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MSU Spartans Offseason

Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

I just saw that the Allen Americans (a Team in the SJ. Sharks system) won the Kelly Cup 4-2 over Wheeling last night with a first year Professional Goalie named Jake Hildebrand. Congrats Jake! Glad you have had some success over the last four years!
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

John J. MacInnes said:
We'll see if the spin doctoring changes at all very soon. 3 sources have confirmed that MSU assistant AD/SID John Lewandowski has been fired by the university. He wasn't the day-to-day guy with hockey but this signals a definite change in course from a PR standpoint.
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Where have you seen that JJM?
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Decatur Spartan said:
Where have you seen that JJM?
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No printed confirmation anywhere yet, the university is trying to keep it as quiet as possible. But I've spoken to those 3 independent sources who have all confirmed it, and also found out from someone in the AC office that the locks have all been changed as well. I would be willing to bet that the next person in the job will have a tie to Fox Sports, who just signed on as the marketing partner for the department this spring.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

John J. MacInnes said:
No printed confirmation anywhere yet, the university is trying to keep it as quiet as possible. But I've spoken to those 3 independent sources who have all confirmed it, and also found out from someone in the AC office that the locks have all been changed as well. I would be willing to bet that the next person in the job will have a tie to Fox Sports, who just signed on as the marketing partner for the department this spring.
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Reason to keep it quiet? I believe as a public institution they have to post the job opening. Could be wrong there not fully sure.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Decatur Spartan said:
I just saw that the Allen Americans (a Team in the SJ. Sharks system) won the Kelly Cup 4-2 over Wheeling last night with a first year Professional Goalie named Jake Hildebrand. Congrats Jake! Glad you have had some success over the last four years!
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So with some sense of serendipity, does this mean that the Sharks come back and defeat Pittsburgh in 7?
 
John J. MacInnes said:
No printed confirmation anywhere yet, the university is trying to keep it as quiet as possible. But I've spoken to those 3 independent sources who have all confirmed it, and also found out from someone in the AC office that the locks have all been changed as well. I would be willing to bet that the next person in the job will have a tie to Fox Sports, who just signed on as the marketing partner for the department this spring.
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So, how exactly does this affect the hockey program? Would we be seeing a different approach to how MSU markets the team?

They can start by bringing back the MSU Shadows stick salute.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

giwan said:
Reason to keep it quiet? I believe as a public institution they have to post the job opening. Could be wrong there not fully sure.
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The rub on that is whether or not they replace someone in the position. As of this morning there is no posting, but the standard time to release those is 1pm on Wednesday.

They have to know they avoid an announcement forever, and it's becoming the worst kept secret on campus quickly.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Ron Mason, according to (Mi Hockey Magazine) Michael Caples' Twitter Feed, passed away over night. I am attempting to find anything independent of this. And I hadn't heard he was ill in any way.
 
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Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Confirmed through numerous sources. Family members have confirmed he had a heart attack at around 2am.
 
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Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

joecct said:
Good news or bad news???

@INCH: Via @LSJsports, MSU Board of Regents votes Wed on a contract extension for hockey coach Tom Anastos thru 2019-20 | http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...te-permanent-lights-spartan-stadium/85885940/
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After reading just about every Ron Mason tribute article on the web, where almost all highlighted the fact his only losing seasons were his first two at MSU, and then remembering the hell that was last season's 1-17-1 streak in Anastos' fifth year of his five year plan turned nine year plan, can't say I'm too optimistic.

Add the Jacquie Joseph softball extension onto that, and I'm moving closer and closer to the anti-Mark Hollis bandwagon. All the ticket office screw ups, ignoring non-revenue sports, extending contracts of the two worst performing coaches of said non-revenue sports... well, aircraft carrier games don't really make up for that after awhile.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Spartanforlife4 said:
After reading just about every Ron Mason tribute article on the web, where almost all highlighted the fact his only losing seasons were his first two at MSU, and then remembering the hell that was last season's 1-17-1 streak in Anastos' fifth year of his five year plan turned nine year plan, can't say I'm too optimistic.

Add the Jacquie Joseph softball extension onto that, and I'm moving closer and closer to the anti-Mark Hollis bandwagon. All the ticket office screw ups, ignoring non-revenue sports, extending contracts of the two worst performing coaches of said non-revenue sports... well, aircraft carrier games don't really make up for that after awhile.
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joecct said:
Good news or bad news???

@INCH: Via @LSJsports, MSU Board of Regents votes Wed on a contract extension for hockey coach Tom Anastos thru 2019-20 | http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...te-permanent-lights-spartan-stadium/85885940/
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Besides the most casual of MSU hockey followers - and after reading this news I'd have to include the majority of Trustees among them - who can possibly be a fan of this? From a past-performance and current trajectory point of view, a majority "Yes" vote is Bad. Let's add willfully ignorant, lazy, insane and embarrassing.

You simply cannot saddle this university with an additional 3 years without first seeing a VAST improvement in both results and fan interest. While we're still reeling from the sudden passing of a truly great and proven hockey coach, if this practially "academic" outcome of a rolling contact is as I fear, this is the absolute coldest slap in the face.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Decatur Spartan said:
Isaw that. I hope the Trusties don't just rubber stamp this. I hope they turn it down.
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It has already been approved. Anastos' contract now runs through the 2019-2020 season. Although, that is the shortest of the contract extensions for the three coaches up for them (other two were the basketball coaches). I'm not for this in any way but it is almost standard for any coach of a major sport to have a contract that is more than a couple years long.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

gomsuman said:
It has already been approved. Anastos' contract now runs through the 2019-2020 season. Although, that is the shortest of the contract extensions for the three coaches up for them (other two were the basketball coaches). I'm not for this in any way but it is almost standard for any coach of a major sport to have a contract that is more than a couple years long.
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Yes, there are two options (please mark one)
[ ] The standard extension
[ ] Do not renew

The second choice holds nobody (not even the coach) hostage. A decision in April is based on the performance the previous 6 months - right?

The fact that they did not come to the right (and simple) decision after 5 years consisting of 2 winning records and ending with the 2nd-worst season in 35 years ... that's indefensible.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Ok, I know that nobody can say for sure but what if the team tanks next year like Wisky did? Does this make it very unlikely to dismiss the current staff? Would we be stuck for at least 2 more seasons?

I think a 6 or so win season is more likely than north of .500. It feels as if another terrible year would pretty much be the coup de grace of the program so I have no idea if this means there are pretty much no standards the program needs to meet anymore. Not sure they'll fire a coach with 3 years still remaining on his co tract.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Pirateasaur said:
Ok, I know that nobody can say for sure but what if the team tanks next year like Wisky did? Does this make it very unlikely to dismiss the current staff? Would we be stuck for at least 2 more seasons?
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I don't know the exact details of Anastos' contract and more specifically the buyout, but if we assume it's similar to Mike Eaves, we'll use Eaves as an example.

Eaves was on a similar rolling contract where the school had the option to add a one-year extension every year. Eaves was under contract until 2019; the school had the option last summer to add a one-year extension to that contract, or leave it as it was. When Eaves was fired, his contract buyout stipulated he still get the full value of his contract. So now Wisconsin only has to pay him until 2019, rather than 2020 if they had opted to extend him last summer.

Same deal with Anastos. MSU had the option to extend his contract to 2019 or leave it set to expire in 2018. If they do fire him, they'll likely have to pay him until 2019 too, whereas if they didn't extend, it might have been a little cheaper to fire him next spring. But it's not like Michigan State wouldn't have the money to get rid of him if they really cared enough to do it, so it doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme.
 
MaizeRage said:
I don't know the exact details of Anastos' contract and more specifically the buyout, but if we assume it's similar to Mike Eaves, we'll use Eaves as an example.

Eaves was on a similar rolling contract where the school had the option to add a one-year extension every year. Eaves was under contract until 2019; the school had the option last summer to add a one-year extension to that contract, or leave it as it was. When Eaves was fired, his contract buyout stipulated he still get the full value of his contract. So now Wisconsin only has to pay him until 2019, rather than 2020 if they had opted to extend him last summer.

Same deal with Anastos. MSU had the option to extend his contract to 2019 or leave it set to expire in 2018. If they do fire him, they'll likely have to pay him until 2019 too, whereas if they didn't extend, it might have been a little cheaper to fire him next spring. But it's not like Michigan State wouldn't have the money to get rid of him if they really cared enough to do it, so it doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme.
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Ok, thanks.

For now, I am just going to hope that we are pleasantly surprised next season. If things go off the rails, I will at least cling to hope that a change will be made.

Last season was astonishing in several ways. How did Anastos' most experienced team end up his worst? We went 1-17 for a stretch. In a sport where weaker teams defeat strong teams around the country on any given night. I wouldn't expect us to go 1-17 if we played 18 straight against College hockey's greatest teams of the last decade.
 
Re: MSU Spartans Offseason

Decatur Spartan said:
I'm sure there are some Trusties up for re-election this fall.
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Diane Woodard and Dianne Byrum.

I'd also be surprised if Ferguson and Perles make it to the end of their terms ('21 and '23). Those two are probably the most important when it comes to athletics decisions.
 
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