Great Expectations – From the Bird's Nest

[NewsCopy]

For some, hope springs eternal.

It's the fan who always believes the Cajuns will win, even if logic says they won't. It's the fan who believes in over achievement to the point where he expects it just about every year. He agonizes over every loss._ Each loss is the end of the world. This is the fan who usually is at least a little disappointed when the season ends.

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[Tell The Truth]

This season will end in agony...cajuns can't win the big one when it counts outside of the SUN WORST...and in the end the NCAA is coming...has it really been 17 years since cajuns have been to Omaha??? Most coaches that have those expectations year in and year out and never reach the pinnacle are considered average at best but ole Tony has cajun nation fooled that he is the best coach in the country...ignorant if you really fall for his BS...

[CajunEXPRESS]

A low budget team? I have heard that comment, or something like it often. So We've got a great coach, or at least we think so, and so does Jay. We have had a great atmosphere even if the stadium lacked some things. We bus don't fly, we eat well I suppose, we stay at nice facilities on the road. Our coaches get video of games, they plan, they practice. So low budget? No tv rights to speak of, limited radio, limited exposure none have anything to do with budget. I'm sure the P5 conferences super size everything we do, but still low budget?

[ManAboutTown]

I bet every team in the top 15 has double to triple the budget that we have for baseball..

[Dad04]

Cal State Fullerton is #8 and Coastal is #15 in BA, but I get your point. There is a lot more parity in the "non-rev." sports. Augusta State College was NCAA champ in golf 2011 and 2012.

[Just1More]

I don't necessarily think of the baseball program's limitations as "lower budget". But the other descriptions are getting old. "Small school" or "Cinderella" or "Mid Major" or "G5" - understanding that last reference isn't necessarily used for baseball... but it tends to separate the "larger budget" versus "lower budget" conferences... are in reality stating that you are a lower budget program.

Again... I don't think in terms of "lower budget" for our baseball ceiling. But if we were to look at our baseball program... and what if anything is limiting them... it would be our athletic department... our institution in general... and funding.

[ManAboutTown]

Cal State Fullerton is #8 and Coastal is #15 in BA, but I get your point.

That's true. I'd be interested to know what Fullerton spends on baseball.

[Just1More]

I bet every team in the top 15 has double to triple the budget that we have for baseball..

And they also have a much larger athletic institution budget. The constructs they put in place for all students and student-athletes gives them a much easier path to the top in any sport. UL baseball and softball are absolutely amazing for the budget limits we have. That isn't to say that they are not phenomenally supported by UL fans. And UL diamond sports have in facilities and support way above the average.

[ManAboutTown]

I don't necessarily think of the baseball program's limitations as "lower budget". But the other descriptions are getting old. "Small school" or "Cinderella" or "Mid Major" or "G5" - understanding that last reference isn't necessarily used for baseball... but it tends to separate the "larger budget" versus "lower budget" conferences... are in reality stating that you are a lower budget program.

Again... I don't think in terms of "lower budget" for our baseball ceiling. But if we were to look at our baseball program... and what if anything is limiting them... it would be our athletic department... our institution in general... and funding.

I like to compare budgets to teams we play, beat and consistently compete against on a yearly basis. Obviously on the high end would be the Tiggahs. $30 mil crib and $1 mil coach..

[Just1More]

That's true. I'd be interested to know what Fullerton spends on baseball.

Just like we know happens in basketball, there are schools that focus on sports other than football... and capitalize. I wouldn't look just at the budgets of the outliers in baseball. They have to have a decent budget. But what makes these non powerhouse institutions excel in a non football sport is their exclusive focus... usually born of a past success when money and politics didn't play such a huge role in separating the juggernauts from the rest.

[Dad04]

The power conference schools are strong in non-revenue sports for the same reason they dominate football and basketball. Their athletic infrastructure is superior in most areas of nutrition, housing, transportation, academic support, training facilities, recruiting budgets, alumni networks.

That said, we now have a top 10 facility, the Indoor Center, now four regionals in a row, a rabid fan base that rivals most S-E-C clubs and maybe the best head coach in the business. A couple of Omaha appearances would cement our place on the totem for a generation.

[Just1More]

I like to compare budgets to teams we play, beat and consistently compete against on a yearly basis. Obviously on the high end would be the Tiggahs. $30 mil crib and $1 mil coach..

It's almost always the most relevant stat (funding). But there are going to be outliers. And I believe most of the programs that are not amongst the giants in funding... are programs that focus on baseball above any other sport... and they developed their legacy in a time that NCAA politics and money weren't as decisive as they are today. And we also know... unlike basketball... diamond sports are going to be best where there's warmer weather this time of year.

[CajunEXPRESS]

It's almost always the most relevant stat (funding). But there are going to be outliers. And I believe most of the programs that are not amongst the giants in funding... are programs that focus on baseball above any other sport... and they developed their legacy in a time that NCAA politics and money weren't as decisive as they are today. And we also know... unlike basketball... diamond sports are going to be best where there's warmer weather this time of year.

I'm the czar of basketball at UL, and I just raised Marlin's salary to three million a year, his assistants to the highest paid in the NCAA. I'm giving him six million a year to buy high RPI games in the CajunDome. Wrote a check for twenty million to build him a replica practice facility so we can get an eye to simulate the CajunDome shooting perspectives. Oh, yeah, charter him a jet so that he is not stranded in Christmas week at an airport in Memphis, Atlanta, or Houston. Oh, yes, just bought him a national tv deal.

Is he any better?

[Just1More]

The power conference schools are strong in non-revenue sports for the same reason they dominate football and basketball. Their athletic infrastructure is superior in most areas of nutrition, housing, transportation, academic support, training facilities, recruiting budgets, alumni networks.

That said, we now have a top 10 facility, the Indoor Center, now four regionals in a row, a rabid fan base that rivals most S-E-C clubs and maybe the best head coach in the business. A couple of Omaha appearances would cement our place on the totem for a generation.

True. And not being a member of a power conference makes us very unique in this regard. We owe so much to Robe it isn't even funny. Your last statement is so true. It is a massive goal. The cool thing is that Robe has the temperament to control a program in the post season like a boss. Getting to Omaha is a very difficult achievement, especially for a SBC program. But we have the boss to do it.

[Just1More]

I'm the czar of basketball at UL, and I just raised Marlin's salary to three million a year, his assistants to the highest paid in the NCAA. I'm giving him six million a year to buy high RPI games in the CajunDome. Wrote a check for twenty million to build him a replica practice facility so we can get an eye to simulate the CajunDome shooting perspectives. Oh, yeah, charter him a jet so that he is not stranded in Christmas week at an airport in Memphis, Atlanta, or Houston. Oh, yes, just bought him a national tv deal.

Is he any better?

What are you arguing? I was not evaluating our baseball program in the prior post. I was evaluating our competitors. In baseball and softball, we owe our success to our coaches. They have risen above our meager means and placed us among the elites.

Basketball, is a beast of another mother.

In answer to your question... without enabling thread drift... no. But in reality... what you "the money czar" just did for UL basketball... probably did just place Bob in a position to be great. You sling money around basketball... and you're probably going to put 5 studs on the floor that would make me look like a great basketball coach. Different beast from another mother. And that is not an endorsement of or an excuse for Coach Marlin.

My mention of football and/or basketball was to place baseball in it's proper perspective. I'd rather we focus strictly on baseball in this thread.