A reader responded unfavorably to my suggestion that former Fresno State athletic director Scott Johnson deserved some community gratitude for hiring Bulldogs baseball coach Mike Batesole.
The reader wrote: “Uh, Scott had lobbied hard for the Clemson coach, not Batesole. C’mon, George.”
Fair enough.
But I’m still confused why Johnson apparently is judged by a double standard.
In Stacy Johnson-Klein’s sexual-discrimination trial, Johnson was portrayed as a chief executive so obsessed with signing her up as women’s basketball coach that he ignored the university’s hiring protocol. He allegedly went over the heads of search-committee members.
Then Johnson-Klein was portrayed as the best thing to ever happen to Bulldogs women’s basketball — a winner on the court, a successful fund-raiser off the court, firm but caring with her players, wildly popular with fans and advertisers.
Scott Johnson got no credit for cutting through the bureaucratic red tape to hire such an outstanding employee.
When the Bulldogs needed a baseball coach, Johnson apparently played by the personnel department’s rules. He wanted someone from Clemson. Others in the hiring process wanted Batesole. The buck stopped with Johnson as athletic director, yet he went with the consensus choice.
Then Batesole led the Bulldogs to the 2008 national baseball title.
And, of course, Scott Johnson gets no credit for embracing the bureaucratic red tape to hire such an outstanding employee.
I don’t get it.
This argument is irrelevant. The man you are talking about is Tim Corbin who became the head coach at Vanderbilt when he opted to take that job instead of the Fresno State job. That is what essentially made Batesole the frontrunner for the job and thankfully he got it. Neither Johnson or the anybody else deserves the credit/blame on this issue.
oh geez George, read your post over again...
Scott Johnson went against the search committee members to hire Johnson-Klein and look how that turned out... She started out being touted as the best thing to happen to womens basketball at fresno state but if you talk to her players, they couldn't stand the way she treated them, she was more interested in seeing herself on billboards around town, and on the sidelines at the games instead of actually coaching during practice. Then she gets paid out on a bogus sexual harrasment case... yea, that turned out really well, thanks alot scott johnson! the only thing i thank johnson-klein for is for bringing adrian wiggins to fresno state.
Then Scott Johnson went along with the search committee consensus, even though he didn't want to at first, when hiring Mike Batesole and look how that turned out. Attendance has continually gone up season after season, Batesole made it a point to "recruit from home and California" and guess what?! he just led us to the National Championship!! His players love him, he is all about the team, not touting himself....
so thanks for going along with the search committee's suggestion this time Scott, turned out a lot better then going against them!
Dan is correct.
And one more point: Corbin and Fresno State underwhelmed each other during his drive-by visit. Hence, Coach Batesole was, is, and hopefully will continue to be The Man.