Shane's Drivel

Polk certifiably insane June 6, 2008

From an AP article today:

“Now he’s got me on the war path and all I can do is hurt him,” Polk said of Byrne in a phone interview with The Associated Press from Athens, Ga., where he is watching Georgia play North Carolina State in an NCAA super regional. “I’m going to do everything I can to make his life miserable.”

Oh. My. God.

Polk could have done the damage he seeks if he’d have been more discrete. But the more he spews this kind of madness, the more he discredits himself. That man is not right.

Ron Polk embarasses self, MSU June 6, 2008

Coaching changes in sports are seldom pretty. Legends in coaching out to go out on top. Some step away at the top of their game. Some fade to insignificance, tip their had, and bow out gracefully. Sadly, Ron Polk chose none of those options.

Clarion Ledger beat writer Kyle Veazey contacted Polk for comments on John Cohen’s hiring today. Here’s what Kyle reported:

Reaction on the expected hiring of John Cohen turns to now-former Mississippi State coach Ron Polk, who was, well, here ya go:

“I just got slapped in the face, punched in the stomach,” he said. “All my coaches have been slapped in the face, punched in the stomach by a young athletic director who has absolutely no clue what he’s doing.”

Polk said he plans to send Byrne a letter that states “within 48 hours, my name comes off the stadium, comes off the centerfield fence, the banner off the concourse comes down. It will remain down until (Byrne) gets fired or somebody runs him off.”

Polk said he intends to remove MSU from his will as long as Byrne is the AD.

I asked Polk if he was concerned what these statements would do to his legacy, he responded that he thinks people will recognize that “he stood up for his boys.”

Polk, obviously, won’t be in attendance at tomorrow’s press conference that is expected to name Cohen, but that it wasn’t personal between he and Cohen. Polk said he spoke with Cohen two days ago about the job. “I’m not castigating John Cohen,” Polk said. “He probably felt like if he wasn’t going to take it, somebody else would.”

And one more: “All this might say ‘Well, sour grapes’,” Polk said. “It is sour grapes, yeah. I think I’m the athletic director for baseball. I deserve that right.”

Now that’s just sad. He should step up and apologize for these words. I hoped he’d remain an ambassador for the school and for college baseball. Now I’m not sure there’s a good ending to this.

UPDATE….

Wow, Veazey’s blog was just the start. Check out what Ron has said through Greg Ellis’ blog. Polk says he’ll remove the MSU foundation from his will and remove all player information from the head coach’s office. Also says he’ll ask former players stop donating to MSU.

Dear Ron Polk: Stop being an ass. Seriously. You’re embarrassing yourself. If you want to take your resources home, fine. If you’re going to launch a destructive campaign against the university, that would be a colossal mistake. PS: those player records are university property.

MSU press release June 6, 2008

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State will hold a 1 p.m. CT press conference this Saturday, June 7, in the Bryan Athetic Administration Building to announce its new head baseball coach.

The press conference will be carried live and free of charge through Maroon to the Max, MSU’s premium streaming service. To access the video stream, fans simply need to visit M2M’s Live Events Page at the press conference time on Saturday and click on the associated link to watch the event.

In addition to the press conference on the MSU campus, another media gathering will be held in Jackson at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame later in the day. That media event will begin at 5 p.m. CT.

The general public is invited to meet the new MSU head coach following the conclusion of both media events.

The new coach will be the successor to legendary mentor Ron Polk, who was the Diamond Dogs’ head coach for 29 seasons and is the winningest coach in SEC history. He led eight teams to NCAA College World Series appearances, 23 to NCAA competition, five to SEC titles and five to SEC Tournament crowns. Polk coached nearly 50 percent of the Diamond Dogs’ 3,612 all-time baseball contests.

OK so the 5pm thing is simply for Jackson area people to see Cohen.

CONFIRMED: Cohen is MSU’s baseball coach June 6, 2008

Sources have now confirmed that John Cohen is MSU’s new baseball coach. MSU will announce this at 1pm tomorrow in Starkville.

Curiously, MSU has called for a 2nd press conference to be held at the Mississippi Sports Hall Of Fame & Museum in Jackson. I’m not sure what that’s about. Perhaps Cohen is flying into MS via the Jackson airport and that’s his first logitical spot for his own press conference. Perhaps there’s been a secret and successful campaign to quickly usher Ron Polk into the MS Sports Hall Of Fame.

MSU to hire Cohen June 6, 2008

All indications by people claiming to be insiders on MSU message boards are saying John Cohen is the new MSU baseball coach. Cohen is of course Kentucky’s baseball coach who single-handedly brought their program out of the cellar and into competitiveness.

I think I’ve got a decent eye for separating wheat from the chaffe on message boards and I think this is believable. I’m told to expect a press conference to be announced soon.

MSU baseball June 6, 2008

Below is a list of the top 25 highest attended college baseball games. Mississippi State owns the top 18 and 22 of the top 25.

14,991
Florida at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 22,1989

14,378
Louisiana State at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 16, 1988

13,761
Arkansas at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 25,1992

13,715
Clemson at Mississippi State , Starkville
June 9 ,2007

13,617
Georgia at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 8, 2006

13,123
Mississippi at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 15, 2000

12,708
Auburn at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 24, 1993

12,620
Clemson at Mississippi State , Starkville
June 8, 2007

12,360
Georgia at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 6, 2002

11,763
Auburn at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 12, 2003

11,496
Florida State at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 27, 1990

11,174
Florida at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 13, 1991

11,127
South Alabama at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 26, 2000

10,958
Auburn at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 9, 2005

10,832
Notre Dame at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 28, 2000

10,688
Washington at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 25, 1997

10,619
Florida at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 17, 2004

10,588
North Carolina at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 28, 1989

10,581
Louisiana State at Arkansas , Fayetteville
May 5, 2007

10,382
Florida at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 25, 1987

10,324
Kentucky at Mississippi State , Starkville
March 31, 2007

10,284
Middle Tenn. St. at Mississippi State , Starkville
May 30, 2003

10,147
Louisiana State at Arkansas , Fayetteville
May 4, 2007

10,119
Alabama at Mississippi , Oxford
April 9, 2005

10,050
Alabama at Mississippi State , Starkville
April 10, 1999

Ron Polk trivia May 15, 2008

Outgoing long-time MSU head baseball coach Ron Polk was the SEC’s first full time baseball coach. Prior to his hiring in 1976, other SEC baseball coaches were only part time coaches. Those coaches were also football assistant coaches, football equipment managers, and other things.

He has also been one of the best college baseball coaches ever. Ron Polk has coached college baseball since 1972 and he has NEVER had a losing season. Until now. Sad. The man coached 35 years with no losing seasons, then makes his 36th year his retirement year and promptly has a losing season.

I wish for his own gratification that he’d been just a smidge more successful. A few times MSU was very very close to a national title and didn’t quite pull it off. A few national titles and a 36th winning season would have been icing on a great big cake.

Make it stop May 6, 2008

Mississippi State’s perennial except-for-this-year decent baseball team fell to mighty Middle Tennessee State University 20-5 tonight.

It pains me to see MSU having their first losing season in 30+ years in the final season’s of Ron Polk’s storied coaching career. But 20-5 to MTSU? Bloody hell guys, sack up.