Rutgers Basketball Coach Fired For Heckling Baseball Players?

Word out of New Jersey is that Rutgers basketball coach Fred Hill is about to be fired—not for being a terrible coach, but for yelling at the opposing team at a Rutgers baseball game.

Just last month, Rutgers agreed not to fire Hill despite four straight finishes in the bottom quartile of the bloated Big East. It's not that they don't want to; it's that it would somehow cost them more money to fire him and pay his ridiculous buyout fee then keep him on and continue to stink at basketball for another three years. The good news is that when one door closes, an angry loudmouth opens a window.

Last week, Hill went to watch Rutgers baseball—which is coached by his dad, Fred Hill, Sr.—take on Pittsburgh. After a controversial late inning call was protested by Pitt coach Joe Jordano, Hill Jr. stepped on the field and released a profanity laced tirade at the opposing coach. After Jordano complained, Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti "suggested" that Hill not attend anymore baseball games for awhile. He did not listen and Pernetti personally saw him at the next game.

Now Rutgers is trying to figure out if the outburst and the insubordination means they can fire Hill "for cause," which means they would have to pay him zip. (I guess "cause" does not include "being awful at your job.") In addition to the lousy record, star freshman Mike Rosario—of the Bob Hurley/Jersey City documentary fame—has asked to transfer and another recruit wants out of his letter of intent. So Hill's angry antics could be a blessing in disguise. Who cares if you fire a guy for the wrong reason? The important thing is that he gets properly canned.

Rutgers Men's Basketball Coach Fred Hill to be Fired for Baseball Game Tirade [The College Baseball Blog] Rutgers basketball coach Fred Hill could lose job over outburst [NorthJersey.com] Politi: Rutgers shouldn't pass up second opportunity to fire coach Fred Hill [Star-Ledger]