Lagrangejacket
Jolly Good Fellow
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- 335
This all started (as usual) with a general debate over whether CDH is a good coach (or not)? Has his time passed (or not)? Could we have done better with someone different (or not) over the last 15 years or so? There is a spectrum of opinions and no consensus; but for sake of the discussion, I'll generalize that there seem to be 2 groups that engage on this.
Group 1: CDH's record speaks for itself. He's the winningest active head coach in D1 baseball because he WINS. Period. The lack of post-season success can be attributed to lots of things.
And assuming "anybody" could have his regular season record (and get to post-season)... and that his post-season record is clear evidence he's not 'good enough'... well, those ideas flies in the face of his actual record as a coach. [I happen to be of this mindset ..Group 1]
Group 2: The post-season is what really matters...or needs the scrutiny. After ALL these years, CDH and Ga Tech baseball should have been more consistent in getting out of regionals/supers. He's achieved the minimum expectations over the years on that front; and that isn't good enough. Omaha only twice... and 1st time was his 1st season... (minimal credit for that)
This is far too much generalization, bordering on disingenuity. There are sufficient reasons other than the postseason to want CDH gone.
In particular, he has the most wins among active D1 baseball coaches mostly because he's been in D1 baseball for a long time. There are many more coaches who have been better over the recent medium- to long-term. As an example, take Elliot Avent, NC State's coach. He is over 150 games behind Danny as the "winningest" active coach overall, but over the past 10 seasons, Avent has a better overall record (335-182 vs. 298-214) and ACC record (138-118 vs. 126-136) than Hall. The same trend holds - for the years in that period in which they coached - for Mike Fox (.676 overall) and Mike Martin (.667 overall).
So really, the only reason "Group 1" can cling to their argument is because CDH has lingered far beyond his expiration date. To parade his cumulative wins as a badge of honor is to wear blinders to what he's done recently and the competitive landscape that has outpaced him. It's not just about accumulating victories in an era gone by; it's about what you're doing for your team today. And frankly, when you stack CDH up against his contemporaries, it's clear he's not keeping pace.