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Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

N

nasa69

New member
The mens hockey team is mired in another losing season. Only 4 wins this yr, 6 last yr, and 8 yr before.
Now that would be enough for most people to think there might be a coaching change coming. However,
in this day and age of conspiracy theories, Benghazi, NSA, etc., maybe there is something else going on at the little
Nesi on the Hill.

Perhaps the AD likes athletic failure. He seems to promote it. Maybe the athletes are invited to attend this liberal gem but they want to keep them in their place. Look at the facts:
Mens baseball - last place, basketball 6th, football 9th, lacrosse 7th, soccer 8th, womens basketball 8th, lacrosse 6th, soccer last, hockey last, field hockey last, volleyball last.
Is there a trend happening here or is John Hind the AD striving for crap. The real question is how does an AD like this keep HIS job.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

nasa69 said:
The mens hockey team is mired in another losing season. Only 4 wins this yr, 6 last yr, and 8 yr before.
Now that would be enough for most people to think there might be a coaching change coming. However,
in this day and age of conspiracy theories, Benghazi, NSA, etc., maybe there is something else going on at the little
Nesi on the Hill.

Perhaps the AD likes athletic failure. He seems to promote it. Maybe the athletes are invited to attend this liberal gem but they want to keep them in their place. Look at the facts:
Mens baseball - last place, basketball 6th, football 9th, lacrosse 7th, soccer 8th, womens basketball 8th, lacrosse 6th, soccer last, hockey last, field hockey last, volleyball last.
Is there a trend happening here or is John Hind the AD striving for crap. .
Click to expand...

Bingo. We have a winner.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

Grow corn, get corn. Mediocrity begets mediocrity. The academic excellence line will only get you so far with athletes who want to be challenged in both mind and body. Too bad for the hockey program when Norm Bazin went to D1...had something going there for the short time he was on campus. Rob Haberbusch came from Army, another program with limited recruiting options to get top-flight athletes who are above-average students, so it is not foreign to him. The football program has had 100-years of sub-500 seasons and is clearly not a priority with the Athletic Department. It's all about commitment and the Continental brass appears to lack the same across the board with all sports. Shame.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

FYP
joecct said:
The Mark of Cain??
Click to expand...
Always seemed strange to me that a NESCAC team would be physically situated so far from the New England Mental Meccas. Similar (geographically) to the Alabama-Hunstville situation, and we know how that experiment is faring. Doesn't every division need its Buffalo Bills on which to count two victories each season?
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

elbojpb said:
FYPAlways seemed strange to me that a NESCAC team would be physically situated so far from the New England Mental Meccas. Similar (geographically) to the Alabama-Hunstville situation, and we know how that experiment is faring. Doesn't every division need its Buffalo Bills on which to count two victories each season?
Click to expand...
No, the Mark of Cane was intentional and correct. Any Hamilton grad (of which I am not) would get the reference.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

Just throwing this in there as a little what if,

I wonder where both the Hamilton Program and he would be if they had Hired Brian Grady as heir apparent to his father. For as much as Morrisville lacked success in the SUNYAC under Grady that team was always good for one or two great upset wins a year. And I wonder if Grady would have burned out as quickly if he was trying to preserve what his father built (hell to be honest it very well might have burned him out quicker). Just some wild speculation though.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

UCAlum32 said:
Just throwing this in there as a little what if,

I wonder where both the Hamilton Program and he would be if they had Hired Brian Grady as heir apparent to his father. For as much as Morrisville lacked success in the SUNYAC under Grady that team was always good for one or two great upset wins a year. And I wonder if Grady would have burned out as quickly if he was trying to preserve what his father built (hell to be honest it very well might have burned him out quicker). Just some wild speculation though.
Click to expand...

Hind took the easy way out with his last selection. First, he selected his coach very late in the summer. He did the same thing when Grady left and he chose Bazin. It worked with Bazin but it put him in a corner with candidates available. Though he said he would interview 8 candidates, he never did.

It is not for lack of money that Hamilton hasn't had success. They spend more on mens ice hockey than any other Nescsac program: $168,000 per year compared to Amherst and Middlebury about $125,000 and Williams $129,000. There coaches on average make more than the avg. Nescac coaches as well. But that's the Hamilton way. Just throw money at it. Joan Hinde the President of the school makes $750,000 a year for managing a 1800 student school while most Nescac school presidents make less. In fact she makes a similar amount to the President of Notre Dame.

Hamilton must just feel justified that they throw money at the problem and don't really do anything to make the 33% of the student population (athletes) satisfied with the athletic experience.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

nasa69 said:
Hind took the easy way out with his last selection. First, he selected his coach very late in the summer. He did the same thing when Grady left and he chose Bazin. It worked with Bazin but it put him in a corner with candidates available. Though he said he would interview 8 candidates, he never did.

It is not for lack of money that Hamilton hasn't had success. They spend more on mens ice hockey than any other Nescsac program: $168,000 per year compared to Amherst and Middlebury about $125,000 and Williams $129,000. There coaches on average make more than the avg. Nescac coaches as well. But that's the Hamilton way. Just throw money at it. Joan Hinde the President of the school makes $750,000 a year for managing a 1800 student school while most Nescac school presidents make less. In fact she makes a similar amount to the President of Notre Dame.

Hamilton must just feel justified that they throw money at the problem and don't really do anything to make the 33% of the student population (athletes) satisfied with the athletic experience.
Click to expand...
How true. If you want proof just look at how much money they put into the rebuild of their rink. I heard it was over 7 figures and all they got was new ice, a score board , and a paint job (some would say a snow job). Not a good seat in the house if you came to watch a hockey game, no place to even get a cup of coffee. They did however spend a lot of money on it. When I was young the Saturday afternoon game, usually at 3:00, was worth a trip up the hill. Now the only time I see them play is when they play UC at the Aud. Such a waste of time and money that will only result in good athletes that want to excell at their sport going elsewhere. The Hoogies just don't get it anymore.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

In another act of brilliance, the AD appointed Jon Hind as the acting head of football. Wait a second....Jon Hind is the AD. What does he know about coaching? Well he was the coach of the year. Oh wait a second... that was lacrosse. Lacrosse / Football, whats the difference. I am sure Belichick might pick up lax when he is done with the Pats.

When did Hind win COY? Oh 1998. Wasn't that the twentieth century? And when was the last time he coached you say? 1999.

After having miserable failures as coaches in a sport the alumni see as vital, JH is going to take the reins himself because he has the time. Plenty of time if you there are no benchmarks required in your profession. Maybe JH will stand behind the bench when this disastrous hockey season is over as well. Doesn't matter if he can skate or not...its just like lacrosse.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

nasa69 said:
In another act of brilliance, the AD appointed Jon Hind as the acting head of football. Wait a second....Jon Hind is the AD. What does he know about coaching? Well he was the coach of the year. Oh wait a second... that was lacrosse. Lacrosse / Football, whats the difference. I am sure Belichick might pick up lax when he is done with the Pats.
Click to expand...

Did you know Belichick's daughter was an assistant coach for women's lacrosse at Cortland?

So, I guess you're right ... in a roundabout sort of way ... :p
 
Russell Jaslow said:
Did you know Belichick's daughter was an assistant coach for women's lacrosse at Cortland?

So, I guess you're right ... in a roundabout sort of way ... :p
Click to expand...

I believe she's now the head coach of women's lacrosse at Wesleyan - Alma Mater of both her and her father, where they both captained their respective varsity lacrosse teams...
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

CARDS_rule_the_Burgh said:
I believe she's now the head coach of women's lacrosse at Wesleyan - Alma Mater of both her and her father, where they both captained their respective varsity lacrosse teams...
Click to expand...

And I just don't know if Jon Hind has a daughter well schooled in coaching to fall back on.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

I think somebody has a burr under his saddle. Most schools don't have an unlimited athletic budget and I think some NESCAC schools take a perverse delight in shortchanging the athletic department to prove to themselves that they are the morally superior institution.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

Why doesn't Hind call Tim Whitehead and ask him what he's doing next winter ? Can't be any worse than Haberbusch, and I am assume the Kimball Union job is just Tim's way of keeping busy.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

It's not a question of money for Hamilton...its a question of leadership and decision making. Do they fire Haberbusch or retain him? What is their goal? Do they want a winning program? Is it important? Is heritage important to this administration? Or is control more important?

If you look up Hamilton College on Wikipedia it lists one of the schools great traditions as the Citrus Bowl. The first home game where students throw citrus on the ice after the home teams first score. This has been abolished by the administration...and the fact that the current coaches team could only must one goal during the citrus bowl in the last 3 years. The players loved the citrus bowl. For one thing the antiquated Sage rink was packed for it. That means it was a student event that they enjoyed. But following national liberal doctrine of gestopoism, Campus Safety (really?? is that what they do?) formed an armed noose searching for patron citrus. I understand they have asked the TSA if they can borrow body scanners for next years game.

Frankly, Hamilton should give up varsity sports. They would become an academic national leader by eliminating sports. Don't worry about student diversification, they can eliminate the athlete and focus only on academically dedicated non-substance and substance using students. Sports in academic institutions only started in the elite schools in the late 1800's. It was only popularized to the masses with Teddy Roosevelts promotion. Now Hamilton should lead the elites and eliminate sports...imagine how much Joan Hinde Stewart would then pocket?
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

Pretty much right on, nasa69.....as are most of the posts on this thread.

Consider me one of the legion of Hamilton grads and former players frustrated and disheartened at the hockey team's recent downturn. Let's be honest; we caught lightning in a bottle with the hiring of Norm Bazin. His ability to recruit and turn the program around immediately gave us a false sense of optimism concerning the future . Rob Haberbusch has not be able to win with Bazin's recruits, nor bring in enough of his own to even tread water.

The future ? Not good. The hockey team, like all other sports at Hamilton, face major hurdles to success. Consider:

The rink is a dump. The recent "renovation" is the construction equivalent to putting lipstick on a pig.

There is not now, nor has there ever been, a jock culture there. Not a rah-rah student body. Attendance at events spotty.

Remote location compared to the rest of NESCAC Nation

The school suffers from a lack of a traditional rival in the Amherst/Williams or Bowdoin/Colby mold. Those go a long way in fostering alumni pressure to defeat a particular rival at those schools.

Most importantly, the indifference shown by President Joan Hinde Stewart, her administration and the trustees towards any type of athletic success. They learned a long time ago that alumni donations, which are generous, do not ebb and flow based on anything athletic. They can afford to be negligent, because frankly, there's no call to be otherwise.

Immediately, I'd see if Tim Whitehead would be willing to come back to his alma mater to resurrect his own coaching career as well as Hamilton's. We can only hope.
 
Re: Hamilton Conspiracy Theory

Kenesky said:
Pretty much right on, nasa69.....as are most of the posts on this thread.

Consider me one of the legion of Hamilton grads and former players frustrated and disheartened at the hockey team's recent downturn. Let's be honest; we caught lightning in a bottle with the hiring of Norm Bazin. His ability to recruit and turn the program around immediately gave us a false sense of optimism concerning the future . Rob Haberbusch has not be able to win with Bazin's recruits, nor bring in enough of his own to even tread water.

The future ? Not good. The hockey team, like all other sports at Hamilton, face major hurdles to success. Consider:

The rink is a dump. The recent "renovation" is the construction equivalent to putting lipstick on a pig.

There is not now, nor has there ever been, a jock culture there. Not a rah-rah student body. Attendance at events spotty.

Remote location compared to the rest of NESCAC Nation

The school suffers from a lack of a traditional rival in the Amherst/Williams or Bowdoin/Colby mold. Those go a long way in fostering alumni pressure to defeat a particular rival at those schools.

Most importantly, the indifference shown by President Joan Hinde Stewart, her administration and the trustees towards any type of athletic success. They learned a long time ago that alumni donations, which are generous, do not ebb and flow based on anything athletic. They can afford to be negligent, because frankly, there's no call to be otherwise.

Immediately, I'd see if Tim Whitehead would be willing to come back to his alma mater to resurrect his own coaching career as well as Hamilton's. We can only hope.
Click to expand...

Kenesky....Correct and appropriate.
The options for change this coming year is either: nothing, Haberbusch is told produce or else, or Haberbusch is fired. My guess is that nothing happens. Unfortunately, I think it is going to take alumni pressure on Stewart to effect any change and restore the integrity and heritage of the program.

The program really can't continue where the best home game happens at Clinton Arena. It is fruitless for recruiting when the mens team has to share a lockerroom with the women's soccer team. The ice system in Sage has been outlawed due to environmental concerns but bandages are still applied rather than doing the environmentally appropriate.

The recruiting class this year now reflects 3 poor years of performance. The last of the Bazin recruits are now gone. Haberbusch's first recruiting class were mostly cut by him in his second year. His storied C card recruit from year 2 was tossed from the team. Going into next year, his top D man will leave school a year early. His senior class top scorer for next season had 13 points.

The team needs a complete rebuild: coach, players, facility. Unfortunately that will own come from alumni pressure.

Have a great spring and summer John Hind and Joan Stewart.
 
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