Polk gets much deserved award...

[Rick Cleveland]

When I tweeted out this link today, a State fan replied that he would feel much better about the announcement if Polk had won a national championship... The award is for lifetime contributions to Mississippi sports. Honestly, I don't know of anyone, with the possible exception of Boo Ferriss, who contributed more to their sport than Ron Polk has. He elevated college baseball in Mississippi and the SEC to a level people would not have imagined before he came along...

https://mississippitoday.org/2017/06/19/ron-polk-will-receive-2017-rube-award/

 

[DerHntr]

I agree he elevated MS baseball but it is really unfortunate how much he basks in his own glory.

 

[mcdawg22]

He'll accept the award wearing a UAB tshirt.

 

[dawgoneyall]

When I tweeted out this link today, a State fan replied that he would feel much better about the announcement if Polk had won a national championship... The award is for lifetime contributions to Mississippi sports. Honestly, I don't know of anyone, with the possible exception of Boo Ferriss, who contributed more to their sport than Ron Polk has. He elevated college baseball in Mississippi and the SEC to a level people would not have imagined before he came along...

https://mississippitoday.org/2017/06/19/ron-polk-will-receive-2017-rube-award/

He cared more about college baseball than MSU baseball toward the end.

That for me was never acceptable.

 

[amcdan2000]

Ron Polk's attitude towards his tenure was different than the one today's fans want. He was not only looking to win, he wanted to help them become good men. That's hard for what he wanted to reconcile with the fans. The NCAA really didn't like when he talked about the scholly problems. Towards the end it wasn't about winning as much as still fighting the NCAA. Sometimes I think one of the reasons Raffo was passed over is too many fans etc would think he was more like Polk towards the end. I don't think that because I knew his views but that topic was hotly discussed when it happened. Not that Cohen hasn't been great he was. Polk was a great coach who persuaded Will Clark to come play for just the cost of his books and Palmerio half a scholarship and many other great players. He has coached in the summer leagues (Cape Cod I think) and USA baseball teams, Asst coach for Olympic team. When you're great at what you do, hard not to let him bask.

 

[tatedog]

He'll accept the award wearing a UAB tshirt.

This is hilarious for many many reasons.

 

[thekimmer]

Without Polk there would have been no thunder n lightning....

Ron Polk's attitude towards his tenure was different than the one today's fans want. He was not only looking to win, he wanted to help them become good men. That's hard for what he wanted to reconcile with the fans. The NCAA really didn't like when he talked about the scholly problems. Towards the end it wasn't about winning as much as still fighting the NCAA. Sometimes I think one of the reasons Raffo was passed over is too many fans etc would think he was more like Polk towards the end. I don't think that because I knew his views but that topic was hotly discussed when it happened. Not that Cohen hasn't been great he was. Polk was a great coach who persuaded Will Clark to come play for just the cost of his books and Palmerio half a scholarship and many other great players. He has coached in the summer leagues (Cape Cod I think) and USA baseball teams, Asst coach for Olympic team. When you're great at what you do, hard not to let him bask.

That alone made his tenure a success but there was so much more. Certainly it did not end well and that last memory unfortunately is the most remembered but Ron Polk created what we have today and I for one will always be grateful.

 

[Faustdog]

I can also tell you who's name he won't mention when he accepts the award.

I appreciate all that Polk did early on. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of cousins who played in the 80's, so I got to go in his smoke filled office in the Hump a few times as a kid to meet him. The office looked more like a junk store with the hundreds of trophy's scattered around. Polk was larger than life.

He's had numerous opportunities to make things right since 2008, but has chosen not to do so. The way he went out, and the way he acts to this day toward Cohen makes this kind of award kind of puzzling. Even when he did the little video for Dudy Noble a few weeks ago, he wouldn't mention Cohen by name. He was way more about Polk than MSU from about 1992 on. I'll leave you with his own words:

I want my name taken off the stadium

And as soon as I get back to Starkville, I’m going to make sure the MSU Foundation is taken out of my will. And that’s a lot of money. I’m going to ask former players who give to quit. If you’re asking if I’m mad, then yes. I’m mad.

“I was up front with John Cohen, Pat Casey, Steve Smith all along. If Joe Torre got the job, I wouldn’t support him. I know more about Mississippi State baseball than anyone.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

It was a very bad decision to hire him back....

 

[Dawg1979]

for you youngun's that don't know, he literally wrote the playbook for college baseball. if you have never seen or read this, i suggest you get it. it covers everything from how to shake an opposing teams hands after a win or loss, how a field should be manicured, to how to tuck in your shirt.

 

[KurtRambis4]

Some folks believe, wrongly,

that Polk created MSU baseball. The truth is, however, that MSU baseball existed and was very successful way before Polk got to town.

 

[BiscuitEater]

Some folks believe, wrongly, that Polk created MSU baseball. The truth is, however, that MSU baseball existed and was very successful way before Polk got to town.

And .. Some folks believe, wrongly, that Bear Bryant created Alabama football. The truth is, however, that Bama football existed and was very successful way before Bear got to town.

Your point?

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

I went to a Polk baseball camp at state when I was around 10 or 11. Stayed in the dorms and thought I was a big shot.

 

[patdog]

that Polk created MSU baseball. The truth is, however, that MSU baseball existed and was very successful way before Polk got to town.

Nailed it. We were only 4 years from a CWS appearance when we hired Polk, and we had won several SEC titles and hosted plenty of regionals back when they were at pre-determined sites. No doubt Polk was the right man at the right time, but he was also at the right school with the right fans for college baseball to explode in the SEC. If he'd been hired at, say, Tennessee instead, he'd have still had some success, but not like he did here and the story of SEC baseball would be very different.

Like others have said, I appreciate what he did in his first stint at MSU. But he let our program damn near die from neglect in his second stint and the way he handled the hiring of Cohen was unforgivable. He's had plenty of chances to apologize and he's never once done it. So, 17 him.

 

[thekimmer]

So your point is....

that Polk created MSU baseball. The truth is, however, that MSU baseball existed and was very successful way before Polk got to town.

That Polk didn't do anything special for MSU baseball?

 

[Bulldogg31]

So I lived out of state during this time and wasn't very plugged in, but what was Polk's gripe? He wanted Raffo hired instead of Cohen?

So since he didnt get his way he took his ball and went home?

 

[KurtRambis4]

Your point?

I think the point is pretty obvious, and using Bryant in a comparison of Polk is laughable.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

I went to a Polk baseball camp at state when I was around 10 or 11. Stayed in the dorms and thought I was a big shot.

We were big shots! (I assume you went around the same time.) My team was the Oompa Loompas one year. Some of my best childhood summers.

Cochise Sr also has that playbook, autographed at one of the camps I think, shown above. Haven't looked at it in ages. Polk was near royalty to me as a kid.

The way he pouted & said those things about State was really disappointing.

 

[MSUDC11]

So I lived out of state during this time and wasn't very plugged in, but what was Polk's gripe? He wanted Raffo hired instead of Cohen?

So since he didnt get his way he took his ball and went home?

Yep.

 

[engie]

Did Polk players become better men than Cohen players and I just missed it? PolkII was a coddler. You came to his camp every year from the time you were ten or eleven on -- and if you were elite there by the time you were 16 or so(but not so elite the majors were looking closely because that would prevent him recruiting you) -- you had a spot in his program for 4 years regardless of how good of a player you actually turned out to be at the college level.

I think people accept Polk's "doing it the right way" thing at face value because he's been preaching it for so long while also taking his "John Cohen and cutting players is the devil" thing at his word. Or at least they did for a long time into Cohen's tenure. To me -- you are denying dreams either way. In Polk's way, they were often denied to superior players. Polk certainly put his guys through 4 years of MSU baseball, while Cohen allowed twice as many guys the chance to actually suit up for the maroon and white and allowed them a glimpse at the meritocracy of the real world that follows. Cody Brown is a perfect example of a player that never likely gets the opportunity to play under Polk.

 

[BiscuitEater]

Please ..

Nailed it. We were only 4 years from a CWS appearance when we hired Polk, and we had won several SEC titles and hosted plenty of regionals back when they were at pre-determined sites.

While true, is 'slanted.' Yes, MSU went to the CWS before Ron Polk arrived. ONE time in the first 150 years of MSU baseball, in 1971. Polk arrived in 1976. Yes, MSU had won SEC championships in baseball .. 5 total in 42 years in the SEC. During Polk I .. 22 years, MSU won 5 SECs, won 4 SECTs, went to 14 Regionals AND FOUR CWS.

No doubt Polk was the right man at the right time, but he was also at the right school with the right fans for college baseball to explode in the SEC. If he'd been hired at, say, Tennessee instead, he'd have still had some success, but not like he did here and the story of SEC baseball would be very different.

Again .. No doubt Bear Bryant was the right man at the right time, but he was also at the right school with the right fans for college football to explode in the SEC. If he'd stayed at, say, Kentucky instead, he'd have still had some success, but not like he did at Bama and the story of SEC football would be very different. Bama won big all the way back to the '30s .. they won 4 CCs and 2 NCs. They have been hugely successful under saban.

the way he handled the hiring of Cohen was unforgivable. He's had plenty of chances to apologize and he's never once done it. So, 17 him.

I agree, the way he left was not good and that's all on Polk. No excuse.

Like others have said, I appreciate what he did in his first stint at MSU. But he let our program damn near die from neglect in his second stint

I somewhat agree. MSU fans agree that it was time for Polk to leave after the '08 season and he did leave the program in poor shape BUT he did take MSU to 5 regionals, won SECT, and returned to the CWS his next to last year.

 

[patdog]

If you want to compare an SEC baseball coach to Bear Bryant, Polk is the wrong coach. Skip Bertman is the coach who really took SEC baseball to the highest level. He's the Bear Bryant of SEC baseball, with 5 national titles to Polk's 0 and he didn't sabotage his program when he left, so they've won 2 more since he retired.

 

[BiscuitEater]

Did Polk players become better men than Cohen players and I just missed it?

I think people accept Polk's "doing it the right way" thing at face value because he's been preaching it for so long while also taking his "John Cohen and cutting players is the devil" thing at his word. Or at least they did for a long time into Cohen's tenure. To me -- you are denying dreams either way. In Polk's way, they were often denied to superior players. Polk certainly put his guys through 4 years of MSU baseball, while Cohen allowed twice as many guys the chance to actually suit up for the maroon and white and allowed them a glimpse at the meritocracy of the real world that follows. Cody Brown is a perfect example of a player that never likely gets the opportunity to play under Polk.

Blah .. blah .. bs .. bs .. Just ask John Cohen what HE thinks of Ron Polk. Will wait.

 

[Xusuromohses]

I blame Templeton more than Polk for Polk II. Nothing Polk did up through 1997 can really be criticized.

 

[Xusuromohses]

Don't go too far down that path. Polk did, in fact, take us to another level.

 

[patdog]

I blame Templeton too. But how can you possibly not blame Polk too? I agree about Polk I (although I do think he kind of checked out on us as early as 1992 when he retired the first time and then changed his mind). It's a shame his career at MSU didn't end in 1997. He would have been a universal hero to all MSU if we had simply made the right hire in 2001.

 

[BiscuitEater]

I think the point is pretty obvious, and using Bryant in a comparison of Polk is laughable.

Explain 'why' it's laughable.

My point ..

Bama was successful in football BEFORE Bear Bryant got there. He was HC for 25 years .. a LONG time. Bama football has been successful AFTER Bear left. Alabama football stadium is BRYANT–Denny Stadium named after BEAR BRYANT, THE WINNINGEST COACH IN ALABAMA FOOTBALL HISTORY.

And ..

MSU was successful in baseball BEFORE Ron Polk got there. He was HC for 29 years .. a LONG time. MSU baseball has been successful AFTER Polk left. Mississippi State baseball stadium is POLK-Dement Stadium named after RON POLK, THE WINNINGEST COACH IN MISSISSIPPI STATE BASEBAL L HISTORY.

 

[BiscuitEater]

If you want to compare an SEC baseball coach to Bear Bryant, Polk is the wrong coach. Skip Bertman is the coach who really took SEC baseball to the highest level. He's the Bear Bryant of SEC baseball, with 5 national titles to Polk's 0 and he didn't sabotage his program when he left, so they've won 2 more since he retired.

This is not that hard. Fill in the blank .. Bear Bryant is to Alabama football .. as ______________ to MSU BASEBALL. Hint .. it ain't Skip.

 

[thekimmer]

Boy you were out of the loop weren't you.....

So I lived out of state during this time and wasn't very plugged in, but what was Polk's gripe? He wanted Raffo hired instead of Cohen?

So since he didnt get his way he took his ball and went home?

Here is a link that lays out most of the saga. He threw a hissy fit and called Cohen to tell him not to take the job, threatened to sabotage the program, really spoke disparagingly about Byrne and claimed it was his right to name his successor because he was the AD of the baseball program among other things.

Enjoy**

link

 

[Xusuromohses]

I blame him a bunch. It was certainly him that failed to recruit, and enabled Bianco. I just blame Templeton more.

I agree about him checking out in 1992, but I can't get too mad about that. Ole Miss is going through that same thing with Bianco right now. He's got his '1994' recruiting class on campus at present.

 

[johnson86-1]

Did Polk players become better men than Cohen players and I just missed it? PolkII was a coddler. You came to his camp every year from the time you were ten or eleven on -- and if you were elite there by the time you were 16 or so(but not so elite the majors were looking closely because that would prevent him recruiting you) -- you had a spot in his program for 4 years regardless of how good of a player you actually turned out to be at the college level.


I think people accept Polk's "doing it the right way" thing at face value because he's been preaching it for so long while also taking his "John Cohen and cutting players is the devil" thing at his word. Or at least they did for a long time into Cohen's tenure. To me -- you are denying dreams either way. In Polk's way, they were often denied to superior players. Polk certainly put his guys through 4 years of MSU baseball, while Cohen allowed twice as many guys the chance to actually suit up for the maroon and white and allowed them a glimpse at the meritocracy of the real world that follows. Cody Brown is a perfect example of a player that never likely gets the opportunity to play under Polk.

Not sure about Polk's entire tenure, but in my experience, his players were roided up shitheads. Basketball players were generally good guys (although I might have a different opinion if I had interacted some with Stansbury's later teams), football guys ran the gamut just because there were so many of them, but polk's players were consistently causing problems and not people you wanted your kids around. I'm sure the vast majority of them grew out of it (or maybe just stopped doing roids) as they got older and turned into fine people, but I didn't see any evidence of them turning into better men while under Polk's tutelage.

ETA: Obviously I dealt with some great guys that played for Polk also, but just talking generalities, his guys seemed worse than the other athletes.

 

[AusTexDawg]

While true, is 'slanted.' Yes, MSU went to the CWS before Ron Polk arrived. ONE time in the first 150 years of MSU baseball, in 1971. Polk arrived in 1976.

Not arguing one way or the other on this Polk stuff, but I'm not sure where you're getting 150 years from. MSU was founded in 1878 and first played baseball ~1885. There was no CWS before 1947.

 

[KurtRambis4]

I think it's self

explainable, for anyone with any knowledge of msu baseball and Alabama football.

Im not arguing that Polk didn't have success at MSU, just that he did not build our program from nothing. Paul Gregory's former players would probably agree with me.

 

[BiscuitEater]

explainable, for anyone with any knowledge of msu baseball and Alabama football.
Im not arguing that Polk didn't have success at MSU, just that he did not build our program from nothing. Paul Gregory's former players would probably agree with me.

And, I'm not arguing that Bear Bryant didn't have success at Bama, just that he did not build the Bama program from nothing. Wallace Wade and Frank Thomas would probably agree with me .. it they were still alive.

Alabama was a 'dominant team' all the way back to the 20's and 30's. They won 'legitimate' NCs in '25, '26' '30 (10-0), '34 (10-0). They ONLY lost 11 games in the entire decade '30-'39. They had ~same winning % as Bear.

Bama wasn't as dominant right before Bear got there BUT neither was MSU Baseball. Yes, Gregory had some great teams and some of my fondest memories are watching the likes of Del Unser and Ken Tatum. Vividly recall my parents letting me skip school to watch Tatum beat UT in the SEC title game. BUT, Ron Polk inherited a 'disaster' when he took over from Jimmy Bragan. They had won 16 of 40 and ONLY 6 SEC games. They were 0-8 v LSU, 0-5 v Aub & 3-5 v OM.

 

[Bulldogg31]

Thanks. Yeah, living out of state and with kids playing sports I didn't keep up as much as I have the past few years.

Also, I have to give credit to Brian, Bob, and Bulldog Sports Radio. These days I'm as dialed in with MSU sports as I've ever been, including when I was a student. Huge asset to our programs for our fans.

 

[BiscuitEater]

Nailed it. We were only 4 years from a CWS appearance when we hired Polk, and we had won several SEC titles and hosted plenty of regionals back when they were at pre-determined sites. No doubt Polk was the right man at the right time, but he was also at the right school with the right fans for college baseball to explode in the SEC. If he'd been hired at, say, Tennessee instead, he'd have still had some success, but not like he did here and the story of SEC baseball would be very different.

Not to understate the Baseball SEC Championships during this period .. '65, '66, '70 & '71 BUT MSU only had to be the best of a five team SECW and then beat the SECE team in a best of 3 series.

1965 2-1 (1st)
AUBURN 10-1 W
at Auburn 2-3 L
at Auburn 2-1 W

1966 2-0 (1st)
at Tennessee 7-4 W
TENNESSEE 9-3 W

1970 2-1 (1st)
at Tennessee 4-8 L
TENNESSEE 4-3 W
TENNESSEE 1-0 W

1971 2-0 (1st)
VANDERBILT 5-1 W
at Vanderbilt 3-1 W

NOTE: Mississippi State compiled a 15-7
record in the SEC’s two-team playoff
format utilized until the adoption of the
tournament format in 1977. The record
is not reflected in MSU’s all-time SEC
Tournament Record.

 

[thekimmer]

No problem and I understand completely....

Thanks. Yeah, living out of state and with kids playing sports I didn't keep up as much as I have the past few years.

Also, I have to give credit to Brian, Bob, and Bulldog Sports Radio. These days I'm as dialed in with MSU sports as I've ever been, including when I was a student. Huge asset to our programs for our fans.

I moved about 600 miles away for my first job after graduation in the late 80s. So I found myself going from Starkville, MS into a world devoid of all things MSU. That was the days before the internet so there was no state on the radio, maybe one football game a year on TV, a basketball game or two and maybe a baseball game. That was rough.

 

[patdog]

Not to understate the Baseball SEC Championships during this period .. '65, '66, '70 & '71 BUT MSU only had to be the best of a five team SECW and then beat the SECE team in a best of 3 series.

In other words, all we had to do was be the best team in the SEC those years. Your point is ridiculous. I'd argue that it's easier to win an SEC title today than it was then if you get the right breaks on the schedule. If you're in the weaker division and don't play the top 3 in the stronger division, it's pretty damn easy to win a title.

 

[engie]

Blah .. blah .. bs .. bs .. Just ask John Cohen what HE thinks of Ron Polk. Will wait.

The answer he gives to that question publicly is what makes him a better guy and university ambassador than Polk ever was. But some of you will never understand it because he will cuss you on the front end rather than patting you uncomfortably on the ***.

 

[BiscuitEater]

In other words, all we had to do was be the best team in the SEC those years. Your point is ridiculous. I'd argue that it's easier to win an SEC title today than it was then if you get the right breaks on the schedule. If you're in the weaker division and don't play the top 3 in the stronger division, it's pretty damn easy to win a title.

My point is that in those years, we had to have the best record against 4 teams (OM, LSU, Aub & Bama) usually playing them 4 at home/4 away and then win 2 of 3 against 1 team, to win the SECC.

Now, we have to have the best SEC record against 13 other SEC teams.

Don't think there is ANY doubt that it has been harder to win the SEC SINCE the rules changed,