Dahm's Contract Expires - Extend or Fire Him?

[DuffMan]

Respect from in state hs programs will not help iowa baseball.

[GhostofBTT]

People actually care about Iowa baseball?

No

/thread

[NeilDiamond]

they played in the B10 tournament championship game in 2010. The 2nd place finish was their best since 1983. That's all I got

Iowa Finishes Second in Big Ten Tournament - Iowa Official Athletic Site

This just solidifies it for me. 1 "good" year in almost 30! Its a wonder nobody pays any attention. Time to dump it.

[papathawki]

Quote:
Originally Posted by DuffMan
People actually care about Iowa baseball?

No

I can't believe you guys. Baseball is arguably the national pastime of the US. Second only maybe to football. And yet, you are saying who cares? Maybe I'm infuenced by having played, until a back injury, under Otto Vogel, (probably the the longest tenured Iowa head coach in any sport). But even if I hadn't, I think I'd still feel the same way. If you want to fire Dahm, yeah his record at Iowa is not too great, but he does have a really great class of recruits coming in. But then, if none of you seem to care about Hawkeye baseball, I'm probably just wasting my time.

[SamsonHawk515]

Bobby Valentine, yes, no, opinions?

[bcl20]

I wish Iowa was good at baseball.

[papathawki]

This just solidifies it for me. 1 "good" year in almost 30! Its a wonder nobody pays any attention. Time to dump it.

No

/thread

I wish Iowa was good at baseball.

+1

[nationalchamps]

Respect from in state hs programs will not help iowa baseball.

You are an idiot

[hoffahawk]

If the program was one of the top teams in the B1G people would come they would most definitely come from all across Iowa and pay to watch games. The last time Iowa hosted the B1G tourney the stands were packed. There is no reason Iowa shouldn't be in the too half of the conference year in and year out.

[burky247]

My dream is to see tavern hawks in the stands at Iowa baseball games.

[DuffMan]

Respect from in state hs programs will not help iowa baseball.

You are an idiot

Ummm yeah.

It's not that I don't like baseball, or even college baseball. Hell I go to the college world series about every other year or so. What I don't like is BAD baseball, and that is what Iowa, as well as most of the rest of the B10 is. It will continue to be bad unless baseball is changed from a spring to a summer sport. No college prospect with options is going to chose to play ball in Iowa in March and April. Like most other sports Iowa doesn't produce enough quality players to support a team, and the best of the rest (the best sign pro contracts almost exclusively) are never going to chose Iowa over some SEC or West Coast power. Be happy our revenue generating sports (football) does well enough for Iowa to continue to fund a team (see ISU and UNI).

But yes, I'm the idiot..

[HawkDad]

But yes, I'm the idiot..

^^^^^^ respect this idiot.


I have met Coach Dahm on a number of occasions. He does know his baseball, without a doubt, but I question his work ethic/drive.

Often he comes off as a "good ol' boy" and seems to prefer to smooze over supporters instead of addressing the issues plaguing the program.

IIRC, Barta has stated he wants EACH program to compete for championships on a regular basis. (not just qualify in the top 6 to get into the B1G tournament every once and a blue moon).

[ssckelley]

There used to be some outstanding HS baseball programs in Iowa when I was a kid. I grew up in Vinton and just in Benton County we had Norway, Urbana, and Vinton all with decent baseball teams. Some of those players played for Iowa and a few played in the big leagues (Cal Eldred, Mike Boddicker, Wes Obermueller). One would think the State of Iowa could support 1 D1 college baseball program. Baseball around here seems to be a dying sport as kids will play little league but when they go on to Junior/Senior High they drop baseball to concentrate on football, wrestling, or basketball.

I do not have the answers but something needs to be done to change that, and it might need to come from MLB. But folding the Hawkeye baseball program is not an answer, there is plenty of money in the AD. With the BTN needing summer time programing B1G needs to invest in its baseball programs and I think they need to explore other options. I think if Iowa could get a new coach and upgrade the facilities you will see more interest in the baseball program. You have a chance to play on TV, why not go to Iowa? If the Waterloo Bucks can get over 2000 people in the stands to watch college baseball players play in a wooden bat league then for sure there would be an interest in Hawkeye baseball.

[HawkinGoferLand]

Good post ssckelley. I went to a the Iowa @ MN game a couple weeks ago in the Dome. My kids had a great time. I tend to agree with your observation that with just one D1 program in Iowa we should be able to feed Iowa enough players to compete in top half or third of B1G regularly but as Duff said the best will get pro contracts, although I think if Iowa were elite in B1G many of the kids who may otherwise go south or west to play college may choose Iowa.
One counterpoint, the Bucks sell beer at their games which really helps draw fans IMO.

[DodgerHawki]

There used to be some outstanding HS baseball programs in Iowa when I was a kid. I grew up in Vinton and just in Benton County we had Norway, Urbana, and Vinton all with decent baseball teams. Some of those players played for Iowa and a few played in the big leagues (Cal Eldred, Mike Boddicker, Wes Obermueller). One would think the State of Iowa could support 1 D1 college baseball program. Baseball around here seems to be a dying sport as kids will play little league but when they go on to Junior/Senior High they drop baseball to concentrate on football, wrestling, or basketball.

I do not have the answers but something needs to be done to change that, and it might need to come from MLB. But folding the Hawkeye baseball program is not an answer, there is plenty of money in the AD. With the BTN needing summer time programing B1G needs to invest in its baseball programs and I think they need to explore other options. I think if Iowa could get a new coach and upgrade the facilities you will see more interest in the baseball program. You have a chance to play on TV, why not go to Iowa? If the Waterloo Bucks can get over 2000 people in the stands to watch college baseball players play in a wooden bat league then for sure there would be an interest in Hawkeye baseball.

there are. That has never been the issue. The issue is that there are not enough players of high caliber in the state to let Iowa compete with the big boys in baseball. The few truly elite players in Iowa either sign professional contracts out of high school or go to play at a southern school where they will get to play a huge amount of games in good weather against superior competition. And for the truly elite player, it's hard to argue against that.

You cite some good previous Iowa players who ended up in MLB. Eldred, Boddicker, Obermueller, etc. are all great ex-Hawks, but look at the rosters of the teams in the SEC, Pac-12 or the teams that make it to the CWS. They all have that many guys who will end up playing in the major leagues on their rosters EVERY YEAR. It is simply a different level of player that the top-level schools have.

Dahm has what is regarded as the highest rated recruiting class in the B1G coming in, he has done a good job recruiting. The problem is a good amount of those guys will end up signing professional contracts and never enroll at Iowa in the fall. Every college team deals with that, but Iowa simply doesn't have access to the depth in talent like teams from warm-weather states do.

I don't believe the B1G just ignoring the CWS and playing in the summer is the answer. If B1G schools want to be complete irrelevant in baseball (more than they already are), then I suppose it makes sense. But if you aren't going to try to compete for the championship in that sport, then why not just make baseball a club sport?