The new Hot Stove... - 1/7/09

A Happy New Year to all! Let's hope 2009 treats us a little better than 2008. Now on with the show...

Earlier today, Boston College fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski after just two seasons in Chestnut Hill. Jagodzinski compiled a 20-8 record in his two seasons, with two ACC Atlantic Division titles, two bowl appearances, and one bowl victory; BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo announced the firing today. At this afternoon's press conference, DeFilippo said, "Today's action relates to a difference of vision for the future." This vague statement was followed by confirmation that Jagodzinski was indeed terminated without cause. Normally, this would be grounds for an immediate lawsuit but the specifics of his contract with the school have not been released. This leaves an odd specter over this entire episode as this all occurs just one day after Jagodzinski interviewed with the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy. All of this also got me thinking about loyalty and the movement of college football coaches.

For quite some time now the college football coaching carousel has been great off-season theatre for millions of fans around the country. I would dare to say the carousel has even eclipsed baseball's annual Hot Stove as the premier off-season free agency shift. Every year coaches get canned and recycled (i.e. Rick Neuheisel) or seemingly appear out of thin air (i.e. Gene Chizik), much to the approval (or chagrin) of large alumni bases across the nation. All this occurs while sportswriters, university employees, coaching peers, and television "talking heads" pick apart every hiring, firing, interview, and rumor.

There was a time when the baseball Hot Stove was chock full of movement and rumors. However, with the current state of the economy, combined with the inherent competitive imbalance across MLB, there just isn't as much noise across the Hot Stove anymore. Only a select handful of teams can afford the big-name stars on the market and more and more teams are declaring themselves out of the running for a player before they even try to meet with his agent. MLB's off-season is now a long, drawn-out waiting game. Imagine if the Yankees waited another few weeks or so before signing C.C. Sabathia. We would probably still have no player movement. Unfortunately, the big contract has to be set in order for the rest of the market to fall into place.

The college coaching Hot Stove is fast and furious. Teams have to hire coaches quickly and effectively to please their ever-growing alumni bases and to avoid falling too far behind in recruiting. Most schools usually know they are going to let go of their head coach sometime in late October (or sooner, in some cases, like Auburn & Tommy Tuberville). Some schools will make an announcement. Others will let him coach out the string. And others yet will force the head coach to resign, saving the institution from a hefty contract buyout. It's a cold and calculated process that ends with many unhappy parties.

But this process makes for extremely entertaining tidbits for football fans. Seemingly every hour there's a new rumor surrounding a currently-employed coach or a new name that surfaces at a job that was thought to be filled. With the constantly-changing nature of this profession and the inherent lack of job security, the college coaching Hot Stove is a perfect fit for today's 24/7 sporting news climate.

To illustrate the topsy-turvy nature of college football, think about this. In just over a month we saw the number of black head coaches in Division 1-A go from six, down to three, then up to seven, courtesy of three firings and four hirings. I could start a whole other discussion here but I'll save that for another time.

There has been so much that has happened since the end of October when Phil Fulmer was asked to step down at Tennessee. The dismissal of Tommy Tuberville, the rise of high-profile assistants such as former USC offensive coordinator & new Washington head coach Steve Sarkasian, the return of familiar faces such as Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, the coaches who decided against leaving their current employers like Skip Holtz down at East Carolina, the Turner Gill saga, and the flat-out insane hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn. It's like a high-profile gossip column right out of InTouch or US Weekly.

Thinking about this raises the question of loyalty and job security versus opportunity. There are coaches out there, like Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who will remain forever loyal to both their bosses and schools. His 20+ year tenure at Florida State, coupled with his incredible amount of success, will keep him in Tallahassee for the duration of his career. But then there are cases like Steve Sarkasian. He could've stayed at USC and, at the very least, been in the Rose Bowl practically every year with Pete Carroll & the rest of the Trojans. But Sarkasian, who had been in the running for several openings over the last few off-seasons, decided that now was the time (and the money was right) to jump ship and rebuild a winless Washington team. This basic human drama is far more enthralling than sitting around wondering, "Hmmm...is Teixeira gonna take the $160 million offer or the $180 million offer," or "Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox...Can anyone else afford this guy?"

Maybe in the near future, more and more schools will understand the reasons behind the parity in college football (scholarship limits, national television exposure due to weekday games, better recruiting tools, better coaches, the facilities race) and see that there really is no such thing as a quick fix at this level, giving better coaches more opportunities and more time to implement their ways. It's not the National Football League.

But for now cheers to the new Hot Stove! And Major League Baseball, let me know when it's time for pitchers and catchers to report.

Some other news and notes:

- The Tampa Bay Rays are out to prove that they are not a one-year wonder. The Rays recently signed former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell to a 2-year deal. They also upgraded their bullpen with the signing of Marlins right-hander Joe Nelson. Plus, most of the team remains intact (Longoria, Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, Shields, Price). The Yankees may have spent half-a-billion dollars but the Rays are still the AL Champs until someone beats them.

- Syracuse head football coach Doug Marrone hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to be the new DC at the 'Cuse. This leaves just three openings: running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers as the new staff is nearly complete. I hope Marrone, the SU alum, is able to bring back some honor to my alma mater. But I just can't shake the feeling that reaching into the NFL for a head coach again may not have been the best thing for the Orange.

- Congratulations to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison for becoming the first undrafted player ever to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.

- Last Friday all 30 NBA teams were in action on the same night for the first time in league history. If this isn't the definition of cruel and unusual punishment I don't know what is. Thankfully, I spent my Friday night at The Rock watching the Devils defeat Montreal, 4-1.

- Does anyone else see a resemblance between this year's Philadelphia Eagles and last year's New York Giants? Should be an exciting NFC Divisional Playoff on Sunday at the Meadowlands.

- The NHL All-Star fan voting has yielded the twelve starters; however, they represent just four teams: Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago, & Anaheim. I don't think anything else needs to be said there about the merits (or lack thereof) of fan voting.

- Despite all the uproar about bowl games versus playoffs, it's been a pretty exciting bowl season. TCU/Boise State, Texas/Ohio State, and Clemson/Nebraska have been incredibly exciting, down-to-the-wire affairs. I have never been in favor of a playoff as I think it severely diminishes the beauty and importance of the regular season. But after happily watching Utah dismantle Alabama and watching Texas get a gift of a spot on 4th down against Ohio State, I think a plus-one addition to the BCS would be more than enough to settle everything. Keep the bowls, add the plus-one, everyone wins.

- The Road to WrestleMania XXV is in full swing. I was at the first two Smackdown! tapings of 2009 last week at the Meadowlands. It was glorious watching Triple H fight not one, not two, but three times. The Royal Rumble, one of the most exciting events of the WWE year, is just over two weeks away as the silver anniversary 'Mania inches closer.

Until next week.

-Meech