John Bednarowski, Sports Editor
Can a person or persons tell how much religious devotion someone has based on watching him coach a baseball team?
Obviously, the administration at Mount Paran Christian can in the case of current baseball coach Harvey Cochran.
Numerous people connected with the baseball team have said the school is relieving Cochran of his duties as coach at the end of the season because, “He isn’t religious enough.”
If that is true, it is the latest absurd salvo in a situation that continues to spin out of control for the Kennesaw based school.
I’m not buying it for a second.
Cochran has posted a
66-42 mark since being hired in 2008. This year alone he had guided the Eagles to a 24-2 record, the first region title in program history and a No. 1 seed in the Class A playoffs, which start at home today against Wesleyan.
Does it make sense to let someone go because they aren’t religious enough after he has already worked there for four years? Wouldn’t that be something that should be determined prior to the hiring process?
They sure have determined it with new coach-in-waiting Kyle Reese. The school sent an over-the-top news release that pointed out what a fine religious person he is, but said very little as to whether he can coach baseball.
“Kyle Reese is a phenomenal combination of experience, achievement and commitment to Christian education,” Mount Paran Christian headmaster Dr. David Tilley said in the release. “Out of the many well-qualified candidates we considered to lead the baseball program, Kyle Reese’s wealth of experience, exemplary leadership in his field, Christian testimony and a commitment to the building of community will make him an incredible asset to our school and out athletic department. We are very blessed to have a man of Kyle’s Christ-like character leading and mentoring young men at MPCS.”
I have yet to meet Reese. I’m sure he’s a great guy, but I think he’d even admit it is a little overboard for a coach who went 23-67 his last four seasons at St. Francis.
Now, it’s true that Cochran will never be mistaken for a choirboy. He can be blunt. He can be fiery, and he can be colorful. In an interview shortly after he found out he would not be back next season, he said as much.
“I told Dr. Tilley, that I was a religious man but was not one that would be out there with it,” Cochran said.
He said at the time he was hired, Cochran even went out of his way to ask Tilley if he was sure that the longtime coach was the right person for the job. Cochran said Tilley assured him he was.
For 40 years, Cochran has done what he was put on this earth to do – coach high school baseball and teach young players life lessons they can carry into manhood – and he’s done it well. He has compiled a 677-354 record with eight region championships with Mount Paran, North Cobb and North Atlanta, in his four decades as a high school baseball coach.
We’ll probably never know the real reason why Cochran is being let go. More than a dozen phone calls and numerous emails to Tilley, principal Eric Bradley and athletic director Mitch Jordan fell on deaf ears.
I think Cochran is being let go for one of two reasons: Either the administration wants to get rid of him because he is 65 and maybe too old school for their tastes, or a booster with big pockets was unhappy because his/her son wasn’t playing as much as they liked or being used in the way they wanted.
Regardless of the real reason behind their actions, Mount Paran botched this situation from start to finish and it owes Cochran, the players on the baseball team and every other coach employed there an apology.
After developing a winning program and putting it on the long-term road to success, Cochran deserved better. By not at least addressing the reason of his departure, the administration almost implies Cochran may have done something wrong. After 40 years of good works that’s not fair to tarnish such a well-earned legacy.
The players deserve an apology because the timing of the announcements could have become a distraction that may have torpedoed the best season in program history. As it is they are still in the awkward position of having two head coaches on staff and it’s to Cochran and the rest of the coaches’ credit that they have not allowed it to become a problem – at least not yet.
And for the rest of the coaches on staff, don’t think they didn’t take notice. From now on they will all be looking over their shoulders to see who is watching them and why. They will always keep this in the back of their mind and wonder if they are going to be the next one to get a phone call if they aren’t playing the big donor’s kid, advancing in age, or heaven forbid, not leading the prayer group before and after the game.
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Maybe North Cobb can win next Tuesday at home (vs. Grayson/Elite 8). That would put North Cobb in the Final Four for the second time in 4 years!
Harvey is a great man but never made it past the Sweet 16 in his entire 30 year career there.
Callahan, while not a baseball genius, is much better at managing a high school team. He knows how to work with kids and isn't going to run off all of his players before they reach their senior year. He's done a great job at North Cobb and accomplished more in 6 years than Harvey did in 30 .
For whatever you think you know about Coach Cochran, I can tell you he coaches hard and teaches his players to play to fullest capability - which means to play the game hard!
But he is also a fine man, teacher, coach, mentor and grandfather. I remember when Coach Cochran lost his youngest grandson to cancer, and the pain that caused him and his family.
For you nasty people and your sad comments, I would suggest you take a closer look at who you are. Your comments make me sick!
How sickening.
not at all the way I read the recent comments. Sounds to me they are tired of the MDJ bashing of private schools. I saw the one cynical comment but for the most part they just want John to write about something worthy in sports and stay away from all the speculation. I'll bet there is a good sports story in all of Cobb if he looks... They have the right to do what ever they want with their school and decisions weather it be "religious enough" "christian enough" "character enough" "winner enough" or what ever their reasoning. Funniest comment on here was when someone suggested they are wasting our tax payers money!! haha, to that commenter please know that private schools are funded largely by donors and tuition and not by taxes. My two boys went public but if I had the money I would do it over private somewhere in Cobb as we were disappointed in their HS education. All you have to do to prove private is a higher education is look at the overall scores...
And specifically to "I know the truth" who claims to be on the inside of the situation.... Have you ever read Matthew 18? If you have a beef, air it out inside . . . just sayin... read your Bible if you are a Christian at a Christian school. If you are not, then what's the point?
Now, what lofty role do you play that entitles you to be so critical of others' professions?
So… let’s do look at the facts as we do know them.
1) this makes the 2nd school that the 'legendary' Cochran was let go. Or really let’s call it like it is, “ FIRED”!
2) most of the kids that are on his team now, he inherited! They came from other areas and chose to go to a private school most likely because it is single A and they will have a better chance of play time, exposure, and having extremely high stats (if they played in their own school district most would go to a AAAAA school like Harrison and probably would either sit the bench or if they played would not have the individual successes (ie pitching and batting). Cochran had absolutely nothing to do with getting these players or making them good! They were already good!!!! He was just lucky! On the other hand, Mitch Jordan, the new athletic director, is wonderful and many kids and parents are sending their kids to Mt Paran because he is there. he has definitely turned the athletic program around. Mitch is more concerned with raising Godly kids versus winning at any cost.
3) Cochrans’ first 2 years at Mt Paran were a complete disaster! So many of the 2010 senior class was removed from the team due to problems with drugs, alcohol, fighting etc.. and then many of them just quit! At the time Cochran started, the freshman class (class of 2012) had more than 15 wonderful, awesome baseball players, but because of Cochran’s egotistical, arrogant and good old boy method of coaching every one of those kids either quit baseball or left the school, all except 1. That is why there is only 1 senior now on the team. If he was such a wonderful coach and mentor, then why is that team not full of seniors????!!!! They were all Freshman when he started Mt Paran!!!!
4) If he was such a fine upstanding wonderful mentor and coach…..then logic tells us that with the success that the current team has achieved so far, there would be no way to let such a great coach go!……However, it DOES make perfect sense! The success is not due to him! It is due solely from the talent of the kids, support of the parents, the summer travel coaches from previous years as well as the middle school program (Coach Tanton). Cochran has done absolutely nothing but stand and strut around the third base coaches box and be the absolute prima donna! He is neither a good role model, nor mentor and has only caused kids to lose sight of important goals like honor, sportsmanship and respect. This year there have been some significant issues during key games for this Mt Paran team where kids have thrown elbows, and cleated some players. When the head coach allows kids to behave like this, then we must pause and think about what we are trying to teach our children. Winning is not worth that, and no one wants a coach that condones that kind of behavior. And....If I were a betting person, I would bet the lottery amount that NO school will approach him! They know!!!
So, Enough already with the Cochran editorials! We all get it! You are totally enamored with the old codger! But he is “out of there!!!!” as they say in baseball! And I for one applaud Mt Paran for their courageous decision. Oh and by the way….my kids don’t even go to that school, LOL!
Either way, it is sad.
By the way, the sheer volume of grammatical mistakes, not to mention your insane usage of exclamation points, says a great deal about you. What drugs are you currently taking to have you so enraged (yet you don't have kids at that school...yeah right)?
Finally, never, ever, never ever end any set of comments with "LOL" again. If you do, I will know, and I will find you. LOL!
One of the things I remember is that before every game, Coach would lead us down the right field line and have us pray The Lord's Prayer. This was at a public school!
Coach was never overtly religious. But I can assure you he lived his faith every day by being a good man, and trying to teach us boys how to grow up to be good men.
He was also tough, worked us hard and pushed us to be our very best. And while coach may have a very fierce bark, there is no bite. At the end of the day he would be the very first to put his arm around you.
For any of you who have a negative thing to say about Coach Cochran, you are welcome to your opinion. But on behalf of forty years worth of players, coaches and students who were influenced and taught by this man, the record speaks for itself.
The story here is not about the fact that a decision was made, but rather how and when it was made, and handled.
Mt. Paran showed very poor judgement, and very little character in this matter. If they had wanted to let Coach Cochran move on, then so be it. But do it at the conclusion of the season...and do it with some class.
At the end of the day, the story is that Dr. Tilley showed a severe lack of character, integrity and class in the way he handled this. The next story should read that Dr. Tilley is being replaced.
Any comment you read here or elsewhere, and whatever any reader's opinions, that say otherwise are simply sad lies. In fact, I know that a couple of the comments posted on this board have been posted by Mt. Paran.
The quote that is reported here, that the coach "is not religious enough" is entirely accurate. Further, Dr. Tilley had become concerned that with the success of the team and Cochran's longstanding accomplishment, he could no longer have the control he wanted over the program.
The final two reasons are less important, but are also accurate. A particular booster's son was not playing enough. This booster provided enough incentive to have this decision reviewed when it was. The final reason stems from the AD being concerned that the baseball program was overshadowing his own football program.
There. These are the facts. Anything else said is inaccurate. Mt. Paran is a private institution and can make its own decisions. Whatever your opinion, it matters little. Here are the facts.