Did we really just fire Gene Stephenson?

[Rlh04d]

It's still amazing to me how similar this situation is to the one I saw with Bobby Bowden. There's no happy ending to a situation like this. It's either loyalty and failure or disloyalty and a possibility of success. There's just no way to make everyone happy. It's always "one more year." Gotta pull off the bandaid and do what's best for the program.

[Shocker85]

We had one of the best coaches in the country that wanted to continue to coach our team and our fanbase and a.d. ran him off, Do you guys think Gene doesn't try as hard as he used to? Do you think 10 years ago he started teaching our kids to hit crosshanded?..... No he isn't wired that way, he is the same fightin' back alley brawlin' tough s.o.b. he has
always been and you spoiled knuckleheads couldn't come to grips with the fact that the current situation is a little bit beyond a coaches control. Take your pick of any coach in the world and the results are not going to change that much, in fact make a bad hire and really watch us go off the cliff for good. You guys didn't deserve Gene, I'm out.

Your out? Promises, promises.

William, when was the last time you saw the product on the field? When was the last time you attended an event where #10 spoke? This is not the same man or the same program with a chip on the shoulder whose goal was to prove the baseball establishment wrong.

Things change.

[William]

It's still amazing to me how similar this situation is to the one I saw with Bobby Bowden. There's no happy ending to a situation like this. It's either loyalty and failure or disloyalty and a possibility of success. There's just no way to make everyone happy. It's always "one more year." Gotta pull off the bandaid and do what's best for the program.

Was Florida st. Still in the recruiting hotbed of florida at the time? Was fsu in a bcs conference at the time? If so, then the situations are not even close!

[SB Shock]

We had one of the best coaches in the country

had is probably key word - "best coaches" are measured by their on field performance. The trendline has been down for half decade. He was no longer the "best". He was not even the best coach in the MVC and was gnat on the national stage.

Do you guys think Gene doesn't try as hard as he used to?

No I don't. He was to caught up doing his own thing instead of running the program and getting out and recruiting top notch talent.

You guys didn't deserve Gene, I'm out.

Only thing clear is Gene is not bigger than Shocker baseball.

[William]

Your out? Promises, promises.

William, when was the last time you saw the product on the field? When was the last time you attended an event where #10 spoke? This is not the same man or the same program with a chip on the shoulder whose goal was to prove the baseball establishment wrong.




Things change.

Our next coach won't be as good as the one you just ran off....... So your point is?

[Shox21]

I respect Gene Stephenson as a baseball coach. But it has always seemed to me to be "Gene's way or no way." I don't believe the word "compromise" is in his vocabulary. Gene was given his choice as to how to go out and he chose the way that would put the AD and the University in the worst light possible. That in itself is a shame. What did you guys want? To let Gene "coach" his last year as a lame duck coach, with a "coach in waiting" standing right there. Who would have been in charge? Gene or the new coach? I can see all kinds of hell coming from that scenario. We would either have to had let Gene coach his last year with business as usual (with all the recruits and players knowing full well he would not be with the Shockers next year which, by the way, is NEVER a good idea) or we had to let him go. It would not have been fair to a new coach to have to deal with Stephenson for a full year because we all know that Gene would not (and did not) go quietly. As for Pelfrey's remark about Marshall, I am just going to chalk that up to the emotion of the day. Pelfrey admitted that Gene talked with him for quite a while after Gene knew what was coming down, and we all know that Gene was none too happy about Marshall coming onboard and making twice what he made and for all purposes taking over the title of "king" of athletics at WSU. Do you suppose maybe the "paying Marshall" comment actually originated with Pelfrey?

[Rlh04d]

Was Florida st. Still in the recruiting hotbed of florida at the time? Was fsu in a bcs conference at the time? If so, then the situations are not even close!

Legendary head coach that completely stopped delivering quality results and kept pushing for one more season to recapture past success. Fan base split between loyalty for past success and a desire to actually accomplish something in the future again.

The only difference is that Bobby Bowden was actually loyal to Florida State to deserve loyalty in return, whereas Gene ditched Wichita State for Oklahoma, and people still want to show blind loyalty to him.

Obviously Wichita State has natural disadvantages. However, this program has every reason to have higher expectations than what we've produced for years now. I'm sure Wichita State can't possibly have higher goals than winning the MVC, though ... that'd be ridiculous. The sports world has moved on. No reason to ever think any of our sports programs could be flirting with national championships, right?

[William]

had is probably key word - "best coaches" are measured by their on field performance. The trendline has been down for half decade. He was no longer the "best". He was not even the best coach in the MVC and was gnat on the national stage.



No I don't. He was to caught up doing his own thing instead of running the program and getting out and recruiting top notch talent.



Only thing clear is Gene is not bigger than Shocker baseball.

Gene was being honest when he made the OU comments, you can dissagree with the comments but you would be wrong top notch talent does not want to play in the valley these days, seriously would you want to? In my opinion a good coach gets the most out of the hand he is dealt. You seem to think the best coach is the one who is dealt the best hand.

[SHOCKvalue]

Gene was being honest when he made the OU comments, you can dissagree with the comments but you would be wrong top notch talent does not want to play in the valley these days, seriously would you want to? In my opinion a good coach gets the most out of the hand he is dealt. You seem to think the best coach is the one who is dealt the best hand.

When was the MVC ever a place that attracted talent? Talent came to WSU because we were a bull in a china closet.

[WSUwatcher]

More money for Coach Marshall, therefore less money for Coach Stephenson.

Have I interpreted Pelfrey's comment correctly?

Almost certainly so. But one could as easily say, "More baseball season ticket sales and donations, more money for the athletic department in general." Mike's just angry because Gene was a hero to him, and the departure wasn't happy or graceful.

Personally, I'm not convinced that one more year and a farewell tour would have been a bad idea or that it would have caused irreparable harm vs. where we are now. If anything, it could have been marketed as the last chance to see a WSU legend. But who's to say that the idea wasn't proposed and summarily rejected by Gene? So I'm certainly not prepared to give Sexton kudos upon kudos at this point, but neither do I blame him for something I don't know was his fault. That's the main thing: we just don't know. So I'm just ready to look ahead and hope for better things -- it's been too long a wait.

[William]

When was the MVC ever a place that attracted talent? Talent came to WSU because we were a bull in a china closet.

That would be prior to the super regional system, when teams had to have deep pitching staffs to come through eight team regionals, wsu had deep enough staffs to make alot of cws, which kept the recruits coming. In todays game you can succeed with 3 good starters and 2 or 3 in the pen. Wsu's advantage was lost, they then began to struggle recruiting.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

More money for Coach Marshall, therefore less money for Coach Stephenson.

Have I interpreted Pelfrey's comment correctly?

Somebody tell Pelfrey to shut the hell up and worry about the job he's NOT doing in Minnesota.

[GoShockers89]

Well William, I dunno what to say bud. It's too bad you didn't get like-minded fans to go with you to games these last few years. If you had, this outcome would have been avoided. Seeing as how this firing somehow caught you offguard I am guessing you haven't sniffed Eck Stadium or this forum in eons.

WSU will have a new coach soon. You can either support him or stay with the sliver of folks who are so mad about this that they won't cheer on the Shockers anymore. Fighting a lost war is a little silly at this point.

[ABC]

That would be prior to the super regional system, when teams had to have deep pitching staffs to come through eight team regionals, wsu had deep enough staffs to make alot of cws, which kept the recruits coming. In todays game you can succeed with 3 good starters and 2 or 3 in the pen. Wsu's advantage was lost, they then began to struggle recruiting.

Do you really think the results of the last five years are the best WSU fans can expect?

One co-MVC championship in five years.

[William]

Do you really think the results of the last five years are the best WSU fans can expect?

One co-MVC championship in five years.

If you can't out recruit the valley, you can't dominate it. It is a vicious circle, no bcs conference= no players, no players= no postseason success, we are now what we are, not what we were. A coaching move won't change the realities of the current situation.