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**ShockTalk** · January 3, 2019, 01:57 PM

shockfan89_ , posted: "That is all well and good, but why wouldn't he have left over the summer? Why wait until semester break? This is not good!!!

We have now had one of the top pitching coaches of all time resign/be fired. Our assistant coach resigned after last season, and now our pitching coach, that was the bright spot of the staff, resigns 6 weeks before our first game of the season?"

I'll comment on the second part first. Are you referring to assistant coach Brian Walker, who should have not been hired in the first place? I'll take Sammy Esposito all day long over Walker. Kemnitz was a sinking ship to start with. Had we hired a younger/less experienced coach, the Kemnitz thing might have work. Instead, we got the "best" experienced coach we could get that would accept Kemnitz over picking his own pitching coach, demand we hire an unexperienced assistant, and cost a pot load of money over a long time.

As to the first part of your post, I completely agree. Both Steele and Esposito knew Butler's status when they came here. The timing for Steele's leaving seems like something other than leaving a "sinking ship". Frankly, if his leaving is his doing and he had no problem with Butler, I feel Steele just pissed on our program and any recruits he influenced to come here. If his motivation and timing for leaving deals with Butler, that our AD's fault. Hopefully, we'll get some sort of answer, but I doubt it.

**XManCometh** · January 3, 2019, 02:42 PM

Smart move by Steele. Better to resign now and latch on with a pro team before spring training then to get fired with the rest of this lame duck staff in May and not have a job the rest of the year.

**Downtown Shocker Brown** · January 3, 2019, 03:24 PM

I dont things are as bad as they are made out to be. Surely this wasnt a surprise, and I have confidence that we will get another well respected coach to take his place. Look at the last two we hired.

**BOBB** · January 3, 2019, 04:18 PM

Originally posted by SHOCKvalue View Post

Besides... when you’ve already found bedrock it’s hard to dig a deeper hole.

ADDB: Hold my beer

**WstateU** · January 3, 2019, 04:36 PM

**SB Shock** · January 3, 2019, 04:37 PM

Or maybe Butler doesn’t want to share any of the glory when WSU makes it back to the CWS this year?

**ShockerFever** · January 3, 2019, 07:51 PM

**ShockerFever** · January 3, 2019, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by Downtown Shocker Brown View Post

I dont things are as bad as they are made out to be. Surely this wasnt a surprise, and I have confidence that we will get another well respected coach to take his place. Look at the last two we hired.

You have GOT to be ****ing kidding me.

**ShockerFever** · January 3, 2019, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by SB Shock View Post

Or maybe Butler doesn’t want to share any of the glory when WSU makes it back to the CWS this year?

Butler couldn't even spell Omaha.

**ShockerFever** · January 3, 2019, 07:58 PM

What a ****ing mess. Complete embarrassing **** show. The timing is absolutely dumb and anybody who thinks "things aren't as bad as they appear" is just trolling at this point. Butler should've been canned 2 years ago but nope, that dumbass fatass contract extension by Mr. Sexton set everything up on a tee. And then you have his minion Mr. Boatright taking over and basically just succumbing to a bump on a log, collecting his $$$. This is why you don't make retarded contract extensions. This is why you should eat your mistakes and not let the entire program go to hell. But now, we've reached that point.

And nobody cares. Nobody absolutely ****ing cares anymore. All the past, tradition, and history of this program, and Darren Boatright doesn't give one ****ing ounce about it.

What an absolute embarrassment.

**tru2thaduce** · January 3, 2019, 08:20 PM

I would bet money that Coach Steele and Butler couldn’t see eye to eye and Steele reached out to Pro baseball contacts and found a new job.I am totally disappointed in the timing and feel bad for the players.On the surface it looks like Steele took a dump on his players with this timing but Butlers track record leaves me thinking it is the smart move.Terrible look for Shocker baseball and Todd Butler.

**Downtown Shocker Brown** · January 4, 2019, 09:16 AM

Originally posted by ShockerFever View Post

What a ****ing mess. Complete embarrassing **** show. The timing is absolutely dumb and anybody who thinks "things aren't as bad as they appear" is just trolling at this point. Butler should've been canned 2 years ago but nope, that dumbass fatass contract extension by Mr. Sexton set everything up on a tee. And then you have his minion Mr. Boatright taking over and basically just succumbing to a bump on a log, collecting his $$$. This is why you don't make retarded contract extensions. This is why you should eat your mistakes and not let the entire program go to hell. But now, we've reached that point.

And nobody cares. Nobody absolutely ****ing cares anymore. All the past, tradition, and history of this program, and Darren Boatright doesn't give one ****ing ounce about it.

What an absolute embarrassment.

That is a lot of stars for someone who doesnt care anymore. We have some pieces on the roster, and will bring in a Pitching coach to work with them. I do think it will benefit the program having Coach Steele gone. Although he did some good things overall, I dont think he was good for the team (see our agreement on MM last night).

I also think this looks bad from the outside looking in losing a coach right now, and if Coach Butler knew he was looking he should have just replaced him. Or maybe they couldnt afford even to replace the PC due to lack of funds in the baseball budget. Who knows.

I think this is step one into rebuilding Shocker Baseball. And hopefully the person they bring in personifies that.

ShockerFever
One favor, dont rip this until we hire the PC. If I am wrong and we get some bum, I will eat crow. Call it a troll job, and say no one cares, but my family and I still spend money to travel to support the program. These kids care. Their parents care. Former players care. Lets see where this goes.

**SHOCKvalue** · January 4, 2019, 02:14 PM

Butler’s never had a contract extension, just a single long-term one he signed when he was hired.

**Shockerman** · January 4, 2019, 02:47 PM

Pretty easy to see the writing on the wall. He rode out his salary until Spring ball kicked up and he got a job offer. Can't blame him though. He has done a good job here and probably felt like Butler was going to get the job done but can now see the light. I don't know what Brent's relationship is like with Butler, but ideally if he could come back as the Pitching coach and take over as interim when Butler gets canned mid season that would be the path of least resistance. If not...what about Mean Gene taking over for Butler half way through so he can have is swan song and proper send off. It would be a neat way to transition to a new regime after Gene's last game as head couch is a sell out at the ECK. Get as many of the past players there as possible and make it a grand send off.

**Kung Wu** · January 4, 2019, 02:53 PM

Maybe he was pushed out so Stephenson could step in as pitching coach?

Announcement

Mike Steele resigns, Mike Pelfrey hired

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