According to BX, baseball coach Donnie Marbut has been fired
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I was going to post… this is all over twitter now, too.
Double edges sword:
-Of all the coaches, Marbut has had the longest leash to get something done. He's had a pretty comfortable job for a decade.
-He (and whomever takes over) has an uphill battle in the recruiting due to facilities.
Ultimately, whether it had any impact or not, you just don't criticize your boss or those above you… at least not in the press, not in the open, etc. etc. You can go to them, talk to them, etc. etc. but man. Doing it openly is just plain stupid. I have a friend that is part of a major philanthropic foundation… One of the service members sent a 2 page scathing letter about my friend (who'd just been hired). The internal workings to cut that service provider is incredible. My friends boss's are moving so quickly, so quietly to eliminate that service provider it boggles the mind. It becomes personal. They will spend more money, expend more energy to make sure they don't have to work with that person/business. And because of that letter, the service provider will now lose a $3-$5 million dollar annual contract… over a 2 page letter… So similar. I'm sure Marbut was just frustrated, maybe trying to put pressure on Moos… either way, you don't do that in the press.
The main issue is their are no lockerooms at the field....regarding facilities? The turf and the stadium are pretty nice.
I personally think this decision is based on:
1. Marbut's alleged (negative) attitude and his interaction with players, other coaches, etc. I hear he's a little cocky and sort of out for himself.
2. Complaining about the facilities, and effectively your bosses, never is a good thing.
3. He had some off-field issues last year (car wreck, etc.) that Moos covered for him on by giving him a new agreement.
I think to think if Donnie was a great guy, supportive of his bosses, he probably stays. But he's coming across as unhappy, with a bad attitude, and that's not going to help anyone (players, recruits, fundraising) and you need to move on from that.
I personally think this decision is based on:
1. Marbut's alleged (negative) attitude and his interaction with players, other coaches, etc. I hear he's a little cocky and sort of out for himself.
2. Complaining about the facilities, and effectively your bosses, never is a good thing.
3. He had some off-field issues last year (car wreck, etc.) that Moos covered for him on by giving him a new agreement.
I think to think if Donnie was a great guy, supportive of his bosses, he probably stays. But he's coming across as unhappy, with a bad attitude, and that's not going to help anyone (players, recruits, fundraising) and you need to move on from that.
I can't believe that the decision to fire Marbut was based on the comments he made a few days ago. That would signal a serious knee-jerk reaction by Moos, something he's not known for. Marbut didn't do a bad job in Pullman, IMO, but he wasn't great either. Things have plateaued, and frankly, Marbut's attitude has been questioned by many people long before this season.
The program is in decent shape, and Marbut's comments about our facilities will likely usher in changes for the better. Our stadium and field are pretty solid, IMO, but we NEED to add locker rooms attached to the stadium.
The program is in decent shape, and Marbut's comments about our facilities will likely usher in changes for the better. Our stadium and field are pretty solid, IMO, but we NEED to add locker rooms attached to the stadium.
I'm not sure it's in decent shape. Seems like every year they have their moments and look like they could do something only to get whacked around and end up toward the bottom of the conference. There are obvious challenges for baseball in Pullman but what signs were there that Marbut was going to get it done?
As far as Marbut's comments to Thorpe, sounds like a guy who knew what was coming down the track. No question on the facility needs but I'm not sure Marbut was the guy to put together a complete team even with those improvements.
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I think Travis Jewitt is the coach I would go after...hard. He has been successful everywhere he has been as an assistant. Many say he was the reason why Marbut was successful for a few years and the program has fallen apart since he left.
He is currently an assistant at Vanderbilt which is one of the top programs in the country. He is from Tacoma and graduated from WSU in 1993.
Hire him now.
Sounds like a solid candidate. I'm good with Moos making the move this year because it didn't appear the program was on the up any time soon. I think Moos views baseball as an important program so hopefully he does what it takes to bring in an upgrade.
By the way, here is Jewitt's bio from the Vanderbilt website. Very impressive.
http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/travis_jewett_811327.html
I like that he's a hitting coach. We just haven't hit for so long as a program. At least it seems that way without doing much research. Maybe he's ready for his own gig. Given he's gone from ASU to Vandy he might not be up for the challenge of coaching in Pullman weather. While it's not like the program is totally broken like it was before Marbutt took over their is major work to do. I am sure any coach with a solid resume would require facility improvements sooner rather than later.
I am definitely more of a track guy (should have hired Li Li but that's another thread) but baseball is a marquee sport and one we have a strong history under Bobo. We need to be competitive in baseball and in the discussion rather than an afterthought. This is an important hire in my mind as I'm sure it is for a lot of us on these boards.
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True enough. Also, Marbut could have known he was going to get released and wanted to get his side out before he was dismissed.
So this was Mr. Marbuts tweet this morning.
Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you. #commitment
Good point. I guess by "good shape" I meant it in comparison to how our football and basketball programs typically are at the time coaching changes are warranted.
The baseball program isn't in "good shape," but it's also not a complete rebuild. We're at the bottom of the conference, but we're still reasonably competitive with the rest of the Pac-12.
Hard for me to feel bad for Marbut. He lied on his resume, but Sterk didn't do anything about it.
I didn't know about that one but I don't know that I feel bad for him either. I posted that, only to show that I think he didn't see this coming. I think it completely blindsided him.
But this is an interesting MO for Mr. Moos. He doesn't give hints about his actions, does he? I mean, Wulff was completely surprised (not sure why) and Marbut was completely surprised (again, not sure why). When he's done, he is over-and-out done. You won't hear it coming.
I feel bad for most people that get fired. Still, coaching sports is seldom a profession with job security and every coach knows this.
I also think that while I love Cougar baseball more than I love Cougar women's soccer, Moos made the correct decision to invest in a winning soccer program. The facilities/infrastructure of the athletic programs have mostly been neglected and were/are in need of a complete overhaul. Unfortunately, they all cannot be done at the same time (It takes a lot of $$$$$$$). Upgrading facilities needed to and was prioritized.
Still, baseball does need to turn around. There was an Oregon State baseball player, Jacob Ellsbury who donated a million dollars to remodeling OSU's stadium. As we can see, it as paid dividends. WSU needs to invest and begin to start putting players in the majors again. Same for football and basketball. Players donate to their programs.
Here is an article from Thorpe naming a few names: current pitching coach Gregg Swenson, current hitting coach Joe Ross, former MLB player (and Linfield coach) Scott Brosius, and Travis Jewett, who we previously discussed.
Someone needs to count a little better, as the title of the article is "Five" names and there are only "Four" listed.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...es-for-new-wsu-baseball-coach/?print-friendly
Someone needs to count a little better, as the title of the article is "Five" names and there are only "Four" listed.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...es-for-new-wsu-baseball-coach/?print-friendly
I think you'd be surprised to know how many high profile professional athletes have yet to make a donation to WSU.
Agreed on all of that. I love baseball. Truly love it. My favorite description is "it's Chess for athletics". Such innuendo and subtlety and thinking ahead. But soccer has a wave that needs to be ridden right now. Gotta move on it, gotta keep that momentum.
And as far as the next step in the priority list, the IPF is something that can be utilized by all sports. So while it isn't directly built for baseball, they'd certainly be using it.
Then, I see the baseball clubhouse. But again, things must remain fluid. If our basketball program starts to take off under Mr. Kent, I can see the basketball program needing to "ride the wave" and leap-frogging baseball on the facilities priority list. And I'd understand that, as well. Beasley certain needs a facelift and the basketball facility that they have plans for, would be exceptional. Takes more parking away, to my chagrin but still...
Regarding basketball, a certain NBA player down in CA that has had enormous success over the past couple years has been very vocal about his support for WSU.
I'll put money on Swenson… It'll be in-house, no question.
I think Brosius would be incredible but not going to happen. He'd be my first pick. Jewitt, I just don't see happening.
I'm not sure I would say that we are at the bottom of the conference. Yeah, we were 9th out of 11, but only one game back of Arizona, and consider that 6 of 11 made the playoffs. I think we were middle of the Pac last year. That said, I have no problem with the decision to let Marbut go.
Not so sure about the need for Baseball locker rooms. Beasley is right across the street (granted, a basketball locker room doesn't fit a baseball team), and Bohler is a short walk away. Now if the IPF ever gets built, I could see putting in locker facilities that would serve Baseball (and Tennis?) in addition to the IPF itself.
When it was suddenly and surprisingly announced that Brosius was resigning at Linfield after such great success, I had fantasized a bit about Scott heading to the Palouse. Now with Marbut getting fired, I'd like to think it could be a possibility. Maybe Moos was working behind the scenes and approached Brosius? Not likely, but it's fun to think about. Scott's kids are now grown, which is among the reasons I think he wanted to stay in McMinnville. Great guy, very good coach....the Cougar players would love him.
Interestingly, Brosius and OSU's Pat Casey, I think, were teammates in the Oakland A's minor league system at one point. Casey never made it to the bigs, of course. Brosius...well you know the rest of the story.
Glad Cougar
Interestingly, Brosius and OSU's Pat Casey, I think, were teammates in the Oakland A's minor league system at one point. Casey never made it to the bigs, of course. Brosius...well you know the rest of the story.
Glad Cougar
You really are a unique Cougar fan. There aren't many of us that would consistently use an insulting nickname for the basketball coach, bad mouth the record-breaking starting QB, and advocate eliminating one of the more storied and successful sports in WSU's athletic history.
I actually find soccer incredibly boring, but I root hard for the Cougar women's team and would do the same if the men had a team. Obviously you don't like baseball, but I don't understand why you still wouldn't want that sport to be successful.
I consider you a fringe fan..."...not part of the mainstream; unconventional, peripheral, or extreme."
Glad Cougar
Yes, get rid of a program that once consistently had some semblance of tradition, and one that's made it to the NCAA tourney twice in recent history. Makes perfect sense.
As Gib noted, he lied on his resume. Not "was ambiguous" or "omitted details", but flat out lied. And my hindsight reading of the situation was that he did not have to do so in order to get the job. I'm afraid that my viewpoint regarding those who lie about things is not charitable, particularly to their employer and prospective boss. IMHO that is a red flag that tells you a lot about how a person views many things, and I've been lukewarm about Donnie ever since that error in judgment became public knowledge.
As for his baseball performance, the guy had some talents and some blind spots. Neither changed a great deal over the 10 years. Given the past 2 years, I think it makes sense to move on. And I don't believe that the interview was the major factor, though it may have had some influence in the timing of the announcement.
As for his baseball performance, the guy had some talents and some blind spots. Neither changed a great deal over the 10 years. Given the past 2 years, I think it makes sense to move on. And I don't believe that the interview was the major factor, though it may have had some influence in the timing of the announcement.
Well... it made perfect sense to you to lock up Marbut to a long term contract just one year ago as you beat the drum from your soapbox how Marbut was doing it the right way.
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