Could The Mississppi Valley State Delta Devils.............

[ExtremeDog]

be on the verge of their first ever victory/victories over Mississippi State this week?

If I were a fan or member of the green, red, and white, I would be thinking that the odds were in my favor.

I knew this team was not as strong as last year's team. I did not know we were going to start the season this flat. I am very disappointed with the baseball program. We should NEVER rebuild, we should always reload. That's just not the case anymore.

 

[ExtremeDog]

be on the verge of their first ever victory/victories over Mississippi State this week?

If I were a fan or member of the green, red, and white, I would be thinking that the odds were in my favor.

I knew this team was not as strong as last year's team. I did not know we were going to start the season this flat. I am very disappointed with the baseball program. We should NEVER rebuild, we should always reload. That's just not the case anymore.

 

[Brutius]

Don't you know black kids don't play baseball in Mississippi?

 

[MsuD00D]

That's fine. Valley doesn't have many black kids playing for them anyway.

 

[Coach34]

they started recruiting white kids too...They have had a few minorities the last few years

 

[Stormrider81]

but I had a friend that played for them in the early part of this decade. They had a lot of white players on their team.

 

[saddawg]

 

[Brutius]

I can't see their roster because the MVSU athletics website makes the MSU one look like espn.com. I'll take your word for it though. Even without seeing the roster, I will bet you that they have more black players than MSU.

 

[Stormrider81]

A historically black university having more AA baseball players than MSU? Surely you jest.

For the record, I'm for signing the best players we can.

 

[vhdawg]

....they had a Canadian shortstop with a hockey mullet. He did a backflip catching a line drive. I explained to the guy sitting behind me that the mullet provided lift.

 

[MSUCostanza]

What the hell difference does it make?

 

[Brutius]

I'm sorry. I just thought black kids didn't play baseball in Mississippi, that's what all the Ron Polk supporters say anytime someone brings up the lack of black/minority players. Maybe Valley imports all their black guys from other states. I hear that people are beating down the door from Iowa and Idaho to be a Delta Devil in Itta Bena.

</p>

 

[SWFLDawg]

This seems to be the elephant in the room for the AD, how can it be realistically defended?
The only guy I remember was Harold Myles my freshman year.

 

[JacksonDevilDog]

this might come as a shock, but I played baseball for Valley in 2003 & 2004. Yes I am white. We had around 4 guys sign to the minor leagues off that team. I happened to be one of them. The year after I left, state only won the game 3-2 I think. We played a good schedule and were one game away from regionals both years. State should win both.

I'm not a valley fan. I just played there. I'm a huge MSU fan.

 

[MsuD00D]

Your idiotic rant would be relevant if you were talking about the Alcorn or JSU baseball teams. However, since Doug Shanks took over at Valley their baseball team has been no more "historically black" than any other Division I program. Their best player is a white guy from Missouri.

 

[patdog]

I'm sorry. I just thought black kids didn't play baseball in Mississippi, that's what all the Ron Polk supporters say anytime someone brings up the lack of black/minority players. Maybe Valley imports all their black guys from other states. I hear that people are beating down the door from Iowa and Idaho to be a Delta Devil in Itta Bena.

</p>

</p>1. If you're looking for Ron Polk supporters, you won't find too many of them on this message board. I suggest you try Swan Lake.

2. If you think MVSU is importing black players from Iowa and Idaho, then you haven't spent much, if any, time in either of those states.

3. You're absolutely right that Ron Polk needs to recruit black players. There aren't many of them in college baseball because of the scholarship situation, but there's no excuse for a man to coach for 30 years and be able to count the black players he's signed and came to school on his fingers.

 

[dawgstudent]

How many blacks play baseball to begin with in the US? It's become a rich, white boy sport kind of like soccer.

 

[JacksonDevilDog]

Heres a rundown of the areas where my teammates werefrom:

Phoenix, Arizona
Los Angeles, California
Jackson, MS
Mendenhall, MS
Liberty, MS
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton, Ontario
Toronto, CA
Sacramento, CA
Starkville, MS
Somewhere, Iowa
St. Louis, Missouri
Troy, New York
And many, many small towns in the Mississippi Delta

 

[Temple of the Dawg]

AFRICAN AMERICAN ATHLETES PARTICIPATION
RATES IN NCAA DIVISION I SPORTS *

Baseball 6.7%
Football 42.1%
Basketball 57.1%
Track & Field 27.2%

From this link to a long *** story.
Edit to add this link to an ESPN story on the same subject.

It is not just Polk not recruiting black baseball players (at least anymore). As has been discussed here, young black males gravitate to football & basketball now & the few that do play baseball tend to sign professional contracts right out of HS.

 

[beachbumdawg]

One of the reasons the Urban Baseball league is being created.....there was a story on ESPN sunday morning tackling this very issue....a former MLB baseball player from Meridian and Delino DeSheilds are heading it up.......said it starts at home with interests.....basically said this will be the youth version of the old Negro Leagues.....

 

[8dog]

b/c so few blacks play in the SEC period. Mississippi presents a particular problem b/c no black HS player has been a contributor for a legit program in quite some time. They all go pro.

Not saying Polk is necessarily trying. Just pointing out that a lack of minorities is not just an MSU issue.

In fact, there was a story on Oil Can Boyd on ESPN Sunday about his starting up a league in urban areas to help bring blacks back to baseball. EDIT-- I see this was covered mid thread before I posted.

 

[vhdawg]

....why would you focus your energy on baseball if you're still going to have to pay the lion's share of your scholly no matter where you go? You can be all-world in football or basketball and get a full ride. Baseball you get books and a slight discount on tuition.

 

[Coach34]

not just the cost of paying for college...the cost of it before that point.

Buying gloves, bats, cleats, and all the other expenses of baseball just doesnt sit well with many of the black population in Miss. In the majority of high school baseball programs in the state, the kids pay for a large majority of their equipment- not the schools. By contrast, kids put out very little when participating in football and basketball.