The $1 million donation to the baseball program?

[BGSU33]

Does anyone know what happened or is going on with the $1 million donation made to the baseball program by Gary Haas back in May of 2014? It's been 5 years now since it was announced. An article about the donation back in 2014 said it could be used for artificial turf playing surface and adding a brick facade to the outside of Steller Field. I remember talking to some baseball players in 2015 and they said they were told the turf was being installed that summer. It's been a while since I was last over to Steller Field but the last I looked, there wasn't any turf or anything being done to the facade of the facility.

[factman]

Send Moose and/or Dan Meyer an email and ask that question.

[falconfan1999]

Nothing new to report here? What about the supposed upgrades to the facility that were supposed to be announced last year?

[guest44]

Any update on where the money went? Was it used by Kingston’s & Moose right hand man for upgrades to the soccer field? Let’s just put it out there, had any of the kids of these decision makers played baseball, the decision might have been different. That’s the level of incompetence they are operating with.

Also, listen to the Moose interview on the The Morning Show BG in April when he speculates on what happened with the Cincinnati soccer program? He uses speculation from the Bowling Green soccer coach that it was years in the making and not necessarily Covid related. What a narrative change.

A quick look at the BG Soccer roster and yep another coaches kid. The loudest voices in the room or on Twitter always get the attention of Moose.

[guest44]

https://www.bgchamber.net/clint-corpe-i ... s57jsD0AdQ" target="_blank

Here is the link where he discusses what happened at Cincinnati and the rumors that had been circulating. April 24th. Starts about the 5:30 mark of the interview.

[BGDrew]

I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure the donation was set up as a life insurance payout once Haas died. Have to imagine the beneficiary on that policy is going to be changed now.

[guest44]

That very well could be, and that would explain a lot. The hypocrisy of Moose is still just so ridiculous. All the posturing with the press box, speculation based on speculation from his soccer coach who of course is going to slant the narrative at Cincinnati for self protection. It’s why he has administrators kids all around his program. He has a losing record in 11 years. Has never won the league, in a MAC nobody knows who or how many are even in. I understand all that was wrong with BG baseball, but to act like that soccer program is anything but mediocre is crap.

Moose also gave Huger a roughly 75K raise while not even making the post season. His contract wasn’t up, he had no other interest, & BGSU still owed Mike Jinks. No need to cry Moose, you did a lot of this yourself.

[factman]

.......... not to mention hiring a NEW senior administrator a month or so before cutting baseball!

[guest44]

Correct and when the BOT minutes are posted it is likely to be another 100K position.

[BillyLP]

That very well could be, and that would explain a lot. The hypocrisy of Moose is still just so ridiculous. All the posturing with the press box, speculation based on speculation from his soccer coach who of course is going to slant the narrative at Cincinnati for self protection. It’s why he has administrators kids all around his program. He has a losing record in 11 years. Has never won the league, in a MAC nobody knows who or how many are even in. I understand all that was wrong with BG baseball, but to act like that soccer program is anything but mediocre is crap.

Moose also gave Huger a roughly 75K raise while not even making the post season. His contract wasn’t up, he had no other interest, & BGSU still owed Mike Jinks. No need to cry Moose, you did a lot of this yourself.

.......... not to mention hiring a NEW senior administrator a month or so before cutting baseball!

Lots to address here, but I'll try to keep it short (edit: I did not). I'll start by saying that if I were in Moose's shoes, I would have tried to do anything other than cutting a sport, but it sounds like he was pretty hamstrung by the administration requiring a 10% cut. That said, baseball was the right cut (and I say this as the biggest baseball fan you'll ever meet). Equipment is expensive, the top schools are putting tens of millions of dollars into facilities and programs, there are tons of players, and you have to spend the first half of the season travelling because the weather in northern Ohio is terrible for baseball until May. It also has a dedicated facility that requires a ton of upkeep. Soccer is cheaper, there is a slightly more even playing field nationally (look at Akron), and the facility would already continue to be used by the women's team, so it doesn't really impact facility upkeep costs.

The raise to Huger was given way before any COVID stuff, so a $75k raise (which in the men's basketball world is basically nothing) is a non-starter for criticism. It was a bet that he would continue to have a good team (he has) and that if he were hired away, the buyout would be significantly larger. The Jinks money was settled for WAY less than he was originally owed, which was a great move my Moose and team.

Re: the new administrator. She is the Senior Women's Administrator, which is required by NCAA bylaws for every college to have. Even if there were a hiring freeze, they'd be required to figure a way to hire a new SWA at a senior level in the athletic department. Also a non-starter for criticism. By the way, Stacy Kosciak is a GREAT addition to the department. I worked in college athletics in NC for a few years and she is an absolute star.

I'm not saying Moose is perfect. I think his team dropped the ball big time on how the news of baseball got out, but I think he has the best vision and has made the most consistently good hires/contracts of any of the ADs since I started following BG (which is, admittedly, a much shorter time than a lot of you). I don't envy his position, and I'm sure this has been the most difficult few months of his career.

[Roll Along!]

The anouncement of Stacy's hiring on the BGSU web site was 2/25. Almost 3 months before the program was dropped. And it was a hiring to replace someone who left, not a NEW position. We can be critical of the decision, but why she is brought into this is beyond me and not anyone's fault. It was announced three weeks before the shut down.

[guest44]

I’d say 75K is something especially when a year later you are cutting entire sports. Way to go Moose, you got rid of the guy who ruined the football program for less than he was originally owed which was too much. They should probably name the football scoreboard after Moose because of that alone.

[Schadenfreude]

… baseball was the right cut (and I say this as the biggest baseball fan you'll ever meet). Equipment is expensive, the top schools are putting tens of millions of dollars into facilities and programs, there are tons of players, and you have to spend the first half of the season travelling because the weather in northern Ohio is terrible for baseball until May.

I agree. A tough decision, but the right one, given the circumstances.

[BillyLP]

I’d say 75K is something especially when a year later you are cutting entire sports. Way to go Moose, you got rid of the guy who ruined the football program for less than he was originally owed which was too much. They should probably name the football scoreboard after Moose because of that alone.

Why are you so anti- giving Moose credit there? He had nothing to do with the Jinks contract and was able to replace him with a solid candidate while saving money on the buyout. That is not an easy thing to do as the AD of a low-budget program. He deserved some praise.

[guest44]

Solid candidate? What has Loeffler proven? He isn't Clawson regardless of how badly they want the comparison. He had never been a head coach. The program he left fired the entire staff the next season, and he would have been gone too. If BG has such a small budget like Moose loves to use as his go to excuse for everything, then why are you handing out raises like that? Buyout for Huger? Huger's first three seasons were hot garbage. Not a single school has inquired about him even with the success, and it was a Justin Turner transfer away from being a bad contract. Wow, the BGSU standards are low. Say what you want about the baseball program, at least the won titles occasionally.