Looking forward...

baseballfanatic · May 31st, 2009, 09:46 AM

So... Now that the season is over anybody want to take a stab at how many signees get drafted, over/under on Wells retiring/hiring a pitching coach/fired, news about past season redshirts, yada yada yada, etc, etc, etc.

Bama Baseball 1 · May 31st, 2009, 11:41 AM

Personally, I feel like we might lose a few underclassmen. With Jake's injury, I feel like he would gain alot by coming back next year. However, I am not real sure about Brandon May, Austin Graham, and Dell Howell. We will certainly have alot of holes to fill. If you look at this years roster we have 1 outfielder left. With 10 seniors leaving, and posibly a few Juniors, we will have needs at almost every position. Even after you recruit them, you have to coach them. With a few exceptions, I feel like we did not play up to out talent level this year. Kent Matthes had a great year, and I want to wish him all the best as he moves on.

This program also needs the facilities to be at the very least updated. It will soon be almost impossible to recruit talent with the worst facilities in the conference. Even if Alabama does not want to invest millions, they need to look around at what all the rival schools are doing. They have 2 choices, (1) Spend some money on the facilities, and try to remain competitive, or (2) Leave things as they are, and make it impossible to attract the top talent.

Baseball needs to be marketed much better. Every other sport gets lots of radio/newspaper coverage. Whoever the coach is, they need to get out and find some sponsons. Baseball is loved by people in the south, but the word about Alabama Baseball simply does not get out. Every team plays better in front of a packed stadium. I have attended games this year where my section was almost entirely students, who were simply taking advantage of a free social event. They did not follow the game, and were at times annoying for the real baseball fans in the section.

I am an avid fan of Alabama Baseball, but the finish the past 2 years has been painful. We had a very talented team this year, but at times we simply underperformed. Look at the Softball team. They lost their first game at the WCWS, and they game back with grit, and determination to put the bad game behind them, setting records on offense. We need that type of fire on our baseball team. I have heard Jim Wells this year accept poor play in his post game interview, saying everybody has bad days. Come on Jim! The coach should never accept failure, or you may see an awful lot if it.

I am not sure Jim Wells still has the drive he once had. Maybe now would be the best time for him to re-retire and allow someone else to begin the rebuilding of the program. He will not be fired. He has set school, records, and the administration likes him too much. He does not need to stay just top prove a point. Holding out to get issues resolved that he wanted during his last retirement, will not help us move forward. We need a coach that has a real hunger to get to, and win the World Series.

I hope everyone that has input into the direction this program moves from here takes a hard look at the options and does whats best for Alabama Baseball.

RTR

baseballfanatic · June 1st, 2009, 08:28 AM

If I were going to answer my own question, you would've hit it right on the head. My thoughts mirror yours almost exactly.

Baseball does need to be marketed A LOT better. I was telling my parents this earlier in the year. This is also the first year I remember seeing baseball ads on TV and billboards around Tuscaloosa. Now they just need to branch out a little more with that marketing.

Facilities are an absolute must. I just don't know that I have the faith in the administration to do it. They haven't shown much support for baseball over the years, so I'll have to see it to believe it.

Another thing I think hurts us greatly is the lack of scholarships issue. With all the surrounding states (minus Mississippi) having the lottery to help fund education scholarships available to all in-state, they can use the 11.7 for out-of-state. Alabama has to spread the 11.7 over the whole team. Which IMO puts teams like Alabama and the Mississippi schools at a huge disadvantage.

There are really only two things that could be done about this scholarship issue.

1) Convince the state of Alabama to pass a lottery.
2) Convince the SEC to pressure the NCAA on making any player on scholarship who plays count against the 11.7. That would eliminate the disadvantage because all types of scholarships would count against the limit like they do with football.

I'm just not sure which one would be tougher to do, 1 or 2.

About the players, I was actually talking about incoming freshman, but I had forgotten about a number of the upperclassmen being eligible for the draft so thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Lastly, Jim Wells. Where to begin? I also believe Wells doesn't seem to have the fire to do this anymore. I think it's been evident the past two seasons at least. The team has no fire or intensity and IMO that is a reflection of the coach. I would not be opposed to seeing new blood in there. Despite that, I have had my opinion changed of Wells. In the past I wanted him out because I thought he was a bad coach/didn't like his style of play, but recently with all the talk of the disadvantages we are at, I looked deeper and realized it's been a great job by him to do what he has done.

If he stays for another season or two, the only thing I'd recommend is to hire a full-blown pitching coach. You look at the team ever since Gaspard came back and that has been our problem. This could be attributed to lack of talent also, but it's also a case of developing the arms that have been there. I've noticed in my time of following Alabama baseball closely, which granted hasn't been as long as many on here, but pitchers just don't improve over there time here. Minus a few exceptions like Hyatt, LeBlanc, and Tommy Hunter (although I don't know if that wouldn't have been the case with Hunter had he stayed JMO), none of the pitchers have gotten any better from year-to-year or from season-to-season.

If Wells leaves, I really don't know where I'd like to go with a replacement. I've heard people say Gaspard has the job, but I don't know that that would be much of an improvement. In the case of Gaspard getting the job, my hope is that they still get a pitching coach. Others have mentioned Bobby Pierce. I'd love to have Pierce, he seems to always field a very competitive team at an underfunded Troy. But I think the tensions between him and Wells may have caused that ship to sail. Other than those two though, I have no idea who is available or may be interested in coming to Alabama.

In closing, I just hope that the administation takes a look at a school like Florida. They are proof that you can be successful in multiple sports if you just provide support and what they need to be successful.

Thank you, have a nice day

liquidvengeance · June 1st, 2009, 10:21 PM

	Quote:	Bama Baseball 1
	Personally, I feel like we might lose a few underclassmen. With Jake's injury, I feel like he would gain alot by coming back next year. However, I am not real sure about Brandon May, Austin Graham, and Dell Howell. We will certainly have alot of holes to fill. If you look at this years roster we have 1 outfielder left. With 10 seniors leaving, and posibly a few Juniors, we will have needs at almost every position. Even after you recruit them, you have to coach them. With a few exceptions, I feel like we did not play up to out talent level this year. Kent Matthes had a great year, and I want to wish him all the best as he moves on. This program also needs the facilities to be at the very least updated. It will soon be almost impossible to recruit talent with the worst facilities in the conference. Even if Alabama does not want to invest millions, they need to look around at what all the rival schools are doing. They have 2 choices, (1) Spend some money on the facilities, and try to remain competitive, or (2) Leave things as they are, and make it impossible to attract the top talent. Baseball needs to be marketed much better. Every other sport gets lots of radio/newspaper coverage. Whoever the coach is, they need to get out and find some sponsons. Baseball is loved by people in the south, but the word about Alabama Baseball simply does not get out. Every team plays better in front of a packed stadium. I have attended games this year where my section was almost entirely students, who were simply taking advantage of a free social event. They did not follow the game, and were at times annoying for the real baseball fans in the section. I am an avid fan of Alabama Baseball, but the finish the past 2 years has been painful. We had a very talented team this year, but at times we simply underperformed. Look at the Softball team. They lost their first game at the WCWS, and they game back with grit, and determination to put the bad game behind them, setting records on offense. We need that type of fire on our baseball team. I have heard Jim Wells this year accept poor play in his post game interview, saying everybody has bad days. Come on Jim! The coach should never accept failure, or you may see an awful lot if it. I am not sure Jim Wells still has the drive he once had. Maybe now would be the best time for him to re-retire and allow someone else to begin the rebuilding of the program. He will not be fired. He has set school, records, and the administration likes him too much. He does not need to stay just top prove a point. Holding out to get issues resolved that he wanted during his last retirement, will not help us move forward. We need a coach that has a real hunger to get to, and win the World Series. I hope everyone that has input into the direction this program moves from here takes a hard look at the options and does whats best for Alabama Baseball. RTR

Is there a reason that UA baseball is not carried everywhere around the state like football and basketball are? Ive wondered because I would like to hear it but its not offered around the state.

Id also like to see Wells fired and replaced with a better coach who has a desire to win championships. Thats lacking and I hate it.

What about the stadium as far as expansion and improvements has been discussed before? Id love to see it upgraded too. Are there any distinct ideas of what could be done? Id like to see the entire grandstand seating area covered by a roof,much more seats added and other nice things.

bamamick · June 9th, 2009, 01:24 AM

I would imagine that the baseball broadcasts are available to anyone who wants them. The station that carries us in the Mobile market, WZEW, plays music as their bread and butter and they don't appear interested in carrying 55-plus baseball games at so much per game and then interrupting their normal programing. They do carry football, basketball, and 'hey, coach' and for that we are forever grateful (hard to believe, but Mobile did not have an Alabama station for awhile before ZEW 92 stepped up to the plate).

I would love to be able to listen to Tide baseball every time out, but it just doesn't fit the programming of the station that it's on. It is available, it's just not a great fit for the station, and the sports station in Mobile is committed to South Alabama.

As far facilities go, the word has finally gotten around to everyone that we are far, far behind the LSU's and South Carolina's of the world. Not only are we playing with about 14 less scholarships than is LSU (assuming they use Hope scholarships to cover everyone beyond the allowed 11), but we are playing in one of the worst, if not THE worst, stadiums in the league. We have to make headway somehow. People who don't know better keep saying Jim should be fired. Firing Jim will not fix the problem. The problem is a lot bigger than the coach.

rtr

RamJamHam · June 9th, 2009, 04:45 PM

I'm not sure the MS schools see their lack of a lottery as a disadvantage, with USM in the CWS and Ole Miss within one game of going there. How do the USM facilities compare with UA's?

bamamick · June 9th, 2009, 08:33 PM

I don't know, and it is just my opinion, but you really can't compare USM's once-in-a-lifetime dream season with someone trying to build long term success in the best conference in America. Ole Miss has superior facilities. A 10,000 seat stadium that sells out constantly. Maybe they are just that hungry for success at Ole Miss in any sport, but they know that Bianco is going to field a solid team and it resonates within their fanbase to support and keep the program strong.

If you stick up for the program you are branded a loser and an excuse-maker. So be it. Honestly I believe that we have a strong baseball program that should be looking towards getting stronger, rather than tearing it down and rebuilding it. Of course we need to improve the facilites. Anyone can see that. But we also need to improve fan support, booster involvement, etc. Make baseball important at Alabama. If the fans demand changes for the better can the administration continue to ignore it?

rtr