" while they kept digging into all this did it they consider telling all the new players coming into ISU that there was a problem? That its hard on the players, some played for Larry and the other group had just arrived to find out that its blown up. What happened to the ISU mission statement? Did the Athletic Department have any obligation to the players moving here. I'm sure that they had enough infromation before the girls arrived for school. Why did they have to wait until September to address the matter.

But I guess the way ISU will correct the shortage of funds will be to stop traveling, not hire any assistant coaches, play on a community rec park and just say they are playing D 1. "

" Well the football team is 0-8?, the womens BB team had the coach and top players leave,The softball coach is under investigation, soccer is having its worst year ever and Volleyball had to find a new coach.
What is going on - clean house - then talk to us about financial support and supporting the teams and the program "

" There have been rumors going on about the inner-workings of ISU's athletic department for the last year. Nobody knows the real story, but Bubb was placed on leave, then suddenly resigned. Newlee caught the first bus out of town. Stocking up and quit, and we find out he has bigger fish to fry.

Dr. Vailas, instead of working 110% on your medical school, maybe it's time to turn some of your attention to internal matters. Granted, the VP's son is now the AD, but all that has done is point the good ol' boys club in a new direction.

Maybe it is time to clean house and start over. "

" Yes, what transpired with Coach Stocking is a travesty for Idaho State and its athletics department. However, I must agree with "Upset". How much responsibility rests with the entire ISU athletics department. What is being done to limit the colateral damage to the existing program? What are they doing now to build the program back up? Or are they simply going to wait and be reactive instead of proactive. Many student athletes were promised certain things, which upon their arrival, did not come to fruition. What's going to happen next year? Is ISU going to reduce what they gave their student athletes this year? What is being done to keep players from leaving? What happens if they do? Did Stocking recruit any for next year? Doesn't sound like it. If not, you better get on the ball. Fall tournament ball is almost over. What do you think the athletes are going to say to incoming potential student athletes? Southern Oregon Community College has already played no less than 12 games this fall including, Oregon, Oregon State, and Portland State to name a few. ISU played a double header against a first year Montana Tech. Wow! The players profiles aren't completed yet, their pictures aren't posted and their past athletics accomplishments aren't posted. When people are looking at various colleges, the player rosters are one of the first things they look at. What's next years schedule and why isn't it posted like other D-1 schools? Who's going to be the coach? Are we going to offer the position on a national level like other D-1 programs? Or are we going to save money here as well? If we are going to go on a national search, when? All indications appear as though the inmates are running the prison. These are all things that can be done immediately. Maybe we can't erase what has already happened in the Larry Stocking saga, but we have the capability to fix issues right in our back yard. You better get rolling or we're going to need an ISU softball bailout!

What Now? "

" My daughter played softball at ISU for the last two years. The first year of the program Coach Stocking wanted my daughter to bring in $800 to help with expenses. We didn't have $800 so I called him and told him I thought it was odd to have to bring in that kind of money. We had an older daughter who played DI and II softball and never heard of that. We of course expect fund raising, but not that kind of money. He said that was normal for a DI program. I disagreed but we sent $150. The second year my daughter played (last year) she had to sleep on the floor two different times. This upset us and her. But, I didn't complain then because I didn't want anything to affect her playing time. So at the end of the season, I wrote a letter to the athletic directer as well as the president with our concerns about travel safety (driving through the night instead of staying in a hotel) as well as my daughter sleeping on the floor. When you sign a letter of intent to play at a school, you sure don't expect your child to have to sleep on the floor. It was a new program and we didn't expect a large budget but we didn't think any school would allow this. I think the university owes us an apology. "

" Coaching search? they have already decided to wait until next May. The team will play with Andrea Wilson as the head coach all spring. During that time ISU will be searcching for someone to come and start over. Isn't that a waste of time for the women. My daughter has worked very hard to get to this level only to have the school not willing to compete at a high level. ISU has thrown the carrot out to coach wilson and is asking her to chase it, unless they have already made an agreement with her. Why would anyone agree to an arrangement without some protection for the future. It would be a hard sell to the team to replace the coach with an assistant caoch with no head coaching in her background. ISU has sent the message very loud, hire more staff to watch the money and get in the black by NOT spending money. As WHAT NOW asked are you going to reduce monies to the athletes also? You have already changed the schedule for 2009 { thats right you haven't posted it yet} but all that was discussed with the players from the coaching STAFF isn't
going to happen. ISU will just try to play locally. Call the high schools maybe you can get a scrimmage? "

" Relax and let the church handle it. I wonder if Mr. Stocking skimmed 10% off the top to donate to his tithing fund. Maybe 4 people in a room is SOP for "locals" who travel to Hawaii. Maybe he can pick up the $25K pot concession that just got busted in Poky. "

" Coach stocking basically stole money from the girls, and lied to them about how it was being used. That's not ok for any sports program, especially D1. It is an NCAA violation for the girls to be sleeping on the floor or squeezing more than two to a bed. Why wasn't this brought up sooner? "

" Let's assume that ISU is more responsible than they are letting on. Ignorance is no excuse for the law. They are still responsible for the actions of it's employees. Is the NCAA going to be involved in the investigation? What happens if the program colapses? Will the girls be allowed to transfer to another D1 college without penalty? (i.e sitting out for a year). Because of the football program's inability to establish itself, they may very well drop to a D2. If that happens, so will everything else. What then? "

" As softball parent 2 wrote, it will be a hard sell to the team to replace the coach with an assistant with no head coaching experience. Not only will this be a hard sell to the current team, but also to any new student athletes they may want to recruit.
Why are they waiting so long to recruit a new head coach? I have seen colleges recruit new coaches within a few months time. This is a sad indicator of the lack of oganization on the part of the ISU administration. The Athletic department as a whole is lacking. With all the press about this softball situation, it leaves a poorimpression on the school in general. Who will want to take this all on? I feel for these softball girls along with any student athlete in this organization. The athletes who committed to ISU most likely gave up other offers to attend other colleges. The administration holds the future of these students in their hands. "

" Does SB parent #2 think we can put an ad in the paper and have a D1 coach jump up and say, "hire me! I'll quit what I'm doing and start right now!"? Not for the wage we have to offer.
I appreciate Coach Wilson stepping up and trying to give the athletes the kind of college experience they deserve. Let's give her a chance to pull things together, after all the whole program was dropped in her lap only a month ago. Who better than an individual who was a key player in securing a National Title and has the experience of being the underdog and giving what it takes to rise to the top. We need to face the fact that there are not alot of options at this point. As far as any "agreement" I'll bet she is doing it cuz she loves the athletes and she loves the game. "

" I don't see ISU dropping softball (and by no means will ISU drop to Division II, nor should they). IF (and I emphasize the word "if") softball was dropped, then the athletes would be able to transfer without sitting out a year. ISU dropped men's golf, and players were allowed to transfer with no penalty. ISU also told the players they would live up to its obligation for providing a 4-year scholarship.

It's about getting your education paid for, right? "

" "Softball Parent 3" and "Don't worry" sound like ISU administrators. Thanks for the reassurance. FYI - you get what you pay for. Raise the wage and you'll raise the bar. Lastly, a good player does not necessarily make a good coach - no disrespect to coach Wilson. I guess time will tell. "

" Then maybe softball parent 3 should attend a practice of the softball team. Then maybe you would see the level of coaching that is going on. Great players don't always make great coaches. The problem is that players choose coaches as well as the school, and this isn't what players had in mind. in regards to the wages that ISU pays, maybe paying better is the answer. Also giving the athletes the experince they deserve? How telling the players to get over it? come to me if you need cousneling? Ans how about the lunchen last week with Jeff Tingey and Frank and then bring Larry Stocking in at the end. Wow which of the administrators had that ideal? This must have been part of giving them the experince they deserve. Nothing like rubbing your nose in it. "

" Well then maybe the solution to this problem is to cancel the softball program and re-start when a well rounded program can be provided. There is too much drama with in the coaches, administration and players. The girls are not motivated and lack enthusiasm from pure exhaustion of this topic. They have been promised to many things and have been let down so many times, they do not know who to turn to or who to believe at this point. There is a lack of organization and funding which is causing issues in safety among the girls. I know my daughter is not happy at this time and is disappointed of what her expectations of a division I school are. "

" You have no one to blame but yourselves. College athletics has been ruined by Title IX nonsense all to accommodate worthless and non-financially viable women's athletics. Good for your daughters playing softball at this "can't make it anywhere else" level and now you whine because your politically correct meal ticket is gone. Go somewhere else - as if you could! Ha! What else did you expect from inbred eastern Idaho? "

" Bengal Realist has hit it 100% on the head. "Boo hoo, I may have to pay for my kid's education!" Whiners! "

" Well it is really sad that poeple have to attack the kids verbally. I think it is only fair that you give coach Wilson a chance she was put into a tough sitation. Obviously you dont have any daughters who want to compete at a higher level, everyone deserves a chance it is not their fault that people get greedy and do dumb things this is not the girls fault or Coach Wilsons fault. I hope that ISU steps up and helps these young ladies. Some of you people need to get a clue. "

" To the person who said that the girls could not play anywhere else you have no idea. There are girls there that chose ISU over other schools because they like the school and thought they would get more support from the community now all they are getting is negative feedback. I am sure the university will step in and help these deserving ladies.To the people that say the girls are not enthusiastic you have not spent time with them or have gone to a practice I think they are doing a good job of handling this situation. Let them play ball. "

" dear bengal realist maybe I ought to get a picture book out for you to get it. But its 2008 and believe it or not but women are great athletes. I dare you to step on the field with any of these athletes. They are not only great athletes while being students at the same time. alot of them are also working jobs to make ends meet. All of this without any hope of a professional contrat at the end . This maybe their only payday to play a game they love. And you don't even understand all the hours spent on the field or court by these women, some of been plyaing since they were 9 or 10 years old. They have given up summers and falls playing every weekend that they can.
And just maybe these players chose ISU because they felt there was a plan to win, and maybe they liked Pocatello and the campus.
PS regarding "worthless " look in the mirror "

" It seems disingenuous of Mr. Tingey to claim that he "never imagined he would have to investigate financial irregularities within his own department," given the circumstances under which he ascended to his present position. Although never substantiated, this newspaper reported that Mr. Tingey’s predecessor resigned while “under investigation.” Although the findings of the alleged investigation were never made public, this newspaper published articles that linked the alleged investigation of Mr. Tingey’s predecessor to a variety of “financial irregularities” within the athletic department.

In this case, it seems odd that an investigation by the Pocatello Police Department, which indicates that criminal charges may be forthcoming, was initiated only after Mr. Stocking resigned and had already reimbursed the university several thousands of dollars. The facts reported indicate that a settlement agreement was reached between the university and Mr. Stocking with the intent of resolving the matter quietly and confidentially. It seems unlikely that ISU administrators ever intended for this story to become public.

In regard to the comment posted by Softball Parent, it appears that families of players were encouraged, if not coerced, into donating money to the program. Furthermore, Softball Parent was reluctant to complain about unsafe travel requirements (driving all night) and inadequate accommodations (sleeping on the floor) for fear of retribution against his/her student athlete. I hope that Softball Parent and other parents and athletes with similar complaints will forego discussions with ISU administrators about these issues and instead file formal complaints with NCAA and conference officials. "

" Dear Bengal Realist and Pokymon,
You must both be those kids who were picked on their whole lives and never could make anything of yourself. If you only knew how much committment these girls put in only to be disapointed again and again. A lot of girls on the team do not get any finanical support but play because they love the sport.

So yeah, boo hoo, sorry you dont get your education paid for, but this is what they have worked for their whole lives.

And cant make it to anyother level???...your probably obese and can not get out of bed, so leave these girls alone!!!!

And Pokymon,...get a life, pokymon is for 6 year olds. "

" The ISU Athletic program is a joke! Whatever happened to Paul Bubb? He got into trouble for basically doing the same thing as the softball coach but yet the softball coach is the only one paying the consequences. The football team keeps getting new coaches and it seems to be doing nothing. The men's golf team got cut because of "funds" how can they get cut because of funds? They only had seven players on their team ... maybe the athletic department should cut some scholarships from football since they seem to be doing A LOT in their conference! (Second longest losing streak in the nation means next year the football team will get new jerseys AGAIN!) For the softball team, all the money they raised, will they ever see it again? For ISU being a D1 school it seems like the athletic programs are not getting what they deserve! "

" Our daughter had verballed to a D1 university ranked in the top 20 last year. She opted to come to ISU because she loved the community, the campus and its players. I'm sure this is the case for many of these athletes. Don't listen to the Bengal Realist or Pokymon - they are just trying to antagognize everybody to keep the blog going. Rookie move. Don't pay them any mind people. "

" I have been told that Coach Wilson is running more demanding practices and more teaching is going on. Yes, at first there were some negative attitudes- they will move on. Coach Wilson does know what it takes to win at the highest D-1 level and has been straight talking with the team. I wish her well and years of success as the Bengal Head Coach. "

" What blows my mind is there are people on here who are claiming to be parents of players. Why in the world are you leaving comments online? Why in the world aren't you making your comments known to not only Tingey, but to President Vailas as well?

If you are parents of players, you are only wasting your time on here. You owe it to your daughters to talk to the actual people in charge. "

" First I will address the people that do not support ISU softball. How do you say we do not work hard? Every single morning we lift weights at 6:30am to about 8:00am, we go to school all day (weighted GPA of all ISU softball players is a 3.0). Then at 3:00pm we have practice til 5:30. Then homework and study hall etc...and then we start all over the next day. Is this not dedication? We are extrememly hard working for those that don't know. I can bet anything I have that our team can out run you, out hit you, out throw you, and out lift you. We may not win a lot of games but we are a new program, it takes time to build to the level of our other competitors. Ya, we don't have a stadium like other D-1 schools but at least we have a field. And as soon as The Miller Ranch Standium is built we will have one. For those that think we can not go any where else to play softball you are wrong...we have some great athletes on our squad, that could have gone any where but chose ISU because they loved it here. The community, the students, and the other athletes.
Second i would like to give all my thanks and respect to Coach Wilson. She came into the situation and took it by the horns. She has helped us through the hard time while being a coach at the same time. We have had the best practices i have ever had at ISU. We gel as a team better then we ever have because of her. She knows how to win and that is what we need here at ISU. If you dont know this she led her team, University of Oklamoma, to the NCAA Championship Game in which they won in 2000. Is that not enough to give her respect? She deserves the spot of head coach and i know our team has 110% confidence in her, that she will led us to victory.
Thank you for all your support community, family, and friends. What we went through was hard but because of it we are stronger. I hope the community will come out and support us even more now. "

" Okay people slow down! All of you that "apparently KNOW" so much about what's going on and the entire workings of the ISU Athletic Department - you know what they say about opinions - "Opinions are like. . ." okay you know. Anyway, as far as the softball team goes because that's the real subject of this article - hello - they are a very strong team with an excellent coach! She won the world series for God's sake - what more experience do you need?! The girls love her and she works them hard! You are messing with the girls' minds - shame on you.
One more thing - Amen "Whiny Fan!" I'm only here because my daughter is disgusted at these comments and lack of support for the people that matter - the athletes! "

" some parents have spoken to the AD Jeff Tingey and to President Vailas. And yes it does start at the top, it took 4 calls to get mine returned. The lack of concern is large or is it just " softball ". When you read the article regarding the budget success, read the important part! We have cut travel { no fall ball }, do you need 17 players on this trip how about 12. Sounds like a softball roster. And do you need that many scholarships? Sounds to me like less money for the team next year. Oh the stadium ?? According to the officals to be, the freshmen from this team should be able to play on it. And thats without dugouts and the clubhouse! Gee thats 2012!! THEY REALLY DONT CARE! Our daughters have worked to hard to be disrespected by a bunch of blowhards. My daughter is digusted with the lack of concern from the AD's office. They have treated her as she has no options other than to do what they say. "

" You're correct: "It's ONLY softball." Sorry, but the only reason it's there is because of Title IX. That opinion stated, ISU established a softball program and needs to get it together and not default on its commitment to the girls that comprise the team. Ethics enter into this situation at the very least, even if they didn't with Mr. Stocking. Frankly, the entire ISU athletic situation is tenuous, to say the least. "

" Female athletes do need our support.This whole situation with the misuse of funds and lack of support from Tingey is repulsive. Vailas needs to be the medical school issue on hold and take care of existing issues like this, rather than creating new ones. ISU AD has an ethical obligation to make decisions in the best interest of the athletes and that is NOT happening. There are excellent high school softball coaches in this town that would be outstanding coaches for ISU softball. Before throwing away more money in a nationwide search for new coaches, look at Coach Barrus from Poky or Coach Colvin from Highland. These ladies have years of experience and actually have the best interest of the athletes at heart. The lack of support for female athletes in this state is seriously pathetic. Vailas needs to clean house instead of trying to make a name for himself by pushing the medical school.If he was worried about the lack of enrollment, maybe he should get a clue and clean house. Based on the last year and a half of events within the Athletics Dept., it's probably not going to happen. "

" Way to go coming from a player! Congratulations to all 16 of you. You have been through some really difficult situations at really young ages and hopefully, with the committment and dedication from Coach Wilson, you will come out stronger young women. Softball teaches not only character and sportsmanship on the field but off the field. Keep staying true to who you are and to the team. You will all be okay!
As for parents getting involved...well these young women only need your support not your interference. This is their job (play softball or work somewhere else) would you honestly make phone calls etc to their boss? Or would you help them to make those phone calls? Help them to continue to stand on their own two feet? I think so.
Go Bengals! We are behind you, in front of you and on your side. "

" Sounds like the ISU athletic dept. is behind everyone. Just don't bend over!! "

" To the player thank you for your dedication and hard work! I respect you and thank you for being BENGALS! Please pass this on to your teammates! "

" These guys need support like no other. While most of you are fighting and pointing fingers and are out to get a head or two on a platter, these gals are busting their butts to make ISU Softball good.

SUPPORT is needed, not FINGER-POINTING! The Stocking situation will take care of itself. "