How could I not blog about the Mike Leach contract hoopla? (I'm going to put a lot of reference links in this entry, but if you only click one, it should be this one.)
I sort of assumed that this story had been put to bed near the end of the season, when Leach didn't get offered any of the jobs he had seemed to show interest in. Despite the general feeling that Leach and Tech's AD don't get along, it seemed a matter of course that if Leach was staying, Tech would be only too glad to keep him and keep him happy.
But no!
The AD, Gerald Myers, cannot come to an agreement with Leach over a new contract. The dispute is officially about certain clauses in the contract Tech has offered that Leach objects to. It's not about the money--it's about whether the university has the right to fire Leach if he goes on interviews for other jobs without permission, and it's about (according to Kirk Herbstreit) whether Tech gets any money from personal speaking engagements that he takes. Despite Leach's fairly well-documented eccentricities, it seems pretty obvious that Myers is the crazy one here. (That latter clause is just stupid.) It really just comes down to a game of ego-fueled chicken. It's my guess that Myers is being intentionally intransigent because he doesn't like Leach and wants to drive him off.
It seems possible that, against all common sense but given the weird statement that the Tech board of regents is going to discuss "the position of the head football coach," Leach might actually get fired for not signing the extension as offered. I agree with Tim Griffin that this can go down one of two ways: they let Leach have his way, or THEY BLOW IT ALL UP. It is well-known that I seriously dislike Texas Tech, but seriously, guys--how stupid are you? Leach's accomplishments at Texas Tech are unparalleled in the program's history. He has won consistently and is coming off Tech's best season ever. Why in the world do they think that getting rid of Leach will allow them to trade up?I agree with the Sports Illustrated guy who wrote the article "Firing Mike Leach would be program suicide for Texas Tech."
So, I mean, I want them to do it. It can only be good for the Ags (and every other team in the Big XII) if Texas Tech takes the crown from Auburn for Dumbest Athletic Department in the World. And, as previously established, I don't like that school. On the other hand, it just bothers me on a fundamental level when humans are that stupid. But, to make this a little more interesting, let's take a look at this quote from the SI article that is threatening to break my mind:
Of course, if Leach gets fired and Mike Sherman has a second dismal season in College Station, maybe the Aggies, who have far more financial resources than the Red Raiders, will snap up the mad genius and make him their 12th man.
Oh, holy cats. I can't wrap my mind around that. I mean . . . it's just . . . there's . . . I don't . . . can you imagine pirate flags at Kyle Field? Obviously, the writer is making several leaps there (that Leach will be fired, that Sherman will be fired [I'm still holding out hope that he can turn it around], that A&M will be more willing to take Leach, pirates and all, than Tennessee et al were, and that A&M would be go after an all-offense guy when the program's identity is so wrapped up in defense), but if that spitballing prediction actually came to be--no, seriously. I can't wrap my mind around that.
7 comments:
I don't know what it is about the city of Lubbock, but it produces a lot of stupidity. Leach is the ONLY reason this football program became a topic outside of West Texas, and I thought the university and the people of Lubbock loved this crazy pirate man. One of the doctors at my clinic loves Lubbock and Tech football more than I thought was humanly possible, and he flat out thinks Tech should fire Leach, because if he doesn't want to be here 100%, he should go. TGIF?! (wtf) Who actually WANTS to be in Lubbock more than anywhere else? So maybe Leach isn't as crazy as everyone thinks. Although I do think that firing Leach will be almost as bad for Leach as it will be for Tech football. I don't think a quality football program will want him yet...maybe he'll get lucky, but Tech may be the best that he can get if he wants to keep coaching football. We'll soon see, but for my personal happiness, I hope he stays, and I hope Tech gives him what he wants.
Really good coaches get to be good because they're ambitious, so naturally they always want the best job they can get. Besides that, it's a job, not a marriage--I can't understand why people are willing to drive away the best coach they've had just because he likes looking around to see what's out there.
It's an interesting question as to whether Leach could find a better job than Tech--on the one hand, you'd think so because of his accomplishments, but on the other hand, he hasn't yet. But I think that sooner or later, somebody would roll the dice on him, and even if it wasn't a premiere program, if he did well (and proved he wasn't a fluke) it would surely just be a matter of time before he got a shot at the big time. In short, I think Leach might suffer in the short term from getting fired, but not nearly as much or as long as Tech would suffer if they fired him.
Very true, Tech without Leach is a lot worse off than Leach without Tech. I think if he stayed and Tech continued to do well, Leach would have a much easier time finding a better job. Then again, the guy has many interests outside of college football, and from what I've gathered, he lives on very little, so maybe he just wants to sit on his money and enjoy his life surfing and sailing with pirates. I wish Tech would take a look at its athletic director, because Myers is definitely making Tech look like not the most welcoming place to coach.
Looks like Leach signed on better terms. It was just announced an hour or so ago.
Well, I'm actually a little relieved. That situation was too ridiculous.
Also, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want him coaching Aggie football.
Yeah . . . I mean, I'd like to win some games, but it would not be a great fit. To put it so mildly that it's pretty much in a coma.
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