Should Hall Retire? (Poll)

[Buzzbomb]

And how many more walks and hit batters than other ACC teams?

I’m afraid to compile those stats.

 

[rodandanga]

I’m afraid to compile those stats.

255 walks, leads the league, the closest is FSU with 246. 59 Hit batters, leads the league, Clemson is 2nd with 57. Also lead the league in HRs given up with 75, UNC closest with 68.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/2/18/ConferenceStats2023.pdf

 

[FredJacket]

255 walks, leads the league, the closest is FSU with 246. 59 Hit batters, leads the league, Clemson is 2nd with 57. Also lead the league in HRs given up with 75, UNC closest with 68.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/2/18/ConferenceStats2023.pdf

Who saw this coming (or even close to this coming) when CDB was hired?

Recall... FOR YEARS we complained about results...especially post-season results. And whether it was CDH or TStan or pressure from other influential parties or a combination of all of those, a decision was made to 'invest' more into this "weak link" part of the program. We got better technology (the lab), and we threw money at the pitching coach position to elevate out of the "tier" we had been in.

As far as I can recall... not a soul (not one) was critical of any of that or even skeptical. ALL the 'experts' who follow and write about college baseball, were predicting Ga Tech's return the prominence in a few short years. It was a hallelujah moment for us fans. FINALLY FINALLY... Ga Tech was addressing a known short-coming and maybe beginning to act like the other elite D1 programs. All the parts were coming together and in a few years, we'd be a 'more balanced team'... that seemed to be the FLOOR of the expectations. No way could it all just stay the same (getting worse was out of the question)... NO WAY, right? The pitching HAD to improve...had too. And if the offense just held steady, we'd be a very very good team... and consistent too. ELITE (again).

This probably won't be very popular because it's likely to be misunderstood; but I'll say it anyway. I feel for Coach Hall on this one. I have no idea if this is how it went down or not... but I wonder how long and how hard he had lobbied for more investment to upgrade the pitching issues. Even if way too late, (on paper) the lab and CDB were significant upgrades to what had been the norm up to that point. Yet... here we are. No better... worse probably. Those conference pitching stats (hits, walks, HBPs, HRs) are staggering. I stopped looking at those, myself, back in March. Too frustrating.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

I feel for Coach Hall on this one.

I understand this view. I feel for him a little because I'm human, but I have never been a fan of his since I have started following the team in 2006. I feel for us fans too, but we can turn to other things. I feel more for the players and people in the program that are not critical decision makers.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Bump.

76% think Hall should retired or be retired this year. Hasn't changed much from the start of the poll.

We'll see what Batt does after the season is over.

 

[FredJacket]

Bump.

76% think Hall should retired or be retired this year. Hasn't changed much from the start of the poll.

We'll see what Batt does after the season is over.

Or what Hall does? I've wandered something. Coaches in Hall's position across sports have a choice. Announce a retirement & launch a "farewell" tour for a full season or part of season if announced mid-season. OR choose to just announce the retirement post-season & not do any of that. Any read on where Hall's head/heart would land on that?

 

[GTRambler]

Or what Hall does? I've wandered something. Coaches in Hall's position across sports have a choice. Announce a retirement & launch a "farewell" tour for a full season or part of season if announced mid-season. OR choose to just announce the retirement post-season & not do any of that. Any read on where Hall's head/heart would land on that?

I’m not an insider and I don’t know. I’m just a lifelong GT sidewalk baseball fan.

I suspect a lot of what might happen with Coach Hall soon, would likely depend on what and how GT’s current big baseball donor, Mark Texiera, thinks and feels about the current state of the program. Tex is also a member of the GT Athletic Board, and he definitely will have a major influence on what Athletic Director J Batt would do.

In addition … at this point, I’m inclined to believe that Borrell is gone. Borrell was hired as a big experiment with lots of promise. He has completed four seasons in trying to improve the team’s overall pitching performance, and it just hasn’t worked.

It would be interesting to see if Hall stays and Borrell goes, or if Hall decides to retire and Borrell is fired.

If Borrell is fired, I suspect Tex will buy out the final two years of Borrell’s contract.

These are just my guesses.

 

[GT33]

People see others positions as straightforward. I think it's more complicated.

1. Wish Hall would take the Paul Johnson route and retire. It would be good for everyone, except maybe Hall himself.
2. Barring #1 transpiring, Batt or anyone else close enough to Hall needs to "nudge" him.
3. Firing Hall is not the correct option, but in the end if he won't go, wow that puts GT in a very bad position. I can't fathom it would come to that, but at the end of the day Batt will need to do what he gets paid for.
4. I can't believe there's any potential to have a conversation where Batt and Hall discuss Hall's 5 year plan to turn the team around. Batt had to have set expectations on Day 1 with all his staff. Hall's mandate had to be immediate results.
5. Borrell had his chance. We all wanted him to succeed. It didn't work. There's no option here, he steps down or is fired.
6. Hard to argue Ramsey hasn't had a positive impact on hitting. He's made as good a case for HC as anyone could I think. If it's not enough, fine, but deliver someone else of quality quickly. I have to think there's a stout list. This isn;t football or basketball where the risk to one's career is very high taking our job.
7. Risk of doing worse. There's always a risk of doing worse. We may regret forcing a change, but there's often nothing worse than the "do nothing" option. I'd hate to think the misery index could get worse, but when your'e the AD you can't lead scared.

The program has sunk to levels not seen since the early days of joining the ACC 40 years ago. It's just time to do something. Hope we get it done the right way. Hope it generates the change we're all wanting.

 

[g0lftime]

One way to make a HC change is for the AD to tell Hall privately that his contract will not be renewed. That is how Duke got rid of their women's BB coach a couple of years ago. She had one year left but left with a negotiated buyout. Win win for both by allowing it to be a resignation rather than firing.

 

[CTJacket]

People see others positions as straightforward. I think it's more complicated.

1. Wish Hall would take the Paul Johnson route and retire. It would be good for everyone, except maybe Hall himself.
2. Barring #1 transpiring, Batt or anyone else close enough to Hall needs to "nudge" him.
3. Firing Hall is not the correct option, but in the end if he won't go, wow that puts GT in a very bad position. I can't fathom it would come to that, but at the end of the day Batt will need to do what he gets paid for.
4. I can't believe there's any potential to have a conversation where Batt and Hall discuss Hall's 5 year plan to turn the team around. Batt had to have set expectations on Day 1 with all his staff. Hall's mandate had to be immediate results.
5. Borrell had his chance. We all wanted him to succeed. It didn't work. There's no option here, he steps down or is fired.
6. Hard to argue Ramsey hasn't had a positive impact on hitting. He's made as good a case for HC as anyone could I think. If it's not enough, fine, but deliver someone else of quality quickly. I have to think there's a stout list. This isn;t football or basketball where the risk to one's career is very high taking our job.
7. Risk of doing worse. There's always a risk of doing worse. We may regret forcing a change, but there's often nothing worse than the "do nothing" option. I'd hate to think the misery index could get worse, but when your'e the AD you can't lead scared.

The program has sunk to levels not seen since the early days of joining the ACC 40 years ago. It's just time to do something. Hope we get it done the right way. Hope it generates the change we're all wanting.

The only thing I don't agree with is the sinking to levels of joining the ACC but overall yes. Especially the bolded but I can't imagine even Hall wants to work out a 5 year plan.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

People see others positions as straightforward. I think it's more complicated.

1. Wish Hall would take the Paul Johnson route and retire. It would be good for everyone, except maybe Hall himself.
2. Barring #1 transpiring, Batt or anyone else close enough to Hall needs to "nudge" him.
3. Firing Hall is not the correct option, but in the end if he won't go, wow that puts GT in a very bad position. I can't fathom it would come to that, but at the end of the day Batt will need to do what he gets paid for.
4. I can't believe there's any potential to have a conversation where Batt and Hall discuss Hall's 5 year plan to turn the team around. Batt had to have set expectations on Day 1 with all his staff. Hall's mandate had to be immediate results.
5. Borrell had his chance. We all wanted him to succeed. It didn't work. There's no option here, he steps down or is fired.
6. Hard to argue Ramsey hasn't had a positive impact on hitting. He's made as good a case for HC as anyone could I think. If it's not enough, fine, but deliver someone else of quality quickly. I have to think there's a stout list. This isn;t football or basketball where the risk to one's career is very high taking our job.
7. Risk of doing worse. There's always a risk of doing worse. We may regret forcing a change, but there's often nothing worse than the "do nothing" option. I'd hate to think the misery index could get worse, but when your'e the AD you can't lead scared.

The program has sunk to levels not seen since the early days of joining the ACC 40 years ago. It's just time to do something. Hope we get it done the right way. Hope it generates the change we're all wanting.

Agree any plan by Hall is not relevant. He's had decades to fix things and results are more important than talk. Has not succeeded in getting performance on the field. Won a lot of games against teams with significantly inferior talent.

Top 10 recruiting and damn good at getting guys drafted. If the priority is individual players getting to the MLB he has succeeded.

 

[GT33]

The only thing I don't agree with is the sinking to levels of joining the ACC but overall yes.

Reason I said this is we were 5th for 4 years straight. That’s equivalent to 8th or 9th now.

We’re 11th this year and have been 2nd twice plus 7th/9th/10th twice and 8th 3 times in the last decade. Mathematically we’re real damn close.

 

[TooTall]

I'm for a Hall retirement. I just can never forgive him for the "only need to recruit East Cobb" comment at a Ga HS coaches convention. The next coach needs to be made aware of this comment and do all he can to get south Georgia coaches to warm up to Tech that's why Ga Southern and Mercer hate GT baseball so much. several of those south Georgia coaches still hold that same grudge against the GT elitism.

 

[rodandanga]

I'm for a Hall retirement. I just can never forgive him for the "only need to recruit East Cobb" comment at a Ga HS coaches convention. The next coach needs to be made aware of this comment and do all he can to get south Georgia coaches to warm up to Tech that's why Ga Southern and Mercer hate GT baseball so much. several of those south Georgia coaches still hold that same grudge against the GT elitism.

Can you elaborate on this? I've never heard this before, not that it is surprising, I've heard rumors of too much of an East Cobb focus. I wonder if Ramsey handling a lot of the recruiting has changed that a bit, we seem to be a little more national than we used to be.

 

[griffin mizell]

Can you elaborate on this? I've never heard this before, not that it is surprising, I've heard rumors of too much of an East Cobb focus. I wonder if Ramsey handling a lot of the recruiting has changed that a bit, we seem to be a little more national than we used to be.

there it is ,and i'm a tech fan from 65

 

[griffin mizell]

there it is ,and i'm a tech fan from 65

too focused on east cobb in the past

 

[TooTall]

Can you elaborate on this? I've never heard this before, not that it is surprising, I've heard rumors of too much of an East Cobb focus. I wonder if Ramsey handling a lot of the recruiting has changed that a bit, we seem to be a little more national than we used to be.

Basically, in front of most if not all HS coaches in the state of Georgia, Hall proceeded to make a comment that he only had to recruit a travel ball club named/located in East Cobb. Essentially telling 99% of HS coaches, no matter how talented your best player maybe, if he's not in East Cobb, he's not getting recruited to play at GT. Happened in the early 2000's. That's why there is such vitriol towards GT when we play in Statesboro and Macon. Lot of talented players from the southern part of the state that should be at GT like Mercers first baseman, 6'4" 215+ freshman who will be all conference freshman team and great chance at rookie of the year.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I'm for a Hall retirement. I just can never forgive him for the "only need to recruit East Cobb" comment at a Ga HS coaches convention. The next coach needs to be made aware of this comment and do all he can to get south Georgia coaches to warm up to Tech that's why Ga Southern and Mercer hate GT baseball so much. several of those south Georgia coaches still hold that same grudge against the GT elitism.

That may have been the comment but our roster shows we NOW recruit from all over the country and state.

I think Hall has evolved and changed his practices.

 

[CTJacket]

Basically, in front of most if not all HS coaches in the state of Georgia, Hall proceeded to make a comment that he only had to recruit a travel ball club named/located in East Cobb. Essentially telling 99% of HS coaches, no matter how talented your best player maybe, if he's not in East Cobb, he's not getting recruited to play at GT. Happened in the early 2000's. That's why there is such vitriol towards GT when we play in Statesboro and Macon. Lot of talented players from the southern part of the state that should be at GT like Mercers first baseman, 6'4" 215+ freshman who will be all conference freshman team and great chance at rookie of the year.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that there was plenty of vitriol from those schools (and State) in 1993 and 1994. Not new for them to hate the big schools.

 

[slugboy]

This poll was created on April 16th. It’s now May 23rd. Our RPI was actually worse then (https://www.warrennolan.com/baseball/2023/team-rank?team=Georgia-Tech), but I think many people thought we’d get our act together and finish strong.

We didn’t finish strong. We stayed about the same.

I think a few more fans would vote for a change if they voted again now.

=================
By the way, I liked GTNavyNuke’s chart of recruiting rankings vs RPI. When you boil something down to one dimension, it oversimplifies things. We have done great at hitting, but ERA and defense have been problems. Recruiting rankings don’t tell you where you aren’t covered.

(I’m not a fan of recruiting formulas)