College Coach Trashes Player in Newspaper

It's always important to read articles by/about coaches before you decide what school to go to.  You decide if that's the kind of guy you want to be associated with.

 

That makes two SEC coaches that would not be on my list.

 

 

It seems to me that the coach was being honest, not to mention the kid has had difficulties in the past. While he has shown a capability to pitch at that level, he needs to continue it, or else he won't be playing (as is the case now).

 

I just hope the coach had this conversation with the player prior to talking to the media.

One question for you Dad04, why did you cross out the name of the coach? Since you posted a link to the article, it is readily available to all who care to read.

I didn't feel the need to name the coach, or further tarnish the player by naming the coach. Besides, I didn't sign my name to the post.

If the player and the coach had a conversation that netted out the player is transferring this article would be ok. It would be an explanation. But it seems the purpose of the coach's statements is to push the player out the door.  It's a "I'm making it known to the world we don't want you. So leave." statement.

 

Yep, it's a business. It's just some people are more classy about handling situations than others. In this case it appears to be a lot less classy.

 

Did anyone ever read Meat On The Hoof? It was about Texas football in the Darrell Royal era. Royal didn't tell players he wanted them to leave. He had players he wanted gone hold tackling dummies and ran plays over them until the player walked off the field and quit. 

Wow!  Regardless if the kid was no longer a fit, or had other issues, the coach could have handled this "inside the lines", rather than making public remarks like this to media...not very classy indeed.

 

Funny thing, BFS Jr. is very fond of LSU.  Not sure if he will be that caliber in a year or two,...enough to get their interest, but if so, that interview just put a bad taste in my mouth.

Wherever he goes, y'all stay off the message boards....justsaying.....

Like most things, I'd be willing to bet that there is more to the story from both sides.

 

In my interactions with Coach Manieri, he has been nothing but respectful and polite. I'm not jumping to a conclusion defending him, nor am I jumping to a conclusion that what he did was wrong. Just simply stating that there is usually more that goes into something like this.

 

J H ...four days since the article ran in multiple outlets. Nothing has been done to clean it up, walk it back. I posted it because it surprised me. The story is likely much longer than can go in a newspaper article, so why trash the kid and just leave it at that?

Perfect Game has this kid throwing 91 as a senior in high school.  He was drafted in the 15th round.  But he doesnt throw exceptionally hard?  As a lefty?

 

Your guess is as good as mine. But, without hearing from Coach Manieri or the player himself, I'm going to reserve judgment. I've seen how things can be manipulated in the media, and it's often times a slippery slope. Coach Manieri may have acted inappropriately or he may not have, but I'm not going to judge that based on one news story.

 

I hear you JH...always more to the story.  What bothers me the most, is since that is typically the case, why go on record with media.  I am sure he is a great guy, if you have personal experience with him, but his willingness to talk the way he did regarding one of his players...not good....whether he feels it of not, whether the kid really did everything he could to get under the coaches skin or not....the coach should be above talking to media with the written tone he had....I know we all make mistakes, verbal, and written, however coaches are similar to politicians...they are "always running for office", so their margin of error is less, and their level of awareness should be high.

Nothing in the article really surprised me. At the powerhouse baseball schools it's all about winning.....right here and right now. Last year is just a memory. What have you done for me lately ?

 

Welcome to the machine.It cuts you up and spits you out !

 

Real important for players and their parents to choose the "college experience" wisely.Attending three schools in four years is not for everyone.However, it happens all the time.

 

 

 

I agree that there is much more to the story that what we know. If the player was tweeting about his situation, the coach probably figured he would use the media to get a message across. Notice that no where was it mentioned that he lost his scholarship, which Manieri could have done.

 

The player was suspended last season, and didn't perform well this year, seems to me that he was being sent a message.

TPM,

 

I agree the kid was likely not a saint, and did not perform.  My only problem, is even if the kid was tweeting, or just talking smack around campus, the coach has ultimate authority....he is the boss.  All he needs to do to put an end to it, is call the kid in his office, and either let him go, or let him know who the boss is!  

 

When he goes on media like he did, he gets in the "middle" of an immature cat fight.  I think all coaches should refrain from getting pulled into the "mud", and since it's basically a dictatorship relationship, they can stop / handle it at any time they are fed up.  Just not for everyone to see.  I did not like the "maybe that sends him a message" statement.  If you want to send a message, do so within the confines of the clubhouse, and not for all to participate in the cat fight.

 

Back foot slider- To play Devil's Advocate… maybe he did that already. Maybe all the tactics you described above were attempted, and were unsuccessful. And maybe Coach Mainieri thought this might wake the kid up from whatever was going on. MLB managers have used the media as a launching ground for motivation in the past. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But, it is a tactic.

 

Again, not saying he did or didn't, and not passing judgment on anyone. Just trying to paint a picture. I've found that most often, the whole story is not told in the media. 

 

 

JH,

 

You, and TPM are two of my favorite posters on here.  I just don't like the tone of his quotes in the article.  He was obviously "done" with this kid, he said as much in his quotes.  What does he gain with the article?  Sending a message to other players....he did that when he stopped playing him, and would have made another example, if he kicked him off the team, or did not bring him back on scholarship.

 

Also, if there is more to the story, then either tell it all publicly, or don't go public.  What he did is bring negative publicity, and had at a minimum a few on this board, not agree with the tactic.  He could have obtained his objective, without that, and sent whatever message he needed to a different way.

 

i appreciate your different piont of view.

What about a college coach bashing her former employer in the newspaper? 

 

http://www.semissourian.com/story/2082904.html

BDS,
Thank you, I enjoy your posts and advice very much.
I understand the point you are trying to make.  
Again we do not know the entire story.

That is a strange article.  I'm sure there is much more to this story.  We know the pitcher very well. As a HS senior he could have pitched for any college in the country. No surprise he chose LSU.

 

Sounds like the pitcher lost some confidence this year.  Sounds like the coach lost confidence in him, too.  

 

Yes, he was a 90 mph guy in HS, but there are a lot of them.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he gets drafted after next season.  Sometimes these changes work out well.

 

After all, he did well as a freshman at LSU. Gotta to be more involved than what the story tells us.

I would be willing to bet there is much more to the story. But. Coach gains nothing by making these comments public. I would be willing to bet something was said and done that sent him over the edge. I would expect he regrets it. And yes stay off the message boards.

There's nothing wrong with being honest and if this is what he told his player, then so be it. However, not sure what good the coach gets out of ripping his player in the press other than being himself or letting out some frustration and wanted somebody to hear.

Context is so important! There are many "sticks" a coach has when taking a player to the wood shed. This use of the media may be the biggest and should be used the most sparingly. I have seen athletes/people who make you wonder, What will it take to get through to this person. There is a possibility that this will work out for the best of the player and may just be the thing that pushes him to achieve greatness. I have had to tell players in the past, "fair or not, use it as fuel push you to make you what you may not have been otherwise".

I don't believe in booing college players.  Likewise, I don't believe in ripping players in the press.

 

Period.

For the record, I don't like it either. Nobody likes to watch the discipline it takes to get through to some hard headed individuals. However, I'll bet it put a little fire in the bellies of the other players. He who walks with a big stick doesn't necessarily have to use it but they know it's there. Again, it could have  been a last ditch, make or break effort.

If you want to try and motivate a player then rip him to his face in private. Man to man. If you want to try and humiliate a player do it in public.

Coach was clearly upset. Something was done, said, posted, etc - that sent him to a place IMO a coach should never go. To the public with in house business.

Your the coach. He's a player. Don't forget your held to a higher standard. Seriously if this was your son would you defend this stuff? Then why is another persons son fair game and yours is not? Keep it where it belongs. Regardless of what this kid said or did your the Coach. Rise above it. Or go public and look like a total a ss for doing so. JMO

How can there be a rationalization for an SEC, or any coach proactively making himself look like a lunatic out of control? I think part of the problem is the team is not doing well, by its own very high standards, probably won't host a regional.

 

Quick story. Son's former teammate was struggling his junior year, as a draft prospect. Coach commented in the paper, also near the end of the season "Maybe he can ask his Agent how to throw strikes".

 

That did not sit well with me, the player or anyone else that read it. The kid turned pro a month after and is now in his 2nd full season on a 25 man, 6 years later. I think everybody eventually got past it, but nothing constructive resulted.

Ripping your players in front of their teammates or in the press doesn't work.  It alienates.  It destroys respect from nearly everyone, except maybe the fans...even at the very highest levels.

 

Big mistake.

Regardless of the history of the coach/player relationship or the competitive level they play in, the coach always needs to take the high road with the player and the media in public.  He's supposed to be the adult.  The buck stops with the coach....afterall he took him on the team.  JMO.

How do you know if nothing constructive resulted? Perhaps it was just what the player needed to make him what he is today.

Seriously if this was your son would you defend this stuff? Then why is another persons son fair game and yours is not?

Best 2 sentences in the thread.

Because of how abusive my father was, I feel I'm a far more compassionate person than I would have been. Doesn't make it right.

I was speaking specifically to the fact the team did not regional that year. Maybe he made it despite the comment. Could the same thing been said in private?

If would you read some of my previous post, this response from me won't surprise you. As a parent of a senior college baseball player with many college baseball player friends, I have very strong feelings about this subject. We send our sons to play college baseball to get a education first, and play second. Thats even how the coaches and colleges/NCAA sell it to parents/players. For fans of winning teams, they will never see it in the same light as a player/concerned parent. These coaches rip these players in public and private hoping they go away so a new kid can have his money. If that new kid isn't what coach wants, screw him and move on to the next. I'm not a bitter parent. My son has stayed in the same program all 4 years and received his scholly money all 4 years. He is one of 2-3 kids out of 8 graduating on time next week. Even though at senior day the school announcer implied all are graduating. These coaches(and yes I mean almost all) screw way too many kids and their families out of the deal originally promised. After this year is over, I'm going to research how many freshman in 2011 season are on the same team roster as a senior in 2014. The stories that could be told about many different coaches/programs and the kids that got a bad deal would make your heads spin. As a parent that just wants to get the deal promised, and the kid does his job in class and field, this crap doesn't sit well with me. This coach was one that I thought was different due to the fact that I've meet him, but shouldn't be shocked due to the many times I've been fooled by some of these coaches before. The stories that I know, wow. Not sure people really want to know the truth of these guys behavior. Hope all goes well with all of YOUR KIDS journeys.

Absolutely!!! As I stated. Sometimes hard headed people just can't be reached without going into uncomfortable places.  Reproof should start in private and depending on the desired result escalates from there. Sometimes the most valuable diamonds require the most chiseling and grinding.

It also shows the ultra competitiveness of the top programs. When researching schools it pays to look at their Sophomores and Jrs on the roster and then compare to signing class.

I would suggest "ultra competitiveness" runs a lot deeper down the RPI list that the "top programs". With 11.7 scholly's, there is a ton of parity in the top 100 teams. They are all trying to climb over eachother.

Ultra competitive is every program at every level that's worth anything. Don't be fooled by the level of play or the name on the Jersey.

This sort of thing should be dealt with in private, as was said earlier in this thread, man-to-man.  I wouldn't work for a guy that called me out in public, and I sure wouldn't send my kid to a school where a coach uses that as a stick in his woodshed.  People figure out that there are other places to play and other coaches to play for.

I'm not sure what researching how many 2011s are still on the roster in 2014 is going to tell you. Only half the roster typically contributes on a regular basis. The other half of the roster doesn't want to stay and watch. They want to transfer and play. Everyone came out of high school some level of all-conference, county, section, state, etc.. Some players never get much of a chance to prove themselves. Some don't deliver when they get the chance.

 

To me the issue is how is the kid treated who doesn't figure out he isn't wanted. Or decides to ride the bench due to the scholarship and education he's receiving. What bothers me is a kid might never really gets a chance, the coach doesn't want him, yet he has to sit out a year to transfer unless he transfers down or goes JuCo after freshman year. A kid can go his first two years of college without getting on the field just looking for a chance to play.