Looks like we play a UCiF again..

[Brad]

Hide the men and children ...

Game Day – USF vs. UCF

TAMPA, Fla. – After five days without a game, the University of South Florida baseball team hosts UCF in midweek action at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 at Red McEwen Field.

The game can be viewed live on the USF Press Pass as well as heard on 1010 Sports with Garrett Walvoord and Jim Louk calling the game. Fans can also follow the game on GameWatcher.

The Matchup

USF owns a 2-1 lead in the 2008 series with UCF, as the Bulls beat the Knights 14-6 last week in Tampa. Earlier in the year, USF knocked off then-ranked No. 25 UCF, 17-4 on April 1 in Orlando, and a week later, the Knights evened the series with a 6-3 victory over the Bulls on April 8.

More Game Day Information can be found here

[JoeB]

Yep, without their coach who was dismissed for 'sexual misconduct with a male staff member", or was it with a male's staff member, not sure.

Hopefully the students have fun with this one at tomorrow's game.

[Brad]

Hopefully the students have fun with this one at tomorrow's game.

I'd venture to say there is little doubt the students will have fun with the latest shenanigans at UCiF.  ;D

[RicanBull]

O this should be fun.

[crambone]

I WILL BE THERE!!!

[SixtySix]

O this should be fun.

[/quote

;D

I'm already going to hell... I'll take the lead on this one.

[Brad]

"Hide the men..."

No one gets me any more....  :'(

[USFCollin]

From the comments section of the Orlando Sentinel..  Since no one is talking, this is the best account on the record of what happened, and seems pretty credible.

"Posted by KnightWatch:

Look, I’ve watched you guys speculate as to why Bergman was fired and I’ve remained quiet until now. Until now fans have flocked from one theory to another like sheep following false shepherds. Until now there have been no credible sources. Until now there was no mention of Chris’s name.

Silence ends now.

I work with UCF athletics. I was present at the moment which the article refers to. First thing which bears mentioning is this: it happened. This is NOT a battle of credibility. For one thing, the entire team and staff were there - among other witnesses. What was going through Bergman’s mind is beyond me, I’d like to garner him some excuse and say that he’s slowly losing his faculties, but I’m not sure. Bergman had an assistant coach hold Chris down and did exactly what the article purported. IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. This wasn’t one of those joking moments, there was no laughter, and the atmosphere was one of utter disbelief. The players independently questioned as to what the heck just happened.

Now fine, that sounds like an isolated incident, perhaps a warning would suffice. But here’s something that hasn’t gotten out: this is not an isolated incident. Coach Bergman has repeatedly engaged in what, at best, can be described as inappropriate locker room talk. At best. I’ve been on many sports teams and locker room shenanigans are common and a welcome respite from the rigors of the game. What is not welcome is dropping your towel purposely to expose yourself to staff members. Nor is frequent talk about masturbation. Nor is repeated instances of assault on staff members. Bergman has done all of these.

Concerning Chris, I’m going to say this: he is one of the best workers that was on that team. He lived, breathed, BLED UCF baseball. He worked - and I’m not exaggerating here - over 80 hours every single week. He was never paid overtime. He SLEPT at his office and was the freaking glue that held all of this together. Maybe it was the fact that he was always around that made Chris a target with Bergman.

About UCF: what has not been mentioned is that UCF has conducted a lengthy internal and external investigation. This has been ongoing for a month. They met with Bergman. They met with Chris. They met with several staff members and players. UCF’s attorney was there, a court reporter was there, at time higher ups from the athletic department were there. This was THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED. You had dozens of witnesses, you can’t hide this. Like all of us who love Bergman, UCF reacted initially with extreme skepticism. It wasn’t until after talking to all those involved that the severity of the situation became apparent. UCF is screwed because of Bergman’s behavior - they’re liable as his employer. But, UCF did not hastily fire Bergman. The field is named after the man. I understand the disdain for UCF, but have some sense - they’re not going to muck up a good thing based on unsubstantiated stories. Get it through your head - Bergman actually did this.

Finally, I’m going to leave you with this: I’m a huge UCF baseball fan. I always have been and will continue to be that way. I’m extremely thankful for all that Bergman has done. That being said I’m not going to blindly follow the man because he’s a magnificent coach. Guys, there is sports, and there is the real world. This is the real world. Please don’t make this something similar to Varsity Blues, where the coach can do no wrong. Bergman can say whatever he wants to say through his attorney, but Chris has our FULL support. That doesn’t just go for me, that goes for the entire athletic department. If he really wanted his “fifteen minutes of fame†he would be out there talking to all the news stations. He’s not. He’s probably scared to no end that this single moment is going to cost him his entire future. Bergman has his laurels to rest on. Chris might not even get a chance to earn his."

[USFCollin]

When I first heard this, I thought typical bush league UCF move... fire the guy for cause so you don't have to pay the 165k you owe him for the next two years of his contract.  But it seems like the Mickey Mouse operation they've run over there for years actually handled this the right way.  New leadership can do that.  You can make a very good case that they could have just extended the investigation until the end of the season, then told Bergman retire or we'll do it for you.  But maybe they informed him of that scenario, and he didn't want to go down without a fight.  If that's the case, they probably did the right thing by letting him go now.  And if what seems to have happened really happened to Chris Rhyce, I hope you get a monster check bro.  You deserve it. 

Remember former Bull player and coach Bryan Peters is one of the assistants as well, and likely out of a job after two years with the Knights. 

Our student fans on the 3rd base side have been pretty funny this year, and I'm sure they'll be in rare form tomorrow night.  I kind of have mixed emotions about laughing about this, because it does seem kind of sad, and might have been a rather scarring incident for the young man involved.  Plus Bergman had a long career that deserves to be respected.  Having said that, if UEI isn't there with the wife and kids and an awful sign invoking Amaodu Diallo and a Louisville Slugger, it'll be like I don't know him anymore. 

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

Rhyce told the university in a written complaint that he was held down on the field, fully clothed, by a baseball staff member before a March 7 game while the players watched, the sources said. Bergman, UCF's coach of almost 26 years, was said to have grabbed a bat and shoved it toward Rhyce's buttocks.

"I'm confident what Chris said actually happened," said Thomas Pilacek, Rhyce's attorney. "I don't know how the university or anyone else is going to react [about the investigation], nor is that Chris' concern. He wanted disclosure on this, and now it's mushroomed into this [media attention] and he's on the receiving end of it all."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-ucfcoach0608may06,0,4413836.story

errmm... bad choice of words?