Since there is no baseball game thread........

[Hanmudog]

I just thought I would remind everyone that we still suck. Damn this has been one long *** few months with basketball and baseball stinking up the campus.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

Live by the bunt, die by the bunt.

*UF leads 2-1 on safety squeeze single in the mud.

 

[msstate7]

At least there's hope next season for basketball. I'm not convinced we'll be good in baseball next year. I don't think the pitching staff will be any better next season

 

[msstate7]

Live by the bunt, die by the bunt.

*UF leads 2-1 on safety squeeze single in the mud.

A popped up bunt that probably 10 sec 1st basemen catch

 

[TBone.sixpack]

The crowd has nothing to get fired up about. A few DP's...past that just an anemic offense. Very boring.

 

[msstate7]

Pinch running for Rea in the 7th inning might be one of the dumbest decisions Cohen has made in a while. Still 1 run deficit and rea's spot will be up 3rd in 9th.

Can't believe Cohen started Reynolds at dh.

Just can't believe I thought Cohen was a good coach.

 

[skydawg1]

Pinch running for Rea in the 7th inning might be one of the dumbest decisions Cohen has made in a while. Still 1 run deficit and rea's spot will be up 3rd in 9th.

Can't believe Cohen started Reynolds at dh.

Just can't believe I thought Cohen was a good coach.

Don't beat yourself up. This season has been a shocker for most of us. I can't believe how awful we are on offense.

 

[Lee Corso]

Another loss....... Decent fielding and pitching.

2-1 loss on SBW.

At least perennial winners are also having a tough year! Ha.

Cal-State Fullerton
Miami
Texas

etc.

 

[msstate7]

Another loss....... Decent fielding and pitching.

2-1 loss on SBW.

At least perennial winners are also having a tough year! Ha.

Cal-State Fullerton
Miami
Texas

etc.

Remember that error Florida committed to get runner on 3rd with 1 out. Thank God had Reynolds at dh up there! Cohen is killing us

 

[Hanmudog]

We have now won 9 out of 27 games. Freaking pathetic.
Cohen owes State fans an apology and his players a kick in the *** for this abomination.

 

[drt7891]

I don't know all the numbers but it sure feels like the only way we score runs is when the other team 17s up.

 

[msstate7]

We have now won 9 out of 27 games. Freaking pathetic.
Cohen owes State fans an apology and his players a kick in the *** for this abomination.

Rick Ray started 5-0, but finished 13-19.

Cohen started 13-0, but now he's 22-18. What will be the final record?

 

[msstate7]

I don't know all the numbers but it sure feels like the only way we score runs is when the other team 17s up.

And half the time we don't score then. See Reynolds' at bat after Florida error

 

[ronpolk]

Pinch running for Rea in the 7th inning might be one of the dumbest decisions Cohen has made in a while. Still 1 run deficit and rea's spot will be up 3rd in 9th.

Can't believe Cohen started Reynolds at dh.

Just can't believe I thought Cohen was a good coach.

I think you're being a little dramatic. Teams have bad years. See Florida in 2013. UF had made 3 straight CWS and then had a 29 win season. See South Carolina this year. They are out of the top 25 for the first time since 2010. This happens sometimes. If it continues next year then you should be worried.

 

[tatedog]

I think you're being a little dramatic. Teams have bad years. See Florida in 2013. UF had made 3 straight CWS and then had a 29 win season. See South Carolina this year. They are out of the top 25 for the first time since 2010. This happens sometimes. If it continues next year then you should be worried.

Without a major change in the trajectory of this season, 3/7 of Cohen's teams will have finished at or near the cellar of the SEC. And it's not just a single season. This is the second straight season we've hit a major dip. I don't want to hear about what he inherited either, he took the job. The guy at Auburn inherited a crap fest too and he's got a top 20 RPI team in year two. For all the grief we give Polk II (and it was no doubt a disaster) I wish someone would put together some cumulative numbers on his worst 7 seasons and compare them to Cohen's 7 seasons. I am not sure there would be a significant difference except for 3 wins in Omaha.

 

[patdog]

Well, Polk missed the NCAA tournament 8 times in his career at MSU and he bears a lot of blame for Cohen's first couple of years disaster, so there's really no comparison between his worst 7 seasons and Cohen's tenure. But there's no question Cohen needs to take a long look in the mirror and make some real changes in the way he recruits players, coaches players and manages a team after this season. He won't get another free pass next year.

 

[tatedog]

Well, Polk missed the NCAA tournament 8 times in his career at MSU and he bears a lot of blame for Cohen's first couple of years disaster, so there's really no comparison between his worst 7 seasons and Cohen's tenure. But there's no question Cohen needs to take a long look in the mirror and make some real changes in the way he recruits players, coaches players and manages a team after this season. He won't get another free pass next year.

I was specifically referring to the worst 7 seasons of Polk II (since Cohen is given a pass by many for following it and it is more relevant to the current state of the program.) I realize Polk missed post season play or nearly did a few times (we had a pretty bad run from 93-96) but he had us in there a vast majority of the time, and many of those years were only a 48 team field. The 2011 super regional team wouldn't have made a 48 team field. This isn't a pro-Polk or anti-Cohen argument... I'm not either one of those. I am just confused as to why we always frame Cohen's performance about a recovery from Polk II, when SEVEN years into Cohen I the results are scarily similar.

eta: after rereading my first post I realize perhaps I didn't make it clear that my 7 year comparison was in direct reference to Polk II and not overall. I apologize for the confusion and appreciate your thoughts.

 

[ronpolk]

I was specifically referring to the worst 7 seasons of Polk II (since Cohen is given a pass by many for following it and it is more relevant to the current state of the program.) I realize Polk missed post season play or nearly did a few times (we had a pretty bad run from 93-96) but he had us in there a vast majority of the time, and many of those years were only a 48 team field. The 2011 super regional team wouldn't have made a 48 team field. This isn't a pro-Polk or anti-Cohen argument... I'm not either one of those. I am just confused as to why we always frame Cohen's performance about a recovery from Polk II, when SEVEN years into Cohen I the results are scarily similar.

eta: after rereading my first post I realize perhaps I didn't make it clear that my 7 year comparison was in direct reference to Polk II and not overall. I apologize for the confusion and appreciate your thoughts.

Polk 2 lasted 7 years. Polk had a winning % of .599 compared to Cohen's .579. In the SEC, Polk 2 had a winning % of .456 compared to Cohen's .434. Pretty similar numbers but rather you want to admit it or not, Cohen I inherited a mess. He's done a good job. Now it can be debated about rather he's taken us as far as he can. But I don't think he has.

 

[tatedog]

Pretty close to what I expected to see. I did some bad math thinking Polk II was 8 years, so I was implying taking away his one CWS season and leaving Cohen's in for the comparison (I think that would be fair to even out some of the negative energy left over from the end of Polk II). Don't get me wrong I fully agree that Cohen inherited a mess. But 7 years in, is that still something we need to keep harping on? In year 12 are we gonna say, well that poor Cohen guy never had a shot. I mean he had the most involved fan base in college baseball, incredible facilities and an administration that was committed to the program, but gosh darn it that little Polk guy just poisoned the well. If that's the case, let's just give Cohen a lifetime extension because why put another poor soul at half a million a year through all that cleaning up?

 

[basedawg]

Well, Polk missed the NCAA tournament 8 times in his career at MSU and he bears a lot of blame for Cohen's first couple of years disaster, so there's really no comparison between his worst 7 seasons and Cohen's tenure. But there's no question Cohen needs to take a long look in the mirror and make some real changes in the way he recruits players, coaches players and manages a team after this season. He won't get another free pass next year.

This is one of the most disappointing season in a long long time for me and I've been watching baseball at Msu since 1970. I'm beginning to wonder about Cohen and the future now, he isn't what I though he would be as for as how we recruit hitters and play small ball. Having a down year is one thing but to be last in the SEC West is another, this shouldn't be.

Yes, it will be interesting to see IF Cohen makes changes in our coaching staff as well as recruiting.

 

[BossDawg78]

Just can't believe I thought Cohen was a good coach.

I think he's a decent coach. Good? Yeah, maybe. He has the knowledge to be a good coach, maybe even great. I just feel like Cohen over thinks things wayyy too much and does weird $#!t that, instead of surprising the opponent, it kills the potential for settling into some sort of rhythm.

 

[121Josey]

Are Cohen's teams ready to play when SEC play begins? No. That's what pisses me off. If the players are prepared to play, no need to micro-manage the game.

 

[patdog]

Couple of big differences, Polk II had only 1 super regional and went 0-2 in the CWS. Cohen has 2 super regionals and made the CWS finals. Also, as you point out, Polk inherited the most players we've ever had drafted in one year (2003) and managed to miss the regionals completely and choke away a regional we hosted. Cohen inherited a group of players who would struggle to win games in Division II, and that's all on Polk. The last 5 years is better than anything Polk II ever did.

 

[patdog]

Don't forget about 1991-1997 Polk either. No regional finals (equivalent to a super regional today) other than the 1 CWS year in 1997, missed the regionals in both 94 and 95, only 5-8 in the postseason from 1991-1996. MSU baseball would have a much better history if Polk had stayed retired the first time he retired in 1992.

 

[kphall11]

My thing is the players have no confidence. They may get a hit and then they get pulled. When we played at Kentucky, Britton had a HR and a double and got pulled middle of the game. What else did he have to do to stay in the game? Rooker starts at DH in previous games and strikes out and groundouts and then gets pinch hit for after two at bats. Then yesterday Rooker pinch hits and smokes a single. Rooker could be a good hitter he just needs consistency and at bats. It's just really frustrating watching this team lose when we all know we have so much talent that isn't getting utlized because of "matchups."

 

[patdog]

Cohen needs to quit being the mad tinkerer and get back to being the intense bastard. I haven't seen the intense bastard in the last couple of years.

 

[tatedog]

100% agree on that point.

Don't forget about 1991-1997 Polk either. No regional finals (equivalent to a super regional today) other than the 1 CWS year in 1997, missed the regionals in both 94 and 95, only 5-8 in the postseason from 1991-1996. MSU baseball would have a much better history if Polk had stayed retired the first time he retired in 1992.

The fans pressuring him to rescind his retirement that he announced in 1991 is probably the single biggest mistake made in the history of the program. I remember sitting my *** in Smith Wills stadium for a game with Jackson State the day he decided to announce he was coming back thinking "wow we dodged a bullet there..." When a man says "I'm done." let him be done.

 

[MSU'92]

This has been THE ONLY way we have scored runs with the exception of the few home runs we have hit. We have to rely on other team's mistakes to score runs. That is a whole other abysmal level of small ball.

 

[tatedog]

My thing is the players have no confidence. They may get a hit and then they get pulled. When we played at Kentucky, Britton had a HR and a double and got pulled middle of the game. What else did he have to do to stay in the game? Rooker starts at DH in previous games and strikes out and groundouts and then gets pinch hit for after two at bats. Then yesterday Rooker pinch hits and smokes a single. Rooker could be a good hitter he just needs consistency and at bats. It's just really frustrating watching this team lose when we all know we have so much talent that isn't getting utlized because of "matchups."

It's almost as if Cohen would rather look like a wizard than win the game. I find it totally unshocking that he and Mullen have such a bromance going b/c they share that trait.