Signing Day Baseball

[Tough Dawg]

So are we signing every top baseball player in MS today? I saw where we'd have 18 kids signing today. I think that's right. Who's the top kid in this class?

Kudos to Cohen and his staff for killing it again this year.

[Jacksondevildog]

Top kid in the class from Mississippi is probably Austin Riley at DeSoto Central. The top player we have signing today is Greg Pickett from Colorado. This class is absolutely loaded with a lot of talent.

[engie]

Bout 8 of the top 10 in MS in this class, I believe...

Pickett is arguably the best power hitter in this class nationwide.
Riley is elite all around and the best player in Mississippi.
We got the #1 and #2 LHPs in Tennessee.
The #1 overall player in Arkansas.
One of the 5 best catchers in this class.
One of the 5 best RHPs in Texas.

It's not about signing day in baseball. Practically this whole class is MLB risks on some levels... and most of the ones listed above are significant draft risks...

[Tough Dawg]

Take the MLB draft aside it's still amazing/awesome that Cohen is doing this.

Did you all hear some of Polk's stipulations for coming to Sville for the '85 reunion?

[Jacksondevildog]

What were his stipulations? Ridiculous that he would even have any.

[AlSwearengen]

Bout 8 of the top 10 in MS in this class, I believe...

Pickett is arguably the best power hitter in this class nationwide.
Riley is elite all around and the best player in Mississippi.
We got the #1 and #2 LHPs in Tennessee.
The #1 overall player in Arkansas.
One of the 5 best catchers in this class.
One of the 5 best RHPs in Texas.

It's not about signing day in baseball. Practically this whole class is MLB risks on some levels... and most of the ones listed above are significant draft risks...


As has been talked about, this is like the lottery. The more tickets you buy, the better your chances of getting lucky and winning. It is better than letting Pickett sign with LSU and all of a sudden the team that drafts him pisses off his family and he ends up at LSU. I've been hoping for this approach for years.

[MsStateBaseball]

Whoever comes to campus, we will be a much better team for it. Plug holes with JC guys. We are excellent JC recruiters.

[Tough Dawg]

In the beginning he refused to come at all. To my knowledge Strick then informed him he would not be recognized at all during the halftime deal. So Polk agreed to just come for Saturday's halftime recognition. This is where the stipulations begin. He requested that he have a room/area to himself before halftime, so he would not have to talk to anybody. Then he would be able to leave immediately after the halftime recognition was over.

All the guys not on the '85 time did not have a chance to see him. Laughable to me. Good riddance.

[Jacksondevildog]

If that is true, that shows how deep his resentment is to our current administration and how he truly doesn't love Mississippi State like everyone says. He is not larger than the program and if this is true, it shows that he believes that he is. Hell, Jackie was fired and we went on probation under his watch and we still recognize him and he still loves MSU and is on campus regularly and is embraced by the school when he does.

[BeardoMSU]

If that is true, that shows how deep his resentment is to our current administration and how he truly doesn't love Mississippi State like everyone says. He is not larger than the program and if this is true, it shows that he believes that he is. Hell, Jackie was fired and we went on probation under his watch and we still recognize him and he still loves MSU and is on campus regularly and is embraced by the school when he does.

Exactly. If Polk wants to be a diva with this shit, I'd just tell him to screw; not worth the trouble. Also, I think it sets a bad precedent for a university to kowtow to someone who isn't giving anything positive back.

[countrydawg23]

I heard something similar regarding Polk. He made it clear he did not want to be near Cohen at all. But I did hear that he ended up staying a lot longer than expected after the game catching up with former players.

[Tough Dawg]

He's still bitter. No doubt about that. Hates Cohen. Wants nothing to do with the program as it currently stands. I think he's heard some of the rumblings of our fans about the way he's acted/still acting and that fuels his bitter fire as well. Probably has the feeling we are unappreciative of what he did here.

I do think some of his former players have turned the corner and are starting to buy in to Cohen. Such as Gendron and Maniscaclo. Not sure if we are getting any of the guys from the baseball academies yet.

[Political Hack]

people can still love the university while not liking the administration. it's like saying people aren't good Americans because they don't want to hang out at the White House with Obama. He showed up in maroon.

[maroonmania]

In the beginning he refused to come at all. To my knowledge Strick then informed him he would not be recognized at all during the halftime deal. So Polk agreed to just come for Saturday's halftime recognition. This is where the stipulations begin. He requested that he have a room/area to himself before halftime, so he would not have to talk to anybody. Then he would be able to leave immediately after the halftime recognition was over.

All the guys not on the '85 time did not have a chance to see him. Laughable to me. Good riddance.

I'm not surprised by any of that. All coaches have egos I know, but Polk's ego seems to control almost everything about him. Due to that its sad that I've lost nearly all respect and admiration for a coach who did so much for our baseball program and university as a whole during his tenure.

[Tough Dawg]

While I agree, but he needs to let this go in the worst kind of way. It's making him look awful.

[Jacksondevildog]

I understand why you would say that about the administration, but we have a large percentage of our fan base that never gets on message boards and probably do not understand how Polk acted when he "resigned". These are still the same people that think that Ole Miss' baseball program isn't any good and that Dudy Noble is the nicest facility in America. They live in 1985 and still wear the old MSU trucker hat from 1987 with the '85 Omaha pin stuck on it. I would put the offer out there for him to come, and if he said that he wanted "stipulations", I would tell him that we would see him at his funeral.

[/I]
people can still love the university while not liking the administration. it's like saying people aren't good Americans because they don't want to hang out at the White House with Obama. He showed up in maroon.

[engie]

people can still love the university while not liking the administration. it's like saying people aren't good Americans because they don't want to hang out at the White House with Obama. He showed up in maroon.

All of that is fine... but he did harm in the way he left that set us back at least 5 years as a program to go along with the decade he set us back in his second tenure. He sabotaged Cohen every step of the way. The fact that Cohen has publicly shown all of the love and respect to him just makes it worse and worse. He's used up his goodwill at MSU and then some.

Either he comes around and gets on board in the next couple of years -- or his name shouldn't be on the new stadium. Give him a statue and a plaque along with the other ones we're going to have in the new entryway -- and let that be it. He wants nothing to do with it -- let him have it.

[Political Hack]

All of that is fine... but he did harm in the way he left that set us back at least 5 years as a program to go along with the decade he set us back in his second tenure. He sabotaged Cohen every step of the way. The fact that Cohen has publicly shown all of the love and respect to him just makes it worse and worse. He's used up his goodwill at MSU and then some.

Either he comes around and gets on board in the next couple of years -- or his name shouldn't be on the new stadium. Give him a statue and a plaque along with the other ones we're going to have in the new entryway -- and let that be it. He wants nothing to do with it -- let him have it.

I can agree with that, but I just don't think anyone should ever expect him to play nice with this administration. He could do a better job of separating his shots to where they don't hurt the administration and the fans.

[bulldogcountry1]

If it's true that he acted like that, we need to not include his name on the new stadium and be done with him. I was wondering why nobody mentioned him being at the reunion party. For what it's worth, we need to give him an ultimatum to at least be cordial or he's going to lose his name on the stadium. At this point, he needs us more than we need him, unless he's got 40 MIL in the bank.

I can also imagine that having guys like Gendron (who were publically supportive of Polk and opposed to Cohen) involded now really bother Polk.

[engie]

I can agree with that, but I just don't think anyone should ever expect him to play nice with this administration. He could do a better job of separating his shots to where they don't hurt the administration and the fans.

What administration is he actually upset at? When he left -- it was allegedly all about Greg Byrne. Greg Byrne that was the responsibility of Foglesong, not Keenum. He's at Arizona now and Foglesong is gone. Scott Stricklin is not Greg Byrne and Keenum is not Foglesong. So, Polk has actually now been pissed off through 2 administrations -- which leads us back to the inconvenient truth...

It's not the administrations that he's pissed at. He's using them as a public scapegoat to avoid the truth. He hates John Cohen. Hates the way he recruits and the way he exploits the "rules" that limit MSU to the greatest extent possible. Polk feels he should play the victim like he did, and Cohen simply refuses to do that. Opposite personalities. And at this point, Polk probably realizes that Cohen is going to take us further than he ever did -- in a far more competitive overall era -- and has taken his ball and gone home.

It's unfortunate, and I wish it was different. But given everything that's transpired, I simply can't see it changing.

[Jacksondevildog]

Absolutely spot on post. Instead of bitching about NCAA baseball scholarship limitations, Cohen has embraced the situation and dealt with it accordingly. Cohen tends to oversign and let the chips fall where they may. Many people don't like this approach, but I like winning a hell of a lot more. Polk would guarantee a 4 year scholarship to a player, even if he never developed. You CANNOT do this in college baseball now. You have to be creative in how you recruit and divide your 11.7 and adjust your money with walk ons, etc. Isn't it strange that since the devil Cohen has been our head coach, we have signed a number 2 class, multiple top 20 classes, and the Perfect Game number 4 class for 2015? We have also played for the national title and were 7 ours away in 2011 from Omaha. Pretty astounding stuff for a guy who isn't the right guy to lead the program, cusses like a sailor, and doesn't write birthday cards to every player he has ever come in contact with on a damn 1937 typewriter.


What administration is he actually upset at? When he left -- it was allegedly all about Greg Byrne. Greg Byrne that was the responsibility of Foglesong, not Keenum. He's at Arizona now and Foglesong is gone. Scott Stricklin is not Greg Byrne and Keenum is not Foglesong. So, Polk has actually now been pissed off through 2 administrations -- which leads us back to the inconvenient truth...

It's not the administrations that he's pissed at. He's using them as a public scapegoat to avoid the truth. He hates John Cohen. Hates the way he recruits and the way he exploits the "rules" that limit MSU to the greatest extent possible. Polk feels he should play the victim like he did, and Cohen simply refuses to do that. Opposite personalities. And at this point, Polk probably realizes that Cohen is going to take us further than he ever did -- in a far more competitive overall era -- and has taken his ball and gone home.

[maroonmania]

What administration is he actually upset at? When he left -- it was allegedly all about Greg Byrne. Greg Byrne that was the responsibility of Foglesong, not Keenum.

Bingo. Yahtzee. Polk still being upset given we have a different AD and president than we did when everything went down just shows Polk has no intention to EVER let this go. What, is he waiting on all the secretaries to be fired that worked in the administration building that were there when Cohen was hired? And of course he will remain pissed at Cohen for taking the job but Cohen isn't going anywhere for a VERY long time.

[engie]

Absolutely spot on post. Instead of bitching about NCAA baseball scholarship limitations, Cohen has embraced the situation and dealt with it accordingly. Cohen tends to oversign and let the chips fall where they may. Many people don't like this approach, but I like winning a hell of a lot more. Polk would guarantee a 4 year scholarship to a player, even if he never developed. You CANNOT do this in college baseball now. You have to be creative in how you recruit and divide your 11.7 and adjust your money with walk ons, etc. Isn't it strange that since the devil Cohen has been our head coach, we have signed a number 2 class, multiple top 20 classes, and the Perfect Game number 4 class for 2015? We have also played for the national title and were 7 ours away in 2011 from Omaha. Pretty astounding stuff for a guy who isn't the right guy to lead the program, cusses like a sailor, and doesn't write birthday cards to every player he has ever come in contact with on a damn 1937 typewriter.

You nailed it as well. I'll go in depth on this point later on. Have an interesting perspective on this.

Polk guaranteed a few guys something, while giving very few opportunities overall. Cohen guarantees nobody anything, while giving opportunities to literally everyone. It's as wide of schism in philosophy that you can possibly have, and while there can be some argument on the merits of each approach, it's damn clear which approach will lend itself to the better overall baseball team the vast majority of the time...

[DLGDawg]

You nailed it as well. I'll go in depth on this point later on. Have an interesting
perspective on this.

Polk guaranteed a few guys something, while giving very few opportunities overall. Cohen guarantees nobody anything, while giving opportunities to literally everyone. It's as wide of schism in philosophy that you can possibly have, and while there can be some argument on the merits of each approach, it's damn clear which approach will lend itself to the better overall baseball team the vast majority of the time...

Question. Did Polk hate Cohen while he was at Kentucky?

My opinion is that when you peel everything back to the root....Polk is just pissed because he wasn't allowed to make the hire HIMSELF. Now that anger is aimed at the most convenient person....Cohen.

Seems I remember him talking to Cohen to try and convince him to not take the job. I didn't think that Polk hated Cohen at that point.

[maroonmania]

Question. Did Polk hate Cohen while he was at Kentucky?

My opinion is that when you peel everything back to the root....Polk is just pissed because he wasn't allowed to make the hire HIMSELF. Now that anger is aimed at the most convenient person....Cohen.

Seems I remember him talking to Cohen to try and convince him to not take the job. I didn't think that Polk hated Cohen at that point.

And he's actually pissed because he wasn't allowed to make the hire HIMSELF TWICE. He had already hire Pat McMahon the first go around but Pat bolted on us for Florida. Apparently Polk assumed he would get the same privilege the second go round. Another ironic twist is that Cohen's coaching mentor was primarily McMahon.

[hells bells]

Stipulation one, begged Strickland not to remove his name from the baseball stadium. Stipulation two, will it remain when the new masterpiece is built. Stipulation three, can he have a NC ring after Cohen wins the damn thing out right.

[maroonmania]

Stipulation one, begged Strickland not to remove his name from the baseball stadium. Stipulation two, will it remain when the new masterpiece is built. Stipulation three, can he have a NC ring after Cohen wins the damn thing out right.

He is certainly NOT acting like a guy who doesn't want his name removed from the stadium.

[engie]

Question. Did Polk hate Cohen while he was at Kentucky?

My opinion is that when you peel everything back to the root....Polk is just pissed because he wasn't allowed to make the hire HIMSELF. Now that anger is aimed at the most convenient person....Cohen.

Seems I remember him talking to Cohen to try and convince him to not take the job. I didn't think that Polk hated Cohen at that point.

Polk has never liked Cohen. He's Polk's philosophical opposite. Same way that Skip Bertman and Polk never liked each other for the exact same reason. It's why most of the "Polk players" didn't like Cohen at first. Polk didn't like him as a player, and does not like him now. Polk wanted to do things emotionless and with "class".

Polk didn't tell the truth in what he was angry about because it would have made him look even more ridiculous than he already does.

[DLGDawg]

That makes a lot of sense.

One thing I never really liked was Polk saying "that baseball". I like Cohens view on that point.

Sean Connery - "Losers always complain about their best"


Polk has never liked Cohen. He's Polk's philosophical opposite. Same way that Skip Bertman and Polk never liked each other for the exact same reason. It's why most of the "Polk players" didn't like Cohen at first. Polk didn't like him as a player, and does not like him now. Polk wanted to do things emotionless and with "class".

Polk didn't tell the truth in what he was angry about because it would have made him look even more ridiculous than he already does.

[Political Hack]

Polk was quoted as saying "take my name off the stadium" already. This administration has done nothing to resolve the issues between Polk and the old administration. It's just carryover of bad feelings from the past, a past that included Strick sitting in the Ath dept office. That said, it needs to just end.

Fact: he showed up last weekend. That's a start. Instead of people getting into a pissing match about the "olive branch being too short," they should be focused on the fact that there actually was an olive branch. it's a start to reconciliation, which I don't think anyone would be against.

[maroonmania]

This administration has done nothing to resolve the issues between Polk and the old administration.

I really don't know what you would have them do. The administration was right and Polk was wrong but since Polk will never see it that way I am not sure what can be done to "smooth it over".

[Political Hack]

I really don't know what you would have them do. The administration was right and Polk was wrong but since Polk will never see it that way I am not sure what can be done to "smooth it over".

I agree Polk was wrong, but they should both put this crap to bed. We're about to regain "dynasty" status and it would be nice to have his support back in the fold. That doesn't mean they need to kiss his arse, but being delicate when easing him back into the fold is a start.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I agree Polk was wrong, but they should both put this crap to bed. We're about to regain "dynasty" status and it would be nice to have his support back in the fold. That doesn't mean they need to kiss his arse, but being delicate when easing him back into the fold is a start.

No, MSU has been trying to put this to bed for years. At some point, Polk needs to meet them halfway.

That being said, getting him back on campus is a step in the right direction if Polk is willing to make this better.

[dawgoneyall]

I hope he never steps foot on campus again. He is a small insignificant person who took the one of the top programs in the nation to the bottom (of the SEC), entirely due to his Napoleonic attitude.

I will stop before I really tell everyone what I really think about him.

[bulldogcountry1]

I agree Polk was wrong, but they should both put this crap to bed. We're about to regain "dynasty" status and it would be nice to have his support back in the fold. That doesn't mean they need to kiss his arse, but being delicate when easing him back into the fold is a start.

I've always thought it would be nice to have him around, but if he's still raw about things after all this time, I'm starting to feel like he could be a potential cancer that we don't want. Even if he manages to get over whatever he's angry about now, it's likely that something else will set him off and he'll leave another trail of damage behind at some point.

He couldn't even make a public complement after we made the finals. Screw him.

[smootness]

No, MSU has been trying to put this to bed for years. At some point, Polk needs to meet them halfway.

That being said, getting him back on campus is a step in the right direction if Polk is willing to make this better.

Exactly. Acting as though State hasn't had an olive branch out the whole time is asinine. We are the ones with a full olive branch out; Polk is the one taking part of it and breaking it.

The State administration can't do anything more. They're not going to fire Cohen or start running the baseball program differently. That is the crux of the problem. Polk doesn't like it. Tough.

[Todd4State]

I think Polk coming back was a step in the right direction. I hope he wanted to be isolated so that he could avoid a Pete Rose/Jim Gray incident. I hope it's because he has the insight now to know that if asked by someone he will spout off again and say something regrettable. That said, I'm well aware that it is likely that Polk is being stubborn.

I could totally see Gene asking Polk some stupid questions in an effort to write a story to mend the fences and it going horribly wrong.

[Todd4State]

Polk has never liked Cohen. He's Polk's philosophical opposite. Same way that Skip Bertman and Polk never liked each other for the exact same reason. It's why most of the "Polk players" didn't like Cohen at first. Polk didn't like him as a player, and does not like him now. Polk wanted to do things emotionless and with "class".

Polk didn't tell the truth in what he was angry about because it would have made him look even more ridiculous than he already does.

This is what it really comes down to. Polk believed that the way baseball should be played is to be "classy" and not play with any emotion whatsoever. I think a lot of it is because of how Bertman let his team play- Polk did everything he could to be the opposite of Bertman. Polk wants to be the guy that invented the wheel and did it the "right way". He doesn't want to take advice from others- and if others have success doing things differently- well, Polk is going to do it HIS way and show everyone that they don't know jack about baseball.

Cohen was a fiery player. In Polk's mind that's not what MSU baseball is supposed to be about.

[Todd4State]

Question. Did Polk hate Cohen while he was at Kentucky?My opinion is that when you peel everything back to the root....Polk is just pissed because he wasn't allowed to make the hire HIMSELF. Now that anger is aimed at the most convenient person....Cohen.

Seems I remember him talking to Cohen to try and convince him to not take the job. I didn't think that Polk hated Cohen at that point.

To an extent. In Polk's twisted head Cohen was "supposed" to be somewhere like Kentucky. You know- where no one is in the stands to hear him cuss out his players.

Raffo was "supposed" to be our coach- because he is classy and that's what MSU fans "really want".

[hells bells]

Engie, late post but I was always told Polk wanted Rafoe.

[Todd4State]

Engie, late post but I was always told Polk wanted Rafoe.

Raffo is what Polk wanted all of our players to be like. And Raffo was an outstanding player.

[ScottH]

And Raffo was an outstanding player.

Absolutely. Maybe one of the top 3 first basemen in our history.

Only had a couple of conversations with him - seems to be a heck of a nice guy.

Unfortunately being a outstanding player and nice guy doesn't equal great head coach. We deserve a great head coach.

[engie]

Raffo is what Polk wanted all of our players to be like. And Raffo was an outstanding player.

All true. And you spend time with Dan McDonnell right after Raffo, it takes about 15 seconds after meeting that, as an MSU fan, you realize that "this just isn't going to work". That's the bigger take-away from him never getting his shot. Players didn't want to play for he/Polk anymore after they met McDonnell, who really revolutionized how high school recruiting is done in MS. Polk refused to change with it, and Raffo didn't do a damn thing to imply that he would either. You wouldn't go a week without seeing McDonnell at high school games... Only time I saw Raffo was the State Games -- and I was teammates with something like 15 college players and 7 that signed in the sec... Zero of which ended up at msu as players, while about 4 of them wrote their names in record books elsewhere...

[MSUDawg4Life]

All true. And you spend time with Dan McDonnell right after Raffo, it takes about 15 seconds after meeting that, as an MSU fan, you realize that "this just isn't going to work". That's the bigger take-away from him never getting his shot. Players didn't want to play for he/Polk anymore after they met McDonnell, who really revolutionized how high school recruiting is done in MS. Polk refused to change with it, and Raffo didn't do a damn thing to imply that he would either. You wouldn't go a week without seeing McDonnell at high school games... Only time I saw Raffo was the State Games -- and I was teammates with something like 15 college players and 7 that signed in the sec... Zero of which ended up at msu as players...

^^^This.

I think we're better off letting Polk stew in his own arrogance and stubbornness.

Times change. Polk and his hand-picked man didn't adapt and got left behind. It's that simple.

The best thing for Polk to do is to get off of his high horse and make amends with Cohen and the administration. Or stay away. Either way, we're moving forward.

Polk's going to look real dumb if we win a national championship with our fancy new stadium and he's still acting like a bitch.