Topic: Post Spring Game

[HerdSection113]

New format killing the interest I once had. The greed>love of the game has done me in.

[ru4mu2]

More broad than a discussion of the coach hires, but do you think its easy to get men's sprinters to come to Marshall?  Other than FB players, who are limited in their availability, the coaches are by necessity going to have to focus on distance. 

Give Beals a couple more years.  The hitting is fine, but he needs about 3-4 more decent arms.  If you watch his recruiting, he seems to be doing alright in that dept.  As an aside, and I've posted this on here before, but I talked to the parents of a local kid that played for him at OSU.  Those parents absolutely love the guy and told me there's no doubt he'll be successful b/c he coaches the players the right way.  I trust them - they're sports people and know their way around a field/pitch/court/course. 

I know how the AD works.  Beatrice does hire, technically, all of the Olympic sports coaches but you don't think CS signed off on Morgan?  You've complained about his hiring failures - Morgan counts and if she gets a Nester-type arm for next year, the SunBelt better watch out.

wonder if Kinker can get a Covid year here? 😂. Currently losing 0-8 to 12-31 EKU.  Bad!

[herdfan93]

More broad than a discussion of the coach hires, but do you think its easy to get men's sprinters to come to Marshall?  Other than FB players, who are limited in their availability, the coaches are by necessity going to have to focus on distance. 

Give Beals a couple more years.  The hitting is fine, but he needs about 3-4 more decent arms.  If you watch his recruiting, he seems to be doing alright in that dept.  As an aside, and I've posted this on here before, but I talked to the parents of a local kid that played for him at OSU.  Those parents absolutely love the guy and told me there's no doubt he'll be successful b/c he coaches the players the right way.  I trust them - they're sports people and know their way around a field/pitch/court/course. 

I know how the AD works.  Beatrice does hire, technically, all of the Olympic sports coaches but you don't think CS signed off on Morgan?  You've complained about his hiring failures - Morgan counts and if she gets a Nester-type arm for next year, the SunBelt better watch out.

Not to be argumentative but according to the NCAA Mu is 293 out of 295 D-1teams in team batting average.  The team batting avg is .227

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/baseball/d1/current/team/210/p6

[s1uggo]

The "gal" that left took a P5 job in the ACC that is her alma mater and that's an hour drive from her parents.  You're full of crap.

Ok I?ll tell that to her friends still in Huntington that told me

[BigJimslade]

It would be a huge boost to fan interest if somehow Cole Pennington became a bonafide stud. No idea if that can happen or not, but it would be great.

That would be fantastic

But very unlikely barring a complete metamorphosis

Penny2.0

[banker]

I just need someone to tell me why I should still care about football as much as I did.

I have season tickets and a west lot pass. I?m at every home game 4 hours before kick off to set up and tailgate. I?ve given 4-5 figures to the Big Green every year for the last 20 years.  I?ve missed two home games since I moved back in 1999 and have traveled to almost all the MAC and CUSA stadiums along with most of the road money games.  I always went to the signing day events and many of the BG coach lunches when those were a regular thing. I?ve been pretty darned committed.

Here?s the changes that have turned me off, some Marshall?s fault, some way beyond our control:

First - we got boring to watch when Pruett left, at least on offense.  Outside of the 2012-2014 period we have been pretty sad offensively for 20 years. A win is a win, but 38-35 is a heck of a lot more fun than 10-7.

Second - when they added the early signing period it took a lot of fun and interest out of that part of the process.  I used to follow recruiting a lot. Kept me engage from the end of the season through February.   I started to lose interest because it seemed only about half of Doc?s top recruits ever made it to campus so verbals lost their meaning.

Third - what I personally call the ?Ashton Hall Effect?. If you remember Ashton, cool, if not he was a guy that was here his whole career, took a while to get playing time, turned out to be a good contributor. Not spectacular, but I loved the kid. He always had a smile, always played and practiced hard, and just seemed to be a great kid. At his last game I thanked him for his time at Marshall and his first thing was to thank me for supporting the program and giving him the opportunity to play college ball.  Those are the kind of players I can be invested in and care about.

Fourth - closing the program off from the fans. Closed practices, zero info. How do you care about something they actively try to keep you away from?  Pruett seemed to be able to win with open practices. Because I would go to some practices I actually knew the roster, knowing who the players are connects you to them.

Fifth - transfer portal and NIL. If amplifies everything above. Spring ball is over and I probably can?t name more than 15-20 players on the team when I used to be able to tell you 1-99 by name & number. Why should I be invested in hired guns that don?t care about the school, the fans, or anything but themselves?  Why follow recruiting when those guys won?t be here in a year or two anway?

[coalherd]

As to point 4, banker, you cannot say that open/closed practices are a FACTOR in every situation.  Just look at MU basketball for the last decade.  D'Antoni also ran "open" practice sessions.  Apparently, however, it was more a PR "love" fest, as least partially, with the Coach engaging in banter with a group of fawning, adoring Fans virtually at every session.  Open, free practice sessions and what did MU get for 10 seasons?  Overall, average-to-mediocre barely over .500 ball, very few "championships", ZERO wins against "Major" foes; and fan interest so "Anemic" as to result in "Tarping Over" about 35 to 40 percent of the Henderson Center seating!!  Of course, many on here would term all of that as evidence of "great progress" in putting MU basketball "On the Map" and clear EVIDENCE that the program was headed in the "right direction"!!

[whf]

My answer, Banker, it's simply  for your love of  the sport and the fact that regardless if all the changes, it is still our Thundering Herd that takes the field.

[Garbanjo]

My answer, Banker, it's simply  for your love of  the sport and the fact that regardless if all the changes, it is still our Thundering Herd that takes the field.

That's it for me: I love Marshall

If it was easy I would renounce my love, but I cannot 😂

It should be easy for me to move on, one would think, as I'm a graduate of Florida, Florida State and Clemson, but I bleed Green

We just need to make a great hire after this season and contend for Sun Belt titles on the regular. Straight up, that's not a big ask and we can compete at that level in football.

We can compete at a higher level in basketball, but we'll have to see if Corny is a good hire (he's not on paper; DD gamed us)

Go Herd!

[herdfan129]

If they would limit the portal I would be more open to it. Even the NFL has multi-year contracts. NFL players aren't switching teams every single year.

That's my biggest issue right now. Not the portal its self, but the wild west of the portal.

[herdorbust2]

People are going to realize over time that it's over for Marshall. The portal and NIL has destroyed sports and especially the smaller schools. And then you add in an administration that never makes good coaching decisions and you end up where we are. Fan interest will continue to dwindle over stagnation, players coming and going, realizing you can't watch players develop anymore, etc,,, it only gets worse from here and reality will set in. Its sad but true.

[MicDrass1]

So looks like Dix & Hill would be considered on the NFL radar.

[bbcard1]

You know how universities have to adapt or move on? As fans, we have to as well.  I think we'll have a good team this year, but I'll come to the games one way or the other. If it no longer interests you, move on (people who post on websites are not moving on).  I've had a lot of things I enjoyed for years and then moved on from.

You could play golf, volunteer in your community, root for Ohio University or just chill. At the same time, someone else will get interested and take your palce at the Marshall game and it's all ok. As for me, I'm a Marshall fan and figure I always will be.

As for me, I believe we will have a football team that will compete for the conference championship this year. I think spring practice will become irrelevant. It's a nice time for the fans but of little practical use.

[svherd]

Excellent discussion. Another concern Marshall needs to address immediately is the fan base, with all that's going on to diminish the fan excitement at many schools - NIL, Portal, etc. Marshall has a huge issue with an aging fanbase. No denying our fanbase is older, easy to see at games, especially basketball games. CS and Co. need a concerted effort to get younger fans and families involved. So, not only do we have to deal with NIL, Portal and outside issues that diminish excitement for our fan base, we also have fans/donors moving away, passing on to Herd Heaven and such. With a continuing population decline in the region, the AD has a very tough task in front of them. Makes me wonder what it's gonna be like in 5-10 and longer. Younger kids as a whole, just don't seem to have the passion and interest that we did years ago. Just a different era.

[MUther]

TnF was an asst from AZ state I don?t remember the other guy. The guy we got was third choice
Softball was the gal at the D2 school in Indianapolis, the other one iirc was one of ours that is some place else
The Gal that left really wanted to stay but needed more money and support. Seeing how CS didn?t bother going to the SBC tournament she saw the writing on the wall for his support

Morgan Zerkle is the gal we got and is one of ours.  One of the best players we've ever had, played from 2014-2017.  Plays professional softball for years.  Not being able to match a P5 offer is not the same as "not supporting" the program.  And the previous coach padded wins with a weak schedule preventing us from making the NCAAs even with 45 wins.  Look at last year's schedule compared to this year.  This year is brutal but will make the girls better in the long run and they will stick around for her.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_softball_team

https://herdzone.com/sports/softball/schedule

[herdorbust2]

Excellent discussion. Another concern Marshall needs to address immediately is the fan base, with all that's going on to diminish the fan excitement at many schools - NIL, Portal, etc. Marshall has a huge issue with an aging fanbase. No denying our fanbase is older, easy to see at games, especially basketball games. CS and Co. need a concerted effort to get younger fans and families involved. So, not only do we have to deal with NIL, Portal and outside issues that diminish excitement for our fan base, we also have fans/donors moving away, passing on to Herd Heaven and such. With a continuing population decline in the region, the AD has a very tough task in front of them. Makes me wonder what it's gonna be like in 5-10 and longer. Younger kids as a whole, just don't seem to have the passion and interest that we did years ago. Just a different era.

Agree 100%. Ten years from now will look totally different as a fanbase. I have zero expectations for the 2 major sports. Some other G5s are always making great hires and thinking outside the box to try and stay at the top in today's landscape. What do we do? We bring back a football coach that most of the fanbase has turned against and had another rough season. And we hire from within that just lost 20 games twice over the last 2 seasons. Marshall will just never get it.

[bighat]

For years the true fans of Marshall stuck with a football team that was one of the worst in college football and finally everything came together.  I want our teams to all world but if they are not I will not abandon them.  I will still give what I give and attend like I have for over 50 years because I have green blood.  You can put your money and time somewhere else but I will be a true fanatic and stay with Marshall.

[overherd1]

Good conversation.  I will root for Marshall til the day I leave this earth.  It is frustrating to come up short in the two major sports.  I would be nice that if every 2-3 years we would compete for a championship in those two sports.  I will keep rooting for that!  I do think the portal and NIL take away from college sports teams because you really are not able to follow a player from recruitment to graduation.  This was enjoyable because you were able to root for this young person, watch them grow up and become a better player from year to year.  I hope when this all washes out we will be able to be competitive and somewhat matter in the big scheme of things.

[NewfieHerdFan]

Agree 100%. Ten years from now will look totally different as a fanbase. I have zero expectations for the 2 major sports. Some other G5s are always making great hires and thinking outside the box to try and stay at the top in today's landscape. What do we do? We bring back a football coach that most of the fanbase has turned against and had another rough season. And we hire from within that just lost 20 games twice over the last 2 seasons. Marshall will just never get it.

Good scheduling and having a "power" school come to The Joan always helps with attendance. However, with all the things going on with college football nowadays, it will most likely get harder and harder for G5s to get "power" schools to come to their place for a game.

[HerdEcon]

For years the true fans of Marshall stuck with a football team that was one of the worst in college football and finally everything came together.  I want our teams to all world but if they are not I will not abandon them.  I will still give what I give and attend like I have for over 50 years because I have green blood.  You can put your money and time somewhere else but I will be a true fanatic and stay with Marshall.

Good points and a good positive way to look at the situation.  Our school and team have been though worse. 

Every team or program goes through ups and downs.  I wouldn't say we are in a down era, but we have been performing below expectations, especially last season.  If this upcoming season ends the same way last season did with a 3-5 conference record and .500 or below overall then we may be entering a down era.  The terms "down" and "below expectations" are subjective and depend on your definition of both.  I define "down" as .500 or below overall and not being in the running for a spot in the conference championship. 

[herdfifteen]

For years the true fans of Marshall stuck with a football team that was one of the worst in college football and finally everything came together.  I want our teams to all world but if they are not I will not abandon them.  I will still give what I give and attend like I have for over 50 years because I have green blood.  You can put your money and time somewhere else but I will be a true fanatic and stay with Marshall.

I used to feel the way you presently feel, my brother and I missed three games home or away in seventeen consecutive losing seasons. Like you I bled green, then DD came along and completely changed my attitude about MU sports. Politics replaced any measure of success on the playing field. We gave a guy $7million plus dollars because his name was D'Antoni who in turn sat back and laughed at us when we demanded excellence.

[parshall2marshall]

Third - what I personally call the ?Ashton Hall Effect?. If you remember Ashton, cool, if not he was a guy that was here his whole career, took a while to get playing time, turned out to be a good contributor. Not spectacular, but I loved the kid. He always had a smile, always played and practiced hard, and just seemed to be a great kid. At his last game I thanked him for his time at Marshall and his first thing was to thank me for supporting the program and giving him the opportunity to play college ball.  Those are the kind of players I can be invested in and care about.

Ashton Hall - I remember him, not a beast but an outstanding tackler - great technique.

The game has changed and not in a good way for Marshall. Losing Dix and Hill tells me we might be good, good enough to win the SBC, but we may never approach "great" again. We will continually lose outstanding players to NIL and the P5.

[HoPPy785]

If they would limit the portal I would be more open to it. Even the NFL has multi-year contracts. NFL players aren't switching teams every single year.

That's my biggest issue right now. Not the portal its self, but the wild west of the portal.

I do believe NIL contracts will happen eventually, but nobody wants to be first and put their school at a disadvantage. It's going to take a major school or two to take that step. Contracts would certainly help us a lot.

[s1uggo]

Morgan Zerkle is the gal we got and is one of ours.  One of the best players we've ever had, played from 2014-2017.  Plays professional softball for years.  Not being able to match a P5 offer is not the same as "not supporting" the program.  And the previous coach padded wins with a weak schedule preventing us from making the NCAAs even with 45 wins.  Look at last year's schedule compared to this year.  This year is brutal but will make the girls better in the long run and they will stick around for her.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_softball_team

https://herdzone.com/sports/softball/schedule

But the point was she was our third choice and Beatrice is the one that hired her nobody that knows him wants to work for CS

[miltonherdfan]

nobody that knows him wants to work for CS

i wish someone would've told DD & huff that!  they oughta know CS pretty well by now, & neither 1 can seem to get enough of him, unfortunately.  & i doubt they had to ask CJ twice if he'd like to take over MBB, either. 🤔