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bullpen1212 · September 4th, 2009, 09:33 AM

Everyone says I am going about this the wrong way thought I could speak my mind!

crimsonkelly · September 4th, 2009, 12:05 PM

So, why would Mal say that?

How do you know, what can you site for us all?

Personally I would like (as I have put in my other posts) to have BJ back here, but it may not happen, who knows? If that is the case we need to find another PC.

Mal seems to get blamed for a lot of things, he may be guilty of some but who knows, not me. Does he support the baseball team? Probably, but not like football, granted a losing baseball team doesn't get the AD run out of town, but a losing football can, so, he knows where the bread is buttered. Lets get past this, move on, and do the best we can with what we've got.

Bama Baseball 1 · September 4th, 2009, 12:07 PM

I must say that I found it rather odd that Jim Wells waited till now to retire. I guess he wanted to wait to see how many players were going to leave for the pros.

I just thought that was the case, but if you are correct in these statements, it appears the administration was letting Jim have all the control. Jim has been a good coach at Alabama, but it is time to let Mitch do whatever he thinks will help this team.

I don't see anyony telling Nick Saban how to run his program. If you want success, you have to let all the coaches have full control

RTR

crimsonkelly · September 4th, 2009, 12:09 PM

Also this makes it sound like Wells and Moore are in cahoots together to undermine Gaspard. Why would Moore not let BJ back? Is he trying to undermine Gaspard so that he can go get someone else? If so why hire him back 2 years ago to begin with and then make promises?

Right now the ground you are standing on looks shaky to me at best. If you turn out to be right (and I hope you are not for obvious reasons) then Moore should be fired because that would be about as unprofessional as you can get.

bullpen1212 · September 4th, 2009, 12:17 PM

Everyone says I am going about this the wrong way!

Bama Baseball 1 · September 4th, 2009, 12:39 PM

For everyones sake,

Maybe Moore said he could not rehire B.J. because of contractual reasons, that will not allow him to do so.

We all hope there is a reason other than outside influences trying to run the program. Alabama has nothing to gain, and everything to lose from that.

RTR

Bama Baseball 1 · September 4th, 2009, 12:47 PM

Also,

The whole retirement, then returning a week later struck me as odd 2 years ago. There had to be alot more to that story than was ever told. Wells did not simply change his mind. There were other things going on behind the scenes. We will never know all the promises that were made behind closed doors.

This may just be another odd chapter in that continuing story.

B.J. deserves consideration for the position, if he wants to return. I think he did a very good job when he was here, and given even more freedom, he could really develop into a great pitching coach. Under these circumstances, would he even want to return?

NewTide · September 4th, 2009, 12:55 PM

Bullpen1212, I can see how passionate you are about this issue, and agree the allegations should be addressed, but as a huge Bama Baseball fan I am concerned about handling issues such as this in an open forum. Is there another option for you, as a former player, to notify the proper authority of such an alleged unethical action? I think we would all like to see the best outcome for the university, players, and fans, but I am concerned that this method of communication might be counter-productive.

bullpen1212 · September 4th, 2009, 02:50 PM

Everyone says I am going about this the wrong way!

uabaseballdad · September 4th, 2009, 03:41 PM

First of all, there is no way I'm personally going to address this issue of B.J on this forum or any other avenue, I have too much respect for B.J. and the Alabama program. Certainly emotions are running high. There has always been and will always be accusations when a popular coach leaves a program. However, I will say, I was with Coach Rodney Hennon, (personal friend) Ga Southern HC, about 2 to 3 weeks before the hiring was announced and Rodney asked me about B.J. I expressed my complete confidence in B.J. and I felt at that time that Ga Southern was going to offer him the PC position. I was excited for B.J.
Knowing Coach Hennon and his success at Ga. Southern, I know he feels he got the best coach and fit for his program and not because some Alabama coach wanted B.J. out of the program, as you are aludting.
Although I know it may sound like it, I am not being critical of you standing up for someone you like and appreciate, I respect your loyalty and opinions; however, sometimes they may be a bit misinformed.

With the little bit of knowledge I have of this situation, it is my opinion that Coach Gaspard has been given the task, responsibility, and leedway to hire the best PC coach that is available and willing to come to Alabama. It is my opinion that although B.J. is a great guy and personal friends to many, he is not what is needed at Alabama at this time. B.J. has a great opportunity at Ga. Southern to develop and showcase his talents to one day have many options and I think he will in time. The former GS PC is now at Tennessee. As I said before, I am hopeful that Coach Gaspard will be able to attract an experienced, successful college pitching coach from one of the elite programs in the country. With our tradition and fan base, I think this will be highly likely. I feel we should give Coach Gaspard all of our support; this is a very stressful challange for any coach, especially the timing and now being solely responsible for the program. Personally, I think you may start seeing some strangers (candidates) in Tuscaloosa, starting this weekend. JMO!

uabaseballdad · September 4th, 2009, 07:17 PM

As a new member, I'm starting to feel like I'm hogging the forum, so please forgive me but here goes:
To bullpen1212: As I stated "I appreciate your loyalty and support for your former coach", nothing wrong with that; however, sometimes it is best to choose our words carefully when feeling such emotion. It is most times not appreciated by others when you cast accusations which downgrade an individual or program that is held dear to our hearts. Hopefully, you were not insinuating that Coach Wells was not looking out for the best interest of B.J.?
Just maybe, Coach Wells knew B.J. was not going to be considered as Bama's PC and was helping him get to a program where he could gain some valuable experience (development). I admire B.J. for his dedication to Alabama and his resolve to fight a tough illness but in my opinion (with a young staff) B.J. would be more effective at GS than UA. This staff and team needs a proven college pitching coach.
A comparison would be like a pro recruit vs a college recruit. The pros recruit on projection, the college needs a player who can compete immediately (no disrespect to BJ). I hope this somehow helps???
Now, you did bring up a topic that got me thinking - Why has there not been a reunion of past players? This is an excellent comment and needs to be corrected immediately IMHO. We should cherish the past and celebrate the future together. It would be great if you could get with some former players and boosters to try and make this happen. It could be that the administration is so busy in the day to day and has lost touch with former players and coaches that this may be an excellent way to get everyone back on the same page. I, for one and probably many others, value all former players and coaches because they help to build the tradition that is Bama Baseball.
bullpen1212 please take this as constructive help and not as an insult to your post, you did make us aware that we need to be sensitive to how we treat others. Hopefully, one day we can meet and talk Bama Baseball.

TideHead · September 4th, 2009, 10:40 PM

Well, the original message is now gone, but having read this earlier in the day, I know what was said. bullpen1212, I'm not going to say that you are wrong nor am I going to say that you're right. What I want to do is point out that Wells appeared to be in a no win situation with this decision. And, here's why:

When B.J. was forced to take his leave of absence in January 2008, we were one month away from the start of the season. To fill the void left by B.J., Wells promoted Dax Norris (who at the time was a volunteer assistant coach). So, when B.J. beat his cancer and was able to come back, Wells was faced with two choices--neither of which are very good: Either he can move B.J. back into his old job and demote Dax back to a volunteer coach. Or, he can keep the staff intact and let B.J. have a job--just as director of baseball operations.

So, Wells can either sit Dax Norris down and tell him that we appreciate his hard work but that he will no longer be getting a paycheck. Or, he can sit B.J. down and tell him that we're glad he recovered so well and that his job will now be director of baseball operations.

Again, I'm not saying you're right or wrong. I'm just pointing out the fact that Wells had two options, and neither one was a good one.

Now, as for Mal saying that Mitch can't be rehired, I'd like to know why Mal feels that way. There may be a very good reason (i.e. contractual reasons like someone else pointed out). From the outside, Mal saying that sounds very harsh, but before I can make a judgement, I would need to know why Mal stopped that hire.

bullpen1212 · September 5th, 2009, 07:42 AM

Thank you all for the constructive criticism. I just have ALOT more knowledge of this situation than any of you do and that is what make me so passionate about this topic. It just really bothers me that people can treat people this way and never be held accountable for their actions because of their job title or status. But as was posted earlier this isn't the place to stand up for someone and call people out for making empty promises. I will find a way to hold these people accountable because it's not right how all this has happened!