KB21 -- I try not to comment about Genespage, but...

[TR.sixpack]

his posts have been so deliciously funny I've found myself reading every thread he posts in. He seems to blame every Polk failing on our lack of scholarship fund and has begun talking about a "Lucky Day" fund Ole Miss apparently has that is like those of the lottery states. Is that true?

Also, I seem to remember KB21 as one of those dead-enders defending Sherrill to very end back in '03. Is that correct?

 

[TR.sixpack]

his posts have been so deliciously funny I've found myself reading every thread he posts in. He seems to blame every Polk failing on our lack of scholarship fund and has begun talking about a "Lucky Day" fund Ole Miss apparently has that is like those of the lottery states. Is that true?

Also, I seem to remember KB21 as one of those dead-enders defending Sherrill to very end back in '03. Is that correct?

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

So why does he lick the guy's jock?

As for Lucky Day, I believe we have one player on it this year, and he gets half a scholly.

Regardless, it doesn't explain the success of UNC or other good schools, they only got a lottery two years ago. or Vandy. While yes, vandy gets lottery money,, 4k off of a 30k tuition isn't exactly free.

 

[inthedawghouse]

Does Vandy get money since it's a private school?

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

could be a little more, but the point remains. You can put it towards any instate school. But 4k off Vandy tuition is still three times a state school.

 

[RebelBruiser]

Yes, you can get lottery money for Vandy, but like OP4 said, it's only a small amount.

For that matter, when you consider the overall cost of Vandy's tuition, the majority, if not all of their scholarship players still have to pay more money for school than the walk ons at Ole Miss and MSU, since players really never get full scholarship offers for baseball.

You could give a guy a 70% ride to Vandy, and he's still paying more out of pocket for school than walk ons at MSU and Ole Miss.

The scholarship argument is a valid one, because certain schools are able to take advantage more than others. However, there are schools that have success despite the limitations.

 

[HD6]

the way he characterizes basically every coach outside the Polk tree except for Cohen as immoral for doing whatever it takes to win just enrages me. If you cut players, or use Lucky Day, or teach players to crowd the plate, then you are compromising the integrity of the game, which is more important than winning.

Message boards haven't made me this upset since 2002, when people were telling me that Dontae Walker didn't weigh 260 pounds despite the fact two coaches had told me he did.

 

[Stormrider81]

To KB Polk is the upholder of the integrity of college baseball. He doesn't like cutting players, he doesn't crowd the plate, he doesn't like bunting, stealing, or putting on the hit and run, he lets a pitcher work through problems, he doesn't yell at players nor does he discipline a player in the public eye, and he fights with the NCAA over the scholarship limitations. If Polk isn't as successful as other coaches it is because he won't compromise his integrity and he's busy fighting for what is right.

KB is obviously an extreme example of a Polk worshipper. To him Polk is bigger than MSU, which is just sad. Coaches are hired to do two things: win and graduate players. Being the standard bearer for some fool's idea of integrity or some futile argument against the NCAA isn't part of the job description nor is it a substitute for one or both of the two main objectives.

 

[8dog]

yes, they get the public school equivalent in credit, but KB and the "woe is us" crowd will say that they have a huge endowment so they can get all of their players scholarships. You have to remember that its not just about lotteries. Its about whether a school has a lot of scholarship money. Since we have as little as any school it certainly puts us at a disadvantage.

What those people dont realize is that baseball players can generally afford to go to college. It's well documented that its a "well off" family's game. Additionally, we've recruited plenty of players that got offered more elsewhere. We have a large advantage over lots of schools in atmosphere and tradition.

And finally, as I've stated ad nauseum, Polk has never lost a signee during his second regime. I doubt any other coach can say that. He's signed plenty of guys that were drafted or could've been drafted. And he never lost one. That's a huge advantage. Hell, who gets a guy like Jeffrey Rea back his senior year? Not many teams.

I'd be really surprised if ole miss didn't have more than one guy on lucky day. I saw someone on nafoom post a couple of weeks ago that most MS guys were on it. But its not the reason that ole miss is so successful. The success started with the hiring of Bianco, not the creation of lucky day. It was funny b/c ole miss was losing so a guy whipped out the "lottery scholarships" excuse on behalf of ole miss. I guess when you're losing, that's the go to excuse.

 

[Stormrider81]

A large percentage of college students, including scholarship athletes, take out student loans now. While lottery schools do have an advantage, it's not like all the recruits are going to sign there first because they get more of their tuition paid for. They can still take out student loans, and probably will anyway.

We've signed some very good players despite not being a lottery school. Maholm, Manniscalco, Easley, Paps, Moreland, Powers, Turner, etc. It's not like we are just getting the leftovers from the lottery schools. The advantage does exist, the 11.7 scholarship limitation is wrong, however neither of these things explains the poor performance during the second Polk tenure.

 

[8dog]

the 35 roster cap that Polk detests so much will help level out these differences to some extent. You can't just sign 15-20 players every year.

Also, the Perfect Game recruiting rankings for the class of 08 have LSU, ole miss and TN at 39, 40, and 41. Georgia is at #2. So 3 out of the 4 schools that everyone bitches about currently aren't in the top 35 for next year. Yet Auburn is. And KY is in the top 15. They have a lottery scholarship but it really doesn't amount to too much more than MTAG.

As I've said before, its far more about coaches than it is about scholarships.

 

[Stormrider81]

Rather than spending the past 11 years attempting to find a solution to the problem and thus help both the players and MSU, Polk spends that time constantly complaining to one of the most corrupt groups in the country, and one that has a constant conflict of interest in all areas. When accused of violations and you argue your case, you don't argue to an independant board but rather to the NCAA itself. These are the people Polk is trying to reason with. There is no oversight, no unbiased party regulating the NCAA. They do what they want and none of us can convince them to change. Rather than writing manifestos on his typewriter, Polk should have been pursuing a solution. He would have had the backing of every single MSU baseball fan in that endeavor, we would have all been cheering him on.

 

[maroonmania]

in fact there was a time through the 80s and into the very early 90s that I was always fully supportive and appreciative of having a guy like Polk as our coach. The first "crack in the dam" so to speak for me was when Polk absolutely led the fight to eliminate the SEC Saturday DH. Back when we played the Saturday double headers at the Dude there was absolutely nothing like the atmosphere there. I was just incredulous that Polk would work to destroy that to uphold, yes, the "integrity of the game". Heaven forbid we make these poor, fragile college kids play 2 games in one day or even worse play a 7 inning game. Boy, talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. He led the fight to destroy one of the best things about the MSU baseball atmosphere and never even thought twice about it. Since then, my opinion of Polk (due to that along with many other things including his obsession of being the lone ranger fighting with the NCAA) has been on a steady downhill decline. I'm to the point now where I think it best if he does pack up and move to Arizona. Its probably time to cut the apron strings loose and give someone else a chance without Polk hanging around the program and causing fan dissension.

 

[DowntownDawg]

<h4>That is a great idea!!! </h4> _________________________________________________ <div class="messagebody"> I'm all for it.

Hire Tommy Raffo as head coach. Create the Director of Baseball Operations position for Ron Polk.

It is a situation that was made in heaven. </div>

 

[Bulldog Backer]

...have any of you ever seen the "Bathtub Marys?" Across the Upper Midwest especially, and sometimes elsewhere, devout Catholics take old bathtubs and bury then standing up, then place a statue of Mary in them, creating their own shrine. I suggested he plant a bathtub in the Left Field Lounge, and put a statue of Ron Polk in it, as a shrine. KB21 then can kneel and say a prayer to Polk before every game.

I also suggested he get Polk to request he be cremated, then have his ashes spread from Home to First Base at the Dude. That would put positive "mojo" on Raffo's batters who Polk has told Raffo to give the old "take" sign too. I figured it might get us a few more walks, instead of called strikeouts.

I also suggested that he get a big #1 put above the door into the dugout, that all the guys could touch for good luck on their way out to the field. It could be in the shape of Polk's ***.

Does anyone else have ideas that KB21 can use to enshrine his God of MSU baseball?

 

[RebelBruiser]

I'm beginning to think that guy has to be a fake. Granted, I've met people that would probably post like that, but I still can't believe someone would be that stupid.

 

[dawgstudent]

he was serious at first but now has this celebrity view of himself that he purposely goes over the top.

 

[gtowndawg]

the one and only KB21?

 

[Faustdog]

One think I've heard about Lucky Day is that it only effects one or two players on their team. They have to give it out in proportion to the general student population.

 

[Bulldog Backer]

...he was serious at first, but got hooked on the notoriety, then became absurd to hook more responses.

 

[saddawg]

thought it was Heydog up to his old tricks.

 

[8dog]

that guy has posted in the same manner and style for a while--all the way back to 2005. Its just that in the past, everyone hailed him as a hero b/c they didn't see that Polk was crippling the program. Now everyone is ready to move on except for him.

 

[vhdawg]

...having seen his infrequently-updated blog. He's a true believer.

 

[RobertF50]

we hear all this about the integrity of the game, and no one is going to change his mind. You hear so much negative from Polk it seems it has gotten to be all about him. Sure it's nice to send a card to former players, and it is good to see a coach fight for his players(on the field-not fight the NCAA). All this, but you never hear him say anything about the fans. It seems he holds the fans in contempt because a few of us are tired of being the 9th best team in the SEC every year. I can't remember him ever giving the fans any more love than he does the NCAA. He says a minimum compliment occasionally, and then it seems he hates doing it. I think Polk looks at the fans like we are lucky he has graced us with his presence, and if he had his way he would never let fans in the stadium. I've been sick of this guy so long. I wish he would take all his third retirement gifts and ride off to Arizona.
KB21 has his head so far up Polks *** he has been blinded. He has become the protector of all things Polk and Raffo. Farging nut.

 

[maroonmania]

anything too positive about the fans because then more of us might show up to the games and put undue pressure on his kids. From what I could gather from Polk in times past, his teams would play better at home if less of us showed up.

Seriously though, I agree with you. VERY little of what Polk does or says has anything positive to do with what's probably the greatest college baseball fanbase in the nation. In my mind our rabid fanbase had as much or more to do with building up college baseball in the SEC than Ron Polk. And I don't remember any great marketing schemes that Polk came up with to attract and generate that fanbase. Yeah, he had a winning program, but a lot of teams across the country had winning programs but their fans were still pretty apathetic about the whole thing.

 

[Todd4State]

As far as "integrity of the game"- leaning in, brushing back people, stealing signs, etc. are all, have been and always will be part of the game. It's about winning. It's not about trying to make better people. It's not about some paradigm of life.

Look at the HOF- Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Cy Young- heck even Sandy Koufax, all did things that "were against the integrity of the game".

The only player that I can think of, in my opinion, that compromised the integrity of the game was Pete Rose gambling on games that he managed in. (Don't want to get into another steroid arguement)

Polk was a fool for not bending the rules.

 

[TilloDawg]

if that's possible: On Dan McDonnell, whom he recently said he would pull all his support from MSU if they hired him and, also accusing him & UM of cheating...

The only way I would ever accept him as the head coach at Mississippi State would be for him to admit to the wrong doings at Ole Miss, totally denounce his association with Ole Miss, and pledge himself to the Ron Polk philosophy.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

he should be trying to win anyway.

 

[HD6]

I was in a decent mood until I read that. Now I'm angry aGAIN. At the end of the day, he has made Ron Polk his personal Jesus Christ. And while I'm not a terribly religious person, that's really offensive. He refers to Polk's proteges as disciples, and this last post reeks of confession and purifying the soul.

Dear KB21, you are the essence of everything that is wrong with Mississippi State. You make my physically ill, and no, I wouldn't schedule an appointment with you if you were the last doctor on the planet and I was dying. I would rather die than ever meet you. Everybody who reads your posts thinks you are a joke, and believe it or not, your insistence to be a good Gene sheep and give up your personal information will probably bite you in the *** one day. I hope, hope, hope we hire McDonell just so you will go the %%#+ away.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

you know he's gone overboard. It hasn't happened yet, but it will.

It has to be a joke. He's not even old enough to remember Polk I.

 

[patdog]

If you've got a closer who has pitched for 2 nights in a row and you're tied in the 8th inning of a game you've got some cash invested in your team winning, are you going to be likely to do the right thing and rest the closer for that game knowing you need to keep him fresh for the rest of the season or are you going to go ahead and burn him up by overusing him?

 

[ArrowDawg]

........proper anatomical parts and openings? I want to surprise KB21 on his birthday.

 

[Todd4State]

is that Polk has been investigated by the NCAA more than Bianco or McDonnell.

It's highly unlikely that any baseball program that's not run by Pat Murphy is violating any rules because very few cigar boys at other schools can compete with MLB money, and they aren't going to pony up that kind of money at most/any school for a baseball player.

.</p>

 

[Stormrider81]

Is KB serious? Times like these make it really hard to believe he is. Could anyone really believe this crap?

A coach we hire should pledge himself to Ron Polk's baseball philosphies? What? That is just ignorance at its highest level. I've never seen someone post something so stupid on a message board. First of all, Ron Polk's philosophies are just his ideas on how the game should be played. It isn't some baseball religous order that everyone should adhere to and failing to do so makes you a heathen. Secondly, Ron Polk's philosphies are badly outdated and seriously ineffective in the modern era of college baseball. Why would anyone outside this school of thought want to pledge themselves to that? How many national titles can the "Ron Polk philosophy" claim?

I just can't figure out if he's being serious or not. I really hope not.</p>

 

[Todd4State]

in baseball, if you go by the book, you won't win any Championships.

I think Polk proved this right, because that was his philosophy- it was all by the book.</p>