26 replies to this topic

[Exo4life]

What are everybody's thoughts about how the 2010 season went for the lima legion this year?

[BuckWild]

What are everybody's thoughts about how the 2010 season went for the lima legion this year?

They had a very successful season, but I don't think that's what you were going for. How do you think the season went?

[Exo4life]

As far as wins are concerned I think that the season went very well. However, going to a lot of their games I did not like the actions by the head coach. Along with that I'm not sure that many of the players liked the guy either from talking to other friends of mine. I am not really sure what will happen next season with the coaching but they will return a lot of talent if they can get the talent to come back.

[caldwell]

After watching their coach's, early season, irrate performance at Ottawa. Throwing the F-bomb in front of fans, kids and players prior to getting kicked out... I have no use for him or the Lima Legion's accomplishments. He was an embarrasment to Legion Baseball

I don't expect him coaching anywhere next season!!!

[Exo4life]

Caldwell I understand that you don't like the lima legion, but I don't think the blame should be put on the kids. From what I have heard most of the kids if not all do not like him in the first place. I think the accomplishments of the Lima Legion should be put on the kids and have no association with the head coach.

[Dr. Lou]

I think there were a couple things wrong with Rick Koch's coaching...He would argue with umpires from the very first inning until the 9th inning over every single pitch/call that was questionable. Next, his decision making to play certain kids when other kids were clearly better. The legion was 27-7? somewhere around there, and i believe Koch lost them about four or five games. The only positive about Koch is that he does care about winning, maybe a bit too much.

[Exo4life]

Totally agree with the statement of playing certain players over others. And yes the arguing was over the top the whole season. From the sounds of it I heard he is coming back next season. I know that a lot of players are not happy with this and it will be interesting to see who comes back out and who does not as some players feel they were snubbed.

[BGR_80]

27 -7 and the coaching staff gets no credit for any of the wins; but yet others want to pin four or five losses on them (or him). Makes me smile and wonder what this world has become. Is it really the kids who feel they were snubbed or maybe typical parents that feel thier kids are a little better than they really are?

I don't care how well they (Lima Legion) do year in and year out and there's no excuse for dropping the F bomb at anytime. I guess it just matters what wine colored glasses you ar looking thru.

Edited by BGR_80, 11 August 2010 - 01:25 PM.

[Exo4life]

I am pretty sure it is the kids that feel they got snubbed. Just from a few of the guys that I talked to. I heard he would tell guys when they were playing so their parents could take off work to come watch them when they played 2 hours away and then the kid did not play at all. See it as you want but I do think the kids did feel they got snubbed.

[Sports Momma]

Koch completely lost that team. If they won games it absolutely was not because of him. He couldn't even get kids to shag foul balls. They were either too important to go after a foul ball or pouting because they were getting screwed by sitting on the bench. There were some kids who clearly deserved to play every inning of every game, they earned it. Others never came out of the game but their level of effort (and contribution) could be questioned. If Koch pulled someone from a game he not only had to put up with their bad attitude but also had to face the parents after the game. The kids that got "snubbed" were the ones who thought they were part of a team (they eventually had their eyes open) and thought the coach would be fair to everyone. Being fair doesn't mean everyone plays the same amount, but there were some kids that didn't even get a chance. It's hard to complain about a coach of a team that goes 27 - 7 and finishes in the top 3 in the state but I think if the team had no coaches they would have at least done as well as they did and probably would have won a couple more games and they would have policed their own playing time. I've never complained about a coach before but I hope that the Legion says this isn't the image that we want to project and makes a change next year. He was an embarrassment not only in the way that he rode umpires from the 1st pitch to the last out but also in the way that kids clearly disrespected him and he just took it for reasons known only to him.

[mrclutch]

Can anyone enlighten us on the coach's baseball background?

[Exo4life]

According to a few of the players i have talked to they said that he always tells them how he was a 4 year starter at Ohio University. However, those few players did go and try to look him up in school archives and found nothing pertaining to baseball.. So who knows. If he did play at Ohio University and was a 4 year starter you wiould think we would know how to coach a little bit. For example one game early in the season they lost because he decided to squeeze with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the ninth with two strikes on the batter and down three. The pitcher threw a pitch that was untouchable that was high and outside for the second out attempting at the bunt and then since it was a squeeze the runner was hung out to dry with no protection for the third out ending the game with the tying run on first base and the leadoff batter on deck. Smart coaching dont you think

[thebighurt]

Koch coached Bluffton High school three seasons ago as an assistant under keith cosart. There were plenty of incidents involving anger issues.

During a double header at Liberty Benton, there were several calls that Koch argued. He went back and forth with the LB coaches and when the second game was over (Bluffton was run ruled in both) Rick went to the bus before cleaning up or shaking the other teams hand.

During a game against Ottiville, the Pirates lost a close one in which a few errors caused the loss. I'll give Koch some props, he didn't take it out on the players. However, he elected to pick up the bases after the game and then proceeded to "toss" them against the fence beside the Pirate dug out. He also kicked his glove from the dug out all the way to his car. I was talking to a parent after the game and his comment was something along the lines of "I've heard of 5 year olds pouting, but that's a sad display of immaturaty from a grown man."

Those are just two of the most heated incidents from a season full of them.

[caldwell]

Caldwell I understand that you don't like the lima legion, but I don't think the blame should be put on the kids. From what I have heard most of the kids if not all do not like him in the first place. I think the accomplishments of the Lima Legion should be put on the kids and have no association with the head coach.

I have nothing against the Lima Legion. I went to watch them against OG because I truely like baseball. Didn't care who won or loss and had no other reason to be there.
Just wanted to see the talent in the area. The kids from Lima represented themselves well.

Apparently this coach thought it was the 7th game of the World series, with everyone there to see him. I won't be back to a Lima Legion game until he's replaced. There is no place for the F_bomb at any sporting event. Let alone a local game between 18 and 19 year old kids, with their parents, grand parents and brothers and sisters present.

Sometimes having Class is more important than winning or losing. The Lima legion has no business supporting this coach. There has to be someone better??

[Coach Rhoades]

Interesting thread.

[Dr. Lou]

I have nothing against the Lima Legion. I went to watch them against OG because I truely like baseball. Didn't care who won or loss and had no other reason to be there.
Just wanted to see the talent in the area. The kids from Lima represented themselves well.

Apparently this coach thought it was the 7th game of the World series, with everyone there to see him. I won't be back to a Lima Legion game until he's replaced. There is no place for the F_bomb at any sporting event. Let alone a local game between 18 and 19 year old kids, with their parents, grand parents and brothers and sisters present.

Sometimes having Class is more important than winning or losing. The Lima legion has no business supporting this coach. There has to be someone better??

There are many candidates better than this joke of a coach. His assistant Dick Rieman would be great, or Dave Koverman coming back would bring smiles to a lot of people in my opinion. Health issues there are the reason he didn't return this past season.

[Exo4life]

Yeah except Koverman actually knows how to manage the talent that he has. I agree Koverman has done some things as well that are questionable but I don't think they were to this degree nor has he ever messed up a lineup as bad as this guy.

[Pitching101]

Does anyone know if this position will be open for next summer? And if so, who would you contact to throw your name in the mix?

If anyone has any information please let me know by emailing me at baseball_14_03@hotmail.com

[polo99]

I believe Koch actually played at Miami (OH). I have witnessed some accounts of him coaching and was not impressed at all.

[ShawneeBaseball0915]

koch played at OU. i played for him this past summer for the lima legion. koch simply had no idea what he was doing. He has no clue how to coach the game of baseball. He could never put the best lineup he had on the field, and honestly he had some kids playing nearly everyday that didnt deserve to be out there. I recall countless times where he lied to some of the players telling them that they were going to start a certain game. The players parents would drive two hours to an away game just to watch their son be lied to and sit the bench. He literally argued every call that he didnt agree with ( pretty much every call) and it would effect the team rather than just him. He has brought down the lima legion program all within one year. He is the worst coach that i have ever played for and i have played for some really great coaches in my high school and current college career. He is an embarrasment to the lima legion, and to the great game of baseball. Hopefully Cheney does the right thing and gets rid of him so the kids that can still play dont have to deal with him anymore.