8/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
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July 2009 I had some fun writing the synopsis of our last full competition year for the last Hans On installment and received some decent feedback, so I'm going to press on with that but focus more in depth on some of our programs. Let me start with baseball and some of the exciting changes taking place in that program. If you have not been by Falcon Field recently, you will not recognize it. We have broken ground on a renovation project with the field that includes new FieldTurf in the infield and outfield as well as new 30 foot fencing in right and 15 foot fencing in left with wind screens and a batters' eye. We'll also clean up the Press Box and dugouts. The only dirt left on the field will be the pitcher's mound. Even the base paths will be brown FieldTurf. Check out the photos on our website (http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/062909aaa.html). I'm really excited about our program and the progress that head coach Mike Hutcheon and the coaching staff has shown. Our program is going in the right direction, and nobody wants to win more than I do! The won-loss record may not reflect it yet, but baseball is so much different now than when we had more success in terms of wins and losses. The Mountain West Conference only allows programs to schedule two non-Division I games now. That wasn't the case back in our more successful days. During our last winning season in 1995, when we were 29-25, we played 20 Division II games and posted a 14-6 record. Take those games away and you have a 15-19 record. The 1995 season capped a run of three straight winning seasons. We played 50 Division II games over that stretch and went 42-8. Mike and his staff have only been able to play 19 Division II games during his six years and he is 14-5 in those games. I think when you review these new limitations you have to be realistic about the success our baseball program is having and can have. Neither Mike nor I make any excuses for our current program and staff, but I think we need a little more time because part of our recent problem is my fault - more on that in the next paragraph. A message that we don't have high expectations for baseball is totally absurd. I love to win and I really hate losing, but we also have to be more realistic about what those expectations are. We have continued towards rebuilding this program, but it is going to take more time. Another big positive change is in terms of recruiting. I made a mistake and take full responsibility for the recent dip in recruiting. We recruited some phenomenal players currently on the roster, but not enough of them. The program's development was slowed over the past three years due to a significant cut in the recruiting budget as part of a recent cost-saving effort within the athletic department. The program's recruiting budget was dropped to about 25 percent of what it was during the three-year period of winning seasons in the mid-1990s. I underestimated the impact of that cut. The budget has now returned to a more competitive level, and this recent class of 18 new baseball players in the Class of 2013 will immediately contribute to the program. Another interesting change that few people think about is the roster size. In earlier years of the program, we had no roster limitation. A few years ago, the NCAA mandated that baseball must have a roster limit of 35. No other NCAA sport has a roster limit. In addition, the Academy used to have developmental or junior varsity teams. We don't have either of them now, so our roster continues to have turnover like all Div I sports at any college and university. As Mike and his staff continue to have success with their recruiting and when they bring in a talented class, it's his responsibility to ensure we have room for them. That means some players have to be cut. That's probably the hardest part of coaching. I hate it, but it has to happen. I don't think our current coaching staff differs from others when they "miss" from time to time on recruited athletes that they thought would develop. That, plus roster limitation has contributed to the roster turnover recently. When you look at what Mike has done in his coaching career, it's impressive. He has coached 16 players to All-America status and had six drafted in the MLB draft. He has coached a national championship team. He has coached the Academy's only first-team baseball All-American in Matt Alexander this year. In addition, 10 players have been named Academic All-Conference the last two years, the second-highest total in the program's history for any two-year period. Finally, I want to discuss the most puzzling and frustrating thing about our baseball program and probably every baseball program in America, namely the culture from Little League on. The athletic department has received written complaints about every head baseball coach dating back over at least the last 20 years, all of them anonymous and only in baseball, no other sport. This includes letters very critical of former Air Force coach Paul Mainieri, one of the great coaches in America with unquestioned values, currently the head coach of the national champion LSU Tigers. A pre-existing culture in the program continues to be present regardless of the coach and success of the program. I don't understand this, but am working like crazy to find the answer! We have received two anonymous written complaints about Mike in addition to the sensationalized piece our local paper did on the program and the allegations of religious intolerance. Let me set the record straight for everyone. We did a complete investigation into the program prior to the story appearing in the paper and found the accusations to be false. In addition, we received another anonymous letter this year about Mike "mentally, verbally, and physically" abusing his players. We had the Air Force Academy Inspector General office investigate it and they found no evidence of this abuse. It was traced back to a single incident in the dugout during a game when Mike corrected a player who had acted disrespectfully. The situation has been addressed and everyone here has moved on. What a sad state of affairs when people can level such serious accusations without accountability. I guess it's the anonymous e-mail world we're living in. We also did an anonymous climate survey with the baseball program this year, administered by an outside agency. It showed no serious issues with how the players felt about the program. In fact, several players, including our captains, have told senior members of our staff that they are more excited now about the culture of the program than at any time since they arrived. They expect the coaches to be hard on them when they mess up, just like the accountability they have played with throughout their lives with other coaches at every level. In closing, I'm excited about the baseball program and I think great things are ahead for the players and coaches. We need everyone to be patient and give it a chance. I invite anyone out to take a look at the renovations and visit your Air Force Academy, and you might stop in to get to know the men coaching baseball at USAFA. You might find them to be pretty good guys with great values. I hope everyone enjoys the summer and I look forward to visiting with everyone again soon. Go Falcons!
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| HANS ON - SPRING 2009 |
| HANS ON - MAY 2009 |
