our old buddy Steve Gendron has been quiet since making an idiot

[Coach34]

out of himself last year...

[Todd4State]

At this point, I think even the most loyal Polk loyalists are seeing that we made the right decision.

[msstate7]

At this point, I think even the most loyal Polk loyalists are seeing that we made the right decision.

If not, they have an agenda.

[Homedawg]

Polk still goes into a tangent about Cohen. He can't get over it. At the time it was Byrne. But really, it's Cohen. He doesn't like him, his style or one thing about him. He does think he will win because we will recruit well enough. But, he also says if we lose butch- or when we lose butch we will fall flat. It's sad really.

[FFF]

Polk still goes into a tangent about Cohen. He can't get over it. At the time it was Byrne. But really, it's Cohen. He doesn't like him, his style or one thing about him. He does think he will win because we will recruit well enough. But, he also says if we lose butch- or when we lose butch we will fall flat. It's sad really.

We better break the bank to keep Thompson... and do everything we can to keep him happy here. He's more important to this staff that Cohen. The good news is, I think Cohen realizes that. Thompson handles everything to do with pitching, and Cohen really doesn't stomp on his toes about it. It also helps that they are buddies.

[Todd4State]

Polk still goes into a tangent about Cohen. He can't get over it. At the time it was Byrne. But really, it's Cohen. He doesn't like him, his style or one thing about him. He does think he will win because we will recruit well enough. But, he also says if we lose butch- or when we lose butch we will fall flat. It's sad really.

And this is why we won't bring Ron Polk back even to watch a practice. I'm glad he's on Butch's side though.

[Coach34]

Polk still goes into a tangent about Cohen. He can't get over it. At the time it was Byrne. But really, it's Cohen. He doesn't like him, his style or one thing about him. He does think he will win because we will recruit well enough. But, he also says if we lose butch- or when we lose butch we will fall flat. It's sad really.

This is correct and sad. Polk even gets mad at former players for being friends with Cohen.

It's sad to see Polk's pettiness over the situation- especially since Cohen played for him also. Polk acts like we went against his wishes and hired an outsider. It's crazy

[FFF]

And this is why we won't bring Ron Polk back even to watch a practice. I'm glad he's on Butch's side though.

I hated the whole ordeal with Polk, but I think most State fans saw through his childish tirade. He was most upset we "stood him up" by choosing Cohen (a guy he really didn't like) over Raffo. Recruiting and coaching would have been marginally better, at best, with Raffo and Cohen was the proven winner. He may be abrasive and aggressive, but when resume's were stacked up side by side, it was a no brainer.

Also, the change of culture was needed, too. The old "that's baseball" mantra was old and it resulted in apathetic playing. I don't think Cohen expects to win every game, but we better take the field and play like we are the team that wants to win more.

[Todd4State]

I hated the whole ordeal with Polk, but I think most State fans saw through his childish tirade. He was most upset we "stood him up" by choosing Cohen (a guy he really didn't like) over Raffo. Recruiting and coaching would have been marginally better, at best, with Raffo and Cohen was the proven winner. He may be abrasive and aggressive, but when resume's were stacked up side by side, it was a no brainer.

Also, the change of culture was needed, too. The old "that's baseball" mantra was old and it resulted in apathetic playing. I don't think Cohen expects to win every game, but we better take the field and play like we are the team that wants to win more.

Correct again and totally agree that the change in culture was needed. Polk didn't like Cohen as a player- meaning his style. I heard a story that when he told Polk that he was going into coaching, Polk pretty much laughed at him behind his back and said there was no way he was going to succeed.

As an aside- I was at one time a Ron Polk theorist. I believed in "that's baseball", and it was more about luck and that sort of thing. And then I went on a road trip with my uncle who taught me how they thought in the Big Leagues, and it really changed my view. I'll never forget this- I was talking about how it was bad luck that the Cardinals lost the 1985 World Series (Don Denkinger blown call) and he immediately goes- "You make your own luck." He came up through the 70's Royals and the Cardinals, which are both aggressive type baseball mentality organizations- and it was just very different than what I was exposed to.

For a long time, I thought the main reason we didn't have a National Championship was because of "bad luck". But the more I thought about it, I realized that it was really more about our attitude and that we didn't really build our team to win a National Championship.

I wish we had looked at LSU, how they were winning at the time, and imitated it, but at the same time keep the good fundamentals that were a hallmark of MSU baseball in the 80's and early 90's. We should have built a team with strong pitching and juiced up our hitters (for a lack of a better term), and then added the win at all costs mentality that LSU had under Bertman.

[BogeyGolfer]

Also, the change of culture was needed, too. The old "that's baseball" mantra was old and it resulted in apathetic playing. I don't think Cohen expects to win every game, but we better take the field and play like we are the team that wants to win more.

I agree 100%, Cohen was outstanding hire, and a culture change was needed, Byrne really cleaned house and pissed several good ole boys off, but many have returned because they realized that they weren't bigger than the University.

[FFF]

I wish we had looked at LSU, how they were winning at the time, and imitated it, but at the same time keep the good fundamentals that were a hallmark of MSU baseball in the 80's and early 90's. We should have built a team with strong pitching and juiced up our hitters (for a lack of a better term), and then added the win at all costs mentality that LSU had under Bertman.

Speaking of LSU, when we were looking to hire Polk II, word on the street is Paul Manieri not simply wanted our job, but REALLY wanted our job. He had a lot of respect for Polk and the program he built here. Although he and Cohen's style's are polar opposites, he was a proven winner, even at the time, and an excellent recruiter. I think we'd be Vandy and LSU elite right now if we had hired him over Polk II. However, at the time, I can't necessarily blame LT for looking at Polk again, but I wasn't a fan of hiring him back. That also echo's Bogey's "good ol' boy" comment, as well. Hindsight is 20/20, but damn... think about where we might be if we had picked up Manieri.

[Coach34]

Polk II set us back 10 years- from 2002 until 2012's SEC Tourney title

[Todd4State]

Speaking of LSU, when we were looking to hire Polk II, word on the street is Paul Manieri not simply wanted our job, but REALLY wanted our job. He had a lot of respect for Polk and the program he built here. Although he and Cohen's style's are polar opposites, he was a proven winner, even at the time, and an excellent recruiter. I think we'd be Vandy and LSU elite right now if we had hired him over Polk II. However, at the time, I can't necessarily blame LT for looking at Polk again, but I wasn't a fan of hiring him back. That also echo's Bogey's "good ol' boy" comment, as well. Hindsight is 20/20, but damn... think about where we might be if we had picked up Manieri.

I met Paul Manieri when he was the coach at Notre Dame when we played them in the 2000 regional. He told me to my face that he loved our program. I was in the stands and he was talking to our fans before the game, and I think he was politicing for the job. He got my vote at the time.

I can understand LT consulting Polk, but he definitely make the "easy" decision instead of the "best" decision. I agree- we probably would be up there with Vandy and LSU with him. I do think that LSU would have taken Manieri from us because of his family ties to Louisiana, but we would have simply gotten Cohen at that point in all likelihood.

[Drugdog]

Screw Polk. He QUIT on us twice. Has coached against us! His name needs to be taken off the stadium. If anybody is confused on how I feel let me know.

[FFF]

I met Paul Manieri when he was the coach at Notre Dame when we played them in the 2000 regional. He told me to my face that he loved our program. I was in the stands and he was talking to our fans before the game, and I think he was politicing for the job. He got my vote at the time.

I can understand LT consulting Polk, but he definitely make the "easy" decision instead of the "best" decision. I agree- we probably would be up there with Vandy and LSU with him. I do think that LSU would have taken Manieri from us because of his family ties to Louisiana, but we would have simply gotten Cohen at that point in all likelihood.

LT always went with the "easy" decisions. We can all thank Doc for getting rid of what was holding our athletic department back. Polk essentially came here and retired early his second time here. That's what pisses me off about him... was his sense of entitlement and he was the god of baseball. His ego helped him get where he was, but it also was his downfall. I don't think we should take his name off the stadium because of what he DID do for us, but I think he burned a bridge here with a lot of people (me included). He showed us his true colors with his crusade against the NCAA, then the tirade he threw when Cohen was hired.

Coach is right, though... his second tenure here set us back tremendously. He didn't compete, he didn't set any fire in our teams to win, and he thought he was the end-all, be-all to college baseball. The guy did a lot for our university, but it was a relationship many people were ready to see end.

Also, UAB has yet to finish better than 6th (they have finished dead last in the league twice) in CUSA since Polk arrived as a volunteer coach. The game completely left Polk behind, all the while, he pretends it hasn't.

[Coach34]

The game completely left Polk behind, all the while, he pretends it hasn't.

The game hasnt left Polk behind- recruiting has. And that happened a long time ago

[FFF]

The game hasnt left Polk behind- recruiting has. And that happened a long time ago

It's all part of the game.

[Coach34]

It's all part of the game.

Oh I know-but the actual game itself Polk is still viable. But he stopped recruiting in about 2004- and that is the lifeblood of your program. The man literally stopped leaving campus to recruit the last couple of years. Inexcusable

[War Machine Dawg]

The game hasnt left Polk behind- recruiting has. And that happened a long time ago

Bingo. Polk doesn't have the ruthlessness required for the current recruiting environment.

[State82]

The game hasnt left Polk behind- recruiting has. And that happened a long time ago

You nailed it Coach. The game is what it is, but the recruiting game has changed drastically from what it was 30 years ago. Just like it has changed in football. That was Polk's demise, not the game itself.

[Todd4State]

Oh I know-but the actual game itself Polk is still viable. But he stopped recruiting in about 2004- and that is the lifeblood of your program. The man literally stopped leaving campus to recruit the last couple of years. Inexcusable

The thing that upsets me about that aspect of Polk was I think he knew what he needed to do- heck, I think Raffo probably told him- but Polk REFUSED to do it.

Hell, it's not like Polk had to even go off campus- just send Raffo or McNickle.

I think we stopped recruiting before 2004, but we got lucky that guys like Moreland, Rea, Easley, were big MSU guys and were deemed worthy by Polk. Of course, that didn't offset not getting Head, Pettway, the Henry brothers, Louis Coleman, etc. that could have really kept us an elite team. Polk lived off of Pat McMahon's recruits for about three years- he inherited Paul Maholm and Jonathan Papelbon as well as Craig Tatum. That's three big leaguers right there- and Thomas Berkery was a very good college player.

[War Machine Dawg]

Todd, you can't not mention Logan Power in that group of players we didn't get. Polk letting a legacy who's brother played for us go to UM was the worst ever.

[Ronny]

...if Steve Gendron was one of Polk's young children who was too nervous to play in front of our large crowds.

Polk lost me with this crack about the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble making our young kids nervous.

Somebody in this thread has said Polk's name should be taken off the stadium.

I agree, because Polk openly admitted the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble was a detriment to his teams winning games.

Also, Polk left MSU & went to UGA where his request was fulfilled: At Georgia, his young kids got to play in front of 2,500 fans.

Which begs the question why Polk left UGA & it's tiny baseball fanbase & returned to MSU where he knew he would be confronted with games with 10,000 in attendance instead of 2,500.

The bottom line is Ron Polk made a spectacle of himself & started a bunch of shitstorms that could have been avoided.

As they would say on genespage, he showed a lack of class.

[FFF]

...if Steve Gendron was one of Polk's young children who was too nervous to play in front of our large crowds.

Polk lost me with this crack about the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble making our young kids nervous.

Somebody in this thread has said Polk's name should be taken off the stadium.

I agree, because Polk openly admitted the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble was a detriment to his teams winning games.

Also, Polk left MSU & went to UGA where his request was fulfilled: At Georgia, his young kids got to play in front of 2,500 fans.

Which begs the question why Polk left UGA & it's tiny baseball fanbase & returned to MSU where he knew he would be confronted with games with 10,000 in attendance instead of 2,500.

The bottom line is Ron Polk made a spectacle of himself & started a bunch of shitstorms that could have been avoided.

As they would say on genespage, he showed a lack of class.

There ain't a damn difference between playing in front of 1,000 and 10,000 people. Anyone who has ever been in front of any sizable crowd will tell you the same thing. It was a cop out excuse for playing bad, plain and simple.

[Todd4State]

...if Steve Gendron was one of Polk's young children who was too nervous to play in front of our large crowds.

Polk lost me with this crack about the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble making our young kids nervous.

Somebody in this thread has said Polk's name should be taken off the stadium.

I agree, because Polk openly admitted the large crowds @ Dudy-Noble was a detriment to his teams winning games.

Also, Polk left MSU & went to UGA where his request was fulfilled: At Georgia, his young kids got to play in front of 2,500 fans.

Which begs the question why Polk left UGA & it's tiny baseball fanbase & returned to MSU where he knew he would be confronted with games with 10,000 in attendance instead of 2,500.

The bottom line is Ron Polk made a spectacle of himself & started a bunch of shitstorms that could have been avoided.

As they would say on genespage, he showed a lack of class.

Polk saying that was possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard in baseball. Good point about Georgia- and he also left their Hope Scholarship program behind as well.

[Todd4State]

Todd, you can't not mention Logan Power in that group of players we didn't get. Polk letting a legacy who's brother played for us go to UM was the worst ever.

And had a sister that was a Diamond Girl AND was Miss Mississippi or something like that.

[engie]

Guys, Logan's path was cemented in the relationship McDonnell built with Head and Smitty.

Trust me -- Dan McDonnell cemented a recruiting pipeline to HC in 01 and 02 that was unbreakable -- and he did it by being a relentless scout and recruiter. Nevermind how much better he was in his interpersonal relationships with families. McDonnell prob made 10-15 HC games every year from 01 till the talent pool went dry. Polk came to one at Starkville Academy in 01 and Raffo was never seen at all. THAT was why I was against Raffo from the beginning.