I spoke with some baseball alums last night, some making the trek down tot the Bend today. Credit Brant Ust for organizing.
But if this article doesn't tell you how much of a d#ckhead Kevin White was, then nothing will. Swarbrick may have some warts, but man....
He may have cut my old roommate, but I still have my signed Mainieri jersey hanging with my ND stuff.
...I don't hate what Kevin White did/said in his interview.
I mean, he was a pretty abysmal AD, and we're certainly better off without him, but all he really did was attempt to use any and all leverage at his disposal (all of which was clearly outlined in a contract) to keep an exceptional coach (perhaps our best ever) at Notre Dame. Doesn't he deserve some credit for that?
Shouldn't our leaders do everything they possibly can to identify, attract and maintain top-tier talent at the university?
White negotiated contracts to keep or hire Davie, Willingham, and Weis. Really good work there.
...that Manieri wasn't looking to leave, even for LSU. ND created the circumstances that ultimately presented themselves.
And it's easy for White to be diplomatic after the fact. White is presenting his varnished side of the story. Manieri was leaving regardless of White's attempts to play hardball. ND would've done better to appreciate his contributions. I don't think White grasped this concept.
But let's just say that ND could have avoided Manieri's departure, and I am not referring to this particular buyout situation.
And they gave White an honorary Monogram and sent him happily on his way to Duke. They should have shitcanned that SOB and sued him for his entire back salary and all of the buyouts he cost the University.
Coach Murphy and raised its profile even higher. It didn't hurt that he had core guys like Steve Stanley, Brian Stavisky and Grant Johnson but he took guys like Andrew Bushey, Matt Bok, Kris Billmaier, Joe Thaman and J.P. Gagne and turned them into invaluable CWS players. He turned us into the premier northern college baseball team through the 2006 season after which he left for LSU (he didn't have a choice as far as I'm concerned). I think he could mold the current team into a solid NCAA tournament team. They certainly wouldn't be making the same base running mistakes that have plagued the program since he left. If I ever win the lottery, I will commission a statue of him to be put up outside the Eck. I wish I could be there this week to cheer him and shake his hand.
Yes, it's his first visit back here. We played at LSU in 2012 and won 7-1.