UK should make wise investment in baseball coach/program

[Chico&TheMan]

Colleges and universities exist to invest in their alumni, faculty, and staff. Despite being handcuffed by the NCAA with only 11.7 partial scholarships, the sport of baseball has the potential to produce millionaires into the alumni base. UK must capitalize on this potential, and to do so, Barnhart needs to open the checkbook for this next coaching hire and get results on the facility side.

The university pays the women's basketball coach $1.1 million a year. I am not complaining about this. However, the women's basketball program does not produce the revenue or alumni who have the potential to become a highly-paid sports professional. How can it be justified to "invest" this in a coach that does not produce a potential financial or power (professional athlete lure) return, and then spend 1/3 on a coach for a sport that produces mega contracts for its professional athletes (baseball)?

Henderson made close to $400k. If it takes doubling this amount to get the coach that we need, then DO IT! UK can afford it.

Andy Green would be a grand slam hire, but it's unfortunate that he just got his big break as an MLB Manager. I think that he could make comparable money to the Padres here, but the offer and effort must be made to recruit him here.

We very probably won't get Green, but he is the kind of splash hire that this program needs to make if it is our goal to surpass Henderson.

 

[Black Diamond Cat]

Colleges and universities exist to invest in their alumni, faculty, and staff. Despite being handcuffed by the NCAA with only 11.7 partial scholarships, the sport of baseball has the potential to produce millionaires into the alumni base. UK must capitalize on this potential, and to do so, Barnhart needs to open the checkbook for this next coaching hire and get results on the facility side.

The university pays the women's basketball coach $1.1 million a year. I am not complaining about this. However, the women's basketball program does not produce the revenue or alumni who have the potential to become a highly-paid sports professional. How can it be justified to "invest" this in a coach that does not produce a potential financial or power (professional athlete lure) return, and then spend 1/3 on a coach for a sport that produces mega contracts for its professional athletes (baseball)?

Henderson made close to $400k. If it takes doubling this amount to get the coach that we need, then DO IT! UK can afford it.

Andy Green would be a grand slam hire, but it's unfortunate that he just got his big break as an MLB Manager. I think that he could make comparable money to the Padres here, but the offer and effort must be made to recruit him here.

We very probably won't get Green, but he is the kind of splash hire that this program needs to make if it is our goal to surpass Henderson.

Good post, Baseball is the most rapidly growing in popularity sport in college athletics. It needs to be invested in more, need to keep up with the Jonses. BTW Henderson made 475,000 this season, and had 2 years left on his last extension.
The big reason College baseball is growing is television, with ESPN and networks like the SEC, and Big 10 networks, not to mention smaller conference game of the week also on television.

 

[Comebakatz3]

The weird thing is that Barnhart will throw a ton of money at coaches. He gave Cohen a deal that would have made him one of the top 3-4 paid coaches in the SEC. However, he is entirely unable to provide other means for the coaches to succeed. It is a weird scenario.

 

[BluegrassBlake]

It also doesn't help when the Governor rejects funding for a new stadium.

 

[sluggercatfan]

It also doesn't help when the Governor rejects funding for a new stadium.

OK, let's say you are correcton this...then PLEASE tell me why Otis can get these things done with ZERO problems and UK cannot? Once again the UK admin and big money donors should be ashamed! !

 

[bigbluegrog]

OK, let's say you are correcton this...then PLEASE tell me why Otis can get these things done with ZERO problems and UK cannot? Once again the UK admin and big money donors should be ashamed! !

Jim Patterson

 

[sluggercatfan]

Jim Patterson

I knew the answer and UK has boosters (I'm guessing) who have the means to do this and not make a big hassle like it been for 10 years and my question once again is...WHY?

 

[BluegrassBlake]

I knew the answer and UK has boosters (I'm guessing) who have the means to do this and not make a big hassle like it been for 10 years and my question once again is...WHY?

Because most of UK's big time donors only care about basketball.

 

[.S&C.]

Because most of UK's big time donors only care about basketball.

Takes an athletic director with the ability to persuade and make people believe. Eventually people are going to have to understand Barnhart is not the AD to make real change and win at all cost. I mean, just look at the apathy he creates in certain big sports like college football. He wasn't even going to remove joker.

Find an AD who doesn't take no for an answer after asking the right questions, and you'll have it.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Takes an athletic director with the ability to persuade and make people believe. Eventually people are going to have to understand Barnhart is not the AD to make real change and win at all cost. I mean, just look at the apathy he creates in certain big sports like college football. He wasn't even going to remove joker.

Find an AD who doesn't take no for an answer after asking the right questions, and you'll have it.

I like MB, but I don't know if you can really argue this point. It just seems like MB has to jump thru more ropes than TJ does on these type things and it would be nice to know why. It is totally ridiculous that something like building a bb stadium should take TEN years to get done and then it gets reported that it is still in the"planning" stages. Think there is more to this than just MB and if would be nice to know how much, if any, his hands are tied on things like this and football. Just look at it...Otis gets one of the most crooked and corrupt deals that could every be done for a new basketball arena, a new baseball field that has had three additions and fb expansions, and it took a FAN REVOLT for UK to step up and put money into football facilities and now can't build a 40 million dollar bb stadium in TEN years time. Come on folks something is fishy here.

 

[bigbluegrog]

I like MB, but I don't know if you can really argue this point. It just seems like MB has to jump thru more ropes than TJ does on these type things and it would be nice to know why. It is totally ridiculous that something like building a bb stadium should take TEN years to get done and then it gets reported that it is still in the"planning" stages. Think there is more to this than just MB and if would be nice to know how much, if any, his hands are tied on things like this and football. Just look at it...Otis gets one of the most crooked and corrupt deals that could every be done for a new basketball arena, a new baseball field that has had three additions and fb expansions, and it took a FAN REVOLT for UK to step up and put money into football facilities and now can't build a 40 million dollar bb stadium in TEN years time. Come on folks something is fishy here.

Slugger - my understanding is that it is past the "planning" stage and well into the "design" stage. Marc Hill said they were ready to begin area preparation almost as soon as the FB training facility was completed. Said it would be ready by the start of the 2018 season which I think would be difficult to do if they didn't start almost immediately.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Slugger - my understanding is that it is past the "planning" stage and well into the "design" stage. Marc Hill said they were ready to begin area preparation almost as soon as the FB training facility was completed. Said it would be ready by the start of the 2018 season which I think would be difficult to do if they didn't start almost immediately.

I'm going by the article that DT wrote on this topic the last couple of days because I was under the understanding that it was where you stated, but with the UK administration so knows. Hope you are correct.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Because most of UK's big time donors only care about basketball.

Well my understanding was that all the money raised for the new fb facility was raised from boosters that had never given to support fb. Hopefully that has set a new precedents for giving in the future. I truely think that the baseball program could do big things and have excellent crowds with the new facility and an excellent coach.

 

[167Hike]

OK, let's say you are correcton this...then PLEASE tell me why Otis can get these things done with ZERO problems and UK cannot? Once again the UK admin and big money donors should be ashamed! !

Mitch McConnell is the real answer.

 

[167Hike]

And according to Mitch Barnhart (as of the day of the open house at Commomwealth) he said that they would break ground within the next 6 months to be ready for the 2018 season.

The bigger problem had been at UK is every sport needed something and some of these things cost enough money to where the Athletic Department wanted to go the bonding route for financing (track, baseball stadium, football stadium) where other smaller projects they went the cash route (softball and soccer complex). When bonding is requested for the large dollar projects the state legislature would be the major roadblock because the university is still 1 billion dollars bonded for the hospital project.

 

[CB3UK]

I don't know if we'll ever be LSU or Mississippi State as far as fan support but folks in the Bluegrass love baseball. I don't think it would be hard with a little extra marketing and a winning product to get people out there to fill the stands constantly.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I don't know if we'll ever be LSU or Mississippi State as far as fan support but folks in the Bluegrass love baseball. I don't think it would be hard with a little extra marketing and a winning product to get people out there to fill the stands constantly.

I don't know what it will take to get a lot of fans in the seats. Louisville has had a winning program form the better part of a decade. They are a top 10 program year in and year out since McDonnell arrived there. They have made the CWS 3 times in the past 9 years, IIRC. So, they have proven themselves. Despite that, many of their games only draw about as many as UK games. They are doing this with free admission. For instance, on the Friday game against Clemson the weather was 77 and sunny (perfect day for baseball) and UL draws a crowd of just over 2,700. Not too bad, but nothing like the 10k plus that go to see MSU. I think, even if we get to be on the level of Louisville we'll see crowds in maybe the 3,500 range on a good day. However, many days the weather is going to keep the crowds down and that is just something we have to deal with.

 

[sluggercatfan]

I don't know if we'll ever be LSU or Mississippi State as far as fan support but folks in the Bluegrass love baseball. I don't think it would be hard with a little extra marketing and a winning product to get people out there to fill the stands constantly.

Just like we'll never be Ala in football, but many here expect it before they will support the program

 

[CB3UK]

I've always thought that the extensive and competitive nature of both little league and high school baseball around here, combined with the Legends and the awesome facility there plus the Reds being an hour drive has been part of the hindrance. There are so many baseball options around here. UK had never focused on it in the past whereas many of the other SEC schools had. It's easy to just push UK baseball aside

Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana....those states don't have many great baseball alternatives in their area, so it's easy for the school's team to become a focus.

However the difference to me between lack of football success and lack of baseball success is resources. This state has the talent to compete. Louisville signs most of it right now it seems. Bump up the recruiting in state and in the region, bring them here. Break ground on the new stadium. Kentucky can absolutely win in the SEC. It's not the conference holding us back, it's always been us.

 

[sluggercatfan]

I've always thought that the extensive and competitive nature of both little league and high school baseball around here, combined with the Legends and the awesome facility there plus the Reds being an hour drive has been part of the hindrance. There are so many baseball options around here. UK had never focused on it in the past whereas many of the other SEC schools had. It's easy to just push UK baseball aside

Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana....those states don't have many great baseball alternatives in their area, so it's easy for the school's team to become a focus.

However the difference to me between lack of football success and lack of baseball success is resources. This state has the talent to compete. Louisville signs most of it right now it seems. Bump up the recruiting in state and in the region, bring them here. Break ground on the new stadium. Kentucky can absolutely win in the SEC. It's not the conference holding us back, it's always been us.

Ground breaking for the new bb stadium should be priory#1 right now...asap

 

[CB3UK]

Better late than never as they say, but to think of where both Brooks and Cohen were when they were promised facility upgrades and to where we could be now essentially a decade later for both programs....it really ticks me off. Henderson obviously did a good job compared to Joker, but still.