Jay Jacobs Has Got To GO!

[AUChizad]

Coach John Pawlowski has Auburn baseball going in the right direction

By Charles Goldberg -- The Birmingham News
May 25, 2010, 7:41AM

AUBURN -- The easy part, as it turned out, was filling out a lineup card with players who could hit a baseball a long way, because goodness knows Auburn coach John Pawlowski could do that.  

The quiet, more thoughtful part came when the 46-year-old Pawlowski became a part-time psychologist who had to convince players that a program that wasn't used to winning could do so with some vigor.  

Pawlowski has succeeded in doing that in his second year as Auburn's head coach, so much so that last week the Tigers won the SEC West for the first time since 1995 and reached 20 regular-season conference wins, the most in school history.  

The Tigers will look to continue their winning ways in their first SEC Tournament appearance since 2003 when they open play against Alabama at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.  

The easy read for their success can be found in their home run production. The Tigers' 114 home runs lead the SEC by 31, their 527 runs lead the league by 76, and their .354 batting average is 34 points higher than the next-best team.  

The inside story may be how Pawlowski instilled confidence in his team.  

''I think the first thing to change was the mindset of the players -- to let them know we can compete and to let them know we could win," Pawlowski said. ''You can have the best coaches and the best equipment, but it comes down to those players have to believe."  

The Tigers should have confidence now, at 39-17 overall and 20-10 in the SEC. They are certain to return to the NCAA Tournament this season, and could even host a regional.  

''The expectations are now that they can play with anybody," Pawlowski said.  

He saw those expectations in the last two weeks in his players' muted responses when they first clinched a tournament spot, then won the West.  

''It was almost like they expected that to happen, and that's a good thing," Pawlowski said. ''They expected to win, they expected to be in that position. It's kind of interesting to see the whole dynamics."  

Pawlowski has pointed to important stops along the way this season, such as realizing there was more work to do after being swept by Arizona State early in the season, and beating defending national champion LSU two out of three games near the halfway point of the SEC season.  
The Tigers took it all to heart, winning 11 of their final 15 conference games.  

It's been a turnaround for a program that had only one winning SEC season since Hal Baird retired in 2000.  

''He's pushed all the right buttons," said Baird, the winningest coach in Auburn history.

Pawlowski said he had to change the attitude of his players before anybody pushed any buttons.  
''They've been through some tough times. They've been kicked around. They've been the guys who had sand kicked in their face, and then one day that guy grew up," Pawlowski said. ''I think our kids have grown up."  

Pawlowski is hardly a novice at winning. After playing pro ball for seven years, including eight games with the Chicago White Sox, he returned to Clemson, his alma mater, as an assistant coach for three 50-plus-win seasons. He spent two more years there, and then a season as an assistant at powerhouse Arizona State. He then became head coach at Charleston Southern, where he went 338-192-1 in nine seasons before being named Auburn's coach. His first Auburn team went 31-25, but only 11-19 in the league.  

''He came in and everything was new," Baird said. ''He made adjustments (based) on the conference, and what it takes to compete at this level."  

Baird won 634 games at Auburn, and knows a turnaround when he sees one.  

''A lot of times when you get to a new program, you're building because it's been down, so you go one step at a time," Baird said. "It was like that when I came to Auburn. We hadn't been to the SEC Tournament in five or six years, and that was a goal. We did that in the second year. Then the next goal was the NCAA Tournament, and we did that the third year. Then the goals were higher.

''I think John probably had the same plan, but because of the number of experienced players he has, he skipped right through. They've made the SEC Tournament and they're going to host a regional. It's been a special thing to watch.

"They seem to be relishing this moment."

Pawlowski on a better pace than Baird at turning the program around?

Off with his head!

[Snaggletiger]

I have wondered for all these years what the problem was with this program and why they stayed in the dumper for so long.  Under Nix and Baird, there was a long standing tradition of winning.  The stadium was continually upgraded to one of the finest in America but the program kept getting progressively worse. 

Obviously, this guy has done a great job getting it headed in the right direction this year and hopefully he'll continue that trend next year.  I read a lot of the write ups on the games etc. and he has always come across as nothing but class.  Even after huge wins (Like the early series victory over LSU) he talks with nothing but respect for the opponent and if you notice, his players all do the same.  They were bitch slapping Ole Miss like 184-1 and the players would all say, "That's a great team we were facing and we're just happy to get out of here with a win."

[Saniflush]

Good article.



Not sure why you are continually trying to fight a war that does not exist though.

[Snaggletiger]

Good article.



Not sure why you are continually trying to fight a war that does not exist though.

It's a cold war.

[AUChizad]

Good article.



Not sure why you are continually trying to fight a war that does not exist though.

So I won?

I mean, the Hitler of the anti-Jacobs reich may be gone from this board, but there is still negative sentiment towards the guy, yourself included.

I was an island on this a mere 5 months ago, when I created the thread in the basketball forum.

[Saniflush]

So I won?

I mean, the Hitler of the anti-Jacobs reich may be gone from this board, but there is still negative sentiment towards the guy, yourself included.

I was an island on this a mere 5 months ago, when I created the thread in the basketball forum.

Won in my book? No.  Like I said I base my success/failure on more long term results.

For someone who believes that we have the best AD that we could have you sure do bring it up a lot.  I guess I am just curious as to why when unprompted the title of the thread is what it is?  Why not bask in the glory of the baseball team in lieu of baiting?

[AUChizad]

Won in my book? No.  Like I said I base my success/failure on more long term results.

This is why I continue to "fight the war". It apparently still does exist, because you are still convinced he's a dipshit.

For someone who believes that we have the best AD that we could have you sure do bring it up a lot.  I guess I am just curious as to why when unprompted the title of the thread is what it is?  Why not bask in the glory of the baseball team in lieu of baiting?

So wait, if I thought he was a terrible AD, I should be posting articles that support the thought that he's doing a fantastic job? The best AD we could possibly get? Your words, not mine. Baiting? Just offering up more supporting arguments as to why he doesn't nearly deserve the criticism he gets.

[Saniflush]

This is why I continue to "fight the war". It apparently still does exist, because you are still convinced he's a dipshit.

The difference is you continue to feel the need to carry his banner to the inth degree when nobody is challenging his competency.  It smacks of a mother who cannot see the faults with her own child because it's her's. 

So wait, if I thought he was a terrible AD, I should be posting articles that support the thought that he's doing a fantastic job? The best AD we could possibly get? Your words, not mine. Baiting? Just offering up more supporting arguments as to why he doesn't nearly deserve the criticism he gets.

I am just not sure why someone would take an article that does not even mention Jacobs name and make it about him when the actual story stands, walks, and runs on it's own. 

[CCTAU]

When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought someone had a hold on Jacobs' man parts and was letting us know that he needed a potty break.

After only a few posts, I knew that I was correct in my assessment.


P.S. As a follow up, did the swelling go down?