The way @Rebel with a Cause put together these words, you can sense true passion. This is something that we miss with @Neal McCready and @Chase Parham's writing. The burning love and affection for another man and his team's program shines with this Shakespearean soliloquy put together by Steve. If you have a second please read below
"Shortly after we broke the news that Mississippi State was moving on from Coach Chris Lemonis, the phone rang. It was Lem. His was the most recent in a flurry of calls from friends, fans, industry sources and the like. Most of them I sent to voicemail. I answered Lemonis.
I wasn't sure what to expect. Would he rant and rave? Would he get emotional? Would he be somber? As I answered, he began, "Hey, buddy." I cut him off and told him that I considered texting earlier, but I simply didn't have the words. I wanted to give him the day to soak it all in. These are difficult days for families. I wanted to be sensitive to all of that and respect the fact that Lemonis likely needed some time to come to grips with the fact that he is no longer the head baseball coach at Mississippi State.
In one of our first interview sessions he remarked that it was simply a matter of time before Mississippi State won the national title. He stopped short of saying that the Diamond Dawgs would win one during his tenure. I framed it up for him. I told him that Mississippi State would finally win it all during his time at Mississippi State.
We baseball guys are superstitious. Sometimes, we don't say certain things, because we know the baseball gods are always listening. They may not agree with our frivolity and punish us for not being more humble. As I said those words, Lem sort of let out a nervous grin. He knows not to tempt the gods. I was undeterred and told him that we needed to speak it into existence and that everything we did everyday had to be a means towards that glorious end.
As you know, State did win a national title under Lemonis. The Dawgs didn't climb to the top of the college baseball mountain, because of anything we said or didn't say. They earned it. Their deeds matched our hopeful words.
I will be forever grateful to Lemonis, his staff, our players and all involved with that national championship. It is something that we have longed to have for generations. We finally have it. We always will, but we want another one. I am a little greedier than most. I want several of them before I leave this life. If some is good, then more has to be better.
Over the course of our conversation today, Lemonis was a true professional. He talked about standards and expectations and, at times, unrealized potential. In fact, I think Lem handled it better than anyone I have ever spoken with that soon after a parting of the ways. He understands what you and I understand; he didn't win enough in recent years.
Now, we move forward. My hope is that this fanbase can unite behind this team is that try to make something out of this challenging season. They can still make a regional. Perhaps with the weight of the decision removed from their wagons, they can charge on up the hill. They're certainly capable. With change now official, all who claim allegiance to Mississippi State can pull for State simply for the sake of winning. There were some who quietly pulled against the team, because they felt that losing would bring a coaching change. That is behind us now. At least, it should be.
Whether one was right or wrong in their feelings about the Bulldog baseball season, we are all in the same boat now. Pick up a paddle and row. There will be varying opinions about who we should hire. Some will be critical of the process even if they have no clue who the real candidates are. The search for internet cred is undying, but that is a story for another day.
Mississippi State baseball is at a critical juncture. This is an extremely important hire. It will likely be one of the most important hires that Selmon has to make. I will support him in anyway possible in that quest. I want what he wants and that is for Mississippi State baseball to be a dominant baseball program. I don't want to have to start figuring out the minimum number of SEC games to make a regional two weekends into league seasons.
I want our fans to plan vacations around NCAA regionals at the Dude and Omaha. I hope that becomes an annual rite of summer passage. The Dude has been dormant in post season play for far too long. It will be again this year and that was not what we expected when we opened the season back on Valentine's Day.
Many of you likely clicked the link and opened this column expecting me to advocate for a particular candidate. I won't ever do that publicly, but you can rest assured my feelings are always shared with decision makers, for whatever that is worth. The truth of the matter is that I will always support whoever is filling out the line-up card. I want to win.
The next coach at Mississippi State has to possess certain traits. While you learn something everyday, this is a job with lofty expectations. Some will wither under the weight of them. It takes a special young man to take the field in front of 15,000 people who live and die with every single pitch. It takes a special coach to recruit, develop and coach that young man on how to handle it all.
This program needs a leader who will embrace those expectations. Back in 2013 after State lost the CWS final to UCLA, former Diamond Dawg skipper John Cohen told the media, "We're going to come back here and kick that door down!" The new guy must have a similar mindset. We've been to Omaha a dozen times. Just getting there is not enough. We always want to go, but we want another national title. If Selmon interviews anyone who is squeamish about such talk, then he is not the right hire for Mississippi State baseball.
We have to recruit and sign the best players in college baseball from the high school and junior college ranks along with the NCAA portal. The infrastructure to do so exists, but we likely need an even bigger commitment to maintain the level of talent required to become an Omaha mainstay. That simply has to happen and there can be no excuses. People don't want to hear about the brush strokes. They just want to see the picture painted.
The next State skipper has to bring a certain amount of true swagger and not the hashtag kind. Opponents have to respect us, respect our tradition, our talent and our ball park. No, sir, you will not stomp on our plate and then go laugh with your friends. At least, you won't do it without some measure of accountability. Not here in our house.
There have to be foundational standards that everyone involved with Mississippi State baseball agrees with and adheres to. From now until eternity, there cannot be anyone from the cleaning crew to the coaching staff that conduct themselves in anyway less than a national championship standard. You can't stay if you are incapable or unwilling to meet that standard. I dare say it should be a requirement for employment.
Our goal cannot be simply making a regional, hosting or even getting to Omaha. Those are all just stops on the way to the ultimate prize. State baseball needs a leader that wakes up every single morning with the national title in mind. We need someone who hates losing more than they love winning. We need someone who gets physically ill when we lose a game we shouldn't. We need someone who will respect the game and win it at nearly any cost. We need someone simply obsessed with it all.
Lemonis proved that it is possible to win the whole shooting match at Mississippi State. That should make it easier to hire the next guy, but he needs to show up at that first interview with a detailed plan that he can execute to stack up trophies. We didn't build the greatest cathedral in all of college baseball just to pack them in for Super Bulldog Weekend. We built it to help attract coaches and players who will win titles and take the program to new heights. Happy hunting, Selmon."
What an incredible piece of literature. Wow
"Shortly after we broke the news that Mississippi State was moving on from Coach Chris Lemonis, the phone rang. It was Lem. His was the most recent in a flurry of calls from friends, fans, industry sources and the like. Most of them I sent to voicemail. I answered Lemonis.
I wasn't sure what to expect. Would he rant and rave? Would he get emotional? Would he be somber? As I answered, he began, "Hey, buddy." I cut him off and told him that I considered texting earlier, but I simply didn't have the words. I wanted to give him the day to soak it all in. These are difficult days for families. I wanted to be sensitive to all of that and respect the fact that Lemonis likely needed some time to come to grips with the fact that he is no longer the head baseball coach at Mississippi State.
In one of our first interview sessions he remarked that it was simply a matter of time before Mississippi State won the national title. He stopped short of saying that the Diamond Dawgs would win one during his tenure. I framed it up for him. I told him that Mississippi State would finally win it all during his time at Mississippi State.
We baseball guys are superstitious. Sometimes, we don't say certain things, because we know the baseball gods are always listening. They may not agree with our frivolity and punish us for not being more humble. As I said those words, Lem sort of let out a nervous grin. He knows not to tempt the gods. I was undeterred and told him that we needed to speak it into existence and that everything we did everyday had to be a means towards that glorious end.
As you know, State did win a national title under Lemonis. The Dawgs didn't climb to the top of the college baseball mountain, because of anything we said or didn't say. They earned it. Their deeds matched our hopeful words.
I will be forever grateful to Lemonis, his staff, our players and all involved with that national championship. It is something that we have longed to have for generations. We finally have it. We always will, but we want another one. I am a little greedier than most. I want several of them before I leave this life. If some is good, then more has to be better.
Over the course of our conversation today, Lemonis was a true professional. He talked about standards and expectations and, at times, unrealized potential. In fact, I think Lem handled it better than anyone I have ever spoken with that soon after a parting of the ways. He understands what you and I understand; he didn't win enough in recent years.
Now, we move forward. My hope is that this fanbase can unite behind this team is that try to make something out of this challenging season. They can still make a regional. Perhaps with the weight of the decision removed from their wagons, they can charge on up the hill. They're certainly capable. With change now official, all who claim allegiance to Mississippi State can pull for State simply for the sake of winning. There were some who quietly pulled against the team, because they felt that losing would bring a coaching change. That is behind us now. At least, it should be.
Whether one was right or wrong in their feelings about the Bulldog baseball season, we are all in the same boat now. Pick up a paddle and row. There will be varying opinions about who we should hire. Some will be critical of the process even if they have no clue who the real candidates are. The search for internet cred is undying, but that is a story for another day.
Mississippi State baseball is at a critical juncture. This is an extremely important hire. It will likely be one of the most important hires that Selmon has to make. I will support him in anyway possible in that quest. I want what he wants and that is for Mississippi State baseball to be a dominant baseball program. I don't want to have to start figuring out the minimum number of SEC games to make a regional two weekends into league seasons.
I want our fans to plan vacations around NCAA regionals at the Dude and Omaha. I hope that becomes an annual rite of summer passage. The Dude has been dormant in post season play for far too long. It will be again this year and that was not what we expected when we opened the season back on Valentine's Day.
Many of you likely clicked the link and opened this column expecting me to advocate for a particular candidate. I won't ever do that publicly, but you can rest assured my feelings are always shared with decision makers, for whatever that is worth. The truth of the matter is that I will always support whoever is filling out the line-up card. I want to win.
The next coach at Mississippi State has to possess certain traits. While you learn something everyday, this is a job with lofty expectations. Some will wither under the weight of them. It takes a special young man to take the field in front of 15,000 people who live and die with every single pitch. It takes a special coach to recruit, develop and coach that young man on how to handle it all.
This program needs a leader who will embrace those expectations. Back in 2013 after State lost the CWS final to UCLA, former Diamond Dawg skipper John Cohen told the media, "We're going to come back here and kick that door down!" The new guy must have a similar mindset. We've been to Omaha a dozen times. Just getting there is not enough. We always want to go, but we want another national title. If Selmon interviews anyone who is squeamish about such talk, then he is not the right hire for Mississippi State baseball.
We have to recruit and sign the best players in college baseball from the high school and junior college ranks along with the NCAA portal. The infrastructure to do so exists, but we likely need an even bigger commitment to maintain the level of talent required to become an Omaha mainstay. That simply has to happen and there can be no excuses. People don't want to hear about the brush strokes. They just want to see the picture painted.
The next State skipper has to bring a certain amount of true swagger and not the hashtag kind. Opponents have to respect us, respect our tradition, our talent and our ball park. No, sir, you will not stomp on our plate and then go laugh with your friends. At least, you won't do it without some measure of accountability. Not here in our house.
There have to be foundational standards that everyone involved with Mississippi State baseball agrees with and adheres to. From now until eternity, there cannot be anyone from the cleaning crew to the coaching staff that conduct themselves in anyway less than a national championship standard. You can't stay if you are incapable or unwilling to meet that standard. I dare say it should be a requirement for employment.
Our goal cannot be simply making a regional, hosting or even getting to Omaha. Those are all just stops on the way to the ultimate prize. State baseball needs a leader that wakes up every single morning with the national title in mind. We need someone who hates losing more than they love winning. We need someone who gets physically ill when we lose a game we shouldn't. We need someone who will respect the game and win it at nearly any cost. We need someone simply obsessed with it all.
Lemonis proved that it is possible to win the whole shooting match at Mississippi State. That should make it easier to hire the next guy, but he needs to show up at that first interview with a detailed plan that he can execute to stack up trophies. We didn't build the greatest cathedral in all of college baseball just to pack them in for Super Bulldog Weekend. We built it to help attract coaches and players who will win titles and take the program to new heights. Happy hunting, Selmon."
What an incredible piece of literature. Wow
