Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which finds itself writing, talking and thinking about WVU baseball, of all things, this week. The search for a baseball coach is ongoing, but Oliver Luck is now gone for the next week or so as he fits in a vacation abroad, the sort of thing that was interrupted by another coaching situation last summer. I’m told six people have interviewed, including one Thursday, though it may be a little more or less than that and some of those candidates are no longer candidates.

The point remains that this is a search for a replacement as opposed to the installation of a replacement. Needless to say, when Greg Van Zant was bounced May 19, there was no Dana Holgorsen signed and sealed and waiting only to be delivered, even though Luck had told Van Zant weeks earlier he was done.

Still, this is a tricky position to fill. WVU is going to play its non-conference home games off campus — make that well off campus — in 2013 and you might see all the “home” games in, say, Charleston, or you might see rotating “home” venues. College baseball plays 14 weekends in a season. At WVU, you can’t play at home those first three weekends because of the climate. The weather improves and then the next three weekends are good for home series. Then comes the eight Big 12 weekends — four home and hour away. Except in 2013, it will be four “home” and four away. That’s 11 of 14 weekends on the road. That’s hard, man.

The payoff, of course, is the new stadium that should, or could, be built in time for 2014. Wednesday’s vote by the Monongalia County Commission to move the overall TIF project forward to a public meeting was significant. There is still a lot that has to happen to make the TIF district and the baseball stadium happen and there are bound to be reservations and objections. The opportunity to present those comes June 27 and, speaking from experience, those things can be powerful and influential and completely change the path of a project. The citizens of the cities and counties here are really sharp and protective and realistic — and dare I say more than the people to whom they appeal?

The other obstacle also involves reality: WVU has, for many, many years, not supported the baseball program at WVU. That is absolutely known throughout the industry, and while Luck has been here but two years and has already green-lighted the full allotment of scholarships and fast-tracked the baseball stadium plans, there is a history to overcome. And if you ask many involved in the program, it is an unattractive history.

“I’ve been extremely loyal to the university, and I’ve tried my butt off, but there’s a picture being painted that this is my fault,” Van Zant said. “The issue is not a coaching issue or a players issue. It’s an administrative issue.

“They can say what they want about me and paint a picture of me not being a good coach. They can go out and get a better coach for the Big 12, but whatever they do, it doesn’t matter if you don’t support the program.”

Now, before you dive off the deep end, just read the story and consider the hurdles placed in the path of progress. It’s not a defense of Van Zant or his coaching philosophies. It’s not excuses or justifications. It’s not going to grow into an expose on the way he treated players or the way players just didn’t like him.

That’s what bothers me so much about the way people respond to Van Zant. Many people wants a specific story told about that guy, and that’s fine, but this is not that. That story is known and almost unnecessary right now. This is now about how one guy is gone and a new guy will be here eventually and he’s going to have to work against resistance that was planted and later bloomed across the past decade or so. And if it changes and the resistance is conquered? Bully for them, but then you kind of have to wonder what might have been a decade or so ago.

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Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, protect your text.

JP said:

I was wondering about this when Chavas Rawlins announced his commitment. First I thought we were going to turn him into a receiver. Apparently that’s not the plan.

Auburn did ok with Cam Newton. Maybe Chavas Rawlins can replicate that success in Morgantown.

I wonder if Chavas Rawlins is any relation to Chivas Regal?

There is an asterisk here: His younger brother is a big-time 2014 linebacker prospect. He has a friend who is a wide receiver and a cousin who is an offensive linemen. They’re big-time 2013 targets. Certainly there have been instances before where a team recruited a friend or relative and gave him what he wanted or told him what he wanted to hear with a goal of getting someone else in the near or distant future. Figure if Rawlins comes in and redshirts a year and then turns into a safety, that might not impress his little brother too much. Who knows? What I do know is the coaches could tutor a kid to play the offense, but also tailor the offense around a kid. The part that’s impossible to ignore, though, is that it would be a dramatic change and happening with Ford Childress on the roster.

Lee in Dayton said:

Looking ahead, if Ford Childress locks down the starting job through the 2016 season (or a combination of Millard & Childress) and Rawlins redshirts in 2013, he could wind up being Jarrett Brown 2.0. So does he…

– Stay at WVU for a shot at a single season as the starter?

– Switch to another position?

– Transfer?

Should be a good QB competition in 2013; can’t help but think the fact Rawlins is athletic enough to contribute at other positions could’ve been a factor in WVU’s interest.

Well, obviously you never know how a kid, be it Rawlins, Millard or Childress, will react to competition, results and the eligibility clock, but Dana has had a good run of players who were one- or two-year starters only. There is something to be said about marinating in whatever it is he’s cooking on offense. Your last point is the most meaningful, I think. If a kid is serious about football and the team, there will come a time when he sees there’s a need to move and a reward for that action. If he’s serious about his position and himself, he probably moves on to another institution.

AnxiousEER79 said:

Perhaps this is foreshadowing – as in, bad line play anticipated for years to come; must find mobile QB to survive behind leaky line?

Bill Bedenbaugh would like to speak with you! But seriously, wouldn’t you trust your ability to recruit and coach up offensive linemen before altering your proven offense?

pknocker40 said:

Pretty awesome to see @smartfootball’s insights incorporated into this article. His website is an invaluable resource for casual fans as it breaks down football strategy in simple, concise terms – but the website is particularly interesting to WVU fans as he seems to be fascinated with the Air Raid and the Mumme/Leach coaching tree (one of the most popular posts on his blog right now is a detailed analysis of Holgorsen’s Offense vis-a-vis general Air Raid concepts).

Exactly. I’ll admit: I’ve read it and schooled myself on things that I’ve later written about for the Daily Mail. He takes complex and simple things and makes them very easy to understand and relate.

Mounties said:

The way the kid plays reminds me of a certain Eer QB from (dare I say it?) Daphne AL. Quick on his feet, slips through the D, tough to tackle in the flat…
His arm looked pretty good, too. It does seem like he plays a different type of game than what we have been doing in the recent past. Could be quite the battle between him and Childress when their time comes.
Hey, I never put up 70 in the Orange Bowl. Who am I to question the great Red Bull chugger? In Dana We Trust!

Now that you mention it, yes, I do see some Coley White.

Drew said:

This is one reason I really like DH. He’s not afraid of taking a talented player and finding a way to best use his skills. This is just one more possible dimension for the offense. Certainly, he’s not going to take a QB that he doesn’t think is capable of throwing the ball, but you don’t have to be slow and unathletic to throw the ball well.

There is a lot of history here with dual threat QBs. I wouldn’t mind seeing that continue. My brother and I were talking the other day about what DH was going to come up with this year and how many other trams are going to run the hot potato pass. I would love to see the kind of ways an innovator like DH could use a true dual threat QB.

I get all of that and I agree, but I feel like this is unto itself. It’s one think to develop Justin Blackmon or find ways to utilize an all-conference fullback, to unleash Tavon Austin and make the most of Shawne Alston. On and on we could go. He’s just never done this with a quarterback. He’s had one general mold, usually chiseled and polished through years in the program. They’ve been modeled toward a certain prototype. Developing a dual threat guy would be very different, if it ever happens.

Jeff in Akron said:

Scout lists Chavas Rawlins at 6’2″, 190lbs. It is easy for us as WVU fans to compare him to past WVU QB’s, I have a hunch Holgorsen is comparing him to past Big-12 QB’s, namely RGIII at 6’3″, 195lbs. Rawlins could easily gain weight in the WVU strength program and end up more like Cam Newton. Either way, as others have said, Holgorsen doesn’t wear blinders, if a kid has talent and can help him win games he is going to play.

I have a growing respect for Holgorsen and his grasp of a football offense, what really is starting to bother me is the belief that Holgorsen is a “system” coach. I really do not believe he is and its an argument that I cannot seem to get other football fans to buy into when they talk about Holgorsen. I believe if he had the team he would be just as comfortable running the Wishbone as the Air Raid and his team would be just as adept at running either, and everything in-between.

Holgorsen is a coach that molds his offense to the talents of the players on his roster. Whatever those players are good at, Holgorsen and his coaches are going to be good at coaching. So, if the rest of college football fans want to beleive that WVU is a “system” offense, whatever. I just hope the coaches of the teams those fans root for believe the same. When they play WVU they’ll find out the truth, and I’m good with that.

I do see the “system” turning into a negative label, almost as though a coach isn’t able to dance a difference dance, but at the root of all his molding-to-talent is the system and that ought not be a slight against him. Everyone is more or less the same in that in a perfect world you’d recruit only specific players to play your brand of football. For now, he’s still dealing with necessity, which is probably why he’s fallen in and out of love with Alston and Ryan Clarke. I’ll be interested to see when, or if, he recruits a bigger back. Then again, he recruited a tight end and a 5 foot, 7 inch slot receiver. His outside receivers can be at or even a little below 6 feet. His  slot guys can be 6-4. I think we have to be open to the idea the quarterback position can be flexible, too, because the system can adapt.

The 25314 said:

I think I could be a philanthropist. A kick ass philanthropist! I would have all this money, and people would love me. Then they would come to me.. and beg! And if I felt like it, I would help them out. And then they would owe me big time!

First, you’re going to need a driver.

Mack said:

“Bob Huggins is still a jerk.” – Everyone outside of West Virginia.

Followed immediately about a crack on graduation rates at Cincinnati.

JL said:

Cancer is a worthy cause, but I usually give to TBA

Excellent.

lowercase jeff said:

JL – fantastic. just fantastic.

im gonna go have a banger in the mouth.

Hmm, not sure I follow…

pushthebutton said:

Here in the states we just call it a sausage in the mouth…

Ah, now that makes sense. Who prefers stuffing the mushrooms?

SheikYbuti said:

OK, my Rosetta Stone has finally deciphered all this smug, inside humor as “Arrested Development” dialogue. No fair making cultural references the rest of us don’t understand. I now feel compelled to balance the ledger, as a Lannister always pays his debts.

Accept our apologies.

Jeff in Akron said:

I do not have a Rosetta Stone and only understand about 25% of the references on the blog in general. Even after those references have been explained the percentage only goes up to 50%. Every now and then I will see or here something and a blog post that had referenced it comes to mind and I will start to laugh, I generally get strange looks when that happens, but who cares.

That’s among the highest praise we can have here.

IrishBillATL said:

Whatever happened to Joe Alexander? I lost track of him.

On a related note, I’ll be the first to admit that I have been (perhaps stupidly) a slight bit disappointed in the lack of super elite players in Morgantown with Huggs at the helm, however, when you consider that he HAS put Ebanks, Alexander, KJ, and Da’sean in there….pretty impressive, and certainly leaps and bounds better than we were doing before he got here. Seems Elijah Macon could be the next guy….if he can just get his high schools classes done this summer.

Joe left his team in Russia and I have no clue what he does next. People are crossing their fingers and toes about Macon.

Jeff in Akron said:

Okay this raises even more questions. Does WVU pay a fee to the minor league team to play its games in the stadium. Of the tickets that are sold does the minor league team get the lion’s share. How does that set-up benefit WVU in the long term? They may not have to pay for upkeep on the stadium, but they also don’t get any financial benefits. Plus, if Hawley Field cost $1500 to rent, how much is the new stadium going to cost? Gotta wonder if the softball teams, little league teams, and the Amercian Legion teams can afford to pony up the money to play in the stadium.

I’m not trying to be negative, there just seems to be a lot of questions to me.

You and others. Again, many, many things have to be settled. Hard to answer some of your questions just yet, but there will be some sort of a lease arranged when the time comes and that will sort out most of the cloudiness. The stadium will essentially be WVU’s to use, as opposed to own and operate. WVU isn’t really involved in any of this preliminary work and won’t be involved in the construction. 

jdwvu said:

IMO somebody else better own the thing besides the minor league team, because I dont see it as very feasible in the long term, especially with Bridgeport also getting a new park and a new team. There are about half as many potential fans to attend the games in Morgantown during the summer time, ironically the heart of baseball season. IMO some kind of holding company will own the park and let WVU use it for next to nothing. Luck wouldn’t be pushing it hard if it wasn’t a sweetheart deal for WVU.

The deal is a low cost for a major project. For this to really get going, that retail and office space has to be in place. The Commission will likely balk and forking over taxes for just a ballpark. And the people here will throw fits if the traffic concern is not addressed.

Mack said:

Would this stadium (and office space) be the first effort in the history of Morgantown to spread out its “footprint” rather than simply cramming the stadium through five already-existing buildings?

Yes, forgot to mention that. Big day!

SheikYbuti said:

Forget about Darwin Cook having to be two places at once. I want to know what happened to the 1:07 we were apparently cheated out of during every game last year.

I believe he rounded up. A lot.

Drew said:

Shiek, that 1:07 is the total hang time of Brad Wing’s punts in the LSU game spread out over the entire season.

Never mind, that’s it.

wvu304 said:

I believe Cook and Garvin took that 1:07, stuffed it in a bag with some snack chips, and disappeared into the Morgantown night.

Juuuuust about that time…

overtheSEC said:

Don’t know about 1 minute and 7 seconds, but 1:07 PM is what time Dana would prefer morning practices to start no earlier than.

That’s not true.

johnny oz said:

The 1:07 is still left from the ’84 Penn State game.

That’s OK, though.

SheikYbuti said:

Your mission Dana, should you decide to accept it, is to navigate the Big 12 schedule unscathed, prevail in the BCS championship, and secure the Heisman for Geno, all while selling more beer. As always, should you or any of your WVU team be arrested or suspended, the Athletic Director will disavow all knowledge of your existence.

This tape (what’s a tape?) will self-destruct in 1:07.

Enjoy the weekend!