Butch Thompson Heads to Auburn as Head Baseball Coach

[aujeff11 6,243]

Wasn't the OP about Butch Thompson and baseball?.......How did it get hijacked by a couple of guys having a pi****** match over a football picture?

Mods taking the weekend off?

Yep...... damn Mods

I forgive you Golf.

[ausburn 159]

I just came here to report it as well. Great hire comsidering the situation we are in.

So not just a great hire, just one considering the situation AU is in? What would have been a great hire regardless of the situation AU was in?

So what "situation are we in" ?

We have a team with 8 regulars and a couple very good pitchers coming back from a team that went to an NCAA regional...and a #10 ranked recruiting class coming in. Seems to me that he came into a very good situation....great facility, good roster and pretty good fan support. So what's the negative to the AU coaching job?

He probably meant the whole firing thing

Thank you for having common sense. Coaches getting canned during fall practice doesn't happen everyday. And we were fortunate to be able to pick up such a great coach so late in the process. Both points point back to my OP.

My apologies for inferring that your post was negative, however based on what you have chosen for your signature picture alone one would have to assume that you aren't exactly a positive, or even neutral supporter of Auburn. However, you didn't answer my quesiton.

What I meant was that it was a great hire, and that we were fortunate to make that great hire about four and half months before the season starts. Likewise, Butch would've been an excellent hire at the end of the season as well. That should sufficiently answer your question this time. And don't judge me over a photograph. That has already led you to false assumptions.

There are millions of photographs out there, yet you choose one that reflects poorly on Auburn. Just what do you expect people to think of you?

I couldn't care less what you think for one. Number two, the pic has a nice mixture of comedy from trae's face to just an overall great action shot. And besides, if it reflects poorly on Auburn, maybe we shouldn't tackle like that to begin with. Why do you cry so much?

I've wondered myself. Tre was playing with a bad shoulder and doing the best he could. At least he was trying to tackle the guy.

I'm not sure what school teaches that kind of tackle but okay. I changed it. Please move on

Think this video was over in Coach Muchamp's office before the LSU game.

Now....back to Coach Thompson

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Butch is a good hire.

[augolf1716 21,117]

Well now it official. Time to lock the thread. a4e has spoken..................good job a4e

[augolf1716 21,117]

Wasn't the OP about Butch Thompson and baseball?.......How did it get hijacked by a couple of guys having a pi****** match over a football picture?

Mods taking the weekend off?

Yep...... damn Mods

I forgive you Golf.

I feel better now.

[augolf1716 21,117]

Has anyone heard about potential staff members?

[kickinwang 0]

Has anyone heard about potential staff members?

Brad Bohannon hired today from kentucky. huge get for Butch. Been with UK since 2004. Just last week was named national assistant coach of the year.

http://www.scout.com/college/auburn/story/1604177-thompson-hires-top-sec-assistant

[augolf1716 21,117]

Wow huge get

[auburnphan 6,050]

Close to hiring a hitting/fielding coach with MLB Coaching experience per tweets

[TitanTiger 20,476]

AUBURN, Ala. – Doug Sisson, a 23-year professional baseball coaching veteran will join the Auburn baseball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Butch Thompson announced Wednesday.

“I have respected Doug from the day he coached me in college at Birmingham-Southern,” Thompson said. “I always knew that he was a coach that I wanted to lead our hitters and develop our players at every position if I was ever given the opportunity to be the head coach at a tremendous school like Auburn. He’s a true professional that can truly develop players and build men.

“Doug has been a friend and a trusted baseball mentor and advisor. I’m thankful that he would join us and bring his vast knowledge and credentials at the vital time. He has College World Series experience, and he’s been a recruiting coordinator and highly successful in the Southeastern Conference. I want the Auburn Family to join me in welcoming Doug and his family to The Plains.”

Sisson joins the Auburn staff following three years in the Chicago White Sox organization as the Minor League outfield and base running coordinator.

“I’m humbled by the fact that Butch offered me the opportunity to be part of his first coaching staff,” Sisson said. “I’m honored to be a part of the Auburn baseball program. I’m excited about working with Butch, I’m excited about being at Auburn, I’m excited about the chance to compete every day in the SEC and I’m excited about the opportunity to help establish a championship culture.”

Before joining the White Sox, Sisson spent five seasons with the Kansas City Royals as the Minor League Coordinator of Instruction from 2008-10 and as first base coach as well as outfield and base running coach with the organization from 2011-12.

With Sisson’s guidance, Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon won two Gold Gloves and in 2010 Kansas City’s minor league system was named the “Best in Baseball.”

Sisson has managed or coached in the minor league organizations of the Texas Rangers (1991-94), Montreal Expos (1995-2000), the St. Paul Saints (2001 Independent League), Anaheim Angels (2002), the Nationals (2003-05), as well as Kansas City (2007-12) and Chicago [AL] (2013-15).

From 2006-07, Sisson enjoyed a successful run in the college ranks. He served as associate head coach and hitting coach at the University of Georgia for two seasons, including a trip to the 2006 College World Series. Under Sisson’s tutelage as hitting coach, the Bulldogs went from worst to first in batting average in 2006 finishing the season with a team mark of .309 and led the SEC in home runs with 78. Additionally, Gordon Beckham was named a 2007 Golden Spikes finalist and selected in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Chicago White Sox.

In his role as recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs, Sisson’s 2007 class featured 11 players that were ultimately drafted, the highest total from a single recruiting class in Georgia baseball history.

Georgia was Sisson’s third stint as a college coach. He began his coaching career in 1987, spending two seasons as an assistant at Montevallo which won a conference title in 1988. From 1988-91, he was an assistant coach at Birmingham-Southern, which won the conference championship in his final year.

Prior to his appointment at Georgia, Sisson was with the Washington Nationals organization where he worked as minor league field coordinator from 2003-05.

Sisson left Birmingham-Southern in 2001 to accept his first position in the professional coaching ranks as a hitting/fielding coach in the Texas Rangers organization. His first managerial opportunities came from 1993-94 in the New York-Penn League with Erie and then the following year with Hudson Valley. He joined the Montreal Expos later that year and also managed in the Colombian Winter League in 1995.

Sisson served as the manager of the Albany Polecats in the South Atlantic League in 1995, and in 1996, he won his first championship with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League. His 1996 club led the league in wins with 88, and he was voted "Best Managerial Prospect" in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America. In 1997, Sisson moved up to the Florida State League, managing the West Palm Beach Expos. Also, he led the Jupiter Hammerheads to the Florida State League Eastern Division Championship and the Sun Cities Solar Sox to the Arizona Fall League Championship both in 1998.

He was named the Florida State League Manager of the Year and for the second time in his career, he was honored by Baseball America as the league's top managerial prospect. Sisson has been selected as the manager for two All-Star games. He was the 1998 recipient of the John McHale Award for excellence in player development presented by the Expos organization.

He led the Harrisburg Senators to the 1999 Double-A Eastern League championship and back to the playoffs in 2000. In 2001, he managed the St. Paul Saints of the Independent Northwest League and in 2002 was hired by the Anaheim Angels organization to manage their Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers. In 2003, he returned to the Expos organization as their coordinator of instruction. He also managed the Brevard County Manatees, the Class A-affiliate in the Florida State League.

A native of Titusville, Fla., Sisson played collegiately at the University of Montevallo and earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from there in 1986 and a masters in physical education in 1988.

Sisson and his wife Angela have two daughters, Tori and Delaney.

http://www.auburntig.../102815aaa.html

[aubearcat 2,137]

Putting together an outstanding staff.

[WarEagle10 77]

Putting together an outstanding staff.

It sure appears that way. WOW!

[LKEEL75 2,566]

WOW! Another great hire for baseball!

[NoALtiger 3,857]

Very impressed by these recent hires. Could work out better than many had envisioned.

[FoundationEagle 637]

FIRE JJ!!! lol. Great hires on all accounts

[mustache eagle 2,398]

I'm not a baseball guy ... So someone please (politely) explain why sisson is a great hire? Aren't there a plethora of guys with his same resume?

Edit: went back and read the article on previous page ... The 2 years at Georgia appear to be impressive. Could the other stuff be explained as good players on teams he was at or a result of him?

[AU64 10,122]

I'm not a baseball guy ... So someone please (politely) explain why sisson is a great hire? Aren't there a plethora of guys with his same resume?

Edit: went back and read the article on previous page ... The 2 years at Georgia appear to be impressive. Could the other stuff be explained as good players on teams he was at or a result of him?

True there are a plethora of great coaches out there....most of whom you can't get .....so the secret is to find one of those guys with a good record of success and get him to pull up and move his family to Auburn to be an assistant coach in a program that has a history of musical coaching chairs. Looks to me like Thompson is a heck of a salesman to bring the assistants he has managed to round up. Looking for good things this year.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

Yep. Auburn baseball will have a nice coaching staff. And we are all excited

Yet after the first mediocre season these coaches will be completely inadequate. Having completely forgotten how to coach. :-\

[doc4aday 1,887]

We no doubt hit a homerun and possibly a grand slam. I think he will get us back to the level that Coach Hal Baird had our baseball program during his tenure at Auburn.

I loved Coach Baird and knew that we were right there at a competing level with LSU, UAT and MSU. I am excited about the hire and am looking forward to a great season on the plains.

One other thing, can anyone point me in the direction of who are the assistant coaches that CBT has/ and looking to hire?

thanks and wde

[augolf1716 21,117]

We no doubt hit a homerun and possibly a grand slam. I think he will get us back to the level that Coach Hal Baird had our baseball program during his tenure at Auburn.

I loved Coach Baird and knew that we were right there at a competing level with LSU, UAT and MSU. I am excited about the hire and am looking forward to a great season on the plains.

One other thing, can anyone point me in the direction of who are the assistant coaches that CBT has/ and looking to hire?

thanks and wde

Read page three

[doc4aday 1,887]

I'm proud of Coach Thompson. I stated in the other thread my reservations with hiring him. But, Auburn truly got a great man to lead the program. I hope he proves me wrong. I will be the first person to admit I was wrong if he succeeds. Until then, I wish him the best of luck. WDE CBT.

I am a bass player and never liked the Gibson SG Bass. It sounded like it was dipped in a 55 gallon drum filled with mud. I know they are popular with some folks, but just not what I need. I am strictly a Music Man Bass enthusiast. I love the USA made Stingray 4 string bass all the way. I have a GK 300 watt amp with 2X12" eminence speakers. I fell in love with this setup a few years ago and have yet to find anything better.

[Gibson SG 88]

I'm proud of Coach Thompson. I stated in the other thread my reservations with hiring him. But, Auburn truly got a great man to lead the program. I hope he proves me wrong. I will be the first person to admit I was wrong if he succeeds. Until then, I wish him the best of luck. WDE CBT.

I am a bass player and never liked the Gibson SG Bass. It sounded like it was dipped in a 55 gallon drum filled with mud. I know they are popular with some folks, but just not what I need. I am strictly a Music Man Bass enthusiast. I love the USA made Stingray 4 string bass all the way. I have a GK 300 watt amp with 2X12" eminence speakers. I fell in love with this setup a few years ago and have yet to find anything better.

I got my SG Faded a few years ago and have no complaints. I'm still playing with the setup. I don't have a great amp, but I think I'm going to spring for new pickups.

My dad has an original '66 Fender Mustang, pearl white. My granddad bought it for him when he played in a band in the 60's when he was about 13. We actually found it about 15 years ago while cleaning out my grandparents garage. It needed a little TLC, but we got it sounding perfect. I took it to a music store after we cleaned it up. I was offered $6,000 for it. That's when I knew I needed to hang on to it. That, and my dad wouldn't let me sell it.

My brother played bass in a well known local band in Birmingham until the mid to late 2000's. He had a couple of different basses, just not sure of brand or style.

War Damn Angus Young

[doc4aday 1,887]

Butch is a good baseball name. I think he will do us fine and will bring back Auburn Baseball to the level we had during Coach Hal Baird's era.

[lala 327]

Butch is a good baseball name. I think he will do us fine and will bring back Auburn Baseball to the level we had during Coach Hal Baird's era.

i sure hope so. Baird had some good years for sure, but he was no Rudy Abbot if you will. I just hope we get out of the way and let him run his own program with zero interference.

[LKEEL75 2,566]

Coach Thompson was in Homewood today working with high school kids from around the state. He was there along with another 30 or so coaches from schools around the state and scouts from 3 MLB teams. I BRIEFLY spoke with CBT. It was really nice to see him take this time before the season to work with the youth. He worked a lot with the pitchers and my son said he was very instructive and helpful. Just wanted to share this with 'The Family' as I think we have another really good coach on our hands.