?

[tigervol9802]

Originally Posted by bowlinggreenvol

I agree with Frye on finding a proven head coach or an assistant coach from a high level program. Although I agree a coach from a top 5 program would be great it would never happen. We're not even a top 5 job in our own conference. Before the CTR hire I made the case for two relatively unknown coaches: Kevin O'Sullivan from Clemson and John Pawslowski from College of Charleston. Low and behold in the same amount of time CTR has had their programs are now 1-2 in the SEC (UF & Auburn). Here's three suggestions that I have based on what I've seen following college baseball pretty extensively.

1) Gary Gilmore Coastal Carolina. Has produced a conisistent winner in his 12 years and taken it to another level the last 5 years. Plays a great OOC schedule every year which is evident by the 12-6 record vs the top 50 RPI this year. Currently #3 in the RPI. What really impresses me is the fact that only 6 of his players are from SC/NC, he has really recruited nationwide and has players from RI, OK, FL and 5 guys from VA (an area we should have a good chance of recruiting based on proximity).

2) Dan McDonnell Louisville. Top 10 program the last 4 years and a probable national seed this year. CWS appearance as recently as 2007. Has a stronghold on Louisville HS players. If he could tap into Ballard & Male in Louisville for us, along with Farragut in Knoxville he could build a great core.

3) Chris Finwood WKU. I'm partial to this one being from Bowling Green and having the opportunity to see his teams the last 3 years while being in grad school. Team has struggled down the stretch this year to finish 8th in the Sun Belt (#5 conference) but this is a team that lost 6 draft picks including the Sun Belt player and pitcher of the year, so it was expected to be a down year. Yet he managed to get and keep this team in the top 25 for half the season, reaching as high as 17. Beat the likes of Baylor, TXAM, UT, Vandy, UK twice, and was competitive with UofL twice, losing by a total of 4 runs. Has made a regional the last two years and came within 1 run of beating Ole Miss in Oxford, to reach the Super Regionals last year. Plus has a 2005 UT grad in Chris Meyers as his pitching coach who tutored last years pitcher of the year and this years probable pitcher of the year. Back to back pitchers of the year speaks volumes to me. Same as McDonnell, Finwood owns Apollo HS out of Owensboro one of the best HS programs in the state and does really well in middle TN. Getting some of those same guys could bode really well for building a foundation.

Just my suggestions feel free to debate.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Was it Gilmore or Pawslowski that was slightly on the radar in 07? I was in Charleston around the search time and remember reading articles about UT showing interest in one but I forgot which it was....

[VolsSportsFan]

Originally Posted by fryeguy93

Whatever happened to the 6 or so guys who came to these boards defending Raleigh's record of almost success at Western Carolina?

Where did they go?

I remember them; both here at one of TOS. I don't think I've seen them in about 2 years now.