The fall of Stanford softball

[fasterpitch92701]

There are, undoubtedly, some lessons to be learned here. And some enlightening perspectives on drama... girl drama... AD drama... more drama...drama at many levels. It's all rather pathetic.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_28203959/ ... -its-knees

[as the world turns]

There are, undoubtedly, some lessons to be learned here. And some enlightening perspectives on drama... girl drama... AD drama... more drama...drama at many levels. It's all rather pathetic.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_28203959/ ... -its-knees

You fail to mention parent drama, possibly the main culprit.

[fasterpitch92701]

I rolled "parent drama" into "more drama". I have had several reactions to the story. One is that the AD seems minimally talented at solving problems and is, obviously, not forthcoming on items of substance. The second is that there may be a core of "entitlement bitches" on the team (or were). The third is that no one wants to really answer questions. The fourth is that the "problems" seem to reflect those of 8 or 10U players and parents.... my Susie is great, she "deserves" more playing time, blah, blah, blah. It's 11 year old drama queens... Oddly enough, if you research the Salem witch trials.... there are many parallels. The laughable part is that the new coach isn't liked either. Odd...because players are expected to work at their craft? Or is this simply entitlement? Firing a coach after 18 years with no substantive basis is... odd. The AD is coming out looking like a real chump who was played by disgruntled players and parents. Pathetic.

[fastpitchdad05]

I rolled "parent drama" into "more drama". I have had several reactions to the story. One is that the AD seems minimally talented at solving problems and is, obviously, not forthcoming on items of substance. The second is that there may be a core of "entitlement bitches" on the team (or were). The third is that no one wants to really answer questions. The fourth is that the "problems" seem to reflect those of 8 or 10U players and parents.... my Susie is great, she "deserves" more playing time, blah, blah, blah. It's 11 year old drama queens... Oddly enough, if you research the Salem witch trials.... there are many parallels. The laughable part is that the new coach isn't liked either. Odd...because players are expected to work at their craft? Or is this simply entitlement? Firing a coach after 18 years with no substantive basis is... odd. The AD is coming out looking like a real chump who was played by disgruntled players and parents. Pathetic.

Probably a bit of all of the above with the truth somewhere in the middle.

[as the world turns]

Bringing in an Ivy League coach into the Pac 12 was probably not the best idea, time will tell. Two different worlds in every aspect except that they both play with yellow balls.

[fasterpitch92701]

The Ivy League coach... perhaps there are/were better or worse choices. But the AD knew... absolutely knew that the team was a basket case, players were bailing, controversy was at a maximum and the team would be a wreck for 3-4 years based on needing new players recruited to a team with a bad near term history. An Ivy League coach probably doesn't have the pull of a major D1 school coach. So the AD has, more or less, tossed the new coach to the wolves. How does Stanford pitch itself to potential student athletes? "Our education is great but we want you to play for a crap team for the next 3-4 years so we can rebuild using a relatively unknown coach.... and it will all be fine but not during your playing years..." Oh, yea, that's going to work. The more I think about it the more I believe that the problem is really the AD. All teams have issues now and then. It's what you do to resolve the issues that defines success.

[Old Darter]

"Our education is great but we want you to play for a crap team for the next 3-4 years so we can rebuild using a relatively unknown coach.... and it will all be fine but not during your playing years..."


Well worth that price.

[as the world turns]

"Our education is great but we want you to play for a crap team for the next 3-4 years so we can rebuild using a relatively unknown coach.... and it will all be fine but not during your playing years..."


Well worth that price.

Not if they are forced to take commikachuns or psycho-ology as a major in order to fit softball into the schedule.

[exD1dad]

Wow Interesting, I always wondered what happened to Rittman. A player from my DD's HS had verballed to Stanford & for some strange reason got de-committed(prior to his last season coaching), she ended up at Harvard & was 1st team All Ivy League. Now when she met Hanson (she immediately met all the other Ivy coaches) her take on her was she was more hard core than other Ivy coaches that have players on the bench that rarely get in games but love the game & their team dynamics of Collegiate sisterhood.

Almost every coach at every level has favorites because they are simply human beings.

Somebody has to be the cellar dweller but it is the hardest school to get accepted to in the country & the campus is beautiful.

Checkwriter got any inside info for us?

[fasterpitch92701]

And to put icing on this cake.... Hanson... the new Stanford coach, was replaced at Dartmouth by Shannon Doepking, formerly of Amherst. Apparently Dartmouth players are now complaining that Doepking is "way too intense". Interesting. I did not hear any significant opinions on Hanson while she was at Dartmouth but if she is not a strong presence, particularly when compared to a lowly D3 coach replacement.... that might not bode well for Stanford's future. It's kind of turning into a circus. I hope Stanford figures it out. I just don't the AD has the ability to manage that effort.