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The
Baseball Playbook
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Ron Polk breaks the game
of baseball down not only position by position, but
all aspects of the game on and off the field. A veteran
college coach and one of the most respected men in
the game, Polk gives excellent tips for coaches of
all levels, from the first day of practice to the
final game of the post season tournament. The former
Mississippi State coach is still a popular speaker
on the clinic tour and after reading this book, you
will understand why. Not only does Polk discuss
teaching fundamentals and game strategies, but also
gives excellent ideas and points on the
"behind-the-scenes" aspects of the game - everything
from organizing tournaments and field maintenance to
dealing with the local officiating associations,
fans, and bringing in support staff to help run a
smooth program. Win More Games. Play Better
Baseball! Polk even includes ready-to-copy
charts and forms for player information, public
address announcers, game schedules, equipment
managing, and setting up and enforcing team
policies. If you're looking for big-names and shiny
pictures, forget it - this book is for
serious
players and coaches....and Polk doesn't leave any aspect of
coaching in an organized baseball league uncovered.
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Details, details, details.
Pete Newell once said that coaching is simply
details and repitition. The details are the strength
of this book. From how players should be announced,
the correct mechanics to perform a certain skill, or
how to take care of the field. It's all here! This
book, although an earlier edition that wasn't
organized as well as this edition is, was the text
book for the Theory of Coaching Baseball class I
took in college at a Big Ten school as well as our
team handbook for the baseball team. Ron Polk's The
Player's Handbook is by far the best coaches' manual
in print. Once I stopped playing, I started coaching
(19 years now) and this book became even more
valuable to me. Ron Polk was one of the great
college baseball coaches and he put it all down in
black and white for those of us that love to coach
the game of baseball. Thank you Coach Polk for this
baseball coaches' bible.
Ron Polk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Polk
Overall
1,373-702-2
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
SEC Reg. Season: 1979, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2001
SEC Tournament: 1979, 1985, 1987, 1990, 2005
Awards
National Coach of the Year: 1973, 1985
College Baseball Hall of Fame
Inducted in
2009
Ronald George (Ron) Polk (born January
12, 1944) was a long-time head baseball coach at
Mississippi State and is considered the "Father of
SEC Baseball". He is by far the coach with the
most wins in
school and SEC history in all sports. In 31 seasons
as an SEC coach, he has to date compiled a
1139-590-2 (.667) record. His career record stands
at 1373-702-2. He currently ranks 8th on the all
time wins list. His teams have won five SEC
championships, including five SEC tournament
championships. His teams have made it to the NCAA
tournament 23 times, and have reached the College
World Series 8 times. On March 27, 2008, he
announced his resignation, effective the end of the
2008 season.
187 of his former players as a
Head Coach have signed professional baseball
contracts. 27 of these players have played in the
major leagues He has coached 35 All-Americans and 76
All-Southeastern Conference players. Had 8 players
picked in the first round in the professional
baseball draft during his tenure at Mississippi
State. He is one of only three coaches in college
baseball history to coach at three different schools
that have played in the College Word Series in
Omaha, Nebraska.Georgia Southern University-1973;
Mississippi State University- 1979, 1981, 1985,
1990, 1997, 2007; University of Georgia- 2001. He
has coached teams that have played in Omaha in five
decades (nine appearances) as he was an assistant
coach at the University of Arizona in 1966 when they
played in the College World Series. Four of his
teams at Mississippi Sate were ranked number one in
the country during parts of each season
(1985-89-92-06).
He is a member of the
following Halls of Fame; Georgia Southern University
Hall of fame (1990). American Baseball Coaches
Association Hall of Fame (1995). State of
Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame (1998).
Mississippi State University Athletic Hall of Fame
(1998). National College Baseball Hall of Fame
(2009). He is a Former President of the American
baseball Coaches Association (1985). Winner of the
Lefty Gomez Award which is the highest award given
by the American Baseball Coaches Association (1988).
Mississippi State University named the baseball
stadium The Polk-Dement Stadium (1997). Coach Polk
has also completed seven tours on the U.S.A.
National baseball team coaching staff serving as the
head coach two times and as an assistant five times.
He has coached in the Olympic Games two times once
Seoul, South Korea in 1988 when the team won the
gold medal and the other in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996
when the team won the Bronze medal. Polk has
authored two textbooks- The Baseball Playbook and
The Baseball-Softball Playbook. These two textbooks
are the leading teaching textbooks used in teaching
baseball and softball classes in Colleges and
Universities.
From 1972 to 1975, he served as
the head coach at Georgia Southern. From 2000 to
2001, he coached at Georgia. He has also served as
an assistant coach at Arizona, and New Mexico.
On July 28, 2008, Polk was announced as a
volunteer assistant coach for the University of
Alabama at Birmingham Blazers baseball squad. The
Blazers are coached by Polk's former MSU assistant
Brian Shoop.
On March 24, 2009, Polk, along
with former Mississippi State player, Rafael
Palmeiro, was elected to College Baseball's Hall of
Fame.
Coach Polk now coaches each summer in
the Cape Cod league with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks
baseball team.
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