Ron Polk Is Retiring

Seeing as this was announced a couple of months ago I'm quite certain that all of you already knew this. I know baseball is big at MSU, but I am not a baseball fan, not even a casual fan. I might watch an inning or two if one of my three favorite NCAA teams (Mississippi State, Michigan, and Louisville) happens to be on T.V, and I'll probably watch at least most of the game if its a post season game. Otherwise, I don't watch baseball and I don't even make an attempt to keep up with it. This means my knowledge in this particular situation is very limited, and thus so will this post. (Warning: This isn't going to be a post full of praise and admiration for Ron Polk. Its going to be largely negative. If you just can't handle that, stop reading and go somewhere else. I don't know enough about the past to comment, so I comment on the present, which is undeniably ugly. You've been warned, so don't come crying to me with outrage.)

I know Ron Polk has meant a great deal to the sport of baseball. Why exactly, I couldn't tell you. I know he has meant a great deal to Mississippi State. When your name is on the stadium you probably did something right. Again though, I couldn't tell you why exactly. I'm quite certain the majority of you can rattle off his accomplishments without assistance from me though. So we move forward.

This baseball season has been an absolute trainwreck. The team is flat out awful, sporting a 20-32 record and a 7-20 SEC record and regularly getting crushed by 10+. Its been decades since MSU has been this bad. It really is a shame that Polk has to go out like this, however, he has nobody to blame but himself. I know that will be unpopular, but so be it.

MSU has been pretty average during Polk's return stint. They've missed the SEC tournament 3 of the last 5 years, and last year was quite frankly a fluke. They weren't that good during the season, but got hot at the right time. Polk has been too busy fighting the NCAA 24-7 to get out there and recruit, to get out there and coach to the best of his abilities. Basically, he has just lost the fire. That doesn't even bother me though. What bothers me is he is emphatically demanding that his unproven assistant, Tommy Raffo, should be the next head coach. No search is needed according to him because he knows better than Greg Byrne what is best for the program.

Why is Raffo the best hire for the program according to Polk? Basically because he is more of the same. When a team isn't any good, the last thing they need is more of the same Ron. You're not bigger than the program Ron. Enjoy your last weekend of coaching, step down gracefully, and get the hell out of Greg Byrne's way.

Anyway, I could go on, but I won't. This isn't the time for it. Fortunately Byrne has said there will be a national search despite Polk's wishes. I wonder if good ole' LT would have done the same? That is another rant entirely though.

Good luck to you Ron Polk and thank you for all that you've done in the past. Do your research and get the best guy for the job Byrne.

If interested, here is Ron Polk's retirement letter.




This will be all of the baseball coverage you will see this year, save for one post when the new coach is hired. Is it football season yet?