I know many are divided about Polk but any think he at least deserves a bust or something. The reason given for Bertman was for all the contributions he made to SEC baseball. College baseball in south is what developed college bb in America because of Bertman and Polk period.
LSU planning statue of Bertman
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I do agree in that aspect. But I do not think Polk should have a statue for a couple of reasons. One. He totally whined his way out of Starkville when a more qualified coach was hired than his own favorite son. And two he never won a national championship. And his last SEC Title was in 1989. I do respect Polk for what he did in the 1980s and the fact that Mississippi State Baseball was created largely due to him. But in a way he is quite similar to Jackie Sherril in the way that he left it in about as good or worse shape then when he started.
No, Polk does not deserve a statue. Bertman will probably be remembered as the greatest coach in the history of college baseball -- and he left LSU on top with an elite roster. Oh, and then he went and fundraised his butt off to get them a brand new $40 million dollar stadium built when the very idea was totally unheard of in college baseball. And is still extremely active promoting LSU and in the LSU community.
Polk won zero national titles, left a total mess, a stadium that is nearing disrepair, and hasn't lifted his finger to fix/help with any of it. He made John Cohen's job infinitely harder than it had to be in the beginning and has continued to do him absolutely zero favors. Every time Cohen loses a series, you start to see the Polk crowd that will never actually like Cohen reappear. I'd wager that Polk was actively pulling against us last night. He was apparently absent and without comment -- exactly as he was for the CWS run. He didn't want to see another one of his milestones reached.
If you had wanted the statue in 1990? Sure. 97? I could still go for that. Not now. Personally, I don't think his name should even be on the new stadium although Strick seems to be adamant that it will be. He has done absolute zero to get it built and the program-building he did for us for so many years was laid to waste before he was gone. And then laid further to waste in how he left.
All the while, Cohen gives him credit for everything -- and continues to take the high road.
Polk won zero national titles, left a total mess, a stadium that is nearing disrepair, and hasn't lifted his finger to fix/help with any of it. He made John Cohen's job infinitely harder than it had to be in the beginning and has continued to do him absolutely zero favors. Every time Cohen loses a series, you start to see the Polk crowd that will never actually like Cohen reappear. I'd wager that Polk was actively pulling against us last night. He was apparently absent and without comment -- exactly as he was for the CWS run. He didn't want to see another one of his milestones reached.
If you had wanted the statue in 1990? Sure. 97? I could still go for that. Not now. Personally, I don't think his name should even be on the new stadium although Strick seems to be adamant that it will be. He has done absolute zero to get it built and the program-building he did for us for so many years was laid to waste before he was gone. And then laid further to waste in how he left.
All the while, Cohen gives him credit for everything -- and continues to take the high road.
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Couldn't have said it better myself. Personally Ive always liked Cohen and how he conducts himself. Ecspecially in the 2013 CWS when he outsmarted the Lousiville coach in the pre press conference. LSU has fond memories when looking back at Bertman. The walkoff to win the CWS. What do we have? The 1989 team failing to get past a regional? Not having any depth on the 1985 CWS team so we cant win the title with 2 of the greatest hitters in SEC(for that matter NCAA) history? Or the fact that Polk is going in his hole to whine about Cohen being hired? Cohen finally has the talent this year with 3 straight top 10 recruiting classes when he went to the CWS and won the SECT before without any help. That is a scary thought. Cohen and Butch for that matter put us back on the map. And here is my final argument not to have a statue for Ron Polk. If you ask the average SEC fan, are they more likely to remember Bertman or Polk? I doubt they even know who Polk is bc hes been disconnected for so long now. Its time to move on from the past and now we can. Because we have now accomplished everything that happened under Polk and more. Its just the beginning.
Couldn't agree more, engie. Polk burned his bridges when he left and we all just need to move on. The fact is, Polk was never 1/2 the coach Bertman was. He was a good coach, but the phenomenon that SEC baseball became wasn't just because of him. He was at the right school at the right time. The FANS had at least as much to do with it as Polk did. If he had become the head coach at, say, Tennessee in 1977, it would have been a completely different story.
Cohen, time and time and time again,
praises Polk and talks him up. Has Polk even said one good thing about us, since he left? He is nowhere in the same galaxy as Bertman.
praises Polk and talks him up. Has Polk even said one good thing about us, since he left? He is nowhere in the same galaxy as Bertman.
After baseball Bertman served as AD for 7 years
Polk got pissed and left town, with his lip poked out.
Polk got pissed and left town, with his lip poked out.
I can`t find it again for the life of me but I believe I read somewhere that Bertman`s all time record vs MSU was 62 -62. Interesting stat if anyone can find it . I`m drawing blanks.
Thanks. I just remember it was very close and I thought it was dead even. We always played them tough...it was a war every time we played. Polk loved to circle the LSU series and prepare for it and then he would get totally distracted with the NCAA, go of on multiple tangents about them and forget why he was even at MSU. His obsession with the NCAA may have cost a championship along the way...it really distracted him. Polk was a strange dude in case no one has noticed
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Polk could be a tremendous asset as far as raising money for the new stadium goes. Instead he will not show any support for the program.
If he was actually on board, we would already have the money IMO...
Which isn't too much to ask from the guy whose name is going to go on the facade...
As good as it would be to get Polk back on board, our athletic department needs to try to mend things with John Grisham
Couple of points ..
While Skip has done much for LSU and won 5 NCs, Rod Dedeaux at USC will go down as the 'greatest' CBB coach with 10 NCs and outstanding teams over a 20+ year sustained period.
I don't disagree with 'leaving a total mess,' but Ron Polk built MSU baseball and Dudy Noble into what it is today. Even Skip Bertman himself credits Polk for 'establishing' baseball as major sport in the SEC.
Polk was behind each and every improvement to Dudy Noble while he was at MSU. It was Polk that spearheaded the last major expansion at Polk-Dement after the CWS run in 1997. Look it up.
As it SHOULD have been. He is no longer a part of the program AND .. if he had commented in 'any' way, many would have taken it WRONG .. no matter 'what' he said.
I get it .. you and a lot of State baseball fans will never forgive Polk for the way he has behaved over Cohen. I understand BUT you can't go back and change FACTS to fit your feelings.
While Skip has done much for LSU and won 5 NCs, Rod Dedeaux at USC will go down as the 'greatest' CBB coach with 10 NCs and outstanding teams over a 20+ year sustained period.
I don't disagree with 'leaving a total mess,' but Ron Polk built MSU baseball and Dudy Noble into what it is today. Even Skip Bertman himself credits Polk for 'establishing' baseball as major sport in the SEC.
Polk was behind each and every improvement to Dudy Noble while he was at MSU. It was Polk that spearheaded the last major expansion at Polk-Dement after the CWS run in 1997. Look it up.
As it SHOULD have been. He is no longer a part of the program AND .. if he had commented in 'any' way, many would have taken it WRONG .. no matter 'what' he said.
I get it .. you and a lot of State baseball fans will never forgive Polk for the way he has behaved over Cohen. I understand BUT you can't go back and change FACTS to fit your feelings.
I knew someone was going to come with that. Different era, different competition. Is Coach K less a coach than John Wooden? Dedeaux won in an era that literally no one cared about college baseball and there was no parity. All he had to do was care. But it's funny that you champion "just winning titles" when defending Dedeaux over Bertman -- but all the ancillary stuff suddenly makes a difference when comparing Bertman to Polk. Did Dedeaux build a tremendous stadium? Did he built a transcendent program to last generations upon generations with a cut-throat fanbase demanding the best? Did he build a loyal supporter base to drop $50 mil on a stadium? Did he built a loyal supporter base to bring 10k+ to the stadium every night?
Polk's contribution to what SEC baseball became is greater than his contribution to Mississippi State itself. You are making two separate arguments here without even realizing it. Ron Polk DID NOT build Mississippi State baseball. Mississippi State baseball built Ron Polk. We HIRED HIM as the first full-time baseball coach in the conference -- after Paul Gregory had seen success here and the LFLs were up and running. We invested on the front end. We still are investing. The only time we stopped was when Polk wasted a decade for us. Look up -- we have the 6th or 7th best stadium in the division now. Good thing Ron was on top of matters. He does get credit for the winning what he did in the 70s and 80s prior to Bertman arriving and getting established. He does get credit for getting what at the time was a tremendous stadium built in the mid 80s -- that history shows was shortcut central, both in how the money was attained and how the stadium was designed.
Oh -- you mean the one that absolutely solidified that the grandstands would have to come down if we were to ever add any decent permanent seating down the foul lines? The ones with skyboxes that leak? The one with wall/floor unit ACs up and down the hallways? That expansion? Yeah -- he certainly gets credit for it.
This is bull. The vast majority wanted him back on board. Didn't feel right making the Omaha run without him in some capacity. I KNOW ESPN was blowing him up trying to get him there and in the booth for a few innings. Or just a comment. Once Cohen "made it" State fans wanted to forgive him. Just like once Mullen made it, State fans loved Jackie again. It was not only the PERFECT opportunity for Polk to bury the hatchet -- it was a line in the sand in my mind and in many others I've talked to. When he sat back in Birmingham with his boy Shoop trying to make a tournament or two a decade -- seemingly pissed off at our success -- rather than come out and support his former player and team in Omaha -- he told every one of us to 17 off all over again.
I haven't changed anything. Ron Polk was great for 15 years(before my time). He was an average coach from the day John Cohen walked off the field at Rosenblatt in 1990 and should have walked into the sunset in 91 as initially intended. He fell behind that day, didn't even attempt to catch back up, milked us for damn near 20 years, and we still haven't fully recovered to our potential. There are a dozen snapshots that screwed our program along the way -- or do you not want me to tell you about the last two SEC Freshmen of the Years from Mississippi that Polk 1) didn't recruit at all and 2) "wasn't sure about an offer but wanted to come on a visit --- in October"...
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