2021 Season

[mofo]

Even if he accepted the pitching position at A&M, he could always back out.

I'm assuming he's only backing out for the head gig at Arizona.

[Irish27]

Dave Heeke cares about sports? Huh…

Like Scheer said, it's the one sport he really likes. His son plays college baseball.

[84Cat]

Anyone know how much we paid JJ & Yeskie this year?

[WildcatStunner]

Any Robbins heart patients that played baseball?

[Irish27]

Even if he accepted the pitching position at A&M, he could always back out.

I'm assuming he's only backing out for the head gig at Arizona.

Or Jay Johnson offers him the pitching coach position.

[azgreg]

[mofo]

Even if he accepted the pitching position at A&M, he could always back out.

I'm assuming he's only backing out for the head gig at Arizona.

Or Jay Johnson offers him the pitching coach position.

Maybe, but didn't he leave OSU because he wanted the HC gig there? Yeah he hired on as another asst here and it wasn't like JJ was retiring any time soon, but if I recall previous posts I thought he really wants to be a HC. He's the reason Susac is here and Susac's pitcher brother is coming in next year too, so sounds like he can recruit a little as well (even non-pitchers, of course that might have been a package deal and opportunity for Daniel to catch his bro). I don't know enough about his coaching or managing chops other than pitching but seems like he'd be interested in the HC gig of a team fresh off a CWS run but who knows. I have no idea if he'll be the best candidate, I just think it would be a great position to walk into if there's mutual interest.

[azgreg]

[ekat]

I can’t decide if I’m numb, or slowly dying. In my lifetime of fandom, dating back to the ‘70’s, I can’t remember this kind of coaching upheaval. And I almost don’t care who the idiots hire to replace him, after seeing who they hired for football, basketball, and soccer. I’m giving softball a pass because Candrea set that up but still, she’s 0-0.

[ekat]

I really, really like Andrew Checketts. So, I’m going to assume he won’t be the hire.

[azcat49]

F Heeke, dry and in the sphincter. He is a POS who has made the last few years miserable.

When I see him and I will. I am going to say simply, F U you POS. Yes I am upset about losing JJ to LSU.

Both of them are BS. JJ less as I would go for 1.5m a year to but don’t give us the BS about our fans being the best in baseball as your way of saying goodbye.F Heeke for saying he would talk to him in the off-season and his goal was to put a package together that would keep him long term at the U of A. F F F F F

[UAEebs86]

Checketts has been a head coach before. He's out.

-Ricky Bobby

[mofo]

I'm with you ekat. When JJ was hired I thought "wooo, this could be good". Then CWS in year 1 and I was really looking forward to a long tenure in Tucson and getting UA baseball back to the good 'ol days. Now we start over and with a free transfer portal for our whole team.

[ekat]

Seriously half of me wants to cry and the other half says why bother? Investing my time, energy, (money when I could and didn’t hate the administration) etc. isn’t working out so well.

5 new head coaches in major sports. But we wrapped up an extension for men’s golf today. There’s not a lot here making me feel proud of my school.

Oh, and one last thanks to Larry Scott for screwing the conference so hard that we can’t compete to retain a coach like Jay Johnson.

[Irish27]

Maybe GB could make this hire for Heeke.

[azgreg]

[Irish27]

That would be mine but Checketts as the #1 candidate.

[Irish27]

Don't know if I would want Hale to be the next coach now.

[phxcat23]

Cant take all these coaching changes. Thought Jay would stick around a little longer, but money is money. Hope he finds success quick, because they will be ruthless down there if he can’t win right away.

[Irish27]

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[azgreg]

[Merkin]

Don't know if I would want Hale to be the next coach now.

Losing HC at the MLB level. No college coaching experience.

So the perfect hire for Robbins/Heeke.

[scumdevils86]

Pretty amazing we are getting new softball, baseball, basketball, and football coaches all at the same time. I wonder how often that has happened at a D1 program.

[azgreg]

Pretty amazing we are getting new softball, baseball, basketball, and football coaches all at the same time. I wonder how often that has happened at a D1 program.

Don't forget soccer and cross country.

[mofo]

Pretty amazing we are getting new softball, baseball, basketball, and football coaches all at the same time. I wonder how often that has happened at a D1 program.

Crazy times. We should be counting our lucky stars that we have such outstanding leadership at the helm to put us in even better positions to succeed through this craziness!

[ekat]

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Not going to lie, after the first two, I kind of hate that list. Although, after Stanky said no to assu, it would be amusing if he came here.

[ekat]

Pretty amazing we are getting new softball, baseball, basketball, and football coaches all at the same time. I wonder how often that has happened at a D1 program.

Don't forget soccer and cross country.

At least we’re retaining the swim/dive coaches named in the NOA though.

[Postmaster]

Wouldn’t Drago, I mean Yeskie know of JJ’s plans? Seems like he would hold off A & M until Heeke could give him an offer.
Unless he wanted to leave regardless.

[Irish27]

It's amazing to think if that pitch was called strike three. Maybe the Cats are still playing and Johnson never gets the interview.

[Postmaster]

Are we about done with Jay Johnson? It feels like we're getting worse every year.

Well, I suppose this was pretty good foreshadowing at the beginning of the season but I'm pretty sure it was intended to be on our terms.

What does this mean?

[phxcat23]

I wouldn’t mind if Yeskie stays, but beside him Checketts I think would be good. West coast guy that’s had a lot of success. I doubt Waz comes back, but would be interesting and wouldn’t mind it since he’s had a long run here before. Not sure he would leave Oregon though…worked hard to get there

[ekat]

I wouldn’t mind if Yeskie stays, but beside him Checketts I think would be good. West coast guy that’s had a lot of success. I doubt Waz comes back, but would be interesting and wouldn’t mind it since he’s had a long run here before. Not sure he would leave Oregon though…worked hard to get there

I really like Checketts, so I’m just going to go on assuming he’s not the hire.

[Chicat]

Terry Francona please save us.

[phxcat23]

I don’t want to downplay what Chip Hale had done, but the casual fan will hear his name and want him since he’s Alumni. Bobby Robbins would slobber all over him, but he’s not the hire. Tito would be badass but no way he’s getting into college coaching at this stage. Arizona is a top west coast job. We should be able to select from a good pool of coaches, but I have no faith in the AD

[azgreg]

Yeskie is off the board I believe.

[84Cat]

Yeskie is off the board I believe.

[Chicat]

The mark of a really well-run athletic department is having to replace nearly every goddamn coach in the building over the course of a year.

Nice culture of excellence you’ve established Heeke you fuck.

[azgreg]

The mark of a really well-run athletic department is having to replace nearly every goddamn coach in the building over the course of a year.

Nice culture of excellence you’ve established Heeke you fuck.

They're leaving their mark on the program.......a skid mark

[84Cat]

I can't imagine many p5 programs losing 2 coaches from a tournament team. How many guys are we going to lose now?

[ekat]

I can't imagine many p5 programs losing 2 coaches from a tournament team. How many guys are we going to lose now?

22 players are draft-eligible. And the portal is wiiiiiiiiiiiide open. So if Robbins hires a former batboy with no experience, a crony that he knows from a surgery, or Chip Hale, all of them.

[UAEebs86]

[AZCatGirl]

Are we about done with Jay Johnson? It feels like we're getting worse every year.

Well, I suppose this was pretty good foreshadowing at the beginning of the season but I'm pretty sure it was intended to be on our terms.

Be careful what you wish for because it might come true.

Considering how well the team ended up doing in the regular season, plus all the coaching turmoil in general we've had to suffer through lately, I was all for throwing money at Jay and giving him more time.

Now we have to hope Heeke suddenly remembers how to do his job. Sigh.

[Irish27]

I really hope we don't see a mass exodus. Next year looks so promising. Berry and Susac need to stay. Heeke needs to get a deal done with Checketts as soon as possible.

[TheCatInTheHat]

OK...first, there's no crying in baseball. That said, I believe Wildcat baseball is about the environment of Hi Corbett Field, just like Wildcat Basketball is about the environment at McKale Center. Can a horrible coach screw it up? Of course. But, just as Lloyd will likely do roughly equal to the later years Miller, I'd assume Chexketts or somebody comparable will roughly hit the median at Hi Corbett over the last ten years. If anybody had visions of something grander I'm sorry, but it is what it is, and it's not so bad.

[Irish27]

[UALoco]

If the coaches aren't loyal, the players aren't loyal, the administration isn't loyal, why should the fans be loyal? College sports has just turned into pro sports. Good thing sports gambling is gonna be legal soon. Only reason to watch and get the juice.

[RichardCranium]

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I understand the idea of this summary.

I do NOT approve of promoting a head coach from Grand Canyon.

I have lived through one of those disasters already, and I don't need to experience a second.

[pc in NM]

If the coaches aren't loyal, the players aren't loyal, the administration isn't loyal, why should the fans be loyal? College sports has just turned into pro sports. Good thing sports gambling is gonna be legal soon. Only reason to watch and get the juice.

"Loyalty" is really not the question here. Seriously!!

Jay Johnson left Nevada for the Arizona job. Viewed from the standpoint of "loyalty", the handwriting was on the wall. That's probably not the best lens through which to evaluate such choices. The man has a career, and I believe he is making choices about his own advancement, as would any of us in our careers.

Read through many of the football and basketball threads here over the years, and tell me about the "loyalty" of many of the fans here to players that under-perform expectations (whether those expectations were realistic or not!).

It's a true rarity when an acknowledged excellent coach chooses a program based more on potential than past/recent accomplishment, and then takes that program to an entirely unheard of level. Lute Olson was a clear example of this - lucky for us!!!

Major college sports are major businesses, and some are even suggesting that football/basketball be somehow separated from the "academics". These sports have already been "professional" for a long time (for everyone but the athletes themselves). And, big money is both corrupting them, and creating internal contradictions that are undermining the very concept of "college sports"....

[Chicat]

Tito would be badass but no way he’s getting into college coaching at this stage.

For the record, I wasn’t saying he should take a huge cut in pay and prestige while doubling his workload to come coach Arizona Baseball. But it would be great if he weighed in publicly on what kind of coach he’d like to see takeover and lobbied behind the scenes for specific candidates.

That’s also a pipe dream though because the man has a pretty overwhelming job he’s doing right now and I doubt he’s got the time or energy to worry about us right now.

[Irish27]

If any of us was offered a pay raise like Johnson was given, I would assume almost all of us would take it. I cannot be mad at JJ for taking the LSU job, it's one of the best in the nation. I just hope Heeke does not settle on an assistant coach. I also hope the hire is made within the next week. Can't afford to lose too many of the guys that are supposedly coming back.