Ron Polk John Cohen Saga

[Reason2succeed]

Can someone give me the cliff notes version of what the deal was with Ron Polk concerning John Cohen that caused him to "try to dismantle the program"? Feel free to direct message me. I'm not trying to put out troll food. I just keep hearing about that and want to know what the deal was.

[msstatelp1]

Polk retires, wants Tommy Raffo as his replacement. Greg Byrne (new AD) chooses John Cohen as new head coach. Polk has a fit threatens to do everything he can to dismantle the program and to take his name off the stadium. Byrne says 17 you, hires Cohen anyway.

[smootness]

There are plenty of people who know more than me, but I'm pretty sure it basically boiled down to Polk thinking he would be allowed to continue to run the program and pick his replacement (Raffo), and when Byrne said 'nah' and hired Cohen, Polk lost his mind.

So basically, Polk's ego.

[Dawghouse]

Ron thought he had earned the right to name his successor. He wanted Tommy Raffo. Greg Byrne went with Cohen. Ron lost it.

[Coach34]

Polk had promised the job to Raffo- once LT was let go- Polk learned that decision wasnt going to be his anymore and he lost his shit. He tried to retire early in order to get his way- but Fogelsong informed Polk and LT that Byrne would hire the next baseball coach. Polk went nuts

[basedog]

Actually Ron did get to choose his successor, Pat McMahan.

Too bad he acted foolish!

[smootness]

Actually Ron did get to choose his successor, Pat McMahan.

Too bad he acted foolish!

Very true.

[Reason2succeed]

What did he do behind the scenes to "dismantle the program"? Once again you can DM me if it's sensitive info.

[Coach34]

What did he do behind the scenes to "dismantle the program"? Once again you can DM me if it's sensitive info.

He forced donors and former players to pick sides on him vs Cohen...many donations were held back out of loyalty to Polk

[Mutt the Hoople]

Polk quit on Mississippi State University three times.....1991, when Templeton talked him out of it, 1997, when he quit and let Pat MacMahon take over, and 2008 after driving our baseball program into the ground.

He could've had Tommy Raffo as coach in 2007 after we went to the CWS. Instead, he hung around too long. My dear sweet sainted mother (God rest her soul) told me that Polk acted like a whiney little baby. I'm not about to go against mama.

[SaintDawg]

I'll ask the dumb question... don't kill me for asking it, please... If Polk threw such a fit over coach replacement and acted like such an ass the way he did, why does the stadium still bear his name? Don't get me wrong. I know what the man did for our program. Hell, I have a framed, personally signed letter from him. I want to know what really went wrong and pissed him off.

[Red Sox Dawg]

That's how it went. Byrne chose Cohen. Polk didn't get to choose Raffo. Polk got mad. Polk made threats. Byrne and Mississippi State chose to be honorable and left his name on the stadium.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'll ask the dumb question... don't kill me for asking it, please... If Polk threw such a fit over coach replacement and acted like such an ass the way he did, why does the stadium still bear his name? Don't get me wrong. I know what the man did for our program. Hell, I have a framed, personally signed letter from him. I want to know what really went wrong and pissed him off.

Because of this. We're being "honorable" and attempting to treat Polk like "crazy uncle Ron." For whatever reason, we feel it's important his name still be connected with the program because of past accomplishment. And because he was one of the driving forces behind modern college baseball. Personally, were it up to me, we'd strip his name from everything until after he's dead. Then we can acknowledge him again. But those in charge are nicer than I am.

[Reason2succeed]

Because of this. We're being "honorable" and attempting to treat Polk like "crazy uncle Ron." For whatever reason, we feel it's important his name still be connected with the program because of past accomplishment. And because he was one of the driving forces behind modern college baseball. Personally, were it up to me, we'd strip his name from everything until after he's dead. Then we can acknowledge him again. But those in charge are nicer than I am.

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/a7/a79587336732556e8041bad6fda7016d972315375b2a0c735d 3f97946d949daa.jpg

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Some people need to understand what they get paid to do. Byrne got paid to run a department. So he did that and hired a coach. Polk got paid to coach baseball. He didn't get paid to run the athletic department. He should have given Byrne his recommendation of Raffo and then shut up and let Byrne make the decision. Then he should have respected the fact that Byrne did what he was paid to do. Polk needed to understand that he was an employee of the university that was paid to do his job, but not interfere with other people's job.

[BeardoMSU]

Because of this. We're being "honorable" and attempting to treat Polk like "crazy uncle Ron." For whatever reason, we feel it's important his name still be connected with the program because of past accomplishment. And because he was one of the driving forces behind modern college baseball. Personally, were it up to me, we'd strip his name from everything until after he's dead. Then we can acknowledge him again. But those in charge are nicer than I am.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cold-blooded.gif

[SaintDawg]

Deep down, I still love Polk. He just went sideways with the school and I hate it. I just hope in the future that some amends are made and he comes back in some positive capacity.

[Big4Dawg]

Anyone wanna share what happened in 97 that made Polk retire? What made him go to UGA? And all what made Pat go to Florida?

[Coach34]

Anyone wanna share what happened in 97 that made Polk retire? What made him go to UGA? And all what made Pat go to Florida?

Polk thought retirement might be a good idea. He was also very mad at the NCAA and wanted to fight them on behalf of college baseball. That lasted about 2 months once Mac took over. He couldnt handle being out of baseball. Georgia came open and he went for it. Thats fine. But asking him back was a huge mistake. many of us knew it at the time.

[Big4Dawg]

Why did Mac leave for Florida?

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

The problem stemmed from LT giving Polk full reign of the baseball program. Polk was basically the head coach and AD for baseball. I'm sure part of that stemmed from LT's laziness. When LT left, all of a sudden Polk had to answer to a different AD who was in charge of ALL sports, including baseball. I would imagine some of Polk's reasoning in retiring was due to that also to a degree.

When LT was here, I'm sure he and Polk talked about his replacement. And I'm sure they had both agreed to hand it over to Raffo. Again, partly due to LT's laziness, knowing all he had to do was show up for a press conference and introduce a new baseball coach instead of actually conducting a search for one. All that went out the window when Fogelsong and Byrne rode into town. How those two found Starkville I'll never know, but I'm sure as hell glad they did.

[Coach34]

Why did Mac leave for Florida?

Mac is from Florida

[basedog]

Polk drove Mac crazy, he was looking over his shoulder and meddling with the players. He couldn't just step aside. I also think Mac's wife parents are from Florida and she wanted to be close to them.
Pretty sure he was forced out of Flordia. He took a minor league job for the Yankees.
He was one nervous HC from a few parents I know who had kids playing for him.

[smootness]

Polk was meddling with State players while UGA coach?

[dawgoneyall]

Can someone give me the cliff notes version of what the deal was with Ron Polk concerning John Cohen that caused him to "try to dismantle the program"? Feel free to direct message me. I'm not trying to put out troll food. I just keep hearing about that and want to know what the deal was.

The SOB is crazy. Let's just leave it at that.

[basedog]

Polk was meddling with State players while UGA coach?

No while Mac was coaching at Msu. Polk use to hang around the team while in retirement. From what I was told he drove Mac insane. Polk was bored, he had no hobbies or family.

[Reason2succeed]

Okay, I'm about to go and write the book. Thanks for the research!***

But seriously this sounds like a pretty good 30 for 30 but I'm sure only Mississippi State fans would be interested in it.

[War Machine Dawg]

Why did Mac leave for Florida?

Momma called. He went home, basically. At least that's how I remember it being reported at the time.

[Bully13]

Can someone give me the cliff notes version of what the deal was with Ron Polk concerning John Cohen that caused him to "try to dismantle the program"? Feel free to direct message me. I'm not trying to put out troll food. I just keep hearing about that and want to know what the deal was.

I can't believe how ignorant our fan base continues to be as to the destruction Polk not only verbalized but implemented on our baseball program. his actions cannot be forgiven nor ignored. he does not deserve a place at our table without a public AND private apology.

as stan lee would say "nuff said"

[mparkerfd20]

I can't believe how ignorant our fan base continues to be as to the destruction Polk not only verbalized but implemented on our baseball program. his actions cannot be forgiven nor ignored. he does not deserve a place at our table without a public AND private apology.

as stan lee would say "nuff said"

Agree 100%. Screw Polk. And it's Dudy Noble... Or The Dude... I'll never, ever refer to it as Polk-Dement. Polk is demented so guess the names go together.

[Todd4State]

Polk tried to retire first in 1990 or so. LT and some of the fans notably Everett Kennard talked him out of it. He wanted to retire because he didn't have the passion, fire and focus on winning. Which believe it or not Polk did have at one time- which not coincidentally was the height of Polk's career for the most part.

Polk retired again in 1997 which he had kind of been setting up by bringing back Pat McMahon I believe in 1995 or after Steve Smith took the Baylor job. 1997 was Polk's coronation year basically. We had a great team, hosted a regional and went to Omaha. Which would have been a perfect ending to Polk's career. That was the year we named the stadium after him.

McMahon did a pretty good job for us- but I didn't feel like he was going to elevate us either. I didn't complain too much because I was OK since he was "Polk's guy". But like others said- Polk meddled with McMahon and even after Polk went to Georgia which I personally did not care for because I felt like it was a betrayal in a way. An ACC, PAC 12, or other school I would have been fine with. Anyway, even after Polk went to Georgia Pat basically got tired of hearing about "how Ron would have done it". So, he won the SEC Tournament, took us to a SR and said good bye and went home. He took Florida to Omaha (with Cohen as his hitting coach) but then was fired after a .500 season and a losing season. Cohen had left for Kentucky before those last two seasons.

So, Pat leaves and Paul Manieri wants our job really bad. LT goes to Polk and allegedly says "what are we going to do?" and then Polk recommends that he comes back. When I found out, I was livid and that was when I completely turned on LT. I knew that Polk wouldn't be focused on winning and was basically coming home to retire. And I knew that Bianco and Ole Miss were starting to put a big emphasis on baseball. When I heard that we were keeping Raffo- I was afraid that Polk was going to make him his next successor. Now we did have some good seasons under Polk II and even won a SEC Tournament and went to Omaha once- but for the most part we underachieved, were boring to watch, and we weren't even coming close to maximizing our potential.

Polk decides to retire AGAIN- in part because he knew LT was leaving and as Coach said he knew that Byrne was going to hire someone else other than Raffo when the time came. So, I guess he figured he would force Raffo in and at least give him a few years to fulfill his promise to Raffo. When it didn't happen, Polk melted down I think in part because he felt like it was Byrne "firing" him and saying his way wasn't any good. And it also meant that Polk couldn't keep his promise and I think he wanted to let Raffo know that he did everything he could to make it happen. Unfortunately, Polk went over the top with it and it actually made it really awkward for Raffo.

Some things that he did to undermine Cohen- basically told the ENTIRE team (yes) to transfer out if Cohen was hired. Talked poorly about Cohen to influential baseball boosters and former players causing a major split in our fan base which didn't really close up until 2013 when we went to Omaha. Although it kind of reared it's head again last year and early this year- but it appears to be closing up again now. Hopefully for good. Polk also threated to destroy our recruiting database- which I'm not really sure how much impact that actually had since Cohen was going to expand our recruiting base anyway. Polk also continued to talk poorly about Cohen AFTER Cohen was our head coach trying to cause the team to go against him.

My hope is that somehow some way that Polk can come back and ask Cohen for forgiveness. Which I do think Cohen would do. In my "perfect world" Polk would still be a part of MSU baseball much the way Boo Ferriss is part of Delta State baseball or Skip Bertman is a part of LSU baseball. But in the real world I just don't see that as a possibility as long as Cohen is our coach because I don't believe that Polk can control himself. And I think it would also possibly open up that old wound which is something we don't need at this time. I think you would have some people on Polk's side and I think you would have others still upset at Polk because of how he acted as well. And honestly even after Cohen leaves I don't know that Polk can come back because he would still probably try to meddle with whomever our next coach is.

[shannondawg]

The biggest mistake was naming the stadium after him and then bringing him back. Either one or the other but not both.

[I seen it dawg]

Polk destroy our recruiting database? I guess he was going to put all those camp sign up forms from kids over the years through the paper shredder. That'll show em

[msbulldog]

Polk thought retirement might be a good idea. He was also very mad at the NCAA and wanted to fight them on behalf of college baseball. That lasted about 2 months once Mac took over. He couldnt handle being out of baseball. Georgia came open and he went for it. Thats fine. But asking him back was a huge mistake. many of us knew it at the time.

Plus I think he had his 20 years in for retirement.

[bulldogcountry1]

No while Mac was coaching at Msu. Polk use to hang around the team while in retirement. From what I was told he drove Mac insane. Polk was bored, he had no hobbies or family.

That's exactly what he wanted to do with Raffo. He even said he would spend his own money to build himself another office. I haven't hear anything from Raffo since, but I would imagine we did him a favor. He obviously wasn't the right guy for the job, and Polk would have been in his hair until he got fired a few years later.

[bulldogcountry1]

I grew up on Ron Polk. Playing baseball at State for Ron Polk was my dream as a kid. All I ever heard about was how he was a legend and that he cared so much about his player. The quirky stuff about him was just funny. I guess that's the part of me that still hopes for old wounds to heal and for Polk to be around in some capacity.

But, when you look at the whole story from 1990 and put it all together, we shouldn't want him anywhere near our campus. Like Todd said, he quit on us multiple times. I was still a kid when he took the UGA job, and I didn't understand it at the time. I was happy when he came back, but it was soon evident that he wasn't the same guy. I always thought the scholarship situation at UGA compared to State took away all his competitive fire. He was allowed to halfheartedly hold on to the job for years without having to answer to anyone.

In the end, this is all LT. He gave Polk free reign over baseball and created a monster. What do you get when have a guy that's never been married and has a cushy dream job with no real boss? You get a guy that never has to apologize or worry about anything. That's what LT created, so it shouldn't be a surprise when some young guy comes in and says that things are about to change, and Polk doesn't handle it well. All he knew was people telling him how great he was.

[Mjoelner34]

... Polk also threated to destroy our recruiting database- ...

That would only mean that mean throwing away the rolodex next to his manual typewriter. **

[smootness]

No while Mac was coaching at Msu. Polk use to hang around the team while in retirement. From what I was told he drove Mac insane. Polk was bored, he had no hobbies or family.

Yeah, but Polk was coaching at UGA while Mac was coaching at State.

[Coach34]

Yeah, but Polk was coaching at UGA while Mac was coaching at State.

Mac took over in 98...Polk took the Georgia job in 2000. Mac was ready for him to go the hell on

[basedog]

Mac took over in 98...Polk took the Georgia job in 2000. Mac was ready for him to go the hell on

Correct. Polk messed up everything for himself. He was the true "Meddler"!

[shoeless joe]

Correct. Polk messed up everything for himself. He was the true "Meddler"!

Oh man...that's gonna leave a mark

[parabrave]

Polk tried to retire first in 1990 or so. LT and some of the fans notably Everett Kennard talked him out of it. He wanted to retire because he didn't have the passion, fire and focus on winning. Which believe it or not Polk did have at one time- which not coincidentally was the height of Polk's career for the most part.

Polk retired again in 1997 which he had kind of been setting up by bringing back Pat McMahon I believe in 1995 or after Steve Smith took the Baylor job. 1997 was Polk's coronation year basically. We had a great team, hosted a regional and went to Omaha. Which would have been a perfect ending to Polk's career. That was the year we named the stadium after him.

McMahon did a pretty good job for us- but I didn't feel like he was going to elevate us either. I didn't complain too much because I was OK since he was "Polk's guy". But like others said- Polk meddled with McMahon and even after Polk went to Georgia which I personally did not care for because I felt like it was a betrayal in a way. An ACC, PAC 12, or other school I would have been fine with. Anyway, even after Polk went to Georgia Pat basically got tired of hearing about "how Ron would have done it". So, he won the SEC Tournament, took us to a SR and said good bye and went home. He took Florida to Omaha (with Cohen as his hitting coach) but then was fired after a .500 season and a losing season. Cohen had left for Kentucky before those last two seasons.

So, Pat leaves and Paul Manieri wants our job really bad. LT goes to Polk and allegedly says "what are we going to do?" and then Polk recommends that he comes back. When I found out, I was livid and that was when I completely turned on LT. I knew that Polk wouldn't be focused on winning and was basically coming home to retire. And I knew that Bianco and Ole Miss were starting to put a big emphasis on baseball. When I heard that we were keeping Raffo- I was afraid that Polk was going to make him his next successor. Now we did have some good seasons under Polk II and even won a SEC Tournament and went to Omaha once- but for the most part we underachieved, were boring to watch, and we weren't even coming close to maximizing our potential.

Polk decides to retire AGAIN- in part because he knew LT was leaving and as Coach said he knew that Byrne was going to hire someone else other than Raffo when the time came. So, I guess he figured he would force Raffo in and at least give him a few years to fulfill his promise to Raffo. When it didn't happen, Polk melted down I think in part because he felt like it was Byrne "firing" him and saying his way wasn't any good. And it also meant that Polk couldn't keep his promise and I think he wanted to let Raffo know that he did everything he could to make it happen. Unfortunately, Polk went over the top with it and it actually made it really awkward for Raffo.

Some things that he did to undermine Cohen- basically told the ENTIRE team (yes) to transfer out if Cohen was hired. Talked poorly about Cohen to influential baseball boosters and former players causing a major split in our fan base which didn't really close up until 2013 when we went to Omaha. Although it kind of reared it's head again last year and early this year- but it appears to be closing up again now. Hopefully for good. Polk also threated to destroy our recruiting database- which I'm not really sure how much impact that actually had since Cohen was going to expand our recruiting base anyway. Polk also continued to talk poorly about Cohen AFTER Cohen was our head coach trying to cause the team to go against him.

My hope is that somehow some way that Polk can come back and ask Cohen for forgiveness. Which I do think Cohen would do. In my "perfect world" Polk would still be a part of MSU baseball much the way Boo Ferriss is part of Delta State baseball or Skip Bertman is a part of LSU baseball. But in the real world I just don't see that as a possibility as long as Cohen is our coach because I don't believe that Polk can control himself. And I think it would also possibly open up that old wound which is something we don't need at this time. I think you would have some people on Polk's side and I think you would have others still upset at Polk because of how he acted as well. And honestly even after Cohen leaves I don't know that Polk can come back because he would still probably try to meddle with whomever our next coach is.

Maneri wasn't the only one who wanted the Job. Steve Smith wanted it badly even though he just got the Baylor job.

[Political Hack]

He forced donors and former players to pick sides on him vs Cohen...many donations were held back out of loyalty to Polk

It wasnt just that. He allegedly destroyed all his records, recruiting info, everything and provided Cohen with nothing but an empty cupboard when he walked in the door. It was childish, but even so I'll always be thankful for what he did while here. Just as I'm thankful that Cohen has made our program relevant again.

[Chuck Finley]

Polk tried to retire first in 1990 or so. LT and some of the fans notably Everett Kennard talked him out of it. He wanted to retire because he didn't have the passion, fire and focus on winning. Which believe it or not Polk did have at one time- which not coincidentally was the height of Polk's career for the most part.

Why does the bus driver have such an influence? What's his story? I've heard he was one of the more vocal against the new stadium / LFL.

[War Machine Dawg]

My hope is that somehow some way that Polk can come back and ask Cohen for forgiveness. Which I do think Cohen would do. In my "perfect world" Polk would still be a part of MSU baseball much the way Boo Ferriss is part of Delta State baseball or Skip Bertman is a part of LSU baseball. But in the real world I just don't see that as a possibility as long as Cohen is our coach because I don't believe that Polk can control himself. And I think it would also possibly open up that old wound which is something we don't need at this time. I think you would have some people on Polk's side and I think you would have others still upset at Polk because of how he acted as well. And honestly even after Cohen leaves I don't know that Polk can come back because he would still probably try to meddle with whomever our next coach is.

And this is why I said, were I in charge, all things Polk would be stripped from baseball until he dies. Because I think that's the only time it would be safe to reintegrate his legacy into the program. As much shit as I give Cohen about being "The Meddler", at least it's about on-the-field baseball stuff. And that's just typical difference of opinion between coaches and a fan since sports has been a thing.

But Polk is the ultimate #Meddler who tried to ruin the program he helped build. And he apparently is mentally ill to the point that he can't stop himself. It was so bad we had to have security guards accompany him while he was on campus packing up his office to prevent him from destroying baseball property. And he supposedly destroyed some crucial documents and stuff before that, which hurt Cohen early. That's unforgivable to me. Therefore, it's up to those in charge to safeguard against him. And I just don't see it being safe to have him acknowledged as a public part of our program until he's dead where he can no longer cause any damage.