WOW, seems Jay Johnson didn't talk to his team about leaving for LSU

[Little George]

I think the pitchers are in the portal because of the pitching coach leaving. Berry needs to stick around. Bullard too! Don't understand that unless Jay talked directly with them prior to leaving, but then that would be a violation would it not? There is enough of the roster left to build on, but depending on who the hire is and how quickly it is done will determine how long it takes to get back there.

[DANI3L - (DT4)]

How is LSU a better job?  They have 2 more national titles but we have the same CWS appearances and Arizona has more postseason berths.

Seems like someone needs to explain to you how the free market works. LSU being a "better" job is subjective, but let's look at some of the factors that Jay may have considered.

1st - MONEY. Johnson was making $900k at Arizona in base salary and his new contract garuntees him an average of $1.3-1.4 million a year. So, if money is more important to him then that alone is reason enough to leave.

2nd - OUR AD SUCKS. It is pretty clear that our coaches have not had the best experiences working for Heeke. So, we could assume that Johnson has a better relationship with the LSU AD. In addition, throw Robbins sporadic and incompetent meddling in athletics as another reason.

3rd - CONFERENCE SUPPORT. SEC vs PAC12 leadership....need I say more.

So there are a lot of reasons that could make LSU a better job to Johnson. It's not always about past and history.

[KansasCityCats]

Agreed that their administration may be easier to work with but JJ hasn't spoken with LSU officials for more than a few hours, so his decision to leave wasn't based on a solid relationship.  Hell, the LSU AD just filed a lawsuit earlier this year for sexual harassment; they're somewhat of a mess right now.

The money is big, but obviously wasn't the factor because JJ never came back to Arizona to use LSU as leverage for a raise. 

With Larry Scott out of the picture, there's nowhere to go but "up" in the Pac-12.  Our conference is extremely strong in baseball and Hi Corbett has a nice fanbase (although it doesn't compare to the average attendance in Baton Rouge).

I assume JJ took the job because of the recruiting pipeline at LSU.  They have a lot of resources from sponsorships.  Although Tucson is significantly better for baseball, it's tough to recruit against Stanford, USC, UCLA, Oregon, etc. 

Oh well...on to the next guy!

[arxpert]

Do you just copy/paste comments from other threads and replace a basketball coach's name with Johnson?

Somebody with insight needs to explain to these 18-22 year old recruits/players that he abandoned them without providing reasonable notice. These players were recruited to Tucson by JJ and he left them without even saying goodbye (to most).

How is LSU a better job?  They have 2 more national titles but we have the same CWS appearances and Arizona has more postseason berths.

It will take us a couple years to rebuild after Johnson left our program with a bare roster. Regardless, we're better off because we'll likely find a coach that won't miss the postseason 50% of the time. I hope LSU knows that they just went with the "hot name".

I think you are confusing my loyalty as a sports fan to my alma mater with my disloyalty to Heeke and Robbins. I have had enough of those two Ghouls so I often cut right to the chase in my comments. If you want to acknowledge what someone else says after I say it just because you don't like to hear it from me first than so be it. Glad Danny provided some details that to me, go without saying. I'm not worried about my karma count. While you are at it, try to explain to me why Augie Busch wasn't fired. I can probably tell you why, but you might be smart enough to already know and either way I am sure you would rather hear it from someone you like better.

[KansasCityCats]

I love the fact that you express your hatred towards an administration that you don't respect.  (BTW, I wouldn't knock somebody's karma unless they post something that is completely meant to troll).  Just stating that a lot of the recent comments regurgitate the same sentiments regarding Heeke & Robby Robbins.

I wasn't a huge fan of Johnson while he was here in Tucson.  I thought his best attribute was his relationships with the players...however that was obviously proven to be a misconception.  I understand why he jumped, but it baffles me that he would pull the rug out from under his players, recruits and loyal fanbase without a hint of consideration towards staying at Arizona.