It has nothing to do with umps

Jun 3, 2012, 4:59 PM

It has a lot more to do with our talent than anything. Look at the players Clemson has vs. those on SC's team or FSU or Florida or whoever. 9 times out of 10, talent prevails in baseball. Are we going to beat South Carolina sometimes? Yes. But until we have a change in mindset, a change in our philosophy of how the game is CURRENTLY played, we won't dominate.

When we were good, we had Richie Shaffer's all over the field. Michael Johnson, Jeff Baker, Khalil Greene, Tyler Colvin, Josh Cribb, DJ Mitchell...we had studs. Right now, we don't have studS. We have a stud, and a bunch of salty players.

You look across the way and SC has studs everywhere, and they continue to go after studs. We go after players who are the best players in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut. We go after players who are in the top 50 in Florida, SC, GA, NC, etc. But we don't go after the bigtime players. And to clarify, I know we've gone after studs and they've left us to go Pro instead of coming to Clemson. But that leaves the question, how come SC, FSU, GT, Florida, Vandy, LSU can get studs to come to their programs year-in and year-out, and we get the leftovers after our studs go pro?

Simple answer is coaching to all the above. Our coaches a good, maybe even great coaches. But they aren't outstanding. And it starts at the top. Leggett is a great human being and I've enjoyed having him at Clemson. He's a great ambassador of baseball and of Clemson. But he's not THE guy. We need a national championship caliber coach. Who that is, I don't know. Is it Corbin? Maybe. Is it Sully? I don't know. Is it some assistant coach eager to get his shot with a big time program? Possibly.

What I do know is Leggett's well has run dry at Clemson. He recruits the same type of kids on a yearly basis and we go into a cycle of having a few studs that get us to Omaha once or twice every 3-4 years, but never get any further. And the fact that SC has taken us down in Omaha TWICE when we had the upper hand, and has now won back-to-back national titles, and clearly could be on their way to a 3-peat...It just tells me it's time to move on.

It's time to get someone with a fresh view of the game. It's time to get someone who will come to Clemson and "steal" some recruits away from the aforementioned schools; some studs who want to play bigtime baseball and compete for a national title when they come to Clemson.

I love ya Jack. I really do. I've been a big supporter of you ever since meeting you when I was a kid coming to your summer baseball camps. Those are some of my fondest memories and taught me a lot more about life than baseball. But I think it's time Clemson found someone who will take us to the next level. Omaha just isn't good enough anymore. To be competitive in this state, in this day-and-age, at this level, finishing 5th in the ACC, losing a home regional to UConn then getting (possibly) ousted by South Carolina for a third time is just not cutting it.

Flame away...

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It has nothing to do with umps

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