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Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
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OldOwl Offline
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Post: #21
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.
06-15-2018 04:56 PM
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Post: #22
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.

I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.
06-15-2018 05:04 PM
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SpaceCityBuzz Offline
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RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Welcome aboard!
06-15-2018 05:07 PM
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Fort Bend Owl Offline
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RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Welcome to Rice - let's hope he gives Rice a lot to brag(ga) about in the coming years.
06-15-2018 05:08 PM
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Fort Bend Owl Offline
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Post: #25
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Looking at Tennessee Tech's web site, I see Bragga's dad (Larry Bragga - bio here - http://www.ttusports.com/sports/bsb/coac...y?view=bio) has been the director of baseball operations during the last 11 years of his TT tenure. It will be interesting to see if he follows his son to Rice.
06-15-2018 05:24 PM
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RiceFootball2K5 Offline
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Post: #26
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
A couple of TN Tech players have posted on twitter that they want Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator Justin Holmes to be their new head coach, so he may not be following Bragga to Houston.
06-15-2018 05:26 PM
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Ricefootballnet Offline
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Post: #27
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 04:38 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  I like the hire as well. The fire had gone out of the program. All through the Omaha runs and up through Rendon’s years the Owls were always a scrappy, gritty team. That seemed to change during the years we lost our own home Regionals. Myself and others commented how our opponents always were on the top step of the dugout while we sat in the shadows. The Cal team’s attitude really exemplified the difference. What I see with this hire is a coach that can restore that gritty attitude in the team. I sense that our fundamentals will improve with this attitude change as well.

At this point recruiting concerns me less until his choices for assistants are known. If he can produce results like his recent teams by recruiting an area that clearly doesn’t have the quality and depth that the Houston and surrounding area has then clearly he should do even better here.

Welcome to South Main Coach.

I remember our conversation about fire in the belly as we walked down Embarcadero after that 16 inning loss to Cal at PAC Bell Park. As I recall, it was a loooong walk back to the hotel...

Anyway, I add my welcome, and my pledge of active support.
06-15-2018 05:26 PM
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texowl2 Offline
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Post: #28
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 04:39 PM)WeatherfordOwl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:21 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:02 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Congrats to Coach Bragga, and welcome to Rice University!

Hopefully Bragga can bring all the warring factions together and achieve some unity amongst the alumni. And I hope that he will reach out to Wayne as well, and if not bring him back into the fold, at least start to heal that relationship so that Coach can be properly honored at some point.

There are going to be some who are so disenfranchised by the mishandling of the Wayne situation that they may not immediately come back into the fold, but many of us are both mentally and financially invested in the Rice Baseball program, and we're going to continue to passionately support the program going forward.

Admittedly I haven’t been keeping real close track of the Graham non renewal, but I personally have not observed anything objectionable in Rice’s handling of it. JK made the decision and shared it privately with Coach Graham, as I understand it, then it was Wayne who went public with it as if he was being mistreated. JK could not comment on it until it was completed. Pretty simple if you ask me. Wayne may be showing a little of his age, unfortunately. Yes, he is and deserves to be a legend at Rice. But when your program has been sliding into oblivion for almost a decade it seems like a change is timely. As to the former players “angling for his job”, what’s JK supposed to do about that? I find myself wishing Rice had replaced Wayne with Pierce long ago.

This is an excellent summary of reality....
06-15-2018 05:26 PM
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grol Offline
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Post: #29
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:04 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.

I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.

If some of our former MLB alums really want to coach D1, now would be a good time to get some D1 experience.
06-15-2018 05:28 PM
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waltgreenberg Offline
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Post: #30
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:26 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:39 PM)WeatherfordOwl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:21 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:02 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Congrats to Coach Bragga, and welcome to Rice University!

Hopefully Bragga can bring all the warring factions together and achieve some unity amongst the alumni. And I hope that he will reach out to Wayne as well, and if not bring him back into the fold, at least start to heal that relationship so that Coach can be properly honored at some point.

There are going to be some who are so disenfranchised by the mishandling of the Wayne situation that they may not immediately come back into the fold, but many of us are both mentally and financially invested in the Rice Baseball program, and we're going to continue to passionately support the program going forward.

Admittedly I haven’t been keeping real close track of the Graham non renewal, but I personally have not observed anything objectionable in Rice’s handling of it. JK made the decision and shared it privately with Coach Graham, as I understand it, then it was Wayne who went public with it as if he was being mistreated. JK could not comment on it until it was completed. Pretty simple if you ask me. Wayne may be showing a little of his age, unfortunately. Yes, he is and deserves to be a legend at Rice. But when your program has been sliding into oblivion for almost a decade it seems like a change is timely. As to the former players “angling for his job”, what’s JK supposed to do about that? I find myself wishing Rice had replaced Wayne with Pierce long ago.

This is an excellent summary of reality....

Can we PLEASE take these continued attacks on Wayne out of the thread welcoming our new head coach. 03-banghead
06-15-2018 05:29 PM
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Minnewaska Owl Offline
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Post: #31
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:04 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.

I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.

I agree with your statement Walt, but after reading Berkman's incredible presentation, it just doesn't feel like Lance is looking to come in as an assistant. Plus, if he were to somehow agree to be an assistant, I think it is less likely that Andy Pettitte would be as enthused about coming along - which was part of the plan if Lance had been selected head coach. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling. Lance had such a comprehensive, exciting plan in place, that seeing him passed over has taken the wind out of my sails.

Rarely does a college Athletic Director or Professional Sports team general manager get the opportunity to make a coaching decision that, although a bit risky, would absolutely set the fan base on fire. With so much support and buy-in from former players, scouts, fans, etc., picking Lance would have re-ignited the Rice baseball fan base. You just don't get opportunities like that very often, and JK instead decided to go with a more traditional, less risky, pick. That disappoints me.

About 12 years ago the Texans were in a similar situation. Say what you will about Vince Young's ability to be a long-term QB success in the NFL. The fact is, if the Texans had drafted him as our number 1 pick, this town would have absolutely exploded! It would have been "Luv Ya Blue" all over again. But, we decided to go with a more conventional, less risky pick, and never got to experience what might have been. Even if Vince had only been successful for a few years, you can't deny how exciting things would have been for those few years.

I agree with Tiki - Coach Bragga should be able to get us back to being a hungry, spirited, more fundamentally sound ball club. And as Walt says, I would like to see us keep Pope and some of the other former players involved. But, I think by passing on Lance we missed our chance at having something great happen.
06-15-2018 05:30 PM
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Leoguy Offline
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Post: #32
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Congratulations and welcome to Matt Bragga. We look forward to getting to know you and your family, and to spending some quality time with you and the team in Omaha...Go Owls!
06-15-2018 05:31 PM
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Tiki Owl Offline
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Post: #33
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:30 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:04 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.

I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.

I agree with your statement Walt, but after reading Berkman's incredible presentation, it just doesn't feel like Lance is looking to come in as an assistant. Plus, if he were to somehow agree to be an assistant, I think it is less likely that Andy Pettitte would be as enthused about coming along - which was part of the plan if Lance had been selected head coach. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling. Lance had such a comprehensive, exciting plan in place, that seeing him passed over has taken the wind out of my sails.

Rarely does a college Athletic Director or Professional Sports team general manager get the opportunity to make a coaching decision that, although a bit risky, would absolutely set the fan base on fire. With so much support and buy-in from former players, scouts, fans, etc., picking Lance would have re-ignited the Rice baseball fan base. You just don't get opportunities like that very often, and JK instead decided to go with a more traditional, less risky, pick. That disappoints me.

About 12 years ago the Texans were in a similar situation. Say what you will about Vince Young's ability to be a long-term QB success in the NFL. The fact is, if the Texans had drafted him as our number 1 pick, this town would have absolutely exploded! It would have been "Luv Ya Blue" all over again. But, we decided to go with a more conventional, less risky pick, and never got to experience what might have been. Even if Vince had only been successful for a few years, you can't deny how exciting things would have been for those few years.

I agree with Tiki - Coach Bragga should be able to get us back to being a hungry, spirited, more fundamentally sound ball club. And as Walt says, I would like to see us keep Pope and some of the other former players involved. But, I think by passing on Lance we missed our chance at having something great happen.

Re:Berkman. If Lance does want to be a DI coach some day and believes the reason he wasn’t selected this time was his lack of college coaching experience then I think he would be very interested to be on Bragga’s staff.
06-15-2018 05:44 PM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #34
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:44 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:30 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:04 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.
I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.
I agree with your statement Walt, but after reading Berkman's incredible presentation, it just doesn't feel like Lance is looking to come in as an assistant. Plus, if he were to somehow agree to be an assistant, I think it is less likely that Andy Pettitte would be as enthused about coming along - which was part of the plan if Lance had been selected head coach. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling. Lance had such a comprehensive, exciting plan in place, that seeing him passed over has taken the wind out of my sails.
Rarely does a college Athletic Director or Professional Sports team general manager get the opportunity to make a coaching decision that, although a bit risky, would absolutely set the fan base on fire. With so much support and buy-in from former players, scouts, fans, etc., picking Lance would have re-ignited the Rice baseball fan base. You just don't get opportunities like that very often, and JK instead decided to go with a more traditional, less risky, pick. That disappoints me.
About 12 years ago the Texans were in a similar situation. Say what you will about Vince Young's ability to be a long-term QB success in the NFL. The fact is, if the Texans had drafted him as our number 1 pick, this town would have absolutely exploded! It would have been "Luv Ya Blue" all over again. But, we decided to go with a more conventional, less risky pick, and never got to experience what might have been. Even if Vince had only been successful for a few years, you can't deny how exciting things would have been for those few years.
I agree with Tiki - Coach Bragga should be able to get us back to being a hungry, spirited, more fundamentally sound ball club. And as Walt says, I would like to see us keep Pope and some of the other former players involved. But, I think by passing on Lance we missed our chance at having something great happen.
Re:Berkman. If Lance does want to be a DI coach some day and believes the reason he wasn’t selected this time was his lack of college coaching experience then I think he would be very interested to be on Bragga’s staff.

I think the bathroom bill killed Lance's chances. I don't agree with that as an appropriate reason, but I think that is the reason. If he wants to be a D1 head coach, he needs to go work as an assistant at an SEC school. He has a much better chance of being hired somewhere in the SEC.
(This post was last modified: 06-15-2018 05:50 PM by Owl 69/70/75.)
06-15-2018 05:49 PM
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Post: #35
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
Mark Berman has a video interview with JK on his Twitter.

https://twitter.com/markbermanfox26/stat...20545?s=21

JK states (paraphrasing) that D1 head coaching experience was a requirement for this job.
06-15-2018 05:59 PM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #36
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
I look forward to seeing what Bragga brings. He obviously has a strong track record at Tennessee Tech. And I look forward to a change in style of play.

But baseball at the NCAA level is about recruiting, recruiting, recruiting, and for Rice that means Houston area recruiting. He's going to need a staff with Houston connections.
06-15-2018 06:03 PM
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Post: #37
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 05:49 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:44 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:30 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 05:04 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  
(06-15-2018 04:56 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Looks like a good hire. Maybe Berkman will join him as an assistant.
I think a coaching staff roster of Pope (to ensure continuity in recruiting), Berkman (volunteer) and one other former alum (Janish, Cruz) would be a home run.
I agree with your statement Walt, but after reading Berkman's incredible presentation, it just doesn't feel like Lance is looking to come in as an assistant. Plus, if he were to somehow agree to be an assistant, I think it is less likely that Andy Pettitte would be as enthused about coming along - which was part of the plan if Lance had been selected head coach. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling. Lance had such a comprehensive, exciting plan in place, that seeing him passed over has taken the wind out of my sails.
Rarely does a college Athletic Director or Professional Sports team general manager get the opportunity to make a coaching decision that, although a bit risky, would absolutely set the fan base on fire. With so much support and buy-in from former players, scouts, fans, etc., picking Lance would have re-ignited the Rice baseball fan base. You just don't get opportunities like that very often, and JK instead decided to go with a more traditional, less risky, pick. That disappoints me.
About 12 years ago the Texans were in a similar situation. Say what you will about Vince Young's ability to be a long-term QB success in the NFL. The fact is, if the Texans had drafted him as our number 1 pick, this town would have absolutely exploded! It would have been "Luv Ya Blue" all over again. But, we decided to go with a more conventional, less risky pick, and never got to experience what might have been. Even if Vince had only been successful for a few years, you can't deny how exciting things would have been for those few years.
I agree with Tiki - Coach Bragga should be able to get us back to being a hungry, spirited, more fundamentally sound ball club. And as Walt says, I would like to see us keep Pope and some of the other former players involved. But, I think by passing on Lance we missed our chance at having something great happen.
Re:Berkman. If Lance does want to be a DI coach some day and believes the reason he wasn’t selected this time was his lack of college coaching experience then I think he would be very interested to be on Bragga’s staff.

I think the bathroom bill killed Lance's chances. I don't agree with that as an appropriate reason, but I think that is the reason. If he wants to be a D1 head coach, he needs to go work as an assistant at an SEC school. He has a much better chance of being hired somewhere in the SEC.

Owlmoha had some interesting revelations just prior to the Bragga hire. Based on what was said, I don't think the issue with Lance was the bathroom bill but rather his efforts to become the next head coach and a desire by JK to mend relationships with the WG crowd. Because of that, I doubt Berkman will be on this staff.
06-15-2018 06:06 PM
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ExcitedOwl18 Offline
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Post: #38
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
I’ve been to Cookeville, TN and let me just say, if you can win there, you can win anywhere.

Trying to think of a possible Texas equivalent... Maybe Texarkana?
06-15-2018 06:21 PM
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Post: #39
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
(06-15-2018 06:21 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I’ve been to Cookeville, TN and let me just say, if you can win there, you can win anywhere.

Trying to think of a possible Texas equivalent... Maybe Texarkana?

Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Marshall....all equivalents to Cookeville, TN.
06-15-2018 06:24 PM
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Post: #40
RE: Rice hires Matt Bragga (Tennessee Tech) to replace Wayne Graham
I actually travel to Cookeville, TN about once every 6 weeks...my company has a factory there. Yeah, it's not much, but only an hour away from Nashville. Some decent restaurants there.

It's also the home of one of our famous former coaches, Watson Brown, and his brother Mack Brown.
06-15-2018 06:30 PM
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