Story on Delmonico......

[FIUFanatic]

...prior to him being fired from Tennessee...Interesting that there were rumors even then of him talking to FIU....Also find interesting that some of their fans and their AD had similar thoughts of him as some of us had of DP..Of course in a different dimension and level of competition.....


KNOXVILLE - Rod Delmonico, the SEC’s longest tenured baseball coach, insists he hasn’t lost his zeal for coaching at Tennessee.

Delmonico, whose Vols missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year this season, shot down speculation on Tuesday that he was a candidate for the Florida International head coaching job.

“It’s just rumors,” said Delmonico, who was in Miami tending to personal business. “I recruit a lot in the Miami area and have ties here, but I haven’t called them and they haven’t called me. There’s nothing to it.”

While saying that he’s firmly committed to Tennessee, it remains to be seen if Tennessee is firmly committed to him. Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton is pondering whether or not to make a change and is expected to meet with Delmonico when Hamilton returns from the SEC spring meetings later this week or early next week.

Delmonico, who just finished his 18th season at Tennessee, has guided the Vols to the College World Series three times in 1995, 2001 and 2005. But what may ultimately prove to be his undoing is the lack of consistency the program has shown the last decade. The Vols have made the NCAA Tournament only three times in the last 10 years. That’s after going to the NCAA tourney every year from 1993-97.

Delmonico remains miffed that the Vols were left out of the NCAA Tournament this season, especially since they played their best baseball at the end of the season. Injuries to key players were also a factor early in the season.

In the end, Hamilton will have to decide if the program is headed in the direction he expects it to under Delmonico. One of the first questions will be: How much better will the Vols be next season?

Hamilton made a tough call to part ways with basketball coach Buzz Peterson, and it paid off handsomely for the Vols.

There are telltale signs that Delmonico may meet a similar fate.

[FIUFan]

>>>Of course in a different dimension and level of competition.....<<<

That's where you're wrong Fanatic, we play at the same level of competition as they do and until we stop thinking this way (i.e. with some type of inferiority complex) we are going to continue to hire and play below our potential.

Rice, the former CWS Champion, if I'm not mistaken plays out of the WAC, the same conference where three or four former Sun Belt teams are now doing just fine. Sure those Sun Belt teams aren't Rice in baseball but they have the potential to be. UL-L just pushed Texas A&M to a final game this week to get to the Super Regional. Wichita St., UC-Irvine, Cal St. - Fullerton, Fresno St. all did quite well in their regionals.

We are FIU, this is Miami, there's no reason our teams shouldn't be competing in the top 10 every year.

[FIUFanatic]

Well, you may be right to a point, and I may be "wrong" to a point. They play in the SEC, which is arguably the best or second best conference in the nation. But my point in the level of competition was more geared towards the fact that not only the conference games, but out of conference games will not be filled with FAMU's and others in that category.

The "different dimension" comment I made was meant to be that FIU, under Price, had never been to a CWS, or made the Super Regionals consistently, like Tennesse did....and that is my comment regarding different dimensions....I would think you would agree with me that success under Price at FIU is at a different dimension that success under Delmonico at Tennesse....And my point is that 'failure" under Price at FIU is not viewed the same as 'failure' under Delmonico at Tennesse., at least up to this point in our existence..I mean, if FIU had gone to the College World Series in 2005, and two other times in the last 10 years...do you think Price would be gone? Perhaps, but certainly those two and their level of "success" are in different dimensions.....

I see this point not as an inferiority complex, as some might have, but as a real point of comparison. If anything, the reality is that Delmonico went through a similar process in Tennesse than what Price went through in FIU.

I agree, and you know I do, with your points about where FIU should be, and not selling our teams, particularly in baseball, short. We need real success here and to set the bar higher. As some philospher once said....I hope and wish that accepting mediocrity is a thing of the past...."TDAOS".....

[whoshouse]

I think the different dimension is in the following: DP has made 1 Super regional in 25+ years and has missed the playoffs 5 years straight. And people were upset he was fired.

RD has made 3 CWS several super regionals countless regionals and several conference championships in 18 years and has missed playoffs the last 2 years. He finished 4th in the SEC with a 38-25 record. It was a travesty they were not invited to regionals this year by the way. The school grew impatient with two years of failure and the fact that rumors about FIU were flying out there. I have not heard many complaints about his firing.

Those are different dimensions of expectations. Frankly, I think the latter is better than the first. I also think PG is trying to create a new level of expectations at FIU to close the gap in dimensions. And many out there just criticize.

In short, I think this can be an excellent opportunity for FIU. I also agree the sun belt is a solid conference for baseball and FIU should be contenders every year. PG knows this and is trying to make this happen.

[FIUBlue82]

The overall point is, or should be: FIU is located in South Florida. We can do a better job of recruiting local talent, developing them as student-athletes and putting a winning product on the field. In 2007, we were not a winning product even with our unimpressive schedule.

The time for change has come. It simply does not matter who the candidates are (I am referring to the names from Pete Pelegrin's blog). Any of those coaches would be an upgrade.

[FIUFan]

fiufanatic said:

Well, you may be right to a point, and I may be "wrong" to a point....

I guess I should have said something to the effect 'that I don't agree with you characterization of the level of play of the two teams', instead of saying "you're wrong" [my workplace has conditioned me to be overly critical]. Sorry about that.