Is Bianco Ole Miss' version of Stansbury?

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

Was just thinking about the fact that Stans has yet to reach the Sweet 16 and I immediately thought of Mike Bianco.

Both are excellent recruiters.
Both have built and maintained strong programs.
Both have offspring running all over the place during games.
Both are "right there" year in and year out.
Neither seems to be able to quite break through to that next level (be it the Sweet 16 or Omaha).
Both saw their rival school break through with what appeared to have been a weaker overall program - Rockerick Barnes getting to Sweet 16 in '01, Polk going to Omaha last year. (Btw, I realize comparing Barnes with Polk is a major stretch b/c Polk can point to plenty of major accomplishments in his career at MSU. Just go with it for now...)

Should I start calling our baseball coach Biancobury?

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

Was just thinking about the fact that Stans has yet to reach the Sweet 16 and I immediately thought of Mike Bianco.

Both are excellent recruiters.
Both have built and maintained strong programs.
Both have offspring running all over the place during games.
Both are "right there" year in and year out.
Neither seems to be able to quite break through to that next level (be it the Sweet 16 or Omaha).
Both saw their rival school break through with what appeared to have been a weaker overall program - Rockerick Barnes getting to Sweet 16 in '01, Polk going to Omaha last year. (Btw, I realize comparing Barnes with Polk is a major stretch b/c Polk can point to plenty of major accomplishments in his career at MSU. Just go with it for now...)

Should I start calling our baseball coach Biancobury?

 

[RebelBruiser]

I know the comparison has been made before, and I think there are definitely some parallels.

Both are capable of compiling teams that are good enough to win SEC titles and compete nationally, though neither seems to be able to put the whole package together. Another parallel is that I don't see either school firing either coach anytime in the near future, and I don't see either coach leaving either school for another job anytime in the near future.

 

[Goat Holder]

and not just the tournament, although of course he's done that too. </p>

And I don't think our baseball program is weaker than yours. If John Cohen or the like was at Mississippi State (or anybody besides a burnt out bitter Polk for that matter), the balance of power would shift rather quickly.</p>

 

[DowntownDawg]

...because they are "right there" consistently. Both good coaches.

 

[RebelBruiser]

Take out the comparison to the rival schools, and I think it's a very valid comparison. Regardless of what MSU does, Bianco will always field a quality team and will likely still struggle to get over that hump, though he will eventually.

And same with Stansbury. Regardless of what we do in basketball, Stans will field quality teams at MSU and will eventually get over that hump.

That's what some people fail to realize, success at one school is not directly related to failure at another. It is possible for both of our programs to do well. If Cohen was hired by MSU and came in and made your program a Top 20 program year in and year out, it likely wouldn't keep Bianco from fielding a Top 20 program year in and year out as well. Same with Kennedy in basketball. If he starts getting us to the NCAA tourney regularly, it won't change the fact that Stansbury will keep fielding NCAA quality teams.

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

I agree a guy like Cohen would come in and turn things around rather quickly in Starkville. It's ready made for the right coach. But, don't expect it to ever go back to being as lopsided as it once was for MSU in baseball. There will be years we are better. There will be years you are better. But, the days of us sitting by not caring about baseball are over. Of course, the purpose of this thread wasn't to get into a pissing match about baseball. But, whatever.

 

[Goat Holder]

was just a jab to catch a Richman or the like.

The coaches are very similar.

Program can be defined so many ways. Example: Alabama football. They still have a good program, regardless of Ws and Ls, and that's what I don't like about big money sports. MSU baseball is the same, except not quite to the extent of 12 National Titles. State can and will be successful with just about any baseball coach who knows his head from his *** and isn't lazy.

 

[Goat Holder]

But, the days of us sitting by not caring about baseball are over

That is ********. It's not like MSU is the only one that decided that we were gonna care about baseball. We just happened to be good, and built off the success. You just recently got good. But to say, "Well, we couldv'e kicked your asses back then but we didn't care about baseball" is pure ********. I guess MSU didn't care about football in the 80's either. We could have won the National title had we just "invested" in it.

I think it more to do with good players choosing to come to MSU than anybody "not caring".

 

[Hanmudog]

About "not caring about baseball". You hear Ole Miss types all the time say that the only reason State was ever good in baseball was because the rest of the SEC just did not care..........horse puckey. Baseball is the freaking national past-time and there have always been good baseball players and programs in the SEC. All the major league players in the 80's did not jump straight from high school and bypass college because the college teams "didn't care".

 

[patdog]

I think it's a good comparison. Both have been knocking on the door for a while (Stans for a Sweet 16 and Bianco for a CWS). Eventually, they'll both kick it in.

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

But to say, "Well, we couldv'e kicked your asses back then but we didn't care about baseball" is pure ********.

I neither said nor implied that. I am simply saying Bianco has built a program that will continue to compete and recruit well. And, if he were to leave or get fired, we would not settle for simply promoting an assistant. We're about to have what is essentially a brand new stadium. The alumni and donors have tasted success and have learned to love baseball season - not as a way to simply pass the time between signing day and August. And, like it or not, we've managed to develop our own college baseball atmosphere in Oxford. It has nothing to do with MSU's successes or failures.

Please do not attempt to put words in my mouth, Goat. I never said your success was because "we didn't care". Your success was the result of building a great tradition with great players on great teams under a great head coach who stayed there over a long, successful period of time.

There's no reason to think both programs can't be contenders year in and year out. It's not like the programs are built on nothing but players from Mississippi. Polk's days are obviously numbered - if for no other reason than his age. I have no doubt MSU will replace him with a guy like Cohen who is a proven, successful head coach. It will be a competitive rivalry as it has been the last several years. Once both programs are cruising along nicely, I'd say it could turn into one of the better college baseball rivalries in the country.

Sorry if that hurts your feelings. I just don't see what is so controversial about what I said to begin with.

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

*

 

[Bulldog from Birth]

I would much rather have our basketball program under Stans with consistent success, multiple NCAA tournament births, SEC West banners every other year, SEC Tournament title, SEC Regular Season title than to have Ole Miss' program under Barnes/Kennedy in which you can claim the one good run in the tournament to the Sweet 16. If you want to judge a coach on whether he gets to the Sweet 16, then Barnes is your guy. I'll take the consistent program any day of the week though. The ONLY thing i'd trade a consistent program for is a National Title. I'd be willing to suffer through 10 terrible seasons to get that for one of our Big 3 teams!

BFB</p>

 

[skydawg1]

The alumni and donors have tasted success and have learned to love baseball season

ghey.

 

[Goat Holder]

Ole Miss cared about baseball since the beginning. You just weren't good. MSU cares about baseball now. We just aren't good.

You hired a good coach who got some good players in there. It's not some "awakening", or that Ole Miss or the rest of the SEC has "caught up" to MSU. We were the cream of the crop back then, and we could do it again today with the right people in place. **** even LSU, Cal State Fullerton, etc. (perceived baseball powers) aren't ALWAYS good. You could cycle right back down into the depths of the SEC like we have.

Some Ole Miss fans have an over-inflated sense of what their athletic programs can accomplish. You honestly think you're on top of the college baseball world to stay?? You REALLY think you'll automatically stay good forever just because you've "tasted some success"??

 

[MadDawg.sixpack]

You would have to say that Polk (since his return) is a far supoerior coach to Stans because Polk has been to the CWS - the equivalent if not better than the Sweet16 - while Stans has not. To some the "big dance" is all that matters - SEC Championships (overall and divisional and tourney) don't mean squat. I don't agree with that thinking.

 

[Goat Holder]

There are more teams in baseball aren't they? To get to Omaha you have to beat out 4 other teams. To get the final four you have to beat 4 teams.

 

[MadDawg.sixpack]

to me is that if you can manage to garner a national seed, you can play all your games at home until you go off to the CWS in Omaha - that's a huge advantage versus playing games on a neutral court in basketball. I realize that in basketball you can get close to a home-field advantage if the selection committee sends you to a regional site close to home, but it's still not the same as being on your home field.

 

[8dog]

tournaments. But there are more basketball teams vying to get into the tournament. The Big East and the Big Ten have many schools that either don't have teams or are non factors in baseball. Another difference is that every round in baseball is double elimination so if you have an off day, you get another shot.

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

You honestly think you're on top of the college baseball world to stay?? You REALLY think you'll automatically stay good forever just because you've "tasted some success"??

You could cycle right back down into the depths of the SEC like we have.

You could write a book with all the words you're putting in my mouth today, Goat.

Here are some things I did say.

There will be years we are better. There will be years you are better. But, the days of us sitting by not caring about baseball are over.

As you can clearly see, I specifically said there will be years we are better. There will be years you are better. I forget how effing specific one has to be around here sometimes. So, let me say it this way. We will have down years. But, it will never be like it once was. Until they built OU Stadium in '89, the played on a field with wooden bleachers and a tiny little press box. The place would make USM's stadium look like Turner Field. Today, we're in the middle of an $16m expansion. The program and coaches will now be held accountable by the alumni and administration. That's all I'm saying.

And, yes, there has been an "awakening" of sorts as far as our athletic department is concerned. I actually think the awakening occurred when they ****-canned Pat Harrison. Pete Boone has figured out he can actually make money with baseball.

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

and then twisted it into meaning what you wanted it to mean. Nice try, though, Goat. (I'm surprised they haven't locked this thing yet, btw.)

 

[Goat Holder]

I'm pissed that we suck this year. I'm pissed that we lost Sunday. I have a sore throat, and I'm irritable. Does that explain my posting?

 

[someonestolemyusernamedamnit]

I'm pissed that we suck this year. I'm pissed that we lost Sunday. I have a sore throat, and I'm irritable. Does that explain my posting?

 

[patdog]

Except that there are also PAC-10 and Big 12 schools that don't field baseball teams either (although the lone non-baseball playing PAC-10 school is going to reinstate their team next year). To get a legitimate comparison between basketball and baseball, let all the Big 10 and Big East schools drop basketball. Then the two tournaments would be about equal. Except that, as you point out, the baseball tournament is never a 1-and-done deal if you have a bad game.

 

[RebelBruiser]

And also, there are 340 basketball teams in D-1A. I don't think there are nearly that many in baseball, so I'd say that advancing in baseball is much easier than making a Final 4 in basketball.

 

[patdog]

I'm pissed that we suck this year. I'm pissed that we lost Sunday. I have a sore throat, and I'm irritable. Does that explain my posting?

Once you accept that Polk is a bad coach that we'll be stuck with until he decides to leave, you can move past being pissed or even caring all that much and get to the point of total apathy where I've been for the past 5 years. Oh, I got a little excited during last year's regional and super regional run, but I knew it was just a fluke and Polk would get right back to losing soon enough. I'll start caring about baseball again the day we hire a new head coach.</p>

 

[patdog]

341 Div. I basketball teams per realtimerpi
293 Div. I baseball teams per Boydsworld
</p>