@Docdumpsta asked in another thread if Casey Myers is a "DOOSHBAG," which is a reasonable question given how often his name has been discussed in relation to Carlee Wallace's plans to leave Auburn.
Here is how I'd address it:
Casey is an odd fellow. He's a baseball nerd. He's not a great communicator per se. I mean, he speaks clearly and his words/ideas make sense, but he's not the kind of guy who can alter his tone to match the person to whom he's talking. He's serially abrupt.
Look, Bob Knight was all of these things as well. Casey isn't really like Bob Knight because he's not mean. He's not trying to intimidate anyone and, honestly, I don't think he's intimidating to the players. But he has that same hyper direct, unyielding, seemingly heartless delivery. It doesn't play very well with girls in this age range. If Clint was asking me, and he's not, I'd tell him that Casey needs to work on it. He's too blunt. You can't be disappointed in people all the time. You have to praise 'em and be cool to 'em when they make progress, when they do the right things. He's not working for the San Diego Padres any longer.
Carlee didn't leave Auburn because of Corey Myers, though she wasn't a big fan of his. She left because of the drama. She left because Cooper was her best friend on the team and now she's gone and Cooper was the one player who really took a stand against the drama. It's a battle Carlee didn't want to fight alone — or at least feel like she'd have to fight alone in 2018.
So what drama? I mentioned it in this piece from May; the Corey Myers Situation was unsettling to a lot of players, created problems both before and after his departure in March. Him leaving didn't solve the overall problem, which, to hear some people tell it, is a leeriness or distrust in Clint and Casey as facilitators. Everyone on the planet believes the Myerses can coach softball. They win at softball. They're going to win at softball. Yet they aren't the nicest guys in the business and they're not always warm and fuzzy. They can be dramatic in a way that really turns people off.
There are two ways to view it:
a.) Maybe the Myerses need to dial it back a bit, be nicer to their girls considering they're girls and they're approximately 20 years old (not quite true adults) and maybe they need to be managed more altruistically;
b.) So what if they're girls? If we're all here to win titles, then harden the heck up and let's get to work and stop fussing over feelings.
I'm of the opinion that while Casey could benefit from being a little more congenial, he is what he is. He is not breaking any rules. He's not inappropriate. He's not acting in an immoral way. He's a tough coach who coaches people toughly.
Losing Carlee Wallace will hurt Auburn. She's a fantastic player, a good person, a tough person. In fact, I'd say she's one of my favorite Auburn athletes ever because of the person she is. She didn't handle the situation well last season — maybe that's her fault or maybe it's not — and now she's planning to play elsewhere. That sucks for Auburn.
I've seen some people on Twitter wonder if Carlee was a cancer in the clubhouse. That's recklessly off base. She's a good leader. She's been raised well and she's a plus in the clubhouse. So let's stop with that.
As for Auburn, I'm not sure about the solution — or if a solution is even needed — but I remain firm in my belief that any team Clint Myers is coaching will win a lot.
Here is how I'd address it:
Casey is an odd fellow. He's a baseball nerd. He's not a great communicator per se. I mean, he speaks clearly and his words/ideas make sense, but he's not the kind of guy who can alter his tone to match the person to whom he's talking. He's serially abrupt.
Look, Bob Knight was all of these things as well. Casey isn't really like Bob Knight because he's not mean. He's not trying to intimidate anyone and, honestly, I don't think he's intimidating to the players. But he has that same hyper direct, unyielding, seemingly heartless delivery. It doesn't play very well with girls in this age range. If Clint was asking me, and he's not, I'd tell him that Casey needs to work on it. He's too blunt. You can't be disappointed in people all the time. You have to praise 'em and be cool to 'em when they make progress, when they do the right things. He's not working for the San Diego Padres any longer.
Carlee didn't leave Auburn because of Corey Myers, though she wasn't a big fan of his. She left because of the drama. She left because Cooper was her best friend on the team and now she's gone and Cooper was the one player who really took a stand against the drama. It's a battle Carlee didn't want to fight alone — or at least feel like she'd have to fight alone in 2018.
So what drama? I mentioned it in this piece from May; the Corey Myers Situation was unsettling to a lot of players, created problems both before and after his departure in March. Him leaving didn't solve the overall problem, which, to hear some people tell it, is a leeriness or distrust in Clint and Casey as facilitators. Everyone on the planet believes the Myerses can coach softball. They win at softball. They're going to win at softball. Yet they aren't the nicest guys in the business and they're not always warm and fuzzy. They can be dramatic in a way that really turns people off.
There are two ways to view it:
a.) Maybe the Myerses need to dial it back a bit, be nicer to their girls considering they're girls and they're approximately 20 years old (not quite true adults) and maybe they need to be managed more altruistically;
b.) So what if they're girls? If we're all here to win titles, then harden the heck up and let's get to work and stop fussing over feelings.
I'm of the opinion that while Casey could benefit from being a little more congenial, he is what he is. He is not breaking any rules. He's not inappropriate. He's not acting in an immoral way. He's a tough coach who coaches people toughly.
Losing Carlee Wallace will hurt Auburn. She's a fantastic player, a good person, a tough person. In fact, I'd say she's one of my favorite Auburn athletes ever because of the person she is. She didn't handle the situation well last season — maybe that's her fault or maybe it's not — and now she's planning to play elsewhere. That sucks for Auburn.
I've seen some people on Twitter wonder if Carlee was a cancer in the clubhouse. That's recklessly off base. She's a good leader. She's been raised well and she's a plus in the clubhouse. So let's stop with that.
As for Auburn, I'm not sure about the solution — or if a solution is even needed — but I remain firm in my belief that any team Clint Myers is coaching will win a lot.
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