SxSE: Hail State

♦ Dudy Noble Field, Polk-Dement Stadium:

• Opened: 1967, at its present location; frequent remodeling and upgrades since
• Capacity: Approximately 7,200, although the all-time record crowd is listed as 14,991
• Named after: Former MSU Baseball Coach C.R. "Dudy" Noble; former MSU Coach Ron Polk; longtime MSU Baseball fan and supporter Gordon Dement 

♦ Bulldog fans ring cowbells during games at Dudy Noble Field (and at other Bulldogs sports events).  They're apparently not supposed to, according to SEC noise-maker rules, but they do anyway.  It's tradition.  It's been a huge debate between MSU and the SEC.  A big deal.  There's even a website called RespectTheBell.com

♦ Sources: Fences at Dudy Noble Will Be Moved In (Maroon and White Nation)

We were told today by a very knowledgeable source close to the baseball program that right field at Dudy Noble will be moved in 16 feet. The fence will connect in right center at the 374 mark.

I think this is a very strange move especially after the outstanding performance of our young pitching staff this year and the underwhelming power hitting but this has been a topic of discussion for awhile now. The Dude has never been a hitters ball park with center field at 390 ft. One thing is for sure, this will favor left hand hitters with the right field fence at 310′ compared to 326′ as it is now. Left field will remain at 330 ft in the corner.

This fence-moving actually got underway in August.

♦ Take Me Out to the Ballpark, John Grisham's ode to Mississippi State baseball.

The following year State hired Ron Polk, and Dudy Noble snapped back to life. He won, as he always has and always will, and suddenly the stands were full, the crowds were loud, the trucks and trailers appeared in left field, the Lounge was open for business, and the clouds of barbecue smoke became a symbol of baseball success at Mississippi State. We outgrew the old park, and he convinced us to build a new one. . .

♦ "Mississippi State invented what is now normal in SEC baseball - people caring about the program, people showing up in the stands, people really buying into the sport," Cohen said. "That was a norm at Mississippi State when it wasn't a norm at any other program in the Southeastern Conference."
. . .
"I really loved last year's recruiting class, and I fully expect this program to remain among the top half of the SEC," said Aaron Fitt, who covers college baseball for Baseball America. "But I don't think they will ever return to their dominance of the 1980s - I don't think any program will be able to sustain that kind of consistent top-of-the-SEC performance in today's SEC, which is just so much deeper and more competitive."(Clarion Ledger)

♦ Dudy Gras is an annual parade and celebration signifying the start of Mississippi State University's baseball season. Read about the 2012 Dudy Gras HERE. And read more details about the event in a write-up about the 2011 Dudy Gras.

♦ MSU's student organization, "The Dudes":