I know some people would be very much against this- like Pat, and I respect those opinions.
But I think if Polk came back as a volunteer assistant coach, it could be a good thing for MSU baseball. We still have a lot of Polk croonies around, and I think it would help Cohen's support if he had Polk's full endorsement. He is a college baseball HOF coach, and a legend. Having him associated with our program is a plus for us. The one thing that Ron Polk was really known for was being a good teacher of defense. I think having him as a volunteer assistant will help us because he can work with the players some doing go-fer type things, and it will free up Cohen, Burroughs, and Mingione to work with players on other things. Ron Polk is a MSU Bulldog and I think he still sees himself that way, even when he was at Georgia, and now when he is at UAB.
I think most of the critics concerns stem from meddling with the program. I think that is a legit concern. But, Cohen is going to do his own thing and is very ambitous. He respects Ron Polk, but I don't think he will allow Polk to control him. Cohen has also been a head coach for about 10 seasons now when you include Northwestern State and Kentucky as well as MSU. He has had success, and I am sure that he knows what he wants to do and how to do it, and so forth, and has done it by himself for quite some time. Because of that, it lessens Cohen's need to "ask" Polk for advice. Cohen as a player was one of the more emotional players on the team, he would do things like cuss and other things that Polk didn't approve of. So, he is used to disobeying Polk. Not to mention he took the job after Polk told him not to.
Hiring Polk would not affect recruiting. I'm not sure that volunteer assistants can recruit off campus anyway. I think he could help run, if not run "the camp". That's something that he obviously has a passion for. Polk would also do very little in game coaching. He obviously has a very different personality from Cohen, but that contrast may be a good thing for the players at times. And yes, he could do infield and we could play Sweet Georgia Brown again, and I think that's all the Polk croonies really want anyway.
Now, that said for this to happen, I do think that there must be some ground rules, and they need to be very clearly defined, and Polk needs to understand that for him to be the volunteer assistant he must sign off and comply by these rules.
1. He can not mention anything about the NCAA while at MSU. This includes letters or interviews.
2. He can not say anything detrimental about the athletic administration at MSU to the media.
3. He may have input into a coaching search, but he is not allowed to recommend or have the final say in any coaching perssonel matters.
4. He can not demand to return as the head coach of MSU baseball at any time during his tenure.
5. He will not be allowed to coach third base for MSU.
6. He can give imput to the coaching staff, but John Cohen will make the final call on any and all decisions.
Aside from that, he would be allowed to attend any games he chooses, and he could make public speaking appearances at his own discretion, and could set his own hours. He also would be allowed to watch the games from his skybox or the dugout if he should so choose. He can make any road trips that he would like as well. I also would ask him to teach the coaching baseball class that PE majors take, if he wished to do that.
If he did not agree to those conditions above, I would not allow him back.
But I think if Polk came back as a volunteer assistant coach, it could be a good thing for MSU baseball. We still have a lot of Polk croonies around, and I think it would help Cohen's support if he had Polk's full endorsement. He is a college baseball HOF coach, and a legend. Having him associated with our program is a plus for us. The one thing that Ron Polk was really known for was being a good teacher of defense. I think having him as a volunteer assistant will help us because he can work with the players some doing go-fer type things, and it will free up Cohen, Burroughs, and Mingione to work with players on other things. Ron Polk is a MSU Bulldog and I think he still sees himself that way, even when he was at Georgia, and now when he is at UAB.
I think most of the critics concerns stem from meddling with the program. I think that is a legit concern. But, Cohen is going to do his own thing and is very ambitous. He respects Ron Polk, but I don't think he will allow Polk to control him. Cohen has also been a head coach for about 10 seasons now when you include Northwestern State and Kentucky as well as MSU. He has had success, and I am sure that he knows what he wants to do and how to do it, and so forth, and has done it by himself for quite some time. Because of that, it lessens Cohen's need to "ask" Polk for advice. Cohen as a player was one of the more emotional players on the team, he would do things like cuss and other things that Polk didn't approve of. So, he is used to disobeying Polk. Not to mention he took the job after Polk told him not to.
Hiring Polk would not affect recruiting. I'm not sure that volunteer assistants can recruit off campus anyway. I think he could help run, if not run "the camp". That's something that he obviously has a passion for. Polk would also do very little in game coaching. He obviously has a very different personality from Cohen, but that contrast may be a good thing for the players at times. And yes, he could do infield and we could play Sweet Georgia Brown again, and I think that's all the Polk croonies really want anyway.
Now, that said for this to happen, I do think that there must be some ground rules, and they need to be very clearly defined, and Polk needs to understand that for him to be the volunteer assistant he must sign off and comply by these rules.
1. He can not mention anything about the NCAA while at MSU. This includes letters or interviews.
2. He can not say anything detrimental about the athletic administration at MSU to the media.
3. He may have input into a coaching search, but he is not allowed to recommend or have the final say in any coaching perssonel matters.
4. He can not demand to return as the head coach of MSU baseball at any time during his tenure.
5. He will not be allowed to coach third base for MSU.
6. He can give imput to the coaching staff, but John Cohen will make the final call on any and all decisions.
Aside from that, he would be allowed to attend any games he chooses, and he could make public speaking appearances at his own discretion, and could set his own hours. He also would be allowed to watch the games from his skybox or the dugout if he should so choose. He can make any road trips that he would like as well. I also would ask him to teach the coaching baseball class that PE majors take, if he wished to do that.
If he did not agree to those conditions above, I would not allow him back.
