Headed to Omaha, remembering how luck plays a role...

[Rick Cleveland]

https://mississippitoday.org/2019/06/13/college-world-series-skill-is-a-must-but-luck-counts-too-witness-mississippi-state-in-85/

[msbulldog]

Thanks Rick, bring us luck in Omaha! HAIL STATE!

[Todd4State]

That wasn't bad luck. That was poor bullpen management by Polk.

[Liverpooldawg]

That wasn't bad luck. That was poor bullpen management by Polk.

IT WAS BAD LUCK, PERIOD. Morgan was mowing them down prior to getting hit. He wasn't the same afterward. He would have in all likelyhood pitched a complete game if he hadn't got hit. You have to remember he was every bit as good as Brantley at the time. He would have had as good a pro career too, had he not blown his arm at the Double A level. Don't insert Polk hate into this one.

[msbulldog]

Polk should have pulled Morgan!

[Liverpooldawg]

Polk should have pulled Morgan!

Maybe so, but y'all keep forgetting just how good Gene Morgan was. He was every bit as good as Brantley in college. Would you have pulled him if he said he could go? You wouldn't have and neither did Polk. It wasn't so much his performance after he got hit as it was the effect it had on the momentum of the game. It gave them hope, when it was all but gone. People like to point out we were still alive after that. That was true, but it was a true double elimination tourney then. We would have been the only undefeated team left if we had won that game.

[Todd4State]

IT WAS BAD LUCK, PERIOD. Morgan was mowing them down prior to getting hit. He wasn't the same afterward. He would have in all likelyhood pitched a complete game if he hadn't got hit. You have to remember he was every bit as good as Brantley at the time. He would have had as good a pro career too, had he not blown his arm at the Double A level. Don't insert Polk hate into this one.

You don't leave an injured pitcher in to blow a lead like that. Period. You don't leave a healthy pitcher in to blow a lead like that either.

That's terrible bullpen management. Especially since all Polk had to do was tell the umpire that Morgan was hurt and whoever relief pitcher that we would have chosen would have had unlimited warm up tosses to get ready.

[Todd4State]

Maybe so, but y'all keep forgetting just how good Gene Morgan was. He was every bit as good as Brantley in college. Would you have pulled him if he said he could go? You wouldn't have and neither did Polk. It wasn't so much his performance after he got hit as it was the effect it had on the momentum of the game. It gave them hope, when it was all but gone. People like to point out we were still alive after that. That was true, but it was a true double elimination tourney then. We would have been the only undefeated team left if we had won that game.

You pull him after he allows the third run.

[Liverpooldawg]

You don't leave an injured pitcher in to blow a lead like that. Period. You don't leave a healthy pitcher in to blow a lead like that either.

That's terrible bullpen management. Especially since all Polk had to do was tell the umpire that Morgan was hurt and whoever relief pitcher that we would have chosen would have had unlimited warm up tosses to get ready.

Would you have pulled him? Serious question: How old are you? That was my last year at State. If Gene said he could go, he went. Hindsight 34 years later is all well and good. Back then...………..This kind of thing is why I don't ever read your stuff. You don't have to make the decision REAL TIME.

[Liverpooldawg]

You pull him after he allows the third run.

Se my other post.

[Todd4State]

Would you have pulled him? Serious question: How old are you? That was my last year at State. If Gene said he could go, he went. Hindsight 34 years later is all well and good. Back then...………..This kind of thing is why I don't ever read your stuff. You don't have to make the decision REAL TIME.

Absolutely 100% I would have pulled him. And old enough to have watched that team and more baseball than you at all levels. Playing injured players usually does not work out well. Him getting hit by the ball was bad luck. Polk made it worse by leaving him in to blow the game. That's not bad luck.

There's a reason why Polk has as many National Championships as I do.

[dawgoneyall]

Polk should have pulled Morgan!

I was there. You could see he was hurt.

Should have pulled him.

[Todd4State]

I was there. You could see he was hurt.

Should have pulled him.

Exactly. The ball hitting him was bad luck. But our coaches were in control of who was on the field after that. That's not luck.

It would be like us leaving MacNamee in the Ole Miss game where he reinjured his foot and then MacNamee not being able to get to some fly balls and it costing us the game and then calling that bad luck.

[Liverpooldawg]

Absolutely 100% I would have pulled him. And old enough to have watched that team and more baseball than you at all levels. Playing injured players usually does not work out well. Him getting hit by the ball was bad luck. Polk made it worse by leaving him in to blow the game. That's not bad luck.

There's a reason why Polk has as many National Championships as I do.

How old are you? You didn't answer that. I'm 55 and a BASEBALL coach's son. Have you any real connection with a coach at any level in ANY thing? I grew up with one. Gene was DAMN good. You wouldn't have pulled him either if he said he could go. I don't blame Gene either. It was what it was. Saying you would have, all these years LATER, confirms what I have always thought about you, and it's why I don't read your epistles. Blaming Polk AFTER the fact says it all. Hindsight is always perfect. Polk didn't have the luxury of looking back over 34 years that day. LOL at you TODD. LAUGHABLE!

[RougeDawg]

Exactly. The ball hitting him was bad luck. But our coaches were in control of who was on the field after that. That's not luck.

It would be like us leaving MacNamee in the Ole Miss game where he reinjured his foot and then MacNamee not being able to get to some fly balls and it costing us the game and then calling that bad luck.

Sometimes you have to just let it go if someone argument is ?I was there. How old are you?? They really have no argument at all. That is what is wrong with current debate. People use the ?I was there? or ?Are you an expert?? Rebuttal all he time when they have no substance to add.

[Liverpooldawg]

Sometimes you have to just let it go if someone argument is ?I was there. How old are you?? They really have no argument at all. That is what is wrong with current debate. People use the ?I was there? or ?Are you an expert?? Rebuttal all he time when they have no substance to add.

But that IS substance! Check out Gene's record that year. Anybody that says they would have pulled him if he said he could go did NOT follow that team as it happened that year. Given what I know NOW, would I have pulled him? SURE. To say no would be stupid, given the luxury of 34 years hind sight. If had had THAT, I wouldn't be HERE, debating THIS. I would be living in a cool custom built house on a croft on the Isle of Mull, between world trips.

[Todd4State]

How old are you? You didn't answer that. I'm 55 and a BASEBALL coach's son. Have you any real connection with a coach at any level in ANY thing? I grew up with one. Gene was DAMN good. You wouldn't have pulled him either if he said he could go. I don't blame Gene either. It was what it was. Saying you would have, all these years LATER, confirms what I have always thought about you, and it's why I don't read your epistles. Blaming Polk AFTER the fact says it all. Hindsight is always perfect. Polk didn't have the luxury of looking back over 34 years that day. LOL at you TODD. LAUGHABLE!

How old I am is irrelevant. I saw that team play. I saw that game.

Lemonis basically made the same decision but the correct one with Ginn against Southern. What you are saying is that Lemonis was wrong by taking Ginn out. There is no hindsight. He was hurt and allowing runs left and right. You can't defend it. Polk screwed it up.

[Todd4State]

Sometimes you have to just let it go if someone argument is ?I was there. How old are you?? They really have no argument at all. That is what is wrong with current debate. People use the ?I was there? or ?Are you an expert?? Rebuttal all he time when they have no substance to add.

You are 100% right. Some people refuse to believe that MSU coaches screw up from time to time. The expert thing is funny because they aren't experts either.

I just don't like it when people say that we lost that game solely because of luck when we didn't handle things under our control. No one forced Polk to keep Morgan in. And we had a MLB closer in right field. Steve King was good enough to bridge the gap if needed.