A Berkman hire would bring in the most donations without question. I have no doubt about this point, after having spoken with several very large donors. More money can help upgrade the facilities and provide other amenities which helps to compete for talent. Pettitte and maybe even Jose Cruz Jr would become a part of the program -- which would further raise our profile. Those are three incredible players, two of which have borderline MLB hall of fame resumes. They have seen and experienced everything in baseball, and learned from some of the very best managers in the game -- including Coach Graham. So in some respects, you have to consider Berkman part of a larger package of high profile staff members -- all of which are loyal to Rice (minimizes flight risk later).

Berkman/Pettitte/Cruz gives us a a competitive advantage against other programs. Other programs don't have that star power on their staff. No doubt this helps recruiting.

The question in my mind is whether Berkman would commit full force to the grind of college baseball. You have to be a workaholic to buy into the long hours, travel, and time away from family in order to succeed. If he can convincingly answer that question, then I support his candidacy. Pair him and Pettitte with a couple of winning HS coaches -- maybe even Pope -- who are great at teaching the fundamentals... and we'd have a rock solid staff.

Coaching is mainly about teaching and motivation... but in the college baseball game, it's also about bringing in money and recruiting. Let's put together a staff that can address all four of these elements. A Berkman-led coalition is capable of doing it in my opinion.