Letters to the Editor: Regarding RUHS Coach Thurman's "Resignation"

(Editor's note: Patch and a couple of other local media outlets received this letter from a parent whose son plays for the Sea Hawks varsity baseball team as a response to the story we posted last week on the coach's resignation after one season. Stay tuned for a follow-up story. )

To Whom It May Concern

As a parent of a player for Redondo Union's Varsity Baseball team, (though it will not make a difference for my son's Senior year, and my husband would prefer me not to rock the boat since our son DOES have one more year at Redondo) there is SO much more to this story regarding Coach Thurman and what no one's talking about or telling you — especially principals, Mary Little and John Newman. Read between the lines, people. Coach Thurman is a great man, with a heart of gold who deserved better — much better — than he got from "the administration." From Dr. Keller on down to RUHS's principals, Coach Thurman not only got screwed twice, but never had a chance when they did FINALLY give him a chance. Coach Thurman never had the administration's support and frankly, when they say he "resigned" — knowing what I know, I'd put money on it being more a case of "step down and go quietly or we'll fire you and ensure you never coach again" type-deal. At the very least, they made his coaching life so miserable, it simply wasn't worth it anymore.

Obviously, I can't know the actual wording used (and sadly, none of us will) but given Mary Little's past actions (think Coach Chad Nammack, among others) and her track record, anyone who knows ANYTHING about Redondo Union knows that this woman domineers and bullies, cares not one whit for our sons — only for stats, budgets and bottom lines, and in my personal opinion doesn't actually think sports are important and frankly, doesn't like children. Anyone who's had any interaction with her on any issue can vouch that she simply puts on her red-tape, bureaucrat, double-speak face and never says anything of any import, much less considers actual circumstances. Heck, the only time she shows her face down at the baseball field is when A) something has "gone wrong" or B) she thinks she can find something wrong.

Make no mistake — this administration never intended for Coach Thurman to succeed and looked for ways to ensure exactly the opposite. Now my son, who was pulled up to Varsity his freshman year, will have had FOUR coaches in FOUR years (actually FIVE, counting Nammack) — and he, like many other talented players, will have absolutely no chance of being seen by anyone outside our program because of the mess that was made. I place the blame squarely on Mary Little and her crew. We, as parents and players, are held hostage by these people who obviously do not have our sons' best interests in mind.

Now, the ONLY reason our boys will even have a place to play summer baseball is due to upstanding guys like Coach Bob Martin, Coach Mike Whitcher, Coach Cole, and Coach Corky who were gracious enough to say yes to keeping things afloat after Little pulled her latest shenanigans with no regard to what the next week or the summer months hold for our baseball progam. These coaches, who I know work selflessly and tirelessly (and thanklessly), will ensure that our boys get to play summer baseball by caring enough to organize it — something I suppose Mary Little thought would just fall out of the sky?

Also, Little had no idea — rather, she just didn't care enough to find out — about the fact that these boys and our school have THE LEAGUE ALL STAR GAME being hosted here THIS Friday night. If Mary Little cared so much about our baseball program and our boys, don't you think she would've figured out — BEFORE she fired... I mean, forced Thurman's... I mean accepted his resignation  — that OUR FIELD AND OUR SCHOOL would be hosting the ALL STAR GAME — and now we DO NOT EVEN HAVE A HEAD COACH? She couldn't even be bothered to find out how to spell Coach WHITCHER'S name in the "informative" email she sent out to the parents telling us that Coach Thurman "resigned" — why should I be surprised that she had no clue how any of these other things were going to magically fall into place?

So, now, bless their hearts, it falls to Martin, Whitcher, and company — and us parents, mind you — to ensure that THE LEAGUE ALL STAR GAME goes off without a hitch. Is Mary Little going to sit at the gate and collect money (if applicable), or run the snack bar, or ensure that things go smoothly? What about field maintenance and being out there with the teams and coaches? Oh, wait — that'll either be coaches or parents. I don't recall Mary Little saying, "Sure, Coach Thurman, we'll take your resignation, but since there's an All Star game this week, I, personally, will make sure that all the details — of which I know nothing — get taken care of seamlessly and with no problems." 

Nope. She simply doesn't know or care. She just assumed (apparently rightly so) that our gracious assistant coaches would step up and be the ones to ensure our boys have what they need. And once the new coach comes on next season, Coaches Martin, Whitcher, and others won't receive so much as a thanks from "the administration" much less be able to stay around, because we all know that EVERY time a new coach shows up he brings HIS OWN CREW. I wish our yet-to-be-named new coach all the luck in the world, and I hope he is strong and turns things around and is able to stand up to the likes of Mary Little. I hate that Coach Thurman had to endure this and that the ones who are the biggest losers in all of this are our sons, the baseball players. On behalf of our family and our son, I want to thank all the coaches who've had to put up with this turmoil and hostility from the administration so that our child could actually try and focus on baseball. And lastly, I thank you, Mary Little and company, for ensuring, once again, that my son will have ANOTHER new coach, and ANOTHER chaotic season and that MORE GOOD MEN like Thurman, Martin, Whitcher, and crew, ONCE AGAIN, receive nothing from you but a big flip-off... I mean send-off.

— By Erika Snow Robinson