Lane Burroughs is the one responsible for assembling USM's current talent

[Toag Redloh]

so that's the silver lining, for me, for that loss yesterday. Yeah it sucks but it's a product of Polk's lazyness while UM and USM got the big instate guys. USM only gets who we don't want, and UM to some extent, and when Polk was here that was some damn good players.

Let Cohen and Burroughs get after it for two years and our team will have guys like Brian Dozier, who wanted to come to State, but ended up at USM. Not to mention all the other advantages we will have. Looking at on the sliding scale, if he can put together this kind of team at USM they'll put a monster together in Starkville.

 

[Toag Redloh]

so that's the silver lining, for me, for that loss yesterday. Yeah it sucks but it's a product of Polk's lazyness while UM and USM got the big instate guys. USM only gets who we don't want, and UM to some extent, and when Polk was here that was some damn good players.

Let Cohen and Burroughs get after it for two years and our team will have guys like Brian Dozier, who wanted to come to State, but ended up at USM. Not to mention all the other advantages we will have. Looking at on the sliding scale, if he can put together this kind of team at USM they'll put a monster together in Starkville.

 

[38843dawg]

I mean the guy would have committed to us the day we offered, but Polk of course, never even gave him a look.

 

[Toag Redloh]

Ryan Powers seems to have sewn it up defensively, but he can't hit for ****. Dozier started as a freshmen in '07, imagine a guy with his bat at the CWS for us, could have been a difference maker but then again, so was Jet Butler.

 

[38843dawg]

since his time in college he has been swinging the bat awfully good. We missed out on a great player, sucks for us.....thanks Polk....

 

[JacksonDevilDog]

nm

 

[OneParticularHarbor]

As I understand it, Burroughs was invited to leave USM a couple of years ago. Corky Palmer has been trying to break through in a regional (he's never coached a USM team to a deciding game in eight regionals) so he shook up the staff and let Burroughs go to K-State. Last year was no different, going 2-2 at Baton Rouge. Maybe the common denominator for all the regional failures wasn't Burroughs. Plus, USM's best pitcher, McInnis, is now the Tuesday starter and may not be available for a pivotal C-USA series this weekend vs. Rice. McInnis, who has a long history of injury, might be able to start Sunday, but then again, maybe not.

 

[8dog]

that outside of starting your ace against a 4 seed that a coach can lose a 4-team regional or a 2/3 game super regional. I just don't see it.

Its even more mind-boggling that Palmer might think that an assistant coach was responsible for regional performances. That's just assinine if true.

I thought the general consensus was that Palmer's 1st ***'t was going to be there forever so Burroughs knew he would never move up.

 

[Toag Redloh]

I used to think that assistant coaches are recruiters first, but then I saw the job Pat McMahon did with pitchers. But all the same if you don't get the big arms there to begin with all the coaching in the world won't help.

 

[nj585]

so that's the silver lining, for me, for that loss yesterday. Yeah it sucks but it's a product of Polk's lazyness while UM and USM got the big instate guys. USM only gets who we don't want, and UM to some extent, and when Polk was here that was some damn good players.

Let Cohen and Burroughs get after it for two years and our team will have guys like Brian Dozier, who wanted to come to State, but ended up at USM. Not to mention all the other advantages we will have. Looking at on the sliding scale, if he can put together this kind of team at USM they'll put a monster together in Starkville.

Huh? Have you taken a look at Ole Miss' roster and your roster? Just eyeballing Ole Miss', I count eight players from Mississippi. The talent in Mississippi is not what it used to be and Bianco has stayed ahead of USM and State because he is the one coach who realized this. You want to build your team on MS guys? Go right ahead. It would be a blessing for us: I've been waiting for Corky Palmer to get outside of this state to recruit.

The hitting you see that Burroughs assembled.....its not that good. We haven't hit over .300 since 2006 and I doubt we will this year. I don't know if we'll do better without him but we weren't doing that great with him.

And yeah, I'm sure Polk totally fell asleep on a slick fielding shortstop from North Mississippi who hit over .500 his last two year?

 

[Toag Redloh]

from anywhere is that you're Southern Miss. Just truth, pal.

When I look at Ole Miss's roster and State's, I don't see alot of difference sans a few great pitchers named Bittle and Pomeranz.

And Polk did completely fall asleep on the elite Mississippi talent. McDonnell outrecruited State for a few of them, but most went elsewhere because State was lazy. There aren't many players in Mississippi or anywhere else that would choose Southern Miss baseball over MSU, man. That is fact.

 

[8dog]

in Mississippi and TN.

Power, the Henrys, Head, Cozart, Overbeck, Holliman, Kline, Basham, Pomeranz, Irwin, Pettway, M. Wright, Guerrero

Certainly there are some exceptions in Bittle and Lynn.

but it seems the more national he's tried to go, the more the program has declined --relatively speaking.

 

[OneParticularHarbor]

Scott Berry came from Meridian as the assistant head coach a few years back. He's presumed to be the head-coach-in-waiting. However, the long spell of not winning a regional has some USM people thinking that when Corky retires, it might be for the best to go after new blood, much like MSU did with Cohen vs. Raffo.

Corky has certainly raised the program a notch, but it seems to be stuck on a plane despite greatly improved facilities, monetary support, attendance, etc.

BTW, I didn't know until last week that Polk is a volunteer assistant at UAB with Shoop. So we'll see Ron in Hattiesburg in a few weeks.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

BTW, I didn't know until last week that Polk is a volunteer assistant at UAB with Shoop. So we'll see Ron in Hattiesburg in a few weeks.

 

[nj585]

in Mississippi and TN.

Power, the Henrys, Head, Cozart, Overbeck, Holliman, Kline, Basham, Pomeranz, Irwin, Pettway, M. Wright, Guerrero

Certainly there are some exceptions in Bittle and Lynn.

but it seems the more national he's tried to go, the more the program has declined --relatively speaking.

Most of those mentioned are Tennessee, correct? And the good ones he gets from MS are typically from the same schools (Tupelo, Vicksburg schools, Hillcrest). He's typically out-of-state and then picks a few MS guys from schools that he has recruited from in the past. He's not much of a presence throughout the state. He doesn't touch south MS or North MS, outside of Tupelo.

 

[nj585]

Scott Berry came from Meridian as the assistant head coach a few years back. He's presumed to be the head-coach-in-waiting. However, the long spell of not winning a regional has some USM people thinking that when Corky retires, it might be for the best to go after new blood, much like MSU did with Cohen vs. Raffo.

Corky has certainly raised the program a notch, but it seems to be stuck on a plane despite greatly improved facilities, monetary support, attendance, etc.

BTW, I didn't know until last week that Polk is a volunteer assistant at UAB with Shoop. So we'll see Ron in Hattiesburg in a few weeks.

Couldn't have put it better....although our attendance has always been pretty solid.

 

[OneParticularHarbor]

We'll be on DefCon 1.</p>

 

[8dog]

were MS high schoolers and 1 of them was a MS juco.

And many of the TN guys are the Memphis area.

bottom line is that national doesn't always equal better. and whether he is recruiting ms guys or not, he's done better the closer he stays to Oxford.

 

[patdog]

And yeah, I'm sure Polk totally fell asleep on a slick fielding shortstop from North Mississippi who hit over .500 his last two year?

I know for a fact that Stephen Head tried to get Polk to recruit him and Polk wouldn't even talk to him.

 

[nj585]

were MS high schoolers and 1 of them was a MS juco.

And many of the TN guys are the Memphis area.

bottom line is that national doesn't always equal better.

National? Not necessarily? Regional? I think absolutely.

 

[8dog]

are closer to Oxford than South MS. I edited my post to say that "he does better the closer he stays to oxford"

 

[nj585]

And yeah, I'm sure Polk totally fell asleep on a slick fielding shortstop from North Mississippi who hit over .500 his last two year?

I know for a fact that Stephen Head tried to get Polk to recruit him and Polk wouldn't even talk to him.

I presume you have "inside" sources. "Friend of the family," secretary in athletics office, know a guy who knows a guy who knew Hillcrest's coach, etc.

Maybe you are right about those two instances. But maybe you still can't allow yourself to believe that Ole Miss and USM caught up to State through any means other than you guys screwing up?

Enjoyed the game last night. Good luck this year.

 

[8dog]

good stuff.

 

[patdog]

I can promise you that. I know nothing about the Dozier situation, only that it's plausible based on what I do know for a fact about Polk's recruiting. And no, I don't think for a second that UM and USM can't win in baseball without MSU screwing up. Both schools have good coaches who I expect will win no matter what MSU does or doesn't do.

 

[nj585]

I can promise you that. I know nothing about the Dozier situation, only that it's plausible based on what I do know for a fact about Polk's recruiting. And no, I don't think for a second that UM and USM can't win in baseball without MSU screwing up. Both schools have good coaches who I expect will win no matter what MSU does or doesn't do.

Fair enough. Lots of respect for your program, as well.

 

[38843dawg]

And yeah, I'm sure Polk totally fell asleep on a slick fielding shortstop from North Mississippi who hit over .500 his last two year?

if that's what you want to call it. I just call it a very stupid and horrible decision by a coach that didn't really care about recruiting. M. Moreland, J Rea, and Dozier were very close, and Dozier would have come to State in a heartbeat. But of course Polk felt that he didn't need a SS for that year and totally skipped out on probably the best player in the state that year, so pretty much he just fell into USM's lap.

 

[Toag Redloh]

But maybe you still can't allow yourself to believe that Ole Miss and USM caught up to State through any means other than you guys screwing up?

I mean, do you want an honest answer? Yes, I believe both teams made strides because of MSU mistakes. Many people, especially on this board, probably won't agree. And for the record, all three can be successful. It's just going to be a lot harder for you, seeing how MSU is already taking the players you normally would have gotten, even the ones in your own back yard. You're going to HAVE to go regional now, which will be a lot harder to get the type of players you need.

I really don't mean this as a flame, but the honeymoon is over. Just like in football, when Alabama was screwing up, other teams were taking advantage. That can be said for any rivals, when someone is up, someone else must be down. You can't always be good at the same time. When programs like Alabama football and MSU baseball are performing at their best, they probably will be some of the best around.

The bottom line is, MSU is just bigger and has more tradition/advantages than USM. But hey, you won last night, congratulations. Your #1 guy beat our #4 guy. Pretty soon that won't matter, and these little meetings will more likely resemble your Cal State Fullerton series. Hope you enjoyed the past couple of years.

 

[Todd4State]

and the players that went to UM and USM that wanted to come to MSU, yes, I would say that Polk and Raffo screwing up certainly benefitted both UM and USM. It's going to take a couple of years for things to wash out, but they will.

And again, that doesn't mean that USM will fall off of the baseball map or anything.

 

[madison eagle]

Our Number 1 guy??? LOL

Whats next you have nothing to gain and everything to lose?? Thats 3 in a row isnt it?