If you are not following i suggest you do.  Keep up blow by blow with what is going on right now as far as the team is concerned.  @coachsmith29.

Agreed.

Has anyone been able to talk to him or seen him in action yet? Not sure if it's wishful thinking or not, but I see a lot of John Groce in him (appearance and age, not sure yet on coaching intensity or results).

Those people need to realize that Athens, Ohio is not the center of the baseball universe.

It's not like those alumni were flocking to Trautwein Field on a regular basis anyway. Winning solves everything.

These are probably also the same people that think the last 15 years of Ohio baseball have been successful.

As a follower of Bobcat Baseball going as far back as the early 60's, I will miss any of the Baseball alumni who have lost "connection" to Ohio because of this hire.  I hope that Coach Smith understands the proud history of the program, and will make time to encourage baseball alumni from all "era's" to stay involved with his program.  Hopefully he is smart enough and talented enough to make this happen.  Coach Gross and Coach Solich have actively "recruited" former players to encourage them to stay active with their university.  Will be watching to see if our new baseball coach makes the same efforts.

This. I think many are underestimating how genuinely upset most alumni are with the hire.

I wasn't Carbone's #1 cheerleader, but I liked him as a person and can understand the frustration. Coach Carbone and Coach See were clearly - in my opinion - wronged in the process. Two of the things Carbone really excelled at were fundraising and alumni engagement. As a result, many alumni became loyal to him - and are now furious at the way the new hire was conducted.

There are many alumni that I know want nothing to do with the new coach or Ohio Baseball in general. Coach Smith has an uphill battle to win over alumni and longtime local fans. Barring a miracle, I'm afraid it's a battle he cannot win.

I don't think they're upset at Coach Smith - they would be upset at ANY coach that's not Andrew See. There has never been a head coach that's not an alumni. That is something that is very important to many of them. You can argue about Solich and Groce, but baseball has always been different. Baseball alumni feel that the program is held to a higher standard in regards to loyalty and integrity. Ohio Baseball is supposed to be special.

No matter who the new hire was...if it was not Andrew See, there was going to be some serious angst among alumni and local fans. Schaus made the decision that he felt was best - time will tell how that works out. In the meantime, the pocketbook is going to be hurting rather substantially. The prevailing alumni sentiment is one of betrayal - by the university they loved and its administration. If Coach Smith struggles out the gate, expect for there to be even louder cries against him and Schaus.

For the record, I'm not a former player - but have been a longtime follower as a student and local resident. I'm fortunate to know many of our great alumni, many from the "golden years" in the 70's. To a tee, the ones that I know are enraged by Coach Smith's hire and will not give a cent more as long as there's an outsider in the coaches' box. Some of these men have given $10,000+ to the program.

I'm willing to give Smith the benefit of the doubt, but a part of me also feels for Coach Carbone and See. Carbone was at Ohio for 24 years and was summarily kicked to the curb at the end of his tenure. He would be revered at most schools - but you'll likely never see him on campus again with this hire. Can you imagine the betrayal and anger he must feel? 24 years of your life and barely any consideration is given to your assistant coach. To me, that is the ultimate slap in the face.

Alumnus here, so I'll give my 2 cents...

Carbone deserved better. Much better. He ran a program that was very well respected nationally and consistently produced some top (major-league caliber) talent. Baseball is a grind....it's tough to compete for titles year-in and year-out. But, at the end of the day, his teams were always in the top half of the MAC and did the right things off the field. He will go down as one of Ohio's greatest coaches in any sport. Alumni would have done anything for him, and the feeling was mutual. He was one of us!

I've been a fan of most things Jim Schaus has done, but he botched this hire big-time. As a poster mentioned above, baseball has always been special at Ohio. We've held ourselves to the highest standard on and off the field. There is a tradition unlike any other sport.

As an alumnus, it feels like everything the program has ever stood for has been trampled on with this hire. Virtually all of my teammates and friends feel the exact same way. A little piece of us has been ripped away - and it hurts quite a bit. This is no longer "our" program. After years of tradition, we've sold out to someone who has no clue what it means to be a Bobcat. Many of us feel like the program has been stolen away from us.

I'll continue to support the Ohio Bobcat Club and be a football/basketball season ticket holder as I have for 30+ years, but count me in as one who will no longer be giving to baseball. As I said, I think Jim Schaus has made some excellent hires and decisions. BUT, this one really hurts for me and the entire baseball family. And it's not just alumni - a lot of the older fans locally are just as upset. In fact, I don't know anyone who fully supports Coach Smith's hire.

Carbone and Bob Wren are Ohio Baseball. It doesn't matter what Coach Smith does, he will never be held in the same regard as those great men. I'll have a hard time following the program knowing that their legacy has been tarnished forever.

6-4-3: I see that you edited your response...I'd love to hear your take on it. I'm a bit jaded, but I'm certainly open to other opinions.

What are your thoughts on the hire/process? How would you feel if you were in Carbone's shoes? What's your relationship with the program?

We've had one MLBer from the Carbone era, and he was sparingly used his junior season before getting drafted (Adam Russell). I'll give you Krauss as an almost lock, and just for kicks one other (Eldemire or Streich). Three MLBers during his career is not consistent.

Ohio baseball tradition is to finish middle of the pack? That's what has happened the last 15 years. We have not been a consistent team for ages.

I wouldn't dig too deep into the past if you want to stick with the "right things off the field." That's all I'm saying on that subject.

Don't speak for the entire alumni base, because it's more mixed than people think. Just as those who wanted a change were vocal for the last few years, now the ones that didn't want huge changes are the vocal ones.

Ohio has two MAC titles in 40+ years. We can't rely on wooden bat results forever and act like Ohio is something we aren't. Ohio isn't even a top five school in the state for baseball right now, and that's sad.

I still don't understand why people would be so eager to continually support football and basketball with non-OU grads coaching (oh yeah, that whole winning part...). Again, unless you played with Carbone yourself (or older), you've seen two MAC titles! How can people openly support that and be upset that an assistant who has done nothing didn't automatically get the job.

How is Bob Wren's legacy, or Joe Carbone's legacy, tarnished by a hire? Rob Smith's record isn't being credited to them.

I believe there is a HUGE difference in the way recent alums feel about Coach Carbone and Coach See.  Perhaps Coach Carbone's "style" of coaching and his treatment of players changed drastically from the "good ole days"  I think some of the earlier alums should sit down and have a talk with the recents.  They may tell you stories that you won't believe, or at least won't want to believe.

bobcat28,
You sound like a strong baseball fan.  I really believe that these guys, by the third year will have Ohio competing at a high level.

Catfan28, I too am very concerned and saddened by the way Coach Carbone and Andrew See were treated by our athletic director.  I am also concerned about the financial impact that this coaching selection decision will have on the future of Ohio baseball.  As a non-revenue producing sport, the baseball program has long depended on the generosity of former players and friends of the program for survival.  (and even with these donations and support, the program has had barely enough financial support from Schaus to field a team, let alone take the expensive southern trips that one poster longs for.)  Believe me, our former staff would have loved to be able to take a big time southern trip every spring!   This is lost on the few who continue to dominate this portion of the website, with their own personal axe to grind for their less than stellar careers as Bobcat baseballers.  As a long time follower of Ohio baseball from the inside out,  I have contacts at many levels that include coaches, former players, managers, parents, and fans.   Are there players who for one reason or another didn't care for Coach Carbone over his long and loyal career?   Certainly there are.  Are there former players who are mad and upset over the decision to not hire a Bobcat and the man reccomended by Coach Carbone?  Certainly there are, and my vantage point tells me that the "pro-Carbone' Bobcat baseball followers far out-number the few vocal "axe grinders" who dominate this board.  Hopefully Schaus has a plan in place to replace the lost revenue from  various equipment deals driven by the stellar national reputation of our former coach, not to mention the loss of funds from former players and program supporters who have posted on this board.
I do not envy the challenge that Coach Smith is facing.  To begin with, he will be operating with a less than competitive budget when compared to the competition.  His fan base will be somewhat "fractured" due to the large following of Bobcats who would have preferred to see a Bobcat in the dugout directing the program.  These are negative circumstances that the new coach had no control over, but none the less, will have to contend with.
I will continue to follow and support the program, but the circumstances of the hiring process and the decision made by Schaus to go outside the program will definitely affect how much $upport I provide.  Hopefully, the new coach will be successful in reaching out to all former players and fans, and convince them that Bobcat Baseball is in good hands, deserving of support.   If he can produce a program that Ohio can be proud of, on and off the field, as Coach Carbone has done, then he will have a chance to have a long and productive career as a Bobcat.