Well let me ask everyone a question. Since none of yall care about our baseball program because it not up to yalls standards. What do yall care about at MSU. Is it our 1 winning football season in 7 years. Or is it the basketball team that when they actually make the NCAA tournament, we lose in the 1st round or sometimes 2nd round. Don't tell me SEC West championships in basketball. Who cares about that when you lose in the first round of the NCAA tourny. I'm just curious what makes yall happy about MSU sports since our baseball team is so awful to watch.
Raise your hand if ....
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We had 2 great weekends last year. But overall, Mississippi has a better program. We've made only 1 super regional since Polk returned, after getting that far in 4 of the previous 5 years. Mississippi's been to 3 super regionals in a row. They're clearly the more consistent contender than we are now.
Baseball is the one sport where MSU can legitimately compete for championships and national spotlight in most years. In football we are fighting for a lower tier bowl game most years, and if we make one that season has been a success. In hoops we are fighting for a NCAA bid and can compete in the West and SEC. However, all of that success has happened in the past 18 years. Still, we haven't made it past the second round of the NCAAs since 1996 and aren't considered a national program. Again, a West title and a NCAA bid = a successful season.
In baseball, we have been to the CWS a lot, we've hosted a lot of regionals, and we showed last year that we have one of the best fanbases in the country. The reason people are upset is because we aren't doing what we did at the end of last year more consistently. Why did it take nearly a decade to host our first Super Regional or make it back to the CWS? Why have we hosted only one regional since Polk returned? This is what bothers people. For years we had only baseball and were known fairly well nationally in baseball circles as a damn good program. Now we are second fiddle in this state when you look at this decade overall.
In baseball, we have been to the CWS a lot, we've hosted a lot of regionals, and we showed last year that we have one of the best fanbases in the country. The reason people are upset is because we aren't doing what we did at the end of last year more consistently. Why did it take nearly a decade to host our first Super Regional or make it back to the CWS? Why have we hosted only one regional since Polk returned? This is what bothers people. For years we had only baseball and were known fairly well nationally in baseball circles as a damn good program. Now we are second fiddle in this state when you look at this decade overall.
fiddle to ole miss when it comes to baseball. They are a good club, but they havent been able to pull the trigger. And pulling the trigger is what most people remember.
Eventually they will break through. I'd feel more confident saying they'll make it to the CWS before we will again. It's like us in basketball. If we keep making the NCAAs, eventually we will make it to the Sweet 16 and further.
I could say we have had the better basketball program over the last 10 years because we went to the Sweet 16 in 2001. But, we all know Ole Miss has not and does not have the better program right now.
Not only that, but LSU apparently has a much better basketball program than MSU since they went to the Final Four 3 years ago, and that's the only thing that apparently matters.
I think he knows Mississippi has the better baseball program but just can't bring himself to admit it. gtowndawg put it perfectly. We used to expect to go to super regionals (or regional finals in the days before the super regional format) and the CWS. Now, in the rare years that we do, it's a miracle. Y'all expect to go to super regionals have a good shot at making the CWS every year. We don't have those expectations any more.
Nobody is marginalizing your trip to the CWS last year. What people are saying is that it isn't reasonable to expect to go on the road in a regional, beat a national seed, have things fall your way where you host a super, win the super and go to the CWS. 9 times out of 10 that isn't the way you get to the CWS. Obviously OM has tried the more conventional way and failed. I won't call it a fluke because you have to win the games, but I don't see it happening more than once. Right now we are ranked in the top 5 in every poll, expect to host a regional, expect to host a super, and yes expect to go to Omaha. Will that happen? If the past 3 years are any indicator we could fall short in a super again. But next year we will once again be a preseason top 15 team, expecting to host a regional, expecting to host a super, etc.... I think most reasonable people could agree that the expectations of our baseball program right now are higher than MSU's.
A good point below was OM has been to the sweet 16 more recently than MSU. Does that make us a better basketball program? I think you know the answer to that and the analogy fits baseball to a T if you want to be honest with yourself.
A good point below was OM has been to the sweet 16 more recently than MSU. Does that make us a better basketball program? I think you know the answer to that and the analogy fits baseball to a T if you want to be honest with yourself.
they are. But they have yet to prove that they are good enough (lucky, whatever you want to call it) to make it to Omaha. Do you think OSU was lucky to make it to Omaha last year? Until ole miss gets to omaha, they will be second fiddle to us.
My interest level is just as high but it pains me to see what is going on sometimes. I'm just hoping the legend moves on out of the way and Byrne doesn't go with Raffo to keep us in a downward spiral.
There are teams that have been "lucky" to get to Omaha. There have been teams that have been "lucky" to win it all even (Oregon State last year, as they almost didn't even make it in the field of 64). You have to at least be good enough to be able to get the breaks, but in a 9 inning game, a 3 game series, or a double elimination regional, the best team doesn't win every time.
I know you guys hate hearing it, but that's what Polk means when he says "that's baseball". And he's right to an extent. In a single game, a single weekend, or any other small cross section of games, anything can happen.
What you can't fake is being good over a full season. Vanderbilt last year was one of the Top 5 teams in the country, maybe the best overall, but they had a couple off nights, and Michigan kept them from advancing. Michigan was not a better team than Vandy, and Vandy probably would've won that regional 9 times out of 10, but they had an off weekend and went home early.
South Carolina had a team a few years back that dominated the SEC and lost something like 6 or 7 games the entire season. They were clearly the best team in the country that year, but they lost to Clemson in the 3 game national championship series. Clemson was not a better team than South Carolina, but they played better than them for 1 weekend and won the national title. Point being, again anything can happen in a short series.
In basketball, George Mason made the Final Four a few years back. Were they one of the Top 4 teams in the country? Definitely not, but they played well enough and got the breaks at the right time to make a run.
I know you guys hate hearing it, but that's what Polk means when he says "that's baseball". And he's right to an extent. In a single game, a single weekend, or any other small cross section of games, anything can happen.
What you can't fake is being good over a full season. Vanderbilt last year was one of the Top 5 teams in the country, maybe the best overall, but they had a couple off nights, and Michigan kept them from advancing. Michigan was not a better team than Vandy, and Vandy probably would've won that regional 9 times out of 10, but they had an off weekend and went home early.
South Carolina had a team a few years back that dominated the SEC and lost something like 6 or 7 games the entire season. They were clearly the best team in the country that year, but they lost to Clemson in the 3 game national championship series. Clemson was not a better team than South Carolina, but they played better than them for 1 weekend and won the national title. Point being, again anything can happen in a short series.
In basketball, George Mason made the Final Four a few years back. Were they one of the Top 4 teams in the country? Definitely not, but they played well enough and got the breaks at the right time to make a run.
I'm not trying to change your mind. Obvioulsy that is impossible. But most people around the country know about MSU baseball. Ole Miss? Not so much. Once you make it to Omaha, that will change a little. If you make it 8 times, it will change alot.
Really? Nobody knows about Ole Miss?
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/sioncampus/02/26/college.baseball.teams/index.html
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/sioncampus/02/26/college.baseball.teams/index.html
The analogy I'm about to make isn't perfect but here goes:
MSU baseball = Mississippi football. Both kicked *** a long time ago and both are sometimes good recently. Both have long-time fans who think the return to the glory days is just around the corner and both have fans who can't accept that their biggest rival has caught or passed them. And both programs are just a hollow shell of what they once were.
Like I said, it's not perfect because obviously MSU baseball today > Mississippi football today. But the point is both MSU baseball today << MSU baseball from 1979-1990 (or even from 1997-2001)
MSU baseball = Mississippi football. Both kicked *** a long time ago and both are sometimes good recently. Both have long-time fans who think the return to the glory days is just around the corner and both have fans who can't accept that their biggest rival has caught or passed them. And both programs are just a hollow shell of what they once were.
Like I said, it's not perfect because obviously MSU baseball today > Mississippi football today. But the point is both MSU baseball today << MSU baseball from 1979-1990 (or even from 1997-2001)
Like I said, both are occasionally good. Examples: our baseball trip to the CWS last year and UM's SEC West co-championship and Cotton Bowl in Eli's senior season. We already know how UM followed up on that season. We'll see how MSU baseball follows up on last season.
Hell read the article, it mentions your trip to Omaha. It's a footnoote at the beginning, a feel good story about an underdog's run to Omaha. Do you not see the irony in that article? There is Ole Miss picked #1 as a favorite to make it to Omaha while there is a mention of MSU's run to Omaha the previous year as a huge underdog. Seriously MSU use to be a national power and was expected to go to Omaha. Now Ole Miss is expected to go to Omaha and MSU gets treated like George Mason making a run in the NCAA tourney 2 years ago when they made it to the final four. In both instances, the national media's opinion was "Holy ****! How in the hell did they make it here!"
We've gone from expecting a trip to Omaha to being surprised we made it. Hell, I know I was. That doesn't mean I wasn't thrilled to get there, I was. I posted replies to that whiney *** Clempson fan, basked in the glory of setting the attendance record, and cheered loudly when Moreland collected that last out. However, I also recognize that run for what it was, a fluke. It doesn't mean we didn't earn it, we did. We went on the road and beat a national seed, had the opposite hosting team lose, and then beat out the winner of that regional for a super host. Then, we beat them on our home field to cash in our ticket to Omaha. But, that was a pretty damn unexpected list of circumstances, and all but the most delusional among us should be able to admit that. To expect that to happen again is being unrealistic. On the other hand, hosting regionals and making it to super regionals every year is the most reliable way to get to Omaha on a regular basis. Look how many times we hosted regionals and made it to Omaha. Hmm, interesting.
State basketball is considered better than OM because of what has been accomplished previous and since your Sweet16.
State baseball is considered better than OM because of what has been accomplished previous and since your last time to lose a super regional at home.
I think it says alot about State's baseball program to WIN.....not just play in......WIN....a super regional.
I don't disagree that Bianco is a good coach and OM had some good teams lately. However, to say OM's baseball program has surpassed State's is ridiculous. When OM participates in another 6 CWS and actually WINS a super, then maybe I will be convinced.
State baseball is considered better than OM because of what has been accomplished previous and since your last time to lose a super regional at home.
I think it says alot about State's baseball program to WIN.....not just play in......WIN....a super regional.
I don't disagree that Bianco is a good coach and OM had some good teams lately. However, to say OM's baseball program has surpassed State's is ridiculous. When OM participates in another 6 CWS and actually WINS a super, then maybe I will be convinced.
You're right. Your analogy was shaky, but still a decent point. It's tough for a lot of Ole Miss fans to ever accept that MSU's football program could ever be better than ours. And it's just as hard for many MSU fans to accept that Ole Miss's baseball program could ever be better than yours.
You've had success recently, but since Polk's return it's been a pretty steady run of mediocrity. Your baseball program is still solid and has a lot of potential, but it's not performing to that potential currently, even with the CWS run last year.
You've had success recently, but since Polk's return it's been a pretty steady run of mediocrity. Your baseball program is still solid and has a lot of potential, but it's not performing to that potential currently, even with the CWS run last year.
That is comical. You may have a pretty good team, but to say you're 'expected' to go to Omaha is pretty laughable since it hasn't happened in over 25 years.
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