Frank Anderson Out At OK State?

[Mr. Obvious]

Via numerous Twitter feeds.

[rrshock]

Maybe Krusty will be out too? That would be great.

[1972Shocker]

Maybe Krusty will be out too? That would be great.

That will only happen if Gene decides it is time to step down and turn the reins over to someone else. I don't see WSU buying him out with 2 years remaining on his contract. However, Gene should be getting the message that his contract has not been extended. With only 2 years remaining he is pretty much in "lame duck" status at this point. Unfortunately, I don't see Gene taking the high road and stepping down early. Maybe he will surprise me.

[BAShocker]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OSU/article.aspx?subjectid=93&articleid=20120529_93_0_STILLW23408

Gone.

[SB Shock]

Cowboys coach Frank Anderson was fired Tuesday after his team failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.

So what do you do with a coach who plays in a lesser conference who hasn't made post season play in 3 years? Contract extension?

[Spaulding]

So what do you do with a coach who plays in a lesser conference who hasn't made post season play in 3 years? Contract extension?

Status quo until the old codger has run the once proud program, which he built, completely into the ground by the time his current contract is up. Noone in the AD's office has the cajones to do anything but watch it happen. And, the man himself is too stubborn to accept the fact that it may be time to ride off in to the sunset. Bottom line, two more years of status quo.

[1972Shocker]

At least someone in the AD's office has had the cajones not to just automtically extend a long-term, costly contract that they inherited. Terminating Gene's contract today not only would take cajones but about $1 million. For all we know there may be a transition plan (to Kemnitz) in place although I can't say that is the way I would like to see them go.

Furthermore, you can't totally ignore what Gene has contributed over 35 years. Whether on not he has expended all the goodwill he has built over the years in building the program is debatable, but it is not a slam dunk that he has.

Bottom line though is I agree with @Spaulding: -- two more years of the status quo is what appears to be on the menu.

[Spaulding]

Gene has a $1 million buy out in his contract?

I agree that you can't ignore what Gene has done for this program. If it wasn't for him, the program would be nothing close to what it is today. However, I do not subscribe to the school of thought that one person is bigger than the team, and that includes the coach(es). He should not be able to continue the slide in to abyss without some sort of repercussion. The slide in attendance tells me that I am not the only one who feels this way.

[1972Shocker]

Gene has two years remaining on his contract at somewhere in the $450k - $500k per year range. If you terminate him, unless it is for cause (and losing baseball games is not cause), you have to still honor the terms of his contract unless you can negotiate a smaller buyout, but why would Gene agree to that?

Playing devils advocate, the Shockers record over the last 3 years in which they have missed post-season play is 115-70. Some folks would argue that is not exactly falling into the abyss. Of course, Gene created a monster that he can no longer feed adequately. Some of it his own doing. Some of it beyond his control. Anything less than a making a regional is considered falling into the abyss. Whether his successor will be able to keep the monster fed remains to be seen, but is certainly not guaranteed. We can no longer just cherry pick the best players. The recruiting competition has racheted up significantly from our glory days as has the money and attention many other programs are now willing to put into their programs. More and more parity nowadays. So no doubt the road to Omaha is definitely bumpier than it used to be.

There is no guarantee that Gene's successor will be able to wave a magic wand and return us to the glory days. What are reasonable expectations for WSU in today's college baseball environment? Should the requirements to recruit a minimum number of Kansas kids be adjusted or removed?

That said there is no doubt interest in the program is waning and the program seems to becoming stale. Gene's not dumb, he has to know this. I just don't think he is prepared to walk away from his big paycheck and as long as he is winning 60% of his games he probably figures his legacy will be intact. It just hasn't felt the same since the OU and back episode. That is when it should have ended, but hindisght is 20-20 they say.

It would be interesting to know what this coaching staff is telling recruits about the future stability of this coaching staff and whether or not other coaches are using that against us in the recruiting battles.

Right now it just seems like Gene and his boss are content just to play out the string. If we are lucky things won't get much worse than they are at this point and the new regime (if we get one) won't be digging out of a huge hole.

[ShockTalk]

Furthermore, you can't totally ignore what Gene has contributed over 35 years. Whether on not he has expended all the goodwill he has built over the years in building the program is debatable, but it is not a slam dunk that he has.

Debatable, OK. No way everyone will agree on this issue. However, I think the general attitude toward the program here on SN is also the attitude of other fans as it has represented itself in the form of much fewer butts in the seats and, apparently, in contributions/sponsorship to the program.

If it wasn't for him, the program would be nothing close to what it is today.

I think understand how you meant this, but the program, as it is today, is much like several programs in the Valley as far as the product on the field. So what Gene did in the past did build the facilities, the fandom, and the program's history. Unfortunately, all of those things today cannot even give him an advantage over those several other programs as far as the type of players he puts on the field. Yes, I'm biased, but I generally believe most any Valley coach would be more successful at WSU than where they are now. How good would Gene be at their schools? Several programs are at the same level as WSU now.

Playing devils advocate, the Shockers record over the last 3 years in which they have missed post-season play is 115-70. Some folks would argue that is not exactly falling into the abyss. Of course, Gene created a monster that he can no longer feed adequately.

Over the last four years, Gene has lost the advantages that he built at WSU. We have become just one of the better programs in the Valley in spite of the fine on campus facilities, fandom, and history that those other Valley programs do not have or can point to.

Some of it his own doing. Some of it beyond his control.

Most of it is his doing. BK has still been able to bring in better than average pitchers into the program dispite the lack of offense. If we were bringing in the same caliber of position players as pitchers, we would not be having this discussion.

Anything less than a making a regional is considered falling into the abyss.

Given where we have come from and where we are playing, the Valley, that's probably pretty close to true.

Whether his successor will be able to keep the monster fed remains to be seen, but is certainly not guaranteed.

I believe many would be much more forgiving to his successor, and willing to take that chance, as he would not have Gene's baggage.

The recruiting competition has racheted up significantly from our glory days as has the money and attention many other programs are now willing to put into their programs. More and more parity nowadays.

The question is, why is the parity becoming so apparent in the Valley?

So no doubt the road to Omaha is definitely bumpier than it used to be.

I think everyone is in total agreement with you on that. We have much more pressing concerns than getting back to Omaha and even if those concerns get addressed, getting to Omaha will be a bonus.

There is no guarantee that Gene's successor will be able to wave a magic wand and return us to the glory days. What are reasonable expectations for WSU in today's college baseball environment?

As I stated before, first, it's how we compete within the Valley. Given the on campus facilities, fan support, and, yes, history compared to the other Valley schools, what do you think is reasonable? What I think is reasonable in the Valley gets us back to a regional 2 out of every 3 years minimum.

Should the requirements to recruit a minimum number of Kansas kids be adjusted or removed?

Yes.

That said there is no doubt interest in the program is waning and the program seems to becoming stale. Gene's not dumb, he has to know this. I just don't think he is prepared to walk away from his big paycheck and as long as he is winning 60% of his games he probably figures his legacy will be intact.

Well, he's wrong.

It just hasn't felt the same since the OU and back episode.

Amen to that!

[shox1989]

At least we agree on one thing: That the requirement that 1/3 of the Shockers recruits have to be from Kansas should be removed.

[WSUwatcher]

Gene is too competitive to leave voluntarily; he won't do that until Augie Garrido has retired and been overtaken in the victory column.

He's also far too competitive to accept missing regionals. The notion that he's willing to "play out the string" at the program's current level of success is just silly; unfortunately, the limitations imposed on him in terms of who he has to recruit -- and, equally as important, the limitation he's imposed on himself by refusing to bring in an assistant who's newer, younger, and with different and added recruiting connections, make it tougher for him to reload instead of rebuilding. The question is whether this year's young team was a foundation for success next year. I think it will be, but we shall see.

[Aargh]

I hardly follow WSU baseball any more, but I have some observations (that sounds better than "opinions").

First, the Valley is a lot better than it was 10 - 20 years ago. Some of the teams in the last 3 years would have had no trouble getting into a regional 10 - 20 years ago. I doubt they would have done much in a regional. 2 and 'cue seems about right.

Second, I agree with the OU fiasco being a turning point. I think Gene thought he had done all he could do at WSU. After he got into that mindset, proving that he was right was a natural progression for someone with Gene's (searching for words here) way of looking at the world through his own eyes.

Third, I hate to bring this up, but the Ben Christiansen incident hurt Gene and the program A LOT! When you're trying to be a consistent top-20 program, you can't give any recruit, or any recruit's parents, any possible reason to not want to play for you. Gene gave about every recruit a reason (or excuse) to look past WSU.

While the Christiansen incident is now pretty ancient, I think that led to WSU dropping out of "consistent top-20" status. That closed more recruiting doors.

Now it looks like Gene - and possibly Kemnitz - is just going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. Thomas isn't even going through the motions. Watch the players over the summer and see how many of them hit better when they are NOT being coached by Thomas. When a head coach consistently recruits quick, fast guys for D, those guys are generally smaller. Guys like that can usually bunt for hits. WSU's players can't bunt for sacrifices.

All I know about bunting, I learned from a 25 cent "How to play baseball" book I ordered off a cereal box when I was 8. The book said I should form the thumb and index finger on my right hand (right-handed hitter) into a V, put the bat about an inch from where the thumb and index finger joined, and let the bat slide back into that to deaden the pitch. I played one summer of baseball on a Wichita team in the old Victory league. The pitchers were mostly Big 8, former college, or former minor leaguers. The advice I had read 14 years earlier on a 25 cent cereal box booklet worked.

Bunting isn't that hard. Quick guys - like WSU always recruits, can often beat out sacrifice bunts. I know it's harder to bunt on turf than grass, but with the speed that's always on WSU's lineups, half the team could probably bunt for a base hit if the infield is playing at normal depth. Pardon my rant, but the inability to bunt makes me crazy.

[ABC]

At least we agree on one thing: That the requirement that 1/3 of the Shockers recruits have to be from Kansas should be removed.

Has this ever, ever been really confirmed?

[ShockTalk]

I hate to bring this up, but the Ben Christiansen incident hurt Gene and the program A LOT! When you're trying to be a consistent top-20 program, you can't give any recruit, or any recruit's parents, any possible reason to not want to play for you. Gene gave about every recruit a reason (or excuse) to look past WSU.

While the Christiansen incident is now pretty ancient, I think that led to WSU dropping out of "consistent top-20" status. That closed more recruiting doors.

I might add that the way Gene responded to the press on this incident was probably more damaging. He did not take the high road on this. It was like he was excusing Ben for what happened. Sorry, as much as I liked Ben, there was no saving him from this publicly.

I'm not going to go as far as saying this staff is just going through the motions. I think that one of the prime reasons for this staff going to OU was to be able to use the OU name and make their life much easier in the recruiting arena. I'm not sure they have the drive to recruit hard enough to keep WSU on top of the Valley. This has been a 10-12 year offensive slide, more gradual at first, more obvious of late.

In Valley play only, WSU was 5th in batting average, 26 points out 3rd and 42 points out of 1st; 5th in run production; 4th in HRs; 2nd in most SOs; and our SB/Att numbers were much like 4 other teams. WSU pitching wasn't that hot either, going 4th in ERA and being 1.72 higher than 1st; and 7th in SOs.

I don't know what the other top coaches in the Valley are making, but I'm wondering if we're even close to getting our comparible money's worth.

Edit: I might add that our highly touted fielding was also only 4th in Valley play. Our .975 was 9 points short of Evansville .984. We had 21 errors to Evansville's 13.