Another Baseball Defection

[zephyr]

_ Very well said!!!!..Most great companies have employees that work hard not only for themselves but for their boss..If you are running a company/or a baseball team you want your employees/players to want to jump off a building for you if needed..What you DON'T want is for your employees/players to want to PUSH you off the building..Their is a BIG difference..One of the greatest communicators/motivators of all time is Augie at UT..If anyone saw the UT-Arizona State game at Omaha when UT fell behind 6-0 after 4 innings facing Leakes(one of the best pitcher's in the country)Augie gathered his team in the dugout and told them that he was not going to sugar-coat it that they have been playing a bad game to that point but when they come back and win this game can you imagine how many of our highlights will be on Sportcenter tonight!!! That is a MASTER communicator/Motivator at work..I do not think Robe has that in his game _

I see the point that is trying to be made here and in this situation I agree but however, I don't think a baseball program and a company can really be compared here. Without going into a thesis here, I know that I could not treat and interact with my employees in the same way you do so with athletes and its especially true for motivating them. However, I'd definitely see the concern in seeing so many defections recently as there is obviously something wrong.

[rgncjn12]

_ I read the whole thing also. I especially appreciate the breakdown of Jimmy's 12 year old all star exploits! Obviously Dad had put his heart and soul in to his boy's career. It was equal parts sad and funny. _

Does anyone have a link to where I could read the entire rant ya'll are speaking of?

Thanks.

[CajunT]

_ Dat's funny stuff right chair.

I'm disappointed in the defections. I'm even more disappointed in the lack of tabloid crazy talk from some of you. This has got to be one of the juiciest pieces of anti-Robe opportunity propoganda in months. There has got to be better flames than "did you notice nobody smiles". Come on... sniff, sniff... I'm quittin... the coach don't smile at me and he never talks to me... sniff, sniff. BWAAAAAAAA... I want my mommy!!!!! _

Classic! Now that there is funny stuff!LOL!!!

[CajunT]

_ I'd ventrue to say that the heavy MAJORITY of this board wants Robe to stay in Lafayette. Having said that, should he be shielded from constructive criticism? College athletics is all about "What have you done for me lately?". At what point do you start to get nervous about the direction of the program? What will you say if UL misses the post-season for 3-4 consecutive seasons? He's obviously a very good coach and he's done a lot for the University but this shouldn't make him "untouchable" by any means. _

I think people have a right to their opinions and Coach Robe is a big boy he can take criticism. But let’s look at what is being alleged here concerning Coach Robichaux, that athletes are leaving the program because of his unwillingness to communicate with his players. One person making this allegation has mentioned the exodus began with Xavier Alexander. Now as a person that has followed Cajun Baseball for over 22 years, I can assure to you athletes have left this program almost every year. During Robichaux’s tenure, including the year of the College World Series team athletes have left this program. In fact, I don’t remember a year since 2000 that several athletes have not left the baseball program. Now the one consistent name in his allegation has been Xavier Alexander, and that is the beginning according to him. Clearly he has a problem with the way Alexander’s departure was handled, that has nothing to do with constructive criticism. That is a person with a personal axe to grind about his friend, family member or former teammate. I think we have all been around long enough in life to know the difference between a reasonable or constructive criticism and someone with a personal axe to grind.

[Frenchie35]

_ Vinny Raviel's rant was an epic parental meltdown. I read the entire 16,000 word tome before it was taken down. Bottom line he was complaining about Coach Noble's use of his kid who has a career 7.00 ERA. I felt sorry for his son, who was probably lucky to be on the team at all. _

Jimmy Raviel 2009 stats:
Player era w-l app-gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr ab b/avg wp hbp bk sfa sha


Jimmy Raviele 9.53 1-0 12-0 0 0/0 0 11.1 15 13 12 7 11 4 0 1 48 .313 2 5 0 0 0

[RaginCajun918]

So.... what wonderful head coach can we hire that will make his players smile, who will be willing to share an office and get paid on this salary and these facilities? (My high school coach had his own office and I went to a 3A)

[Boomer]

Just listening to him on the Sat.am Bitter show tells me that he is one smart dude---I have always thought that he would make a great AD!!!!!

[zephyr]

As far as I know, there are no anti-Robe people on these boards or at least anyone that I've seen. However, there are those that want his performance and that of his team to be judged and graded by the all wise and knowing fans here, on the same level as those of the basketball and football coaches, namely Bustle. IMO, it has not been on a level playing field and I agree, I believe he is the best we have and can have at this time in regards to our budget and what we get for that budget. I have no idea how coach Robe gets along with his players, how he motivates or how good of a strategic coach he is. I do know that he has had success here and while I appreciate it, it also raises the bar in expectations and he should be questioned when his teams don't perform to expectations. The same people who bash Bustle and his 6-6 teams claiming that mediocrity is unacceptable while having to compete on a conference level and BCS level should grind on Robe's mediocrity when expected to succeed.