Hill08 said:
Our former coach is massively overrated
What's become obvious in the aftermath of his leaving is that he is not, and apparently never has been (according to Boomer White), a player's coach. He never will be. It's just not part of his makeup. That may be why he was able to so casually toss aside all those relationships with his players as he pursued his own personal goals. In the absence of any strong personal ties with his players, Schloss relies on his experience and his knowledge of the game, which will win him a lot of games. He's great coach just based on that. But in my opinion, when put up against a team that matches up in every other way, the coach who is fully invested in his players is the one who will come out on top.
Something that Jace LaViolette said in his interview appeared to provide some insight on the relationship between coaches and players on this year's team. In defense of Earley's lack of head coaching experience, he said (I'm paraphrasing here) "Sometimes you can get head coaching experience without actually being the head coach", which I interpreted as an indication that it was Earley who the players turned to for that personal connection to push them over the top.
In the end, A&M lost a coach with a great baseball mind, and gained a coach with not only a great baseball mind but a great baseball heart.