UT Baseball History Question

#1
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VolFan_stuck_in_the_901

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#1
For the older heads around here and anyone who might be "in the know" when it comes to information: what exactly caused the fallout between Coach Delmonico and Mike Hamilton back in 2007? I was in high school at the time, but I remember that we were a respectable program under Coach Rod that would make the tournament every 2-3 years and get to Omaha every 4-5 years and then all of a sudden Coach Rod was out and Hamilton (coaching hire guru that he was) brought in Todd Raleigh... who ended up tanking our program. If anyone has specifics about what happened between Rod/Hammy and is comfortable sharing it, I would greatly appreciate it! GBO! šŸŠšŸŠšŸŠ
 
#2
#2
For me, it was just a combination of Rod having been there for a good while and the AD wanting his own man. Plus Rod didn't exactly play a who's who non conference schedule most years. Seemed like we were fairly stagnant as a program toward the end of his run. Apathy is about the best way I can describe it.
 
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#3
#3
CAVPUT said:
For me, it was just a combination of Rod having been there for a good while and the AD wanting his own man. Plus Rod didn't exactly play a who's who non conference schedule most years. Seemed like we were fairly stagnant as a program toward the end of his run. Apathy is about the best way I can describe it.
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I read somewhere that Hamilton wanted to hire a coach who could have the "Bruce Pearl" effect on our baseball program the same way Pearl did on basketball
 
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#4
#4
My understanding is that it was driven by APR, and that Raleigh's main directive was to improve the academic progress rate so that the program wouldn't end up penalized by the 'AA. I think some boosters were also upset with Delmonico for not utilizing the emerging local talent, preferring out of state players; but not sure how much that influenced Hamilton's decision.
 
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#6
#6
I was a student when CRD started. The program was morbid when he came on board. There were often more people on the field than in the stands. He totally revived the program. A significant number of bleachers had to be added down the third baseline in order to accommodate everyone.

I could be wrong, but he is probably only second in success behind CTV.

I had heard rumblings that he was not getting along well with the A.D. at the time. Also, he had trouble getting players to graduate. In fact, when CTR came on board, and IIRC, he was penalized two full scholarships.
 
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#7
#7
@1RBFjr said:
I was a student when CRD started. The program was morbid when he came on board. There were often more people on the field than in the stands. He totally revived the program. A significant number of bleachers had to be added down the third baseline in order to accommodate everyone.

I could be wrong, but he is probably only second in success behind CTV.

I had heard rumblings that he was not getting along well with the A.D. at the time. Also, he had trouble getting players to graduate. In fact, when CTR came on board, and IIRC, he was penalized two full scholarships.
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Didn't he go further in criticizing Hammy? Seems like he pretty much forced his hand on it.
 
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#8
#8
txbo said:
Didn't he go further in criticizing Hammy? Seems like he pretty much forced his hand on it.
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He said something ā€œif they fire me, theyā€™ll pay alot of moneyā€. Delmonico at the time was the lowest paid coach in the SEC. He also didnā€™t have backing from former players donating back to the program.
 
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#13
#13
VolFan_stuck_in_the_901 said:
I mean, given Hamilton's track record as an AD I wouldn't want him dictating to me either if I was a coach šŸ˜‚
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Hamilton does get a lot of grief for some of his decisions, but I believe there were boosters and bosses calling the shots, mostly.

I will have to give him some props as he was one of the best human beings you could ever run across.
 
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#14
#14

Rod Delmonico had to go

Mike Hamilton is being ripped on the website dedicated to his termination with the following statement: "A sub-par baseball program that was a national contender under Rod Delmonico." Are people who read the baseball thread aware of the state of the program when Rod was fired? He did...
www.volnation.com www.volnation.com

What was said at the timeā€¦here.

Andā€¦DELMONICO RELEASED FROM HIS CONTRACT AS TENNESSEE'S HEAD BASEBALL COACH - University of Tennessee Athletics.

Andā€¦

www.starnewsonline.com

Delmonico staying busy in baseball since firing

Within the past week, several sports items with a local twist have caught my attention. Delmonico resurfacing? Earlier in the week, I phoned New Hanover graduate Rod Delmonico, who seemingly disappā€¦
www.starnewsonline.com
 
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#15
#15
All that to sayā€¦I was a Noob here when Todd Raleigh was fired. I found the baseball forum, honestly, because it was lightly trafficked. Fulmer was out at roughly the same time and as one can imagine that was covered.

Nobody really gave a rats poop about the baseball program. It seems like the archive here no longer goes back that far. I should probably be glad about that.

All the stories I heard/read back then, apathy, stale, and nobody, no one could foresee what happens when you hire a Todd Raleigh. Iā€™m sure he is a decent person but by all accounts, his exit wasnā€™t pleasant.

I showed up around the CDS hire. Nice guy, unfortunately, the landscape of SEC baseball had changed. What worked at Fullerton, even with all the high hopes, just didnā€™t work for him, kinda difficult to comprehend even now. Easier in hindsight like most things I guess.

In a general wayā€¦Delmonico was here for 18 years, Fulmer, Summitt were institutions and all that was changing too.

Up in here I could dream. Eventually every game will be televised. The room for growth is in baseball. The stadium will expand and those dumpy bleachers down the left field line will be a thing of the past. No one here is more happy than I about ā€œsmoke signalsā€ being in the rear view, but it was fun. One thing is left. Baseball can break even financially and eventually make money. I still believe.

GBO!!!
 
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