Veteran Cobb Coach Harvey Cochran, who’s been with Mount Paran for four seasons, was notified Tuesday that he will not be retained as head baseball coach despite a 21-2 record this season.
Staff/Jon-Michael Sullivan
Staff/Jon-Michael Sullivan
But he may have to stand waiting at the plate for awhile. Asked to explain this stunning turn of events, Mount Paran officials have balked.
Mount Paran Headmaster David Tilley, in a terse, one-sentence email Wednesday, said when asked about Cochran’s impending dismissal, “We do not comment on employment issues.” Athletic Director Mitch Jordan also did not answer or return repeated calls from the Journal on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cochran was informed via a telephone call from Jordan on Tuesday that he won’t be back next season, with the only reason being the school is heading in “different direction.”
This leaves Cochran, and many others, wondering just which path the “different direction” travels from 21-2.
At this point, Cochran just wants to make sure everyone of the Eagles’ players, parents and fans know one thing.
“I told Mitch (Jordan), ‘Just make sure people realize I didn’t do anything wrong,’” Cochran said.
As it turns out, Cochran is not the only baseball personnel matter Mount Paran is going to have to deal with.
Pitching coach Dave McDonald, a former long-time Wheeler coach, has already said he will not return. Cochran said assistant coach Jim Rismiller, who is a current school administrator, is planning on retiring at the end of the school year.
Kenny Palmer has been offered a new contract to remain at Mount Paran, but Cochran did not want to speculate whether Palmer will remain with the baseball team.
In the end, it could leave assistant coach Kyle Reese by himself in the dugout.
Reese, a former player for Cochran at North Cobb, was hired before the season from St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, with the plan that he would succeed his mentor as coach. However, that wasn’t supposed to happen for another season.
“When I was hired, I told Dr. Tilley, ‘I’ll give you five years,’” Cochran said.
“We talked about it again last year, and I told him we didn’t really have anyone on the current staff that was ready to be a full-time head coach. That’s why we brought in Kyle.”
Cochran expects the school still intends to have Reese, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of high school, to take over the program next year.
Mount Paran has steadily improved since Cochran took over the program in 2009.
The Eagles went 14-14 in Cochran’s first season, then fell back to 10-15 in 2010 before improving to 20-11 last year and advancing to the second round in their first state playoff appearance since 2006.
Mount Paran, whose only losses have come against Class AAAA Kell and Region 6A rival Darlington, has also beaten three Class AAAAA teams and two out-of-state opponents.
“He’s certainly put his mark on the program,” said Marietta attorney Fred Bentley Jr., who also played for Cochran at North Cobb and helped bring his former coach to Mount Paran. “He was brought in to create a winning program, and that’s what he’s done.”
Led by Ryan Murphy, who began the week second in the county in batting average (.473) and first in RBIs (23), and a pitching staff of Logan Haner, Jordan VerSteeg and Andrew Maxwell, who each have five wins and ERAs of 1.01 or lower, Mount Paran Christian is a legitimate contender for the state championship.
Cochran talked with his players for the first time about the situation before practice Wednesday. Despite the turmoil, he said he does not believe this will become a distraction on the field.
“It shouldn’t,” he said. “These kids are all young enough and resilient enough that all they have to do is go out and do what they know how to do.”
Cochran has compiled a 675-354 record in his four decades as a high school baseball coach, including a 64-42 mark in his four years with the Eagles.
He made his biggest mark at North Cobb, where he won 571 games and led the Warriors to seven region titles. .
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And squashing these people, teams, schools, community...is Harvey Godzilla?
Your comment sounds petty and personal, as well as nonsensical.
How can the school be held accountable for what happens off campus? Isn't that the role of the parent?
What does that have to do with this situation, anyways?
OK. Good argument. Glad you cleared that up. Convenient.
A weasel and a wimp to the end!
I thought best to leave them to do their job, lest they decide to interfere with mine.
Unfortunately, my sons never got to play ball for Coaches Cochran or McDonald, both men of fine character, but they did get to play for another outstanding coach of that great generation.
The parents of today have a sense of entitlement that is indicative of all that is wrong with this country. We are in a big mess because of that misguided sense.
I wish more people would step back and think of the consequence to the boys. Selfish motivations have led to these boys having one less year of access to a last great generation of men who understand what it means to be a man, and not a pawn or politically correct, watered down version.
Thanks to coaches Cochran and McDonald, and English and Sawyer, and Buchanon and Howard. And the list goes on. This sadly brings to close to high school baseball when it really meant something, and finally ushers in the age of entitlement. Won't be long before these parents will have agents, and demanding they be paid for playing!
And as for Reese, he doesn't have a roven track record as a coach, and I am pretty sure that if you ask any coach around they who ask who he is. Ask any coach around about Cochran, and they know excatly who he is.
Let's see, Coachran's 40 plus years and one whale of a record, awards and titles versus Reese's (who is this guy) record of nothing, not awards and no titles.
C'mon now. The guy at Mt. Paran didn't like being shown up, so he let Cochran go. Reese is a nice guy, but a lap dog with no pedigree.
If all these decisions had been made beforehand, then why would the AD need to make a phone call about it in the middle of season.
Doesn't you are being particularly honest, and that seems to be the Mt. Paran way!
And I know Coach Cochran (and that is Coach, Mr. or Sir to you...you haven't earned the right to call him by his first name, weasel), and he doesn't duck anything! Ever seen him duck an umpire on a bad call? Thought not!
Strike Three Headmaster and AD, you are OUT!
Fool
made up of human beings who quite often let their own agendas override what's best for their schools and students. This isn't the first, and won't be the
last, time a bad admin decision is made in such a circumstance. Heart goes out to Harvey, his coaches
and his players, but these kinds of mistakes, once
made, usually don't get corrected.
To make things worse our team is 21-2 and ranked 4th in the state. That tells you the coaches have been doing their job and the players are doing their job. So stop playing games and state the logic behind the decision unless there is no real reason to dump the coach.
The ball is in the MPCS court. You all opened a can of worms, put a black eye on our school, and now you need to do something about it quickly!
If you fire a coach before the season ends you need to indicate why. Otherwise, you look like a fool.
I am reading a lot about the comparison to Coach McMurtry. That is comparing apples or oranges. One has nothing to do with the other unless the reason for the change is the same for both people.
Lassiter is a public H.S. and Cobb County Board did nothing to change the McMurtry decision. MPCS is private and they can do as they please as there is no higher court.
One way or the other this is a mess and the kids are again the ones being hurt!
In the end, the facts speak for themselves. Over forty years and a boatload of wins. More Coach of the Year awards than you can begin to count. A field and awards named for him. He is a Hall of Famer. Hundreds of kids gone to college on scholarship. And thousands of kids influenced by him. Not to mention the number of boys and girls who went into coaching because of him.
If you want to be slanderous, based upon your opinion, do it in your head. You demean yourself, and no one else, when you spread factless lies.
This is about politics and money. A parent didn't like the playing time his kid was getting, and he had enough pull because of the money he gives. It is that simple, and that is the whole story.
It played out at Lassiter a couple years ago with Coach McMurtry, and it has happened countless times in other places. It is a shame, and it is sad.
Coach Cochran did what he was hired to do, create a winning program. Unfortunately, this is not a new story and it won't be the last time it happens.
Really? How terrible for these boys! How scarred they will be forever.
Why I bet he even made them run all the way through first base even though they popped the ball up. Horror of horrors, I bet he makes them run laps to get in condition!
Oh I hope he doesn't expect them to actually be able to field, hit and throw. That would just be an injustice too grave!
Poor poor boys. They need a trophy. Quickly get them a trophy. Maybe a ribbon...just for being alive and breathing.
You need to get a life.