Don't act like you guys didn't expect this.....

[Goat Holder]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

[CadaverDawg]

Good post, I agree.

The honeymoon is over from last year. Rea and company had a grace period to continue the freedom if they kept winning and working...they didn't. So now Cohen will probably revert back to the Intense Bastard this week, and I'm pumped about it.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

We have three starters. Lindgren, Mitchell and Fitts. Holder, Bracewell and Gentry first out of the bullpen. Doesn't really matter who you start against Alcorn and Jacksonville State. The offense was expected to be down, but two guys that we were relying heavily on to carry the offense (Rea and Detz) have played terribly. Your offense will not be good if 4 of your best hitters from last year are not contributing.

ETA: I agree with you on Rea, I just think Bracewell is not a starter and should just be used as a bullpen guy.

[dawgclub99]

Yeah you need leaders on your team but Cohen is the ultimate leader. It is his responsibility to make sure that the team is ready. This team just is not as talented as last years team pure and simple. I did not see it coming at all. I figured we would be back at Omaha this year and the way this team is playing, we will be lucky to win a game in a regional.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

I totally agree with everything here.

Considering the injuries, the pitching hasn't been terrible (outside of Woodruff). Offense and leadership are our biggest problems- and yes, it's very clear that this team didn't handle the success well.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Good post, I agree.

The honeymoon is over from last year. Rea and company had a grace period to continue the freedom if they kept winning and working...they didn't. So now Cohen will probably revert back to the Intense Bastard this week, and I'm pumped about it.

No more facial hair starting today. The Intense Bastard is back to his intense self. Which is fine, this team needs it

[UMCDawg16]

No more facial hair starting today.

Is this a speculation or something you know Cohen has told the guys?

[Goat Holder]

I will judge Cohen's job at the end of the season.

I figured we would be back at Omaha this year
That's where you went wrong. I also WANTED to go back to Omaha, but I knew sports well enough to know that it was unlikely. I figured (and posted it several times) that we'd go through a dry spell during the middle of the year and we'd lose hope. But I must say, getting our asses kicked, primarily due to not have a 3rd pitcher, doesn't bode well for our success. But even if we weren't getting our asses kicked by 10 runs, we'd still be getting beat by 4 runs because we can't hit.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Is this a speculation or something you know Cohen has told the guys?

It's not speculation. He told everyone to shave yesterday.

[UMCDawg16]

It's not speculation. He told everyone to shave yesterday.

I like it. Its time to drop the hammer.

[Jacksondevildog]

Agreed. That mojo is long gone and the PowerPoint has been deleted.

[DanDority]

Good post, I agree.

The honeymoon is over from last year. Rea and company had a grace period to continue the freedom if they kept winning and working...they didn't. So now Cohen will probably revert back to the Intense Bastard this week, and I'm pumped about it.

I hope this is the true. I believe it will be.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

I like it. Its time to drop the hammer.

I agree. Some teams can have stay focused without the coach on their ass, like last year's team. And some can't.

[dawgclub99]

I will judge Cohen's job at the end of the season.

That's where you went wrong. I also WANTED to go back to Omaha, but I knew sports well enough to know that it was unlikely. I figured (and posted it several times) that we'd go through a dry spell during the middle of the year and we'd lose hope. But I must say, getting our asses kicked, primarily due to not have a 3rd pitcher, doesn't bode well for our success. But even if we weren't getting our asses kicked by 10 runs, we'd still be getting beat by 4 runs because we can't hit.

So I went wrong by expecting my team that went to the CWS the year before to go back again? This is what is wrong with this fanbase. We expect to be mediocre and are pleasantly surprised when we do well. I refuse to think like that. I expect more from our athletic programs.

[Goat Holder]

So I went wrong by expecting my team that went to the CWS the year before to go back again? This is what is wrong with this fanbase. We expect to be mediocre and are pleasantly surprised when we do well. I refuse to think like that. I expect more from our athletic programs.
I expected this ignorant response, so I am prepared to answer this. Getting to Omaha is tough no matter who you are. Teams get hot/cold, great teams lose at home in their own Supers (Vanderbilt), non-national seeds win the whole thing (UCLA). All you can ask for or expect from your team is to get in a regional. If you have a particularly seasoned team, expect to host a regional. That's really it.

That whole 'woe is us' excuse some of you throw out there is nothing but a deflection. This isn't the Croom Error or Polk II. Who are you to make such expectations? Can you not see reality? Do you realize how much worse our program could be without all the work Cohen and Co. is putting into it? Why do you feel like we're entitled to anything? We've been to 9 CWS in 67 years of the event taking place. So at best what we should EXPECT is going once every 7 years. I'll give you better, once every 5 years.

What you SHOULD be disappointed in, is the way our team showed up not ready to play this weekend when the fans did their part.

[BulldogBear]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

+1. When I finally got to watch the post game interview this was exactly what went through my head. When he said he knew what change needed to be made I wondered if the "loose" thing wasn't working out this year. We'll see but maybe there's fixing to be a more structured and disciplined approach. I hope that's all there is to it but I, like others, suspect some locker room issues lurking under surface as well. But hopefully those lurking issues have a lot to do with the "loose" thing.

[Goat Holder]

Mike Leach said it best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEbEmsGVrco

[MarketingBully01]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

I agree with most of what you put here but don't say I told you so to fans that had high expectations for their team who was a top five pre-season team before the season. Threads like this give credence to our fans thinking some of us rather be right then win. Don't be angry at the fans. Be angry at the players and coaches. They are the ones who have ****ed it up to this point. Of course, our schedule is so easy in the back five we should go on a run regardless and the fans that say we 'finish well' will see that play out yet again this year.

[RougeDawg]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

Bullshit. The hitting and base running has been the same since Cohen arrived. He just had two studs the last two seasons that masked the inherent deficiencies of the remainder of our hitters. It all falls squarely on our coaching staff not teaching the game and mechanics that are needed to excel at this level. Please anyone, someone go back and look at my posts about our shitty swings over the last 3 seasons. Those shitty swings get better by default when you constantly have Frazier on base and a deep ball threat Refroe in the lineup. Now the pitchers fear no one, and aren't scared to live on the corners. Shit they can walk 3 per inning and we most likely won't score. Give a pitcher that mentality and he will eat your lunch every time. All of our hitting and base running woes could easily be fixed by a good fundamentals coach. I constantly scratch my head at the things out coaching staff does and doesn't do during games.

[War Machine Dawg]

I expected this ignorant response, so I am prepared to answer this. Getting to Omaha is tough no matter who you are. Teams get hot/cold, great teams lose at home in their own Supers (Vanderbilt), non-national seeds win the whole thing (UCLA). All you can ask for or expect from your team is to get in a regional. If you have a particularly seasoned team, expect to host a regional. That's really it.

That whole 'woe is us' excuse some of you throw out there is nothing but a deflection. This isn't the Croom Error or Polk II. Who are you to make such expectations? Can you not see reality? Do you realize how much worse our program could be without all the work Cohen and Co. is putting into it? Why do you feel like we're entitled to anything? We've been to 9 CWS in 67 years of the event taking place. So at best what we should EXPECT is going once every 7 years. I'll give you better, once every 5 years.

What you SHOULD be disappointed in, is the way our team showed up not ready to play this weekend when the fans did their part.

Holy shit, I'm agreeing with Goat. Baseball's postseason is the craziest of all. Anything can, and usually does, happen. You can never really "expect" to be in the CWS, although you can believe you have the talent to be there if things go your way. But we should've been a no-brainer to host a regional and be competing for a national seed this season. Instead, I'm worried whether or not we'll actually make the postseason as of right now. Hurry back, Intense Bastard.

[Goat Holder]

I don't care about preseason expectations by a bunch of journalists or what we finished in the postseason last year. All I care about is our regular season in which we finished 40-16 and 16-14. You know, the REAL teller of a program. The grind. The great equalizer. Not some hot flash in the pan, lucky regional, or whatever other variables are out there. Sure the 2013 finish was great for exposure. Adding a 9th Omaha appearance was great, as was the SEC title in 2012. But as far as judging a program, it doesn't mean shit. We are not a Top 5 program now, last year, or the whole time Cohen has been here. I don't expect us to be for another couple of years when our truly elite recruits are upperclassmen.

We finished 16-14 in the SEC last season vs. a hard schedule. I expected 18-12 in the SEC this season to make up for that. That's where we are. We should worry more about being Top 5 in the SEC consistently rather than Top 5 nationally. We do that, then easier roads to Omaha should produce more trips. We appear to be falling short. Is it talent, attitude or both? I tend to think it's more attitude than talent, as evidenced in the regression of some of our better players last year.

[Goat Holder]

Cohen is regarded as one of the best hitting coaches out there. That's where your theory doesn't hold water.

Anybody with a brain can tell losing Frazier and Renfroe hurt, nobody think otherwise. Teams lose players every year. I think where most people are concerned is the regression of some of the returning guys. Ole Miss has the opposite going for them, they lost some key pieces last year (Turner/Mathis/Mistone) but all their other players got better. And guess what? They have the intensity going for them, they aren't complacent due to 2013 national runner up final that doesn't mean shit now.

And if you're going to hate on players that Cohen seemingly did NOT develop, you have to give him credit for the ones that DID. Renfroe, Frazier, Frost hit .302 as a senior, Jarrod Parks (yes he's JUCO but Cohen worked with him after his back injury). Not sure why you think JUCO guys don't count anyway (that might be Will James). I mean, just because you post it doesn't make it true.

I will agree base running blunders have been a staple of the Cohen Era. Can't debate that one.

[Bubb Rubb]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

You make some good points, but I take issues with two items. First of all, you're letting Cohen off the hook too much. You can't say it's all on the players when we have guys make the same mistakes every year....different players, same coach. Secondly, you brought up Russ Snead specifically about "not giving a shit" and that split second of stupidity almost trumps everything rational that you brought up. You don't know what you're talking about there.

Cohen is my guy....and we will be fine. We have too many fans who overreact to one game or one series. I think that was your overall point, and I can agree with that.

[BankerDog]

Can confirm the beards are gone. Fitts' is gone. The Intense Bastard is back and I'm excited.

[MarketingBully01]

When you have been beaten the last two Sundays by a combined score of 29-6 in baseball, nothing our fans are doing would be overreacting from my point of view. We have some major issues. Cohen understands it and will fix them. We have a very forgiving schedule the rest of the way which should help tremendously with the changes we will make. We absolutely have to take 2 of 3 from Missouri this weekend. I would love a sweep but with our third pitcher woes so unsettled who knows what will happen the rest of the SEC Sundays this season.

[I seen it dawg]

Who the hell is posting under Goats handle? I hope Cohen goes batshit crazy over the top spit in their face intense. Fn assholes need it thinking they are too cool. **** em. Beat their ass into submission and show who runs the damn show. Kudos to Cohen for giving them some rope but they hung themselves. Start jerking that knot in the ass.

[shoeless joe]

Any of you that have every played a lick of baseball should have seen this coming. It takes a few years to develop a program that has ice in its veins all the time. Our guys were new to success. You really thought they'd deal with Omaha in a GOOD way? Of course they are cocky and lazy. Wes Rea is the worst of all of them. His lard ass should be dropping bombs, instead he thinks he's cool when he hits a foul ball in the bleachers.

Bottom line, Cohen gave them some freedom last year. He had some good leaders. Probably tried to do the same this year and it hasn't worked out. I have a feeling some of these so called leaders are about to get some knots yanked in their chains. Our supposed 'leaders' are Bracewell and Rea, and they just aren't getting it done.

It's all good, Cohen did what I would have done. They deserved a little leverage, and they won just enough to not jump off the ship. That time is gone, and Cohen knows it. The hitting is just crappy with no focus. Base-running is terrible too, and that shit in on the players. Cohen takes the blame, yes, but it's the players fault. Look like a bunch of Russ Sneeds and Jet Butlers out there who don't give a f*ck. They wanted to be cool in front of the big crowds, and Ole Miss shoved it us their asses.

Good thing is, there's time to change the trajectory. Not sure who's going to be the ones to do it, but I'm sure it'll happen. The beards will likely be gone tomorrow. Me personally, I think the pitching is fine outside the injuries. Losing 4 arms would hurt anyone and we don't have a 3rd starter. But the hitters have no excuses. They've all seemed to regress.

Couldn't agree more.

We were over hyped from the beginning. Some saw it before we ever played a game...most didn't. Guys that have never been consistent in certain situations don't magically make that jump. Some guys never make it. We still have potential to do well but anything past a regional birth with this team will be gravy. And this is not a reactionary post to this past weekend, have had the same stance all year. Potential doesn't win games...consistent execution does.

And for the love of God please don't compare any of our current players to russ Snead. Even with our recent play they don't deserve to be drug thru the mud like that.

[Todd4State]

All of this is part of the process to building a champion. We are at the point where our players have to learn how to deal with success and the fact that our rivals are now going to give us their best shot. They have to learn how to match that intensity. They also have to learn how to deal with people patting them on the back.

I know the Cardinals in 2007 went through something similar after they won the World Series in 2006. They ended up with a losing season in 2007. Alabama has had to deal with this in football- Nick Saban has talked about before in interviews.

The good news is I think they learned a lesson this past weekend. I think Cohen learned one as well. It's up to the team to respond and decide whether they are going to play well and finish strong or if they are going to puss out like 2010.

[Goat Holder]

We are at the point where our players have to learn how to deal with success

Agreed. We've never really done this much in our history, even in baseball, save a spurt here or there. We've always played best as underdogs. I figured Cohen would fight this battle at some point, and when I saw all the stuff last year (beards, Bench Mobb, necklaces, jerseys with no undershirts unbuttoned halfway down), I knew it would be sooner rather than later. Then when the team showed up with mop-heads for programm pictures, I knew it would be THIS year.

[Todd4State]

Agreed. We've never really done this much in our history, even in baseball, save a spurt here or there. We've always played best as underdogs. I figured Cohen would fight this battle at some point, and when I saw all the stuff last year (beards, Bench Mobb, necklaces, jerseys with no undershirts unbuttoned halfway down), I knew it would be sooner rather than later. Then when the team showed up with mop-heads for programm pictures, I knew it would be THIS year.

I would have told them this:

1. The run we had last year was nice. But it's not about finishing in second place. Second place in my opinion is not good enough.

2. I would have alerted them to the fact that Ole Miss, LSU, and anyone else is going to play their ass off against us. And to make our players focus a little bit more I would have told them that those teams thought that our run was a fluke.

3. The beards can stay as long as they do what they are supposed to do. If not, they are gone. I think Cohen agrees with me on that apparently.

[BulldogBear]

Couldn't agree more.

We were over hyped from the beginning. Some saw it before we ever played a game...most didn't. Guys that have never been consistent in certain situations don't magically make that jump. Some guys never make it. We still have potential to do well but anything past a regional birth with this team will be gravy. And this is not a reactionary post to this past weekend, have had the same stance all year. Potential doesn't win games...consistent execution does.

And for the love of God please don't compare any of our current players to russ Snead. Even with our recent play they don't deserve to be drug thru the mud like that.


Can't say that I did. But with that said, when we dropped two to Holy Cross something started gnawing at the back of my mind that this didn't click. I kind of ignored it when we won a few SEC games or rather pushed back down into the recesses of my mind. But it was always there. This year's squad still has POTENTIAL for a nice year but cannot be compared to last year's. So, I can understand the enthusiasm going into this year would obviously lead to lots of optimism, but all the momentum dies with losses to Holy Cross and Memphis. That's when we should've known, so to speak. I'm still optimistic but for the most part consistent bad losses are a bad sign, regardless of the fact that upsets happen.

[jimbo352]

I didn't expect another NC run... Hell, I didn't even expect this team to be better than last season record wise... I did expect this team to be in the hosting discussion, and that's NEVER too much to ask... Cohen has been here long enough to avoid this much of a drop off. If the players being complacent is the the problem, how in the **** didn't he spot that in preseason...? That's nothing more than an excuse IMO. It shouldn't take this long to shake off the rust and get your ass back to work.

[Jacksondevildog]

I don't think Cohen expected Rea and Detz to hit as poorly as they have. CT has been hurt, we lost Cox, Paul Young, Brown and Shelly to arm injuries. We lost Woodruff to a mental injury. The Canadians are not very good. Henderson has played well, but hasn't played that much lately for no good reason. We are horrid behind the plate. There is NO excuse for that. We should never have a season where we are as bad defensively behind the plate as we are this year. Besides the hitting, the catcher position is my biggest gripe. Collins is the best option, but he has a ways to go.

[RougeDawg]

Cohen is regarded as one of the best hitting coaches out there. That's where your theory doesn't hold water.

Anybody with a brain can tell losing Frazier and Renfroe hurt, nobody think otherwise. Teams lose players every year. I think where most people are concerned is the regression of some of the returning guys. Ole Miss has the opposite going for them, they lost some key pieces last year (Turner/Mathis/Mistone) but all their other players got better. And guess what? They have the intensity going for them, they aren't complacent due to 2013 national runner up final that doesn't mean shit now.

And if you're going to hate on players that Cohen seemingly did NOT develop, you have to give him credit for the ones that DID. Renfroe, Frazier, Frost hit .302 as a senior, Jarrod Parks (yes he's JUCO but Cohen worked with him after his back injury). Not sure why you think JUCO guys don't count anyway (that might be Will James). I mean, just because you post it doesn't make it true.

I will agree base running blunders have been a staple of the Cohen Era. Can't debate that one.

Who is regarding him as one of the best hitting coaches out there? This is complete bullshit. Would one of the better hitting coaches around have a team full of hitters with shitty swings, mechanics, and in hand approaches at the plate and on the bases? Somethinf doesn't add up in your equation. So tell me which it is? And tell me why the shitty swings look the same from year to year? Wouldn't a great hitting coach make adjustments to these swings an teach proper mechanics? It's fairly simple to see, even for those of you with 0.00000 baseball knowledge. One simple thing to see is how We swing aroud our body an the hitting zone. That's horrible. The swing is supposed to push through the zone out in front of the plate and then up over shoulder. Wes Rea wouldn't look like a fool on all those off speed pitches away if he has this type of swing. There's a reason pitchers are going soft away to him. It's his swing but put great hittin coach somehow continues to allow it. Some of you would believe water is dry, if enough people said the same thing.

[SignalToNoise]

Who is regarding him as one of the best hitting coaches out there?

Been wondering that myself.

[bulldogcountry1]

No more facial hair starting today. The Intense Bastard is back to his intense self. Which is fine, this team needs it

I was hoping the Intense Bastard would show up after the LSU series.

[Goat Holder]

Who is regarding him as one of the best hitting coaches out there? This is complete bullshit. Would one of the better hitting coaches around have a team full of hitters with shitty swings, mechanics, and in hand approaches at the plate and on the bases? Somethinf doesn't add up in your equation. So tell me which it is? And tell me why the shitty swings look the same from year to year? Wouldn't a great hitting coach make adjustments to these swings an teach proper mechanics? It's fairly simple to see, even for those of you with 0.00000 baseball knowledge. One simple thing to see is how We swing aroud our body an the hitting zone. That's horrible. The swing is supposed to push through the zone out in front of the plate and then up over shoulder. Wes Rea wouldn't look like a fool on all those off speed pitches away if he has this type of swing. There's a reason pitchers are going soft away to him. It's his swing but put great hittin coach somehow continues to allow it. Some of you would believe water is dry, if enough people said the same thing.

From Hailstate.com:

At each coaching stop in his career, MSU?s skipper has had an adaptability factor like no other. At smaller ballparks where offense was critical to each teams? success, Cohen excelled. In his time at each campus, the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native broke the single-season school runs record at Northwestern State (1999), Florida (2002) and Kentucky (2006 and 2008).

As the hitting coach at Missouri in 1996, the Tigers broke the school record for hits (659) and doubles (144). In the same position at Florida in 2002, the Gators led the country in hits (825) and ranked second nationally in average (.346), runs per game (9.74) and home runs per game (1.71). Cohen?s hitters also set or tied 41 total offensive school records (20 team/21 individual).

From Kentucky's site:

Cohen comes to UK from Florida, where he served a record-setting term the last two years as hitting coach for the Gators.

In 2002, Cohen's offense led the Southeastern Conference in nine team offensive categories, while leading the nation in hits (825) and ranking second nationally in three other categories: batting average (.346), runs per game (9.74) and home runs per game (1.71). The Gators also set or tied a total of 41 offensive school records (20 team/21 individual) as Florida completed its most successful season since 1998 (46-19) and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The 2002 Gators made major offensive improvement as they shattered the school batting average record by .14 points (.346-.332) and hit 62 more homers in 2002 (111) than in 2001 (49). Consensus All-Americans Mark Kiger and Pat Osborn each batted over .400 and scored more than 100 runs, while five Gator players hit 10 or more homers. Osborn also won the SEC batting title and became the fourth league batting champion that Cohen has helped coach.

In the 2003 season, Florida paced the SEC in five offensive categories, including runs per game (8.78) and batting average (.320). Two Gators finished in the top five in the SEC in batting average for the second consecutive year. Brian Rose earned third-team All-America honors while batting .357 with 16 homers and 59 RBI and a slugging percentage of .681. The Gators went 37-21-1, including another trip to the NCAA Tournament.


You were saying?

[SignalToNoise]

I bet our Athletics site said great things about Croom, too.

[Goat Holder]

Pretty pathetic attempt to discredit my post. I'm sure they did say positive things about Croom. But what I quoted was facts and achievements that any program would view as impressive, not just MSU.

[SignalToNoise]

Pretty pathetic attempt to discredit my post. I'm sure they did say positive things about Croom. But what I quoted was facts and achievements that any program would view as impressive, not just MSU.

That's great. I wish he'd accomplish those things at State, too.

[smootness]

That's great. I wish he'd accomplish those things at State, too.

Yeah, seriously. Cohen hasn't achieved a thing since he's been at State.