Listening to an interview this morningl, UGA's coach (a Polk appointee) while gushing over Polk mentioned how he hopes MSU does the "right thing" and hires Raffo so Polk will stay involved in college baseball.
Ouch.
Ouch.
UGA Coach on Rivals Radio this AM, RE: Polk
- Thread starter saltybulldog
- Start date
we continue to lack competitiveness and this guy gets to look like he is honoring polk at the same time. that comment was a no brainer. i'd still like to kick him in the nuts for saying it though.
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edit to say: if he wants Polk to stay in college baseball so badly he can move him over to athens. i am sure there are more than enough people around here that would like to see the manifestos written to the NCAA coming from georgia rather than MS.
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edit to say: if he wants Polk to stay in college baseball so badly he can move him over to athens. i am sure there are more than enough people around here that would like to see the manifestos written to the NCAA coming from georgia rather than MS.
...fired Pat Harrison after the 2000 season. Something like how it was a "sad day when a fine man and great coach like Pat Harrison loses his job." This after 4 years of myself and others boycotting UM games to try to get the attention of the UM administration. We hired Mike Bianco in June, 2000, Baird later retired, and AU has hired Steve Renfroe and Tom Slater since. Hey Baird, how'd that work out for you and AU, you prick?!
...watch MSU play baseball than UM play football. And I am a very loyal UM alum. My dad played at Ole Miss in the baseball glory days, on the freshman team in 1959 and on the varsity in 1960; both years the Rebel varsity was SEC Champs and both years barred from NCAA District play due to the College Board's prohibition against integration. The 1960 team finshed 22-3, 5th in the nation, and had a 17-game winning streak. My dad was the starting pitcher in the game that broke the streak, an 18-4 loss to State in Starkville. My love for Ole Miss and college baseball was formed by watching Ole Miss teams that made our 4th trip to Omaha in 1972 and won our 6th SEC title in 1977. My dad was part of forming the Rebel Bullpen Club in the early 1980's and they had over 400 members by the early 90's. I was the Historian for the club in the 90's and documented 10 dates in which crowds of over 2,500 attended games at old Swayze Field through 1988. Ole Miss Baseball has a good history and decent fan interest (including 5th in the country in average attendance in 1978), but the leadership from the university was pitiful. Except for a West Division title in 1982 and a good 38-17 (14-13) team left out of regionals in 1986, UM stunk for most of my college years and young adulthood. AD Warner Alford, himself NOT a baseball guy even though he is Tom Swayze's son-in-law, allowed the program to die on the vine in the 80's.
I've always said that Oxford-University Stadium, opened in 1989, was "The House Polk Built". After the 1990 season, Alford hired Don Kessinger instead of Pat McMahon, who many of us wanted and campaigned for. I continued to buy season tickets and thoroughly enjoyed attending the 1995 regional at Tallahassee in which the Rebs finished in what is the equivalent of today's Super-Regional. By 1996, Don would be gone, but Pete Boone (in his first term) inexplicably hired Harrison over the objections of many of us. Because Harrison hired Kessinger's son and it smelled of an inside deal, I did not set foot inside O-U Stadium until we got a change. I bought a maroon shirt and cheered for State. If you were on the internet in the late 90's, you should remember quite a bit of activity on Ole Miss websites calling for a change, especially when Harrison favored his son over Chris Lotterhos, who ended up tranferrring to MSU and having a lights-out regional in College Station on the way to Omaha.
Luckily, we had former AU All-SEC Shortstop John Shafer as AD in 2000, and we had been working on him since his hire. He assured us he would fire Harrison the first year after he failed to make a regional. The Rebs lucked into one in 1999, but the 2000 season would be Harrison's last. I had started up a long-distance telephone friendship with the head baseball coach at McNeese State, and that's who I wanted. We were able to enlist support from some heavy hitters to convince Shafer to hire Bianco, and I rejoined the Bullpen Club (which had fallen to 39 members) that day.
That's my story, and it's all true. There are many interesting details, but time does not permit.
I've always said that Oxford-University Stadium, opened in 1989, was "The House Polk Built". After the 1990 season, Alford hired Don Kessinger instead of Pat McMahon, who many of us wanted and campaigned for. I continued to buy season tickets and thoroughly enjoyed attending the 1995 regional at Tallahassee in which the Rebs finished in what is the equivalent of today's Super-Regional. By 1996, Don would be gone, but Pete Boone (in his first term) inexplicably hired Harrison over the objections of many of us. Because Harrison hired Kessinger's son and it smelled of an inside deal, I did not set foot inside O-U Stadium until we got a change. I bought a maroon shirt and cheered for State. If you were on the internet in the late 90's, you should remember quite a bit of activity on Ole Miss websites calling for a change, especially when Harrison favored his son over Chris Lotterhos, who ended up tranferrring to MSU and having a lights-out regional in College Station on the way to Omaha.
Luckily, we had former AU All-SEC Shortstop John Shafer as AD in 2000, and we had been working on him since his hire. He assured us he would fire Harrison the first year after he failed to make a regional. The Rebs lucked into one in 1999, but the 2000 season would be Harrison's last. I had started up a long-distance telephone friendship with the head baseball coach at McNeese State, and that's who I wanted. We were able to enlist support from some heavy hitters to convince Shafer to hire Bianco, and I rejoined the Bullpen Club (which had fallen to 39 members) that day.
That's my story, and it's all true. There are many interesting details, but time does not permit.
...when UM beat ODU and UCF in elimination games. I went jogging that Sunday morning before the regional final and found a fairly-new official NCAA baseball that was over 500 feet from home plate and against a tree in the general direction he had hit it. David hit another HR that day and made the All-Region team, but we lost like 13-1 to what I still consider the best college baseball team I've ever seen (1985 MSU is 2nd). They had J.D. Drew and Doug Mientk. (sp), who along with David are still in the Show. Still can't believe neither the '85 Dogs nor the '95 Noles won it all.
I went to the 1993 regional in Tallahassee for our opening round game against Notre Dame. We got shelled. I think it was 15-1 with our lone run coming on a Ron Brown homer. I didnt' go the following day but that was Jay Powell's controversial walk in of the winning run against top seeded Long Beach State.
...that have always liked college baseball and were to be found at Dudy Noble on quite a few occasions. I noticed all those top 20-25 attendance finishes over the years. Because Ole Miss was dwarfed for so long by MSU attendance and proximity somewhat dulled the senses, I don't think many Bulldog fans have an appreciation for UM's baseball interest and the potential for the program to explode.
...which it hasn't....explode that is....and won't until reaching Omaha. For the sake of Reb fans I truly like, I hope it happens...for their sake....ONLY for their sake.
I met George Lotterhos while Chris was at MSU...class guy...still feel bad for him and I wouldn't have thought I ever could under the circumstances.
...which it hasn't....explode that is....and won't until reaching Omaha. For the sake of Reb fans I truly like, I hope it happens...for their sake....ONLY for their sake.
I met George Lotterhos while Chris was at MSU...class guy...still feel bad for him and I wouldn't have thought I ever could under the circumstances.
Inforeb- Everything you said was very interesting to me because you have a view of the Ole Miss program that goes aways back. I'm actually glad that Ole Miss has a good baseball program and a good coach for one main reason- it makes MSU raise the bar. The fact is there are a LOT of stupid MSU fans that are merely satisfied with just being better than Ole Miss. By Ole Miss being bad, a lot of State fans would be content with a lot of things "as long as we're better than Ole Miss". By you going to SR's, out recruiting Raffo and Polk, it has in some ways led to where we are now. I'm not saying that Ole Miss being good is the sole reason for what we are going through right now, but it is part of it.
I think it works both ways- for example the Swayze Field renovation was in part a result of State having Dudy-Noble renovated, as Inforeb mentioned. Ole Miss making an effort again was in part because State and other SEC schools were making it a viable sport. Also, hiring Bianco in an effort to catch up to State and make it to Omaha.
As far as Ole Miss baseball potential- I agree with Humongous that Ole Miss has great baseball potential. I still believe State will continue to have better support as long as the current administration doesn't screw it up. But Mississippi as a whole is a great college baseball state. Besides MSU and UM, USM draws well for a collegiate team. Delta State is always good as well. I really believe that MSU and UM could become the Duke/UNC of college baseball. Both programs have that kind of potential, which I think would be awesome for this state. I remember the 2005 SEC Championship Game and how awesome it was- and just think how awesome it would be if the two of us met for the CWS Championship. Mississippi is so good in baseball that a school like USM would be considered "the baseball school" in a lot of states. If State and Ole Miss hosted a SR in the same year, it would set all kinds of NCAA records for attendance.
It's amazing to me that we still consider ourselves a football state. </p>
I think it works both ways- for example the Swayze Field renovation was in part a result of State having Dudy-Noble renovated, as Inforeb mentioned. Ole Miss making an effort again was in part because State and other SEC schools were making it a viable sport. Also, hiring Bianco in an effort to catch up to State and make it to Omaha.
As far as Ole Miss baseball potential- I agree with Humongous that Ole Miss has great baseball potential. I still believe State will continue to have better support as long as the current administration doesn't screw it up. But Mississippi as a whole is a great college baseball state. Besides MSU and UM, USM draws well for a collegiate team. Delta State is always good as well. I really believe that MSU and UM could become the Duke/UNC of college baseball. Both programs have that kind of potential, which I think would be awesome for this state. I remember the 2005 SEC Championship Game and how awesome it was- and just think how awesome it would be if the two of us met for the CWS Championship. Mississippi is so good in baseball that a school like USM would be considered "the baseball school" in a lot of states. If State and Ole Miss hosted a SR in the same year, it would set all kinds of NCAA records for attendance.
It's amazing to me that we still consider ourselves a football state. </p>
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