Baseball Dropped (Updated)

[Affirm]

Since BGSU has reached an agreement to continue playing baseball Furman is the only D1 school that had to drop baseball this year. Really mind boggling when you think about it.

Unboggle.
When you think about it, the BGSU supporters raised /pledged /committed LOTS of $$$$$$$$$ already. Even if not $100,000,000 (the figure I suggested for Furman, BGSU supporters $$$$$$$$$ amount to several million, not 100), the money that Furman baseball supporters have raised already amounts to how much? Planned to have raised amounts to how much?
BGSU supporters did something financially already to get to this point.

They committed to ONLY $500k per year. That was enough to keep baseball. Not millions that you suggest unless you start adding up years.

Due to the presumed much higher cost of attendance at private college Furman than at state university BGSU, $500,000 at Furman would probably not go as far as it would at BGSU.
Additionally, BGSU is an FBS school, so affirm guesses they have opportunities to raise more money through football to support athletics overall.
So affirm would say that possibly $500,000 needed at BGSU would translate to $800,000 needed at Furman.
$800,000 per year for baseball. $400,000 per year for each of the 2 women's sports you have to add to meet Title IX .
So $800,000 x 2 = $1,600,000 per year needed.
Add a percentage to that, maybe 10% at least, to take care of additional support services for the 3 teams, including new facilities for the women's sports, and whatever else.
So $1,760,000 per year needed.
*****And here's what is also overlooked. Affirm is talking about $1,760,000 per year coming out of an endowment to support the 3 sports in perpetuity. So maybe - maybe - you can plan to spend an average per year of 4% on the endowment returns. Therefore you need a beginning endowment amount totaling get an average of 5% per year from the endowment retirement returns. But you want to not spend the entire annual average returns because your expected returns %age may be too high. So therefore, you spend only 4% per year for the 3 sports teams. In order to do that by ENDOWMENT, which is what affirm suggested quite a ways back, you have to be able to present the admin with a restricted gift of $44,000,000 "cash". (or maybe they would let you give it as $8,800,000 per year over 5 years) That is much better than the $100,000,000 that affirm previously stated. So affirm says "you are welcome" when you thank affirm for saving you $56,000,000 today.
Maybe you can suggest a low ball figure such as only $25,000,000 to the admin to get the negotiating started. When they reject that, you can continue negotiating. Perhaps they will wear down even before you get to the $44,000,000 figure.

[Furmanoid]

When did they say they were cutting 2 women’s sports?

[Affirm]

When did they say they were cutting 2 women’s sports?

Gender equity & Title IX have been discussed as part of the overall context of dropping baseball. If baseball is not dropped, i.e., if it is brought back, it appears gender balance would be improper (again). That is why 2 female sports programs, examples being scholarship sand volleyball and scholarship field hockey, would have to be created - to offer proportionately (to student enrollment, male:female)) equal participation opportunity for students. +/-2 women’s sports, depending on number of opportunities for participation a given sport provides.

[Furmanoid]

Like every other school FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.

I’m sure they’ve got an angle they use to argue compliance. I would rather not believe we have been in willful and knowing violation of the law. But for sure, when cuts have to be made, cutting all men’s sports will make compliance easier.

[fufanatic]

How were we so below average when our rotation goes to Notre Dame, Clemson and Mississippi State and a position player goes to VT? I know it takes more than four players to make a team, but that's a damn good start.

[Roundball]

Another player going to a higher level school. Does make one wonder a little.

[Roundball]

[JohnW]

Anybody else starting to wonder why with all this talent the team was so consistently subpar? Seeing the same, but less with Lax.

[Roundball]

Anybody else starting to wonder why with all this talent the team was so consistently subpar? Seeing the same, but less with Lax.

I am. So far, Furman players have signed with Michigan State, Miss. State, Clemson, Notre Dame, The Citadel, Wofford, Houston, VCU, Va. Tech, Mount St. Mary, and a couple of other smaller schools. With that kind of talent on the team, where were the wins?

[FGT]

Anybody else starting to wonder why with all this talent the team was so consistently subpar? Seeing the same, but less with Lax.

I am. So far, Furman players have signed with Michigan State, Miss. State, Clemson, Notre Dame, The Citadel, Wofford, Houston, VCU, Va. Tech, Mount St. Mary, and a couple of other smaller schools. With that kind of talent on the team, where were the wins?

Various factors are at play with where these guys are ending up. I’d think that a higher proportion of the scholarship money for Furman baseball was used on pitching. Most of these guys who have found landing spots are pitchers. Many of the landing spots are at places where the Furman coaching staff has excellent relationships. The Mississippi State and Clemson transfers are prime examples. Not saying these young men aren’t talented because they certainly are but the coaching staffs at both those schools have deep relationships with Furman’s coaches and they are getting pitchers with D1 experience. The Notre Dame transfer is a grad transfer that was already in the works. The ND Coach came from UNC-G so lots of familiarity there.

There are 35 roster spots available in D1 baseball. There is some room at some quality D1 programs especially for guys with D1 experience who are in several cases are willing to come for free. Let’s face it, even if they were getting say 25% scholarship at Furman, they were shelling out big bucks to go to school. Most of these places cost no where near what it costs to go to Furman so the student and his family are probably coming out ahead financially.

[The Jackal]

[MetroMizzy]

Affirm - if you take athletic scholarships off the table, the entire operating budget of the baseball program is $600K.

To address the perceived talent vs. lack of wins issue...I think I addressed this in a post earlier this year during the actual season but baseball is a weird game. You can have all the talent in the world as a club but struggle and vice versa. Chemistry, selfishness, game management is a real thing. It's harder to get out of a funk than it is to get into a winning streak in baseball. A lot of money was spent on the pitching staff. I know that for a fact. I also know that some of the best position players were on little to no money. The last two years, at least, Harker's teams were not good offensive teams and then when you mix in too much small ball it can be a bad combination. One that is hard to get out of but there is no real explanation...

I don't want to bang on Harker but he is young and he is learning on the job. He does not have the coaching capabilities of a Bob Ritchie, who is exceptional (and, IMO is gone after this upcoming season), yet. Is Furman basketball overly talented? No. But BR is smart, he's a leader and he gets the absolute most out of those teams. Those players know their roles, they are communicated with on a high level and they respond to what him and his staff are telling them to do. And they have a zillion coaches for an 11 man roster. Harker can certainly get there. He knows the game, he knows what it takes to be successful as a player but it can also be overwhelming to deal with everything that is on your plate as coach at Furman. Part of getting there is figuring out who can help you at the plate and not just on the mound. IMO, he is the right man for the job so I don't want that to be misunderstood.

[Affirm]

Like every other school FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.

I’m sure they’ve got an angle they use to argue compliance. I would rather not believe we have been in willful and knowing violation of the law. But for sure, when cuts have to be made, cutting all men’s sports will make compliance easier.

FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.
RESPONSE:
- How long have we had several people instead of just 1 or 2?
- How many other responsibilities do those people have? - How much clout have they had?
- Is it possible that Buddie and his predecessor did not focus on this enough, but Donnelly was hired the expectation that he would focus on it among so many other things?
- How much did these several people get paid? If Furman fired them, as you suggest, how much would we need to add to the budget to get more competent people? I am not saying the ones we have are not competent?
- Small adjustments all along - maybe none of the men's sports coaches, nor their AD, would allow adjustments, i.e., having scholarships taken away from their teams; maybe small adjustments all along were just taking TOO long to show results, if the men's sports coaches, or their AD, were allowing any.

[Affirm]

Affirm - if you take athletic scholarships off the table, the entire operating budget of the baseball program is $600K.

To address the perceived talent vs. lack of wins issue...I think I addressed this in a post earlier this year during the actual season but baseball is a weird game. You can have all the talent in the world as a club but struggle and vice versa. Chemistry, selfishness, game management is a real thing. It's harder to get out of a funk than it is to get into a winning streak in baseball. A lot of money was spent on the pitching staff. I know that for a fact. I also know that some of the best position players were on little to no money. The last two years, at least, Harker's teams were not good offensive teams and then when you mix in too much small ball it can be a bad combination. One that is hard to get out of but there is no real explanation...

I don't want to bang on Harker but he is young and he is learning on the job. He does not have the coaching capabilities of a Bob Ritchie, who is exceptional (and, IMO is gone after this upcoming season), yet. Is Furman basketball overly talented? No. But BR is smart, he's a leader and he gets the absolute most out of those teams. Those players know their roles, they are communicated with on a high level and they respond to what him and his staff are telling them to do. And they have a zillion coaches for an 11 man roster. Harker can certainly get there. He knows the game, he knows what it takes to be successful as a player but it can also be overwhelming to deal with everything that is on your plate as coach at Furman. Part of getting there is figuring out who can help you at the plate and not just on the mound. IMO, he is the right man for the job so I don't want that to be misunderstood.

Please clarify:
Has baseball needed $600,000 per year for operating expenses, NOT COUNTING the cost of the 11 or 12.7 or 13.7 or whatever number of baseball scholarships?

[Furmanoid]

Like every other school FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.

I’m sure they’ve got an angle they use to argue compliance. I would rather not believe we have been in willful and knowing violation of the law. But for sure, when cuts have to be made, cutting all men’s sports will make compliance easier.

FU has several people working on Title IX compliance. It’s hard to believe they woke up one day and realized they were 20 scholarships or 2 sports upside down when they could have been making small adjustments all along. I think they track it better than that. If not, the obvious next cost savings step is to fire them all.
RESPONSE:
- How long have we had several people instead of just 1 or 2?
- How many other responsibilities do those people have? - How much clout have they had?
- Is it possible that Buddie and his predecessor did not focus on this enough, but Donnelly was hired the expectation that he would focus on it among so many other things?
- How much did these several people get paid? If Furman fired them, as you suggest, how much would we need to add to the budget to get more competent people? I am not saying the ones we have are not competent?
- Small adjustments all along - maybe none of the men's sports coaches, nor their AD, would allow adjustments, i.e., having scholarships taken away from their teams; maybe small adjustments all along were just taking TOO long to show results, if the men's sports coaches, or their AD, were allowing any.

So you’re telling me that FU engaged in willful and knowing violation of federal law for years, then had a change of heart a few months ago. So they decided to get right by eliminating 2 men’s sports and creating a cover story about financial difficulties to cover their tracks. Damn, didn’t think they had it in them, but I see what you’re saying.