AUSTIN - Ask Augie Garrido a serious question, and you are liable to get a joke in response. Often, the gloomier the query is, the more whimsical the answer will be.

Last weekend, after his Texas baseball team suffered its 16th defeat in 23 games, the Longhorns' silver-haired, leather-skinned coach was asked if all of the losing has worn on him.

"Yeah," Garrido said. "I'm only 26, and I look like crap."

Even if Garrido's sense of humor endures at UT, it remains unclear if he will. At 76 - his actual age, whether he cops to it or not - he has won five national championships and more games than any other coach in college baseball history. But he also has a boss who has proved he cares more about what his employees have done lately.

And lately, things haven't been good. Barring an unlikely run from the bottom of the bracket to a Big 12 tournament championship later this month, Garrido's Longhorns will be shut out of the NCAA's postseason field of 64 for the third time in four years.

By that standard, his program is in worse shape than Mack Brown's was when the longtime football coach was forced out 11/2 years ago. It has been less productive than Rick Barnes' had been when he was fired as basketball coach this spring. And even though baseball holds a lower profile than those sports, people are noticing.

No plans to resign

Last week, the local newspaper ran a column calling for Garrido's resignation. Asked if he read it, he shook his head but couldn't quite muster a joke.

"I heard it was bad," he said.

Garrido won't quit voluntarily. After leading Texas to last summer's College World Series, where the Longhorns fell just one inning short of the championship round, he fought hard for a contract extension, which athletic director Steve Patterson gave him. But even though his $1-million-per-year deal runs through 2017, the school would owe him only $600,000 if he is fired.

In only 18 months on the job, Patterson already has exercised similar buyout clauses on Brown and Barnes, who both had fervently expressed their desire to stay.

Writing is on the wall

And as Garrido stood beside the home dugout at Disch-Falk Field vowing to restore pride to a program he once resurrected and then let slip, it was difficult not to hear the echoes of Brown and Barnes in his voice.

"I know what's happened," Garrido said. "I'm not confused by it. I know how to fix it."

For the fix to be effective, Garrido said, the real work needs to be done in the fall, and he intends to be around to complete it. He said his team's biggest problem was that it took too much for granted after making some progress, and if UT fans didn't believe in déjà vu before Garrido said that, they probably do now.

If Garrido has any hope of returning, it is largely financial. UT doesn't depend on the baseball program to generate much revenue, so it is not like the team's struggles have made an impact on donations.

And considering the way Patterson watches his department's bottom line, he might not want to pay a third buyout, even if he could save a bit on the salary of Garrido's potential replacement.

So maybe this story of an embattled coach will end differently. Maybe Garrido will get the extra slack Brown and Barnes didn't, and he will be back for a 20th season at UT.

Or maybe he would be better off wishing he looked 26 again.