dougmcnulty33

I disagree completely Little Joey... I remembered when I had to walk 15 miles to schools both ways in 33 inches of snow...stop with the History lessons... You need new facilities...if you compared the Buckeye Scout top 100 now as opposed to 7-8 years ago...you notice that more of the Upper echelon kids are leaving the state of Ohio which means the lower half of the list is being spread even thinner across MAC Schools...I think you need facilities, but I don't discount your attitude and approach to how your teams worked. I too once took grounds balls of Memorial Fieldhouse unforgiving floors...good thing I had a cup in.. I felt Pat was given no chance to succeed, and he was one of my two coaches (Tim Berenyi being the first), but I feel Rick is a good hire.

Quote sources...they could have been two players that never played. This past years roster is depressing, because if kids didn't play their parents called Tom and voiced playing time complaints about Pat. I thought only high school sports coaches had to deal with playing time questions... Pat never cut dead weight from his program because he thought it wasn't the right message to send to student-athletes...in the end...it might have cost him his job...so all those kids that complained about playing time would have been cut from other D-1 Teams...Pat had the heart to keep them around. When I was a freshman and I red-shirted, mommy and daddy didn't call the coach and complain...if they would have an upper class men would put me through a locker...that's why their was no playing time questions asked when I was an upper class men...players policed themselves... The reaction I have gotten from players that started were that Banger didn't need to go...a few kids parents forced his firing...great job...D1 coaches don't play favorites...the best kids are on the field scholarship or not...if you got money...you get a chance..but if you don't perform ..someone else gets in...

As alumni of this program the firing of Pat Bangtson was uncalled for. I have a unique relationship with the program because I played for Tim Berenyi and Pat. Pat's goal was to leave the program better than it was when he inherited it, he did that. He grew the amount of donations through the golf outing, he solely raised funds for the radio broadcasts...etc. Bringing Pat in was the right choice, no matter what some people think. Pat's ties to the area helped grow the program, growth of the program was stopped by the administration...not Pat. We were always treated as a fringe sport...granted winning brings more attention to the program, but how do you expect to compete with other MAC Schools with a terrible field. Look at the history of Akron coaches, the last three haven't ever showed winning traits, because they have been handcuffed by funding. Let's look at the fields in the MAC a little closer. Bowling Green- Bleachers, new dugouts, baseball atmosphere. Miami of Ohio- Amazing stadium, baseball atmosphere is great. Can't State- Brand new all turf field (enabling them to get more games in) stadium atmosphere on the way. Western Michigan- Renovations being completed on one of the oldest fields in college baseball, chairback seats. Eastern Michigan- Nostalgic Stadium eerily similar to Tiger Stadium, alumni tents...etc. Central Michigan- Brand Spanking new Stadium...atmosphere Ohio- Chairback seats, great field Northern Illinois- cold weather school, bad field, at least they have bleachers. Buffalo- Awful field, no atmosphere. Ball State- lackluster field....great atmosphere due to seating Toledo- less than stellar field, seating provided. Akron- lowest amount of seating.... no admission fees, no promotions, no atmosphere...a field that can't hold water...an eyesore of a facility on campus...surrounded by new facilities...get the picture. Softball, Soccer, and football have all gotten new facilities, one of those programs have showed a past of winning. Pat was making those contacts to get the funding for large renovations, but now those are lost. Look at other younger coaches in the MAC, they are using their schools as stepping stones. Pat wanted to be here until the end, something that is rare in this business. First fix the dugouts. Add two indoor cages down the right field line with a clubhouse that attracts the players. Next, get rid of the current backstop (by digging it up, moving it closer to home plate). Add a state of the art grandstand that reaches all the way down to the visitor bullpen, and is back to back with the soccer bleachers (on the first base side). Make the field turf, and take down the current outfield wall, replacing it with fence (with padding, or without). I understand thats alot of money....but its been to long. I was a freshman in 2003 and we were told before I left, that we would have a new stadium...yea that didn't happen. No coach has a chance to win at Akron, with a field that is horrible. Indoor facilities aren't the problem, its our field. The idea of playing at Canal is ok but, you don't create an on campus atmosphere when you have to drive down town to play your games. The stadium doesn't bring attendance, more people will come if it's on campus. I once hit three homeruns in the Diamond Classic at Canal, in front of a whopping 2000 people...you can get that with an on campus stadium. Jake Boss, Greg Beals, Tracy Smith, have all left great MAC baseball schools for Big Ten jobs, why? The MAC is a stepping stone, why does Can't always win? Every coach that gets inserted into that program already has a head start in recruiting ahead of the MAC Schools because of their history. We have no history...so why not do something different than other MAC Schools? You are one of the few campuses in the MAC that has a decent sized city as the backdrop of the campus. Make a state of the art on campus facility, and great players will choose Akron out of other MAC Schools. When a player gets recruited by OHIO STATE, they come for their visit and they stand on the sideline for a football game, and then they say "Where do I sign." We can't ever have that, and won't...our recruits come to Akron and see the baseball field and say..."This place is a dump, I'll take less money from a school with better facilities." Ill support whoever our administration hires, but this job is very similar to the Pirates in Major League Baseball, no one wants it. The administration doesn't back the baseball program because they don't spend money. We should get a new field (even if it came after the track team got a stadium type outdoor track) I would be happy. My redshirt-freshman year,(the last year we made the MAC Tournament) we played Miami of Ohio at one point in the tournament. Miami's volunteer assistant coach at that time, was offered a coaching position at Akron and when asked about the prospect of taking the job he said "I would never take a job with Akron, you don't have a chance in hell of winning." That was 7 years ago...not much has changed.