Considering last year's Omaha trip and this year's lackluster start
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We should host regionals EVERY year. Host super regionals at least every third year. We should compete for the SEC Championship EVERY year, not squeak in as the 8th seed of the Tournament. I hope that is how Byrne explains our expectations to the next coach.
Edited to add: we have the resources, fanbase and support to do exactly that.
Edited to add: we have the resources, fanbase and support to do exactly that.
Yes, we should expect to host a Regional every year at the very least.
However, if we make the SEC Tournament and a Regional, I will be pleased with the team, but not Polk.
However, if we make the SEC Tournament and a Regional, I will be pleased with the team, but not Polk.
.....success then you're not doing anything.(Hear that Sylvester Croom?)
Polk is stuck in a pattern where he has one really good/great season every 4-5 years, and the rest are mediocre or bad. That doesn't cut it. MSU baseball SHOULD be better than that. We'll have that one really good year, then the next few years we get everything from youth to injuries(especuially injuries) as a constant excuse not to be one of the better teams in the SEC and the country. Of course naturally our silly fan base(i.e. Geenie worshipers) thinks it's a great accomplishment as long as we "make a regional," which is ridiculous because just about any so-so team from a power conference like the SEC ALWAYS "makes a regional"...........somewhere. The teams that stand out, however, are the ones who HOST regionals and put themselves in positon to make it to Omaha most years. We don't. Our chances lately are few and far between.</p>
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Polk is stuck in a pattern where he has one really good/great season every 4-5 years, and the rest are mediocre or bad. That doesn't cut it. MSU baseball SHOULD be better than that. We'll have that one really good year, then the next few years we get everything from youth to injuries(especuially injuries) as a constant excuse not to be one of the better teams in the SEC and the country. Of course naturally our silly fan base(i.e. Geenie worshipers) thinks it's a great accomplishment as long as we "make a regional," which is ridiculous because just about any so-so team from a power conference like the SEC ALWAYS "makes a regional"...........somewhere. The teams that stand out, however, are the ones who HOST regionals and put themselves in positon to make it to Omaha most years. We don't. Our chances lately are few and far between.</p>
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Byrne won't do anything. I don't believe we have anyone in a position of power at MSU who has the balls to make tough decisions. Byrne will do what's easy, which is the same thing LT would do...........nothing. He'll balance the budget, smile for the cameras, maybe shake a few more hands than LT at social functions, and leave the coaches alone no matter how bad things may get.</p>
I'm conservative by nature, but MSU needs a MAJOR shot of progressiveness from academics all the way down to athletics. Until I see it happening, count me as a cynic.</p>
I'm conservative by nature, but MSU needs a MAJOR shot of progressiveness from academics all the way down to athletics. Until I see it happening, count me as a cynic.</p>
back in the 80's it was a good accomplishment, but now with the expanded field and the advent of SR's, really all you have to do is win about 30 games, for an overall record of about 30-26, and you don't even have to make the conference tournament to get in, which means 9th place out of 12. It also helps that LT is on the committee, I do believe that this is the one area of MSU athletics where he actually will stand up for MSU.
To me, if you make a SR, you are a really good team, and that should be the minimum measuring stick for how good your program is. Not just Omaha, which of course if you make it there, you obviously made a SR. So yes, it's possible to go to Omaha and not be as successful overall as a team that hasn't been, to me anyway.
To me, if you make a SR, you are a really good team, and that should be the minimum measuring stick for how good your program is. Not just Omaha, which of course if you make it there, you obviously made a SR. So yes, it's possible to go to Omaha and not be as successful overall as a team that hasn't been, to me anyway.
I say that the jury is out on him as far as making moves just because he hasn't even spent day 1 officially as AD. I don't think he will fire Polk in his first year, but not because he has no balls, but because he will probably will probably want to evaluate every program and then go from there. It would be very surprising to me if he goes slash and burn throughout the AD. If the baseball program is not where he feels it needs it to be, he may very well may make a change. I will say that the one encouraging thing about Byrne is that he is willing to listen to people. If enough people express disdain, then he may very well force Polk into retirement. I don't think he will come out and fire him, but will make it look voluntary like we did with JWS.
The only way Polk will leave after this year would be if the cigar boys buy him out. I don't think that's likely right now, but if the team crashes and burns, we'll see.
The only way Polk will leave after this year would be if the cigar boys buy him out. I don't think that's likely right now, but if the team crashes and burns, we'll see.
by any team in the history of CWS, it is of course an unreasonable definition of "acceptable". Maybe you meant you wish it would happen, but even that would be a strain on credulity. A more reasonable definition of acceptable would be to host a regional or super regional on a regular basis (but not every year). If we did that, then we might go to Omaha more frequently than we do now. One requirement for goal setting is that the goal be possible to accomplish. No team will ever go to Omaha every year.
Byrne won't do anything.
We can all agree that in his first year, he won't go on a tirade and fire coaches left and right. On the other side of the same coin, I'll say that it's possible he'll do nothing, but, I am confident if things don't improve next season (i.e. if next season is an awful showing) he'll stir the pot.
Anyways, in response to my own thread, I think we should host a regional and/or super regional. No excuse in not building off last year's trip to Omaha.
We can all agree that in his first year, he won't go on a tirade and fire coaches left and right. On the other side of the same coin, I'll say that it's possible he'll do nothing, but, I am confident if things don't improve next season (i.e. if next season is an awful showing) he'll stir the pot.
Anyways, in response to my own thread, I think we should host a regional and/or super regional. No excuse in not building off last year's trip to Omaha.
I agree with that. And I'd use Texas as an example. I think everyone would agree that not only have they been one of the top programs in the country in modern college baseball, but they are still today one of the top programs year in and year out. They host regionals most years and usually make the Supers. But even their program, which I say is the measuring stick currently in college baseball, misses out on Omaha quite a bit. Regardless, almost every year, they put themselves in position every year to have a shot at Omaha, and they do capitalize on it quite often, and they will win the occasional title.
And that happens basically because they keep fielding a team that's good enough almost every year. Sometimes something will happen to keep them from making it all the way, but they continually have a team that's good enough if things fall out right.
That's what MSU baseball should be able to do. Unfortunately for you, you have a coach that's past his prime, and a coach that's complacent with mediocrity. And even worse, he has his name on the stadium, which makes him basically unfireable. He'll have to resign for you to go after a coach like Cohen. If you were to get Cohen, you'd be hosting regionals most years, and probably going to Omaha 3 or 4 out of every 10 years, possibly winning a title every so often. And that's about as good as you can do in baseball.
And that happens basically because they keep fielding a team that's good enough almost every year. Sometimes something will happen to keep them from making it all the way, but they continually have a team that's good enough if things fall out right.
That's what MSU baseball should be able to do. Unfortunately for you, you have a coach that's past his prime, and a coach that's complacent with mediocrity. And even worse, he has his name on the stadium, which makes him basically unfireable. He'll have to resign for you to go after a coach like Cohen. If you were to get Cohen, you'd be hosting regionals most years, and probably going to Omaha 3 or 4 out of every 10 years, possibly winning a title every so often. And that's about as good as you can do in baseball.
We're not going to come out with a press conference saying that Polk was fired, even though that's really what happened. Byrne isn't stupid. People would say the same thing about JWS because of "all that he had done for MSU". We're going to make it look like he retired on his own. The sheep won't know the difference.</p>
What you don't get is that Polk isn't about to "retire" unless he decides to. Byrne can try to talk him into it, and I sure hope he will, but if Polk doesn't want to, it ain't going to happen. And there's nothing Byrne can do to make it happen if Polk doesn't want it to.
We can't fire him, buy him out, or have him retire JWS style. When LT brought Polk back in he pretty much saddled us with him until he decides to retire for real on his own or unless he does something really bad. Byrne cannot force Polk out. He can only try to talk him into retiring, and that probably won't work. The simple fact is we are going to have to wait Polk out.
Barkman Turner Overdrive said:We should host regionals EVERY year. Host super regionals at least every third year. We should compete for the SEC Championship EVERY year, not squeak in as the 8th seed of the Tournament.
I think expectations should be to host 6-7 times out of every 10 years. That's reasonable...top 8 national seed 3 times out of every 10....or maybe host 8 of 10 and be a top 8 half of those times.</p>Let's be realistic. Only UT and UM have hosted each of the last 4 years. That's it. No one else in the country has hosted every year for the last 4 but Austin and Oxford. EVERY year isn't reasonable....now EXPECTING to?....different story. There should be an expectation of hosting every year but the random years it doesn't happen should be reasons for panic.
NOT hosting for freaking ever?...reason to panic...beyond a doubt.
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