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Paying the price
10/7/2004 10:04:06 AM
Daily Journal
BY GREGG ELLIS
Daily Journal
STARKVILLE - Just for a second, Brian Anderson took off his helmet.
So did Chris McNeil, along with Richard Burch.
And during the course of this grueling, 2 1/2-hour practice, other players did the same, or at least lifted their helmets to where it was at an angle and the facemask sat above the nose.
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The temperature is in the mid-80s on this particular day, and sweat is pouring profusely from every head.
It's hot. Mouths are dry. Fortunately for one player, there's just enough saliva to form a small spit ball, though it's accompanied with grass, dirt and who knows what else.
Then for a second, there's a slight break as a breeze swiftly makes its way across the practice fields.
It's at this point the players adjust their helmets to gratefully soak in the fresh air for relief. Then, it's back to work.
Hard work, mind you.
There's intense, relentless hitting. Coaches are yelling. And in the case where the player doesn't fully grasp the concept, there's additional running and extra push-ups.
It's a typical practice session at Mississippi State, one that could also be depicted at any college in the country.
Yes. It takes a special person to endure this sport, and it's done for the love of the game with the hope of being rewarded on Saturday afternoons.
Of course, the reward is in the form of a win. And it's that win that pushes the team to the next week, where the process is repeated.
But what if there is no reward?
For Mississippi State, that's just the case.
Every day, the 85 scholarship players, plus the walk-ons, lay it all on the line for their teammates and coaches in preparation for the next game.
Twenty hours are invested, but there is no return. Just a loss.
It's like a person going to work every day and never receiving a paycheck or an investor never getting a return on his stock.
At some point, defeat settles in.
Overcoming the temptation of simply walking away, that's the difficult part. And for Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom, keeping his players from falling prey to that thought is his toughest challenge.
"I have to keep talking to them and try to present the challenge," the first-year coach said. "It's part of the process they have to go through, and hopefully they will learn from that.
"Yes. It's tough. You want to feel good after the game. Right now, we're not at that point. But with each week, there's a new opportunity. I tell our players they have two choices. They can fight for something good, or they can quit, roll over and play dead. But if you don't fight, you have no chance."
Croom inherited a program that was at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference. And from Day 1, he said a quick fix wasn't an option. His goal is to build a program, from the ground up.
He's doing that, one day at a time. It's not the pace for impatient fans, but he said it's a blueprint for great success down the line.
More important, it's a renovation his players believe in.
"The payoff is going to eventually come," McNeil, a junior center, said. "Hopefully, there will be better days."
Right now, the light at the end of tunnel may not be seen. After all, the Bulldogs have lost four in a row, and nine straight in SEC play. Even worse, those games haven't even been competitive.
Just how bad has it been?
In those nine games, State has been oustcored 392-83, meaning MSU is getting beat by an average of 34 points an outing.
"I'm tired of the losing," senior Ronald Fields said. "But the day will come ..."
For now, that day's not here. But the hard work, sweat, blood and tears, those are the essential components Crooms says that are required to build a successful program.
And while the wins are lacking, Croom notes those components certainly aren't.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 10/7/2004, section D , page 1
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