By Samuel Chi
As a Cal State Fullerton alumnus, booster and (former) donor, I cannot begin to tell you how embarrassed I am by the administration that's currently running the university. That begins with president Mildred Garcia and includes VP Johnson Eanes, VP Lori Gentles and AD Jim Donovan.
Their handling of the Rick Vanderhook situation was a spectacular display of incompetence. The entire ordeal lasted four weeks, with Vanderhook reinstated after missing four series and 16 games. The school issued two not-widely-distributed press releases to bookend the entire ordeal, all the while the program floundered.
Let's be clear that I'm no fan of coach Vanderhook. I do not believe that he's the man who can continue the program's tradition of excellence. But the way the university administration treated the situation made him a victim, and his job only gets harder from here on out.
He will be back to coach a team that will become the first Titans squad to miss the postseason since 1991. There will be a significant number of transfers from the current roster. There will be recruits who decommit from the program because of the saga, as other schools gleefully expose what an amateur operation Cal State Fullerton truly is, from the top on down.
If the administration did not have enough goods to fire Vanderhook for cause, then he should've been reinstated quickly. If it did, then he should've been fired with cause and let the lawyers handle the aftermath. But the entire situation was treated as if he's a chemistry professor and that his taking four weeks off is no big deal.
But Vanderhook is not a chemistry professor, but the most high-profile employee at Cal State Fullerton, the face of the university's most visible and valuable commodity. Those in charge clearly did not understand this and proceeded like the second-rate bureaucrats that they are.
No one ever called a press conference. Nobody took charge. Not Garcia, not Donovan, no one. No one gave account of what exactly happened and what was done other than a terse press release with one Donovan quote. There is no leadership, no accountability.
Make no mistake, this will be a watershed moment for the program. The Titans last season for the first time failed to make a trip to Omaha in four consecutive seasons, this will make it five. They will have made the Super Regional just once in the last four years after appearing in the Supers in eight straight seasons from 2003-2010.
Vanderhook, made to apologize to the players, will find himself in a toxic situation where he will trust neither his superiors nor those in his charge. This is a recipe for disaster. After Donovan gave him a four-year extension that won't run out until the 2018 season, he'll be determined to toe the company line just to make sure that he sees the end of his contract.
So this program will go nowhere in the next four seasons, and probably beyond. The golden age of Cal State Fullerton baseball is over. It took 40 years to build it and just four weeks to leave it in ruins.
17 comments:
Your article, although well written, convicts Vanderhook of major wrongdoings. I understand baseball today is not the baseball it once was at the college level or when many of us played years ago (for me 1983-86). I understand one cannot coach, berate (allegedly) or yell at players like it was once done. But let me say this, unfortunately, The way I see things here are this. First, let me say I am not aware of any specific allegations against Vanderhook. No one is perfect in this great country of ours. I think we can all agree on that. If someone is going to savagely write and convict Vanderhook and CSFU of all wrongdoings here, I believe that is poor judgement. To write and say nasty things about a program and how it is running is one's opinion. Their opinion does not make anything factual and should not be construed by others as again, factual. I would hope people who author articles on programs and their coaching staff have, not only EXPERIENCE in the game, but SPECIFICS and PROOF to back up their claims. I believe fans would be shocked to see how similar other programs are in relation to this story. Again, Vanderhook was investigated and others,,, not. I am definitely not here to say I would like programs to be investigated like Fullerton's. It's actually the opposite. Programs throughout the nation have been successful for decades. During those times, coaching strategies have always been a challenge. A coaches way of handling his team was always done with sternness, aggressiveness, motivation, respectfulness and most of all, teaching to have fun. If a team possessed the mentioned, with a little luck and talent, they would go to Omaha.
Today, everyone is so quick to pry into the business of a team that it hurts tremendously. Whether it's fans, or simply a couple of bitter alumni, they need to stay out of the every day business of Titan Baseball. Leave it up to them to ensure the program continues to be successful.
If you are a fan, great. If you are an alumni, great. If you fit into a different fan base and love the Titans, fantastic! Come support them. If you are one that is filled with negativity about the team and its functions, please distance yourself and become a fan of another team. Titan fans do not need you here at Fullerton. For me, I stay positive because I believe, again, as stated earlier, that the Titans will come out of this strong. I try to make most games, however, due to work conflicts, I am unable to do so. In a few years however, I will be retiring and will more than likely make every game.Personally, I believe Titan fans are going to see a program flourish and become stronger from this. I see most players staying loyal, however, there may be a couple that figured out Titan Baseball was not for them. Anyone on the current team that feels he cannot make a 100% commitment toward the ultimate goal, should not be there. Although this year has been disappointing and out of the question, next year, with the new recruits and the current players, Titan fans will hopefully be happy! Do a bit of research,,,,, good things to come! I just hope a few of the new recruits do not sign professionally...
Final thought: Vanderhook, since his inception, wants nothing more than to bring another championship to Fullerton. He, without a doubt, wants what is best for his players, fans, alumni and university. Unfortunately, we as fans are going to continue to read negative comments from people that simply do not understand the inner side of baseball. Most who comment have very little experience playing, let alone coaching the game.
Good luck Titan players, future players, staff, administration, alumni and anyone else who cares about Titan baseball. Good things are on the horizon!
Hmmmmm!!!!! I have never seen the name Samuel Chi on any donor lists, baseball lists, or ever been introduced to anyone by that name. Invisible, fairweather fan is what you appear to be. Before you indict Hook and the whole program, find out what really happened and then watch how it finally works out. A lot of CSUF
fans think it's our birthright to be in Omaha every year and it just
doesn't work that way. Players have off years, coaches make a mistake or two, and the moon ain't in conjunction with Jupiter.
These things happen and the ball will take some bad bounces. It is
not carved in stone that we get to
go east all the time. George Horton didn't make Hook his co-head coach before he left because he didn't think Hook could do the job. Serrano didn't set the world on fire even though it looked like it for a while. If you follow things closely you can
see how it all works but you have to be patient enough to watch and smart enough to think a bit. I've followed the Titans from the
beginning and been around the game
all my life. To tell the truth I
probably played many, many more
games than Mr. Chi did and I didn't win every one of them. I also didn't bury the team every time we lost. Classic frontrunner, We're with you win or
tie. I would hope, Mr. Chi, that
you would take yourself and your
attitude to another team and another ballpark. The next team
that is perfect with a perfect coach will be the first one. If I
had an address I would send you a
crying towel. As for me, I've been a Titan longer than a whole bunch of the naysayers have been
alive and I'll be one when they're
gone.
Hmmmmm!!!!! I have never seen the name Samuel Chi on any donor lists, baseball lists, or ever been introduced to anyone by that name. Invisible, fairweather fan is what you appear to be. Before you indict Hook and the whole program, find out what really happened and then watch how it finally works out. A lot of CSUF
fans think it's our birthright to be in Omaha every year and it just
doesn't work that way. Players have off years, coaches make a mistake or two, and the moon ain't in conjunction with Jupiter.
These things happen and the ball will take some bad bounces. It is
not carved in stone that we get to
go east all the time. George Horton didn't make Hook his co-head coach before he left because he didn't think Hook could do the job. Serrano didn't set the world on fire even though it looked like it for a while. If you follow things closely you can
see how it all works but you have to be patient enough to watch and smart enough to think a bit. I've followed the Titans from the
beginning and been around the game
all my life. To tell the truth I
probably played many, many more
games than Mr. Chi did and I didn't win every one of them. I also didn't bury the team every time we lost. Classic frontrunner, We're with you win or
tie. I would hope, Mr. Chi, that
you would take yourself and your
attitude to another team and another ballpark. The next team
that is perfect with a perfect coach will be the first one. If I
had an address I would send you a
crying towel. As for me, I've been a Titan longer than a whole bunch of the naysayers have been
alive and I'll be one when they're
gone.
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