Dandy Don’s LSU
Recruiting News
P.O. Box 53806
Lafayette, Louisiana
70505-3806
email: dandyd@dandydon.com
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5/11/08 6:50 AM
Good morning, Tigers fans. The LSU baseball team is hotter than hot with an 11-game winning streak going including eight straight SEC wins. LSU defeated Mississippi State yesterday 16-4. With the win LSU's record improved to 34-16-1, 14-11-1 with a game and a half lead over Alabama and Ole Miss. The Tigers will be going for the sweep today against MSU in the last regular season game to be played in Alex Box stadium. The Tigers need to win todayís game and hope that Ole Miss and Alabama loses the rubber game of their three-game series against Auburn and Florida. A two and a half game lead going into the final weekend series against Auburn would be great.
LSU hit four home runs in Saturday's win including two by Ryan Schimpf and one each from Leon Landry and Blake Dean. Blake Martin was the starting and winning pitcher for LSU. Martin pitched seven innings, allowed two base hits and recorded eight strikeouts. Nolan Cain pitched the eighth inning and Austin Ross pitched the the ninth. Today's contest can be seen on CST with Lyn Rollins and Ben McDonald calling the game.
The LSU softball team will watch the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night in the Lawton Room in Tiger Stadium. The selection show will begin at 9 p.m. CT on ESPNU with continuing coverage on ESPNews at 9:30 p.m. The Tigers lost in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament at Tiger Park, falling to No. 3 Alabama, 7-4, on Friday night. LSU currently has an NCAA RPI of No. 7 with four SEC teams ranked in the top 10 and seven teams ranked in the top 20. Last season, the Tigers advanced through the NCAA Palo Alto Regional to the NCAA Super Regionals in Tempe, Ariz. LSU has gone to the NCAA Super Regionals each of the past two seasons, with both trips going to the state of Arizona. I have some good news for the future of LSU softball. Please checkout the unbelievable link below sent by one of my readers.
Reader comments: Don, I have forwarded you this clip so that you can see that LSU will be getting a great pitcher for the 2010 class. Rachele Fico chose LSU over Alabama. She will be a GREAT ONE.
The following two paragraphs deal with family, so those of you who oppose me writing about family should simply skip them.
Saturday was a long but very enjoyable day for me and the Long family. My grandson Nathan Long was ordained a Catholic Priest in the Lake Charles diocese. Nathan attended Iowa high school near Lake Charles and was two-time president of the Iowa student body and a 4.0 student. He made a 33 on his ACT, attended LSU on an academic scholarship and was a straight A student who later decided he wanted to become a Priest. When Nathan was growing up, he was very interested in Louisiana politics and I nicknamed him Governor. After hearing Nathan's wonderful first sermon Saturday afternoon, I think he made the right decision in becoming a Priest.
Today is Mothers' Day and I hope that all Moms will have a great day. As most of you know, my wife has been very sick for the last year and I hope today is a great day for her. We'll be celebrating Mother's Day with a big Crawfish Boil. I would like to ask all of you whose mother is still living to call her or stop by and wish her a Happy Mothers' Day.
5/10/08 6:45 AM
The LSU baseball team defeated Mississippi State 15 to 6 last night to take a 1-0 lead in the three-game series. With the win, LSU's record improved to 33-16, 13-11. LSU scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning on a lead off base on balls by Michael Hollander, an infield single by Jared Mitchell, singles by Blake Dean and Derek Helenihi, a double by Matt Clark, a single by D. J. LaMahieu and a double by Leon Landry. LSU scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to increase the lead to 11-0 on a single by Hollander, a home run by Mitchell (his fifth of the season), a single by Gibbs, a home run by Matt Clark (his 18th of the season), singles by Landry and LaMahieu and a home run by Ryan Schimpf (his eighth of the season). Mississippi State scored three runs in the top of the third inning to cut the lead to 11-3 on a single, a double and a home run. MSU scored one run in the top of the fourth to make it 11-4 and scored two runs in the top of the fifth to make it 11-6. LSU scored one run each in the bottom of the fifth and six innings to increase the lead to 14-6 after six innings of play. LSU scored their final run of the game in the eighth inning. Jared Mitchell led LSU on offense with a home run, a double and two singles.
Ryan Verdugo was LSU's starting pitcher but he did not have one of his better games. Verdugo allowed six runs on 11 base hits in five and one-third innings. Louis Coleman pitched two and two-thirds innings and allowed four base hits and no runs. True freshman RHP Anthony Ranaudo from Jackson New Jersey, making his third appearance of the season, pitched the ninth inning and struck out the side. Ranaudo, who was drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 major league baseball draft by the Texas Rangers, had a little arm trouble early in the season and has been brought along very cautiously by the LSU coaching staff.
Game two of the three game series will be played at 3 p.m today. A win by the Tigers today would mark the third series win in a row by the Tigers and would set up a chance for a sweep in Sunday's game.
In the SEC softball tournament played at Tiger Park, the LSU Lady Tigers lost to Alabama 6-4 and will have to sit back and wait a few days to see what regional site they will attend. The Lady Tigers had a disappointing season, in my opinion, and will have a lot of work to do during the off-season.
There is nothing new to report in football recruiting, but I can tell all of you that Les Miles and his staff are very happy with the way recruiting is going.
In closing, I would like to wish all Mothers a very happy Mothers' Day this Sunday. All five of my children will be with their mom this weekend and will will have a big crawfish boil Sunday.
5/9/08 7:35 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU Tigers baseball team, ranked No. 22 in the nation with a 32-16-1, 12-11 record, will be playing Mississippi State (20-29, 7-17) tonight in the first game of a very important weekend series for LSU. LSU was in fifth place in the SEC West and 11th place in the total SEC standing after the series against Georgia three weeks ago with little chance at making the cut for the SEC tournament. Since that series against Georgia, LSU has won nine games in a row including six in the SEC with sweeps over South Carolina and Kentucky. LSU now leads Alabama and Ole Miss by a half of a game in the SEC West and is in seventh place in the overall conference standings.
In tonight's game Paul Mainieri will start LHP Ryan Verdugo with a 7-2 record and a 2.86 ERA. Verdugo has been LSU's most impressive pitcher the last month of the season and is probably the best pitcher on the staff. Mississippi State will start JR RHP Chad Crosswhite (2-4, 9.33 ERA) who was outstanding his freshman and sophomore seasons and pitched a great game against LSU last season at Starkville. Crosswhite has recently shown signs of regaining his old form. LSU has a clear advantage pitching-wise in tonightís game and hopefully will collect a very important Friday night win. Tonightís game can be seen in most of Louisiana on CST Sports with Lyn Rollins, Ronnie Rantz and Ben McDonald calling the game. I will have a full report in my Saturday morning update.
In other LSU news, last night I attended the TAF tour in Lafayette. A crowd of 550-600 Tiger fans attended the event and seemed to enjoyed what they heard. Retired General Ron Richard, the CEO and Chairman of the TAF, was the first speaker and was very thankful for the support of Tiger fans and the work the TAF does. Richard talked in length about the LSU football team's visit to the Whitehouse a few weeks ago and had high words of praise of the character of the LSU players and coaches.
LSU outgoing athletic director Skip Bertman was the second speaker of the night and he talked about the success the athletic department has had since his early years at LSU. Bertman spoke about having a new softball and baseball facility opening for the 2009 season and said that both facilities would be among the best in the nation. Bertman spoke about the success of the football program at LSU as well as several other programs including track and field which has a great chance at winning the men's and women's national championships this year. Skip is very much looking forward to working with LSU's new AD who takes office in June. Bertman will remain at LSU for a few more years working as a fund raiser.
Trent Johnson, LSU's new basketball coach, was very touched by the warm welcome he received from Tiger fans. Johnson is very excited about being the head coach and believes that basketball can be very successful at LSU. He said the reason he took the job was because he feels like winning the national title in basketball at LSU is very possible. Johnson said he feels like the Tigers can be very good in the 2009 season and also believes that Louisiana is a great state for high school talent, and his plans are to recruit Louisiana first. I have learned that Johnson will be recruiting four players from Louisiana for the 2009 signing class.
Les Miles was the last speaker of the evening and spent most of his time recapping the 2007 season including the SEC championship game and the BCS national championship game. Miles had great things to say about his coaching staff and players and is excited about the future of LSU football. I spoke to Coach Miles for a few minutes before he spoke to the crowd and he is really fired up about the 2008 team and said that recruiting was going great. Miles told the crowd that former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was given every chance possible to be successful at LSU and failed to take advantage of the opportunity.
Les Miles said that LSU is in great shape with running backs and that Keiland Williams, Charles Scott and Richard Murphy would share playing time. Miles' biggest concern at the running position is finding a replacement for Jacob Hester.
As for the quarterback position, Coach Miles feels very comfortable with Hatch and Lee replacing Matt Flynn.
I was told at the event that LSU's top concerns going into Summer workouts and Fall practice are at cornerback and linebacker. I have a feeling that Miles is hoping that incoming freshman cornerback Patrick Johnson can step in and play and that one of the incoming freshman linebackers can do the same. LSU will be playing five to six teams who run a spread offense that requires the defense to have great skills and speed at cornerback and linebacker.
LSU's next TAF tour stop will be next Monday night, May 12, in Shreveport. Below is information on the tour.
Ark-La-Tex Tigers TAF Chapter
GOLF TOURNAMENT ~ Monday, May 12
Southern Trace Country Club
200 Southern Trace Parkway
Shreveport, LA? 71106
- Morning Shotgun Start: 8:00 a.m.
- Afternoon Shotgun Start: 1:00 p.m.
- 18 hole ~ 4 man scramble
- Lunch Served
- For team entry call Adam Young at 318-798-5437
TOUR EVENT ~ Monday, May 12
Horseshoe Casino ~ Riverdome
711 Horseshoe Boulevard
Bossier City, LA 71111
Event featuring:? Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Van Chancellor and other special guests
Doors Open:? 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:30 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR
Individual Ticket - $75
~GOLF~
Golf Team (w/table purchase) - $400
Golf Team (w/o table purchase) - $500
For team entry call Adam Young at 318-798-5437
In softball news, the LSU Lady Tigers defeated Auburn 4-0 behind the pitching of Cody Trahan. The Lady Tigers will be playing No.1 seed Alabama today at Tiger Park.
Reader comments: Hi Don, I just wanted to share with you the word around Central Florida. My contacts all say how well DJ Macarthy is hitting the Orlando Area. I know that there are 3 of the top Florida prospects at Sanford High and DJ is doing a great job with them as well as others in the area. There is a strong LSU vibe around the Orlando area and it is possible that all three kids from Sanford could choose LSU. These kids are some of the best I have seen in Florida in a while. If LSU gets even 2 of 3, LSU could possibly have the strongest commentments in Florida, from an out of state school. My sources from FSU tell me that Jimbo is screaming over the job being done!!!!!!! I am an LSU alum but got an MBA from FSU. In short, D.J. Macarthy deserves to be given some praise because there is a buzz in Central Florida for the Tigers. !!!!!
Reader comments: DD: Would you please extend an invitation to all of the Tiger baseball
tailgaters (24,000 expected this weekend),students (especially graduating
Seniors) and other LSU fans of the FREE concert/dance series in downtown Baton
Rouge. It's from 5 til 8 , FRI. MAY 9 so there's time to come before the
LSU/Miss. State baseball game !
We lined up ANN SAVOY & the SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS for this special occasion ! This
great band is appropriate for several reasons. About half of the band are LSU
graduates & this is the last day for exams ! ( Several members of this band
are members of the Red Stick Ramblers which was founded while @ LSU ) We are
also saying good-bye to Alex Box Stadium , LSU's venerated baseball home ! 70
years old and 65 years sice it was named after a gentleman who after playing
ball for the Tigers enered the service in WWII and gave his life for his
country !! Ann & the Knights play swing jazz music from this era that is
danceable , romantic , and appropriately nostalgic !
LIVE AFTER FIVE is held at a beautiful and historic location, Galvez Plaza, on N. Blvd next to the Old State Capitol . LSU's new museum is across the
street as well as a park over looking the Miss. River.
5/8/08 7:00 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team will be entertaining Mississippi State this weekend in a jam-packed Alex Box Stadium. I look for LSU to set an all-time attendance record this weekend if the Tigers win Friday night's game. Yesterday (Wednesday) I received emails from readers as far away as Memphis and South Florida looking for tickets. My advice for anyone looking for tickets is to arrive in front of Alex Box at least two hours before the start of the game holding up signs that you are looking for tickets.
During the last month, there has been a countdown in left field telling how many games remain to be play at Alex Box with former players, coaches and fans doing the countdown. LSU athletic director and former long time head coach Skip Bertman will receive the honor of counting down to one game remaining and no one is more deserving of the honor than Skip Bertman.
Bertman became the head baseball coach at LSU in 1984 and coached until 2001, recorded 870 wins and only lost 330. Bertman had nine seasons in which he won 50 or more games and a season high of 57 in 1997. During Bertman's tenure at LSU, he won five national titles, 13 SEC championships, hosted 16 regionals, made 21 NCAA appearances and 13 CWS appearances. Alex Box will shut down after this weekend series against MSU unless the team is awarded a regional and Skip Bertman will retire in June. Skip Bertman and Alex Box Stadium will be missed by all who have followed LSU baseball the last 24 years.
In softball news, LSU's women finished the regular 2008 season in third place will be hosting the SEC tournament this weekend at Tiger Park. The Lady Tigers, with seven seniors on the team, have been somewhat of a disappointment this season but can change that this weekend by winning the tournament. LSU enters the tournament with a 41-15, 17-11 season and will be playing sixth place Auburn with a 37-19, 13-14 record. LSU defeated Auburn, 8-1, 10-0 and 5-3 this season at Auburn.
In LSU football news, Wednesday was a huge day for emails and most of the messages I received were concerning redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee and his video. It was brought to my mind that the Oklahoma Sooners had an outstanding season in 2007 and were led by redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford, and it was also brought to my attention that Tommy Hodson started at LSU as a freshman in 1986-87-88-89 and made All-SEC as a freshman in 1986. In my Wednesday morning update I stated that Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch had never played in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night and I was wrong. Andrew Hatch did play in the Middle Tennessee game and completed one pass and made a nice run of about 10 yards. I regret the error.
A record Alexandria crowd of more than 700 turned out for the TAF Tour event in Alexandria last night to hear coaches Les Miles and Trent Johnson, athletic director Skip Bertman, interim chancellor William Jenkins and TAF CEO Ron Richard. Eighty-one tables were sold, 16 more than last year, and extra seating had to be added for the walkup attendance.
The BCS championship crystal football was one of the biggest attractions with many people posing for pictures with it. Standing ovations were given to Miles and Bertman, who received a bronzed LSU baseball cap from the Central Louisiana Chapter as a retirement gift. Johnson, the new men's basketball coach, said he was "overwhelmed by the passion" of LSU fans.
I will be at the LSU TAF tour stop tonight in Lafayette and will report on it in my Friday morning update.
The TAF tour stops in Lafayette Thursday night, May 08.
Acadiana Tigers TAF Chapter
Cajundome Convention Center
444 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, LA 70506
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR
Individual Ticket - $75
Reader comments: We're having a fundraising dinner, Thursday, May 8, at Brennan's in Houston. (Profits will be applied to a $100,000 permanent Endowed Scholarship for an LSU athlete).Our guest speaker is new LSU Co-Defensive Coordinator, Coach Bradley Dale Peveto. The details are attached. Tables of ten(10) are $1500. Individual tickets are $165 each, in advance, $175 at the door. We've got some great auction items, including a guided south Louisiana duck hunt (donated by Bubba Oustalet Automotive in Jennings, LA), items autographed by Coach Les Miles, Jacob Hester, Matt Flynn, Glenn Dorsey and John Ed Bradley. If you can make it, print out the RSVP form and mail your check or credit card, made out to the Estes Foundation, to the above address. Call to preorder or e-mail me with any questions, 713.201.4199 (if you have any difficulty opening the attachments, drop me a line with your address and I'll be glad to forward a hard copy). Brennan's is located at 3300 Smith, Houston, Texas, 713.522.9711. Please share this with all your LSU friends.
5/7/08 7:15 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team did not play a mid-week game and is using the extra time to prepare for the final home SEC series to ever be played at Alex Box Stadium.
Coach Paul Mainieri has made some great coaching decisions the last two weeks. In the Kentucky series, Mainieri started Chris McGhee in a couple of games at second base and inserted McGhee at the top of the batting order with great success. Coach Mainieri started Sean Ochinko at first base in both games last Saturday and Ochinko hit a home run and had a couple of other great "at bats". Mainieri has also reinstated Jared Mitchell in the outfield and he has been brilliant on defense and has collected several key hits. Coach Mainieri started Ryan Verdugo in Saturday's first game instead of Blake Martin who had started the first game of all weekend series since early in the season. Mainieri has also been very successful with sending his runners and executing hit and run plays. I like Mainieri's style of baseball.
While on the subject of baseball, here's an article by BaseballAmerica entitled "Lousiana State climbs back into poll, Miami still No. 1".
In the last several days, I have received a large number of emails from Tiger fans and fans of a few other schools who believe that the football program at LSU is going to fall apart because of the loss of Ryan Perrilloux and because LSU will start the 2008 season without a quarterback who has ever taken a snap on a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. It is true that Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch have never taken a snap at quarterback for LSU, but both quarterbacks were on the sidelines in all 14 games LSU played last season holding clip boards and charting plays and they both know the LSU offense frontward and backward. Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch and they are both very, very smart. Lee and Hatch are also being tutored by one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the nation in Gary Crowton.
I am not one bit worried about the quarterback situation at LSU. I think Lee and Hatch have just as much talent as former LSU quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck. Here is a link to a great video on Jarrett Lee, who is called J'Lee by his classmates, that I believe all of you will enjoy. I think it's time to start getting pumped for the fall debut of our new quarterback. I want to ask all of you who have a few minutes to spare to click on the link. I am fired up after watching the video.
In football recruiting news, there is not a lot to report. The entire LSU coaching staff is on the road recruiting except for Les Miles who is not allowed to recruit on campus because of new NCAA rules. One in-state high school quarterback who is starting to receive a lot of attention is quarterback Barrett Bailey from University High School in Baton Rouge. Bailey ran track this year and split 49.9 in the 400 at the state meet and ran 11.1 in the open 100 during the year. He's about 6'3.5", and in the last week Ole Miss, LSU, Arkansas, and FSU have shown up at his practices and are starting to call a lot more.
In basketball news, LSU lost a top prospect when 4-star signee J'Mison Morgan, a 6'9", 265 center from Dallas, asked for his release from new baketball coach Trent Johnson. Sounds like he's headed to UCLA which was his 2nd choice before signing with the Tigers.
Reader comments: The LSU-New Mexico 7th Annual Crawfish Boil will be Sunday, May 18th in Albuquerque. Order deadline is May 9th and all of the details available at www.lsu-nm.com
The Tigers Annual TAF tour kicks offs tonight, May 07, at the Alexandria Riverfront. Below is information on the event.
Cenla Tigers TAF Chapter
Alexandria Riverfront Convention Center
707 Main Street
Alexandria, LA 71301
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
Child Ticket (12 & Under) - $25
Individual Ticket - $50
Tier 2 Table of 8 - $350
Tier 1 Table of 8 - $500 ~SOLD OUT!~
**Tier 1 tables will be positioned closer to the stage**
**Tier 1 tables are limited!**
The TAF tour stops in Lafayette Thursday night, May 08.
Acadiana Tigers TAF Chapter
Cajundome Convention Center
444 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, LA 70506
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR
Individual Ticket - $75
Reader comments: The Little Rock Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association will hold its Sixth Annual Crawfish Boil on Saturday, May 17, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm at Allsopp Park Pavilion, Little Rock. Crawfish, potatos and corn will be provided by Shavers of Shreveport and will be served at 3:00 pm. The price is $30 per person prior and $35 the day of the event. Please bring the beverage of your choice. Your check is your reservation and they can be made out to the Little Rock Chapter LSU Alumni Association and sent to: 7 Auriel Drive, Little Rock, AR 72223. Any additional proceeds will go toward a scholarship fund for LSU. There will be LSU merchandise available to purchase, such as an LSU National Championship Football signed by Les Miles, as well as information on the LSU/Arkansas Football pre-game event on Friday, November 28 at the Little Rock Zoo. Any one from Louisiana or a fan of LSU is welcome. If you would like to help with either event or have questions, please send an email to lsualumnilr@yahoo.com
Reader comments: Don, Rachel Laurent from Vandebilt in Houma (LSU track signee) set the state composite record in the pole vault Saturday at 13í 6î. I saw her earlier this year and she will be a force for LSU in the next couple of years. Had the wind not been blowing Saturday afternoon, she probably would have gone over 14 feet and set the national record.
Reader comments: Tiger fans, Don't forget to tune into the popular LSU and YOU radio show with Charles Hanagriff, on the Sportsnote to hear the latest on LSU Sports. This weekly radio program is on every Thursday at2-3pm (CST) on ESPN1420 in the Acadiana area and via the at www.espn1420.com. Email any questions to sportsnote@hotmail.com
5/6/08 6:50 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team is ranked No. 22 in the latest Baseball America and ESPN polls. The last time LSU was ranked in the top 25 was in May of 2005. LSU's power ranking is now at 23. There are three other SEC teams with power rankings in the top 20.
The Tigers have now won nine games in a row including six straight SEC games and a sweep against Kentucky last weekend on the road. The Tigers will return home to play Mississippi State this weekend in the final three-game regular season contests to be played at Alex Box.
LSU senior RHP Jared Bradford recored two saves and a win against Kentucky and was named SEC player of the week.
The big question heading into the weekend series is how well will the team handle the excitement of being in the top 25 and the excitement of playing in front of 7,500 fans in each of the three games. I hope the Tigers can handle success and I believe they can, but you never know how young players will react.
Mississippi State is 19-28, 7-17 on the season and not a very good baseball team depth-wise, especially at pitching, but they do have five or six very good players. Connor Powers is MSU's best offensive player with a .348 batting average and 11 home runs. Tyler Moore has also hit 11 home runs on the season. Grant Hogue, MSU's leadoff hitter, is among the best in the SEC with a .316 batting average and 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. MSU's best pitcher going into the 2008 season was Ricky Bowden who is having a sub-par year with a 3-5 record and a 6.82 ERA. Bowden has pitched 63 innings and allowed 68 hits, walked 35 batters and recorded 52 strikeout. MSU has a super closer in Aaron Weatherford who is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Weatherford has pitched 22 innings but has allowed only five base hits. In the 22 innings Weatherford has 46 strikeouts. I will have more the next few days leading up to the big weekend.
The LSU softball team will begin defense of its Southeastern Conference Tournament title on Thursday when the third-seeded Tigers face sixth-seeded Auburn on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Park. The three-day single elimination tournament will be played at LSU for the first time. LSU is 41-15, 17-11 on the season. Florida is the No.1 seed in the tournament and Alabama is No. 2 seed. LSU owns a 33-11 record in SEC tournament games and won the tournament five times which is the most of any school in the conference.
2008 SEC Softball Tournament
Day One - Thursday, May 8
Game 1 # 4 Tennessee vs. # 5 Georgia 11 a.m.
Game 2 # 1 Florida vs. # 8 Ole Miss 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 # 2 Alabama vs. # 7 Mississippi State 5 p.m.
Game 4 # 3 LSU vs. # 6 Auburn 7:30 p.m.
Day Two - Friday, May 9
Game 5 Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner 5 p.m.
Game 6 Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner 7:30 p.m.
Day Three - Saturday, May 10
Game 7 Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports)
In football news, things are a little on the slow side. LSU has 11 commitments and with the departure of Ryan Perrilloux and Matt Allen and rumors of one other players leaving the team LSU will likely sign the full allotment of 25 players. With Allen transferring to Texas A&M, I am hoping that LSU offers offensive lineman Carneal Ainsworth (6'5", 290) from Parkview Baptist.
In my Monday morning update I listed a few high school track and field results from LSU commitment Chase Pittman and from Barkevious Mingo who LSU is recruiting very hard. I failed to mention that Dennis Richardson, who is Trindon Holliday's brother from Northeast high school, took first place in the 100 meters (10.63) and took second in the 200 meters (21.59). LSU commitment Chris Tolliver was timed at 11.03. LSU track and field signee Barrett Nugent from North Vermillion high school in Maurice took first place in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.02. Nugent recently ran in New York in a national meet of champions and finished second. LSU football signee Ryan ST Julien from Catholic of New Iberia was second with a time of 14.37.
Reader comments: Here's a great article entitled "Soldier stands at attention for hours to watch LSU championship."
In my Monday morning update, I posted information on the TAF tour stop in Alexandria Wednesday night, May 07. Today I am posting information on the TAF tour stop in Lafayette to be held Thursday night. I hope to see many of my friends at the Cajundome Convention Center.
Acadiana Tigers TAF Chapter
Cajundome Convention Center
444 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, LA 70506
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR
Individual Ticket - $75
Reader comments: ST LOUIS TIGERS! - The 21st Annual LSU / STL Crawfish Boil will be held Saturday, May 24th, 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM. There will be live music by the Zydeco Crawdaddys and all the Crawfish, potatoes, corn, etc that you can eat! Please go to our web site and download the flyer or email lsutiger@fan.com
Reader comments: I have 5 tickets to the Mississippi State game on Friday, May 9th 7 pm I would like to sell or exchange for tickets to the Mississippi State, Georgia or Alabama 2008 football game. I would like two tickets in exchage for the 5 bleacher seats in what may be the last Friday night game played in Alex Box. If I sell them then their face value of $50 is OK. jnamie@comcast.net
5/5/08 7:20 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Coach Paul Mainieri's LSU baseball team is in first place in the SEC West after sweeping Kentucky 9-8 Sunday on a two-out home run in the top of the ninth inning by Matt Clark. With the win, LSU extended their winning streak to nine games including six straight SEC wins. The team is now 12-11-1 in the SEC West. Ole Miss and Alabama are 12-12, Auburn is 10-14 and Mississippi State is 7-17. LSU will close out the SEC home schedule this coming weekend against Mississippi State and will finish the regular SEC season on the road at Auburn.
Sunday's win was a very important win for several reasons. The win moved LSU to first place in the SEC West and fifth place in the overall SEC standings, and the win put the Tigers one game over break-even in the standings. The team will still have a winning record after the MSU series with only one win, but the goal is to win two out of three or sweep the series. The win also improves LSU's power rating and improves LSU's chances of hosting a regional at the end of the season if the Tigers keeps winning.
LSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on doubles by Hollander and Dean. Kentucky scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead on a double, a single and an error on Jared Mitchell who misplayed a fly ball that allowed the two runs to score. Mitchell made up for the error in the bottom of the sixth inning when he climbed the centerfield fence and made an unbelievable catch that robbed Kentucky of a home run. LSU tied the game at 2-2 in the third on a single by Michael Hollander and a double by Blake Dean. LSU scored one run in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead on a double by Clark and a single by Ryan Schimpf.
Kentucky scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead on two singles and two ground ball outs. Then Kentucky scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take an 8-3 lead on two home runs, and it would have been three home runs if not for Mitchell's great catch. LSU cut the lead to 8-5 in the sixth inning on three hits with the big blow being Ryan Schimpf's double to the right field corner. LSU scored two runs in the eighth inning on doubles by Clark and Hollander and a single by Schimpf.
LSU came to bat in the ninth inning needing one run to tie and two runs to win. Dean and Michal Gibbs flied out to right and centerfield. Derek Helenihi was down 0-2 in the count and fouled off five or six pitches and laid off of a couple of curveballs out of the strike zone to draw a base on balls on a 3-2 pitch. On the first pitch after the base on balls, Matt Clark hit a belt high over the middle of the plate pitch for an out of sight home run.
Jordan Brown got the start for LSU and was roughed up for six runs on 11 hits in four and a third innings with two bases on balls and two strikeouts. Shane Ardoin pitched one third of an inning and allowed two home runs. Daniel Bradshaw pitched three and a third innings, only allowed one hit and recorded four strikeouts. Jared Bradford pitched the ninth inning and allowed one harmless single. I was very surprised that Bradshaw did not start the ninth inning because he was pitching great and Bradford had pitched in both games Saturday.
Please checkout this link on LSU's power rating as of yesterday morning (before the win).
There is not much to report in football recruiting news. I can tell you that LSU offensive lineman Matt Allen requested and received a release from his scholarship at LSU and is expected to transfer to a Texas school. Allen is a sophomore from Spring, Texas and third team on the LSU's depth chart.
In other news of interest to LSU football fans: LSU signee Chase Clements took first place in the shot put with a throw of 59 ft- 10 inches, first in the discuss with a throw of 176 ft- 5 inches and fourth in the javelin throw with a throw of 170 feet in the Class 3-A Track and Field State championships. In class 5-A, Barkevious Mingo from West Monroe ran the 400 meters in 49.39 which was good enough for fourth place.
The Tigers annual TAF tour kicks offs Wednesday night May 07 at the Alexandria Riverfront. Below is information on the event.
Cenla Tigers TAF Chapter
Alexandria Riverfront Convention Center
707 Main Street
Alexandria, LA 71301
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
Child Ticket (12 & Under) - $25
Individual Ticket - $50
Tier 2 Table of 8 - $350
Tier 1 Table of 8 - $500 ~SOLD OUT!~
**Tier 1 tables will be positioned closer to the stage**
**Tier 1 tables are limited!**
5/4/08 7:25 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Saturday was a great day for the LSU baseball team. LSU defeated Kentucky 3-1 in 10 innings in the first game of a doubleheader and 12-5 in the second game.
In the first game of the doubleheader, LSU scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning, after the first two hitters went down on strikes, to break a 1-1 tie. Chris McGhee's two-out single got the rally started and Michael Hollander followed with a double off the centerfield fence that scored McGhee to make the score 2-1. Derek Helinihi's single scored Hollander to make the score 3-1. Ryan Verdugo pitched eight strong innings allowing one unearned run, three bases on balls and seven strikeouts. Jared Bradford pitched the final two innings and was credited with the win. Freshman shortstop D. J. LaMahieu and Hollander made several great plays on defense.
In the second game, LSU scored three runs in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead on a base on balls, an error and three singles. LSU scored three more runs in the top of the second inning on a home run by Jared Mitchell, a single by McGhee, a double by Hollander and two ground ball outs to make the score 6-0. LSU scored one run in the top of the fourth inning to make the score 7-0. Kentucky's bats came alive in the bottom of the third inning and cut the lead to 7-3. LSU answered Kentucky's rally in the top of the fourth inning by scoring two runs to increase the lead to 9-3. Kentucky cut the lead to 9-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning. LSU scored one run in the top of the fifth and two in the top of the seventh to make the final score 12-5. Jared Bradford took over for Blake Martin in the bottom of the sixth inning and was credited with a save.
With the two wins, the Tigers extended their winning streak to eight game and improved their record to 31-16-1, 11-11-1. LSU climbed to number seven in the SEC standings and one game behind Ole Miss in the SEC West. The Tigers will go for the sweep today against Kentucky and I sure hope the Tigers win, but if they fall short LSU will still be in great shape to make the SEC tournament if they win four of the last SEC games. LSU will play Mississippi State next weekend at Alex Box stadium in the last three games to be played at the Box unless LSU hosts a regional which is very possible if the Tigers wins the SEC West and win two games in the SEC tournament.
As most of you can tell, I really like baseball and am very excited about the future of LSU baseball. LSU's pitching staff will be the best in the last six to eight years next season. Michal Gibbs has a chance to be the best defensive catcher LSU has had in the last eight to ten years and true freshman shortstop D. J. LeMahieu could very easily be a first round draft pick in two years. Paul Mainieri had the number one recruiting class in the nation in the last signing class and according to what I am hearing this year's signing class will be a top 10 class.
Saturday was a slow day for LSU football news now that the Ryan Perrilloux saga is over. I received several emails Saturday asking if there was anyway possible that Perrilloux could return to the team and the answer is no. The dismissal of Perrilloux has gained national attention and I believe that Les Miles and his coaching staff and players have a giant load off of their shoulders without having to worry about what Perrilloux might do next. As for writing and answering emails concerning Perrilloux, I am going to put the issue to rest and move on.
2008 LSU Tiger Tour Schedule
May 7 Alexandria Alexandria Riverfront Center
May 8 Lafayette Cajundome Convention Center
May 12 Shreveport Horseshoe Casino Riverdome
May 13 Monroe Monroe Civic Center
May 19 Baton Rouge Lod Cook Alumni Center
May 22 Covington Tchefuncta Country Club
June 3 Thibodaux Thibodaux Civic Center
June 5 Pensacola, FL New World Landing
June 10 Jackson, MS Country Club of Jackson
June 16 Houston, TX J.W. Marriott
July 17 Lake Charles Isle of Capri Casino
July 20 New Orleans New Orleans Hilton Riverside
5/3/08 7:15 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. LSU's baseball game with Kentucky was rained out last night and the two teams will play a double header today starting at noon.
The hot topic yesterday was Les Miles kicking Ryan Perrilloux off the football team. I appreciate all the emails I received yesterday on the Perrilloux situation and am pleased that LSU fans support Les Miles' decision. Most fans realize that the team will be better off without the Perrilloux distraction. As all of you know, Perrilloux was the Gatorade and Parade Magazine player of the year his senior season at East ST John high school and was the No. 1 recruit in the nation. Perrilloux committed to The University of Texas and changed his commitment to LSU after Les Miles was hired to replace Nick Saban. In my many years of watching high school football, Ryan Perrilloux was the best high school quarterback I have ever seen. I also believe that Ryan Perrilloux would have made All-America at LSU had he stayed out of trouble.
The questions I was asked most often in the emails I received were who I think will be the starting quarterback and how many games will LSU win without Perrilloux. I believe that Jarred Lee will be the starter, but Hatch had a great Spring game and might beat out Lee. As most of you know, Lee was a class 5-A All-state quarterback out of Brenham, Texas and had scholarship offers from many football powerhouse programs. Lee is a 6'2", 190 redshirt freshman who is very smart and knows the playbook front-ward and backward. Hatch is a 6'3", 214 junior from Henderson, Nevada (by way of Harvard) with a strong arm and great foot speed. Lee and Hatch both have some similarities to Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn, and LSU won national titles with Mauck and Flynn in their senior seasons at LSU.
As to how many games LSU will win next season without a quarterback who has ever taken a snap in a college football game, that is hard to say. I was going to pick LSU to go no worse than 10-2 with Perrilloux as the starting quarterback. If I had to make a prediction today, I would say 9-3 because of playing Auburn, Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas on the road. The fact that Lee and Hatch took all the snaps with the first and second teams during Spring practice and the fact that both quarterbacks will take part in Summer workouts and Fall practices is a good thing. LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is one of the brightest offensive coordinators in the nation and a great teacher and he will have the two quarterbacks ready when the 2008 season starts.
I believe LSU will rely on a strong running game and a short passing game early in the 2008 season before opening up the offense at the start of the SEC season. I am expecting Richard Dickson and Richard Murphy to be heavily involved in the passing game early in the season.
I received several emails asking about the future of Ryan Perrilloux now that he is no longer a member of the LSU team. I believe that Perrilloux will probably end up playing for a 1-AA school such as McNeese State, Appalachian State, Grambling or Southern University. The number one thing that Perrilloux needs to do is remain in school the rest of the Spring semester to have his grades in order to transfer to another school. It is my understanding that Perrilloux will need to have a passing grade point average to transfer to a 1-A or 2-AA school.
I also received several emails asking what the "final straw" was that caused Les Miles to kick Perrilloux off the team. There have been several reports that Perrilloux tested positive for drugs, but I am not privileged to that type of information for verification. However, I do know that it had to be something major because Coach Miles wanted very much to turn around Perrilloux's life.
On a more positive note, former LSU running back and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon will be one of 13 players elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Cannon and the others will be inducted on Dec. 9. In his three-year career, Cannon rushed for 1,867 yards and 24 touchdowns on 359 carries. He also caught 31 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Cannon returned 31 punts for 349 yards, including the famous 89-yarder for a touchdown against Ole Miss in 1959. He also returned 21 kickoffs for 616 yards. He averaged 36.7 yards on 111 punts. Cannon completed 12 of 26 passes for 121 yards.
Cannon will be the sixth LSU player to be inducted. The others are Doc Fenton, Abe Mickal, Gus Tinsley, Ken Kavanaugh and Tommy Casanova. Five former LSU coaches have been inducted - Dana X. Bible, Mike Donahue, Biff Jones, Bernie Moore and Charles McClendon. Here is a link to the 2008 inductees to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Late-breaking News: 5/2, 9:15 AM
Just a few thoughts on the Perrilloux situation... Coach Les Miles announced this morning that Perrilloux was kicked off the team for not fulfilling team obligations. I feel bad for Perrilloux and the team, but enough is enough and it is now time to move on without his distractions. LSU is much bigger than Ryan Perrilloux and LSU will continue to be sucessful without his service.
Late-breaking News: 5/2, 8:30 AM
According to ESPN, Ryan Perrilloux has been kicked off of the team. More on this development soon. Here's the article.
5/2/08 7:30 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team, riding a six-game winning streak, will be trying to extend the streak this weekend at Kentucky. LSU goes into the three-game series trailing Ole Miss by a game and a half and trailing Alabama by a half a game in the SEC West. Ole Miss will be playing at league-leading Georgia and Alabama will be playing at Arkansas. It is very probable that Ole Miss and Arkansas could lose their series on the road. In other SEC action involving Western division teams, Auburn will be entertaining Mississippi State. I am hoping LSU can win two out of three against Kentucky and MSU can win a game or two at Auburn. After this weekend LSU will have SEC series remaining against MSU at LSU and Auburn on the road.
Coach Paul Mainieri will start Blake Martin (2-3, 4.71 ERA) in tonight's game. Coach Cohen of Kentucky will start Chris Rusin (4-2, 3.19 ERA). Blake Martin has not been spectacular this season but he has given Coach Mainieri five to seven strong innings in most of his starts.
Baseball fever has spread the last few years in Kentucky and the Wildcats have been receiving great fan support. LSU will need to get an early lead in tonight's game to keep the crowd out of it and to pull off a rare Friday night win on the road.
All three LSU-Kentucky baseball games this weekend will be televised in Louisiana and regionally. Lyn Rollins and Ronnie Rantz will have the call on Jumbo Sports Network and/or CST.
There is no football recruiting news to report at this time. Seven members of the LSU coaching staff are on the road recruiting during the Spring evaluating period and will be for two more weeks. LSU has 11 commitments at this time and it is my understanding that there are 14 Louisiana prospects besides the three in-state prospects who have already committed that LSU is very interested in, and several of the 14 will receive scholarship offers. I believe that when it is all said and done Rueben Randle, Chris Davenport, Chris Faulk, Carneal Ainsworth, Darrington Sentimore, Kenny Bell, Barkevious Mingo, Tahj Jones and Ricky Johnson will be offered scholarships by Les Miles.
The Tigers TAF tour begins next week with the first stop being in Alexandria at the beautiful Riverfront Convention Center. I hope that Tiger fans across the state of Louisiana will make plans to attend when the tour stops nearby. Below is information on the Alexandria tour stop.
Cenla Tigers TAF Chapter
Alexandria Riverfront Convention Center
707 Main Street
Alexandria, LA 71301
Event featuring: Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Event Begins: 7:00 p.m.
Dinner Buffet and Cash Bar
Capital One Photo Area
CST Trivia Challenge
BCS Coaches' Trophy on display!
Silent Auction Items provided by TAF
LSU Merchandise on sale from the LSU Alumni Assoc.
LSU Highlight Videos
Door prize provided by TAF
Child Ticket (12 & Under) - $25
Individual Ticket - $50
Tier 2 Table of 8 - $350
Tier 1 Table of 8 - $500 ~SOLD OUT!~
**Tier 1 tables will be positioned closer to the stage**
**Tier 1 tables are limited!**
In other LSU football news, season ticket renewals for the 2008 football season have been sent out. I mailed my check yesterday and am looking forward to the 2008 season. LSU football tickets are not cheap, but as long as the Tigers keep winning the high price of tickets does not hurt nearly as much as it would otherwise.
In closing, I would like to congratulate the New Orleans Hornets for advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Hornets are led by coach of the year Byron Scott and will be playing San Antonio in game one at 9 p.m. Saturday in the New Orleans Arena.
5/1/08 7:30 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. LSU will be playing Kentucky Friday in the first game of perhaps the most important three-game series of the year. LSU is 29-16-1 on the season and 9-11-1 in the SEC and trails Ole Miss and Alabama in the West. Kentucky is 33-11 on the season with an 11-10 SEC record.
Kentucky won the first 19 games they played this season and won 14 of the last 25 games they have played. During the 19-game winning streak, Kentucky defeated Fairfield, Evansville and South Alabama in single games and posted two wins each over Oakland college, Eastern Michigan and Xavier. The Wildcats also defeated Alabama and Purdue three times and defeated Butler four times during the streak. Kentucky has lost one game each to Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Louisville and Florida, two games each to South Carolina and Auburn and three games to Georgia.
Kentucky as a team leads the league in hitting with a .324 average and in sacrifice bunts with 55. The Cats have hit 60 home runs and have stolen 55 of 77 bases. Kentucky's pitching staff leads the league in earned run average allowing 3.42 earned runs per game. Andrew Albers (6-2) has pitched 37 innings and has only given up 27 hits, 11 bases on balls and 40 strikeouts. Greg Dombrowski (5-0) has pitched 60 innings, has only walked nine batters and has recorded 44 strikeouts. Kentucky's pitching staff is a solid 10- deep.
In football recruiting news, LSU lost out on defensive back Craig Loston from Aldine, Texas who committed to Clemson Wednesday afternoon according to Rivals sports. Loston had been a lean to Clemson for the last two years. Loston is a cousin of LSU commitment Russell Sheppard.
Reader comments: Mr.Don, you may find this interesting, it's ESPN's Todd McShay's 2009 mock draft (he has 4 Tigers going in the first round).
Reader comments: LSU Tiger Tour 2008
The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 presented by Capital One, Eagle 98.1 and Cox Sports Television will be in Pensacola, Thursday June 5th, Featured guests will include LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles, Head Basketball Coach Trent Johnson, plus other special guests. Website: /www.lsutigertour.com/about_the_tour.php The Panhandle Bayou Bengals, LSU Alumni Chapter-Pensacola, will host the event at New World Landing, Downtown Pensacola. Doors open at 6:00pm ~ Event 7:00pm.
The evening will include a Dinner Buffet, Cash Bar, TAF Silent Auction, LSU Alumni Merchandise & 2007 Football Highlight Videos. Event areas to include the Capital One Photo Area, CST Trivia Challenge and the BCS Trophy on display. Tier 1 Tables are SOLD OUT !! {$650(10 per table)}, Tier 2 Tables are $550 and Individual tickets are $45. *Please call first (850)206-7981, to make sure tables are available in your choice of Tier. Download Ticket form here. All LSU fans and friends are welcome! More Information: 850-206-7981 or email at: lsupanhandle@hotmail.com
4/30/08 7:30 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Coach Paul Mainieri's LSU baseball team extended their winning streak to six games in a row with a 5- 3 win over ULL last night in the last regular season non-conference game to be played at Alex Box stadium. ULL scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take a 3- 0 lead and led by the same score going into the bottom of the fifth inning when LSU erupted for five runs on only three base hits to take a 5-3 lead. ULL committed two costly errors in the inning. Micah Gibbs led off the fifth inning with a single, Matt Clark doubled to advance Gibbs to third base, D.J. LaMahieu's double drove home Gibbs and Clark, Leon Landry's sacrifice bunt was misplayed for a three-base-error scoring LaMahieu, Hollander reached base on an error by the Cajuns third baseman and Landry scored on the play. Derek Helenihi's single scored Hollander to make the score 5-3 which was the final score of the game.
With the win, LSU's record improved to 29-16. LSU's next action will be Friday night at Kentucky in the first game of a very important three-game series.
Austin Ross got the start for LSU and did not have his best stuff. Ross pitched four innings and allowed three runs on four base hits. Ross did not walk any hitters but did hit two batters. Ross recorded four strikeouts.
Daniel Bradshaw pitched four strong innings and was the winning pitcher. Bradshaw allowed three base hits, did not walk any batters and recorded six strikeouts. Louis Coleman pitched the ninth inning, allowed a one-out single and recorded two strikeouts.
The contest between LSU and ULL was the first since 2002 when tempers flared and officials from both schools decided to not schedule each other again for a few years. It is my understanding that the two teams will play each other in each of the next three years. I also hope that the women's softball teams will schedule games in the near future, but I have been told that it will not happen in 2009.
There is no news to report in football or basketball at LSU and sometimes no news is good news. The NFL draft is over and I am happy that LSU had seven players drafted and four players who signed free agent deals. I do not believe I posted the free agent signees. Carnell Stewart signed with the Giants, Ali Highsmith signed with Arizona, Jonathan Zenon signed with the Browns and Luke Sanders signed with the Saints. I have received several emails asking if Ali Broussard was drafted. I do not believe Broussard was drafted and I have not heard anything about Broussard signing a free agent deal.
There are many Tiger fans looking forward to the 2009 dratf. Here is a link with a hint as to how many LSU players will be drafted. It is very interesting reading as they predict LSU with 2 first round picks and 6 others from the SEC that the Tigers will face in the next season.
Reader comments: Don, would you post that The Rant is now on the radio? I think its from noon-2 daily on ESPN 1300 WIBR.
Reader comments: We're having a fundraising dinner, Thursday, May 8, at Brennan's in Houston. (Profits will be applied to a $100,000 permanent Endowed Scholarship for an LSU athlete).Our guest speaker is new LSU Co-Defensive Coordinator, Coach Bradley Dale Peveto. The details are attached. Tables of ten(10) are $1500. Individual tickets are $165 each, in advance, $175 at the door. We've got some great auction items, including a guided south Louisiana duck hunt (donated by Bubba Oustalet Automotive in Jennings, LA), items autographed by Coach Les Miles, Jacob Hester, Matt Flynn, Glenn Dorsey and John Ed Bradley. If you can make it, print out the RSVP form and mail your check, or credit card charge, made out to the Estes Foundation, to the above address. Call, or e-mail me with any questions, 713.201.4199 (if you have any difficulty opening the attachments, drop me a line with your address and I'll be glad to forward a hard copy). Brennan's is located at 3300 Smith, Houston, Texas, 713.522.9711. Please share this with all your LSU friends.
4/29/08 7:20 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The last regular season non-conference game to be played at Alex Box stadium will be tonight against the ULL Ragin Cajuns. LSU enters the game with a 28-16- 1 record and is riding a five-game winning streak. ULL enters the game with a 22-22 record. The Cajuns started the season very slow but have played very well the last half of the season. ULL's 22 losses have came against Oral Roberts, Texas San Antonio, Tulane, Troy, South Eastern, Lamar, South Alabama, Northwestern State, ULM two times, Middle Tennessee, Florida International two times, Rice, Florida Atlantic two times, Arkansas State three times, Houston, Miami and Southern Mississippi.
ULL is hitting .245 as a team with 40 home runs and 67 stolen bases in 89 attempts. The Cajuns' pitching staff has a high ERA of 5.28. Moody Hunter (7-2) is by far the ace of their pitching staff. Brent Solich (1-3, 7.05 ERA) will start tonight's game for ULL. True Freshman Austin Ross (2-1, 2.23 ERA) will get the start for LSU.
The game is a very important one, as are all the remaining games. LSU will need 38-39 wins to receive an invitation to play in a regional. With 11 more regular season games to be played, LSU needs to win eight to nine games plus a win or two in the SEC tournament to be assured of an NCAA bid. Tonight's game will be shown on CST and can be heard on the LSU Sports network.
In football news, LSU had seven players drafted in the NFL draft which was the most of any team in the SEC. Arkansas and Auburn each had six players drafted. Georgia and Kentucky had four, Tennessee and Vandy had three, Florida had four, South Carolina had one, Ole Miss, MSU and Alabama did not have any players drafted, according to my quick check. LSU also had four players sign free agent deals: Luke Sanders, Ali Highsmith, Carnell Stewart and Jonathan Zenon.
There is nothing new to report in football recruiting at this time. I have received hundreds of emails the last few weeks asking why LSU is not receiving more commitments from Louisiana players. With 11 players already committed to LSU, only three, Michael Ford, Janzen Jackson and Joshua Downs, are from the state of Louisiana. LSU has offered and is the strong leader for Rueben Randal, Chris Davenport, Kenny Bell and Barkevious Mingo from in-state. There are 11 prospects in my top 25 who have major grade problems and will not be offered until they get their academics in order. Offensive lineman Carneal Ainsworth from Parkview Baptist does have his grades and I expect him to be offered at the June Summer camp. With LSU riding the high wave from winning the national title, Coach Miles can be very selective in who is offered scholarships.
I am very concerned as to why so many Louisiana prospects have serious grade problems. I am a strong believer that education starts at home and I place most of the blame on the parents and not the system.
Reader comments: Tiger fans, Don't forget to tune into the popular LSU and YOU radio show with Charles Hanagriff, on the Sportsnote to hear the latest on LSU Sports. This weekly radio program is on every Thursday at2-3pm (CST) on ESPN1420 in the Acadiana area and via the web http://www.espn1420.com. Email any questions to sportsnote@hotmail.com
** NEW TIME .. NEW TIME .. NEW TIME **
The Sportsnote Radio Show.. now 2-3pm on ESPN1420
4/28/08 7:20 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Last week was a great week for LSU sports. A total of seven former LSU football players were drafted into the NFL, the LSU track and field team dominated in the Penn relays, the Gymnastics team finished number five in the nation which is the highest they have ever finished, the LSU baseball team won five games including a sweep of No. 9 ranked South Carolina, and the women's softball team won five games including a sweep of Arkansas. I wish I had more time to devote to all the ìminorî sports, but there are only so many hours in a day.
In baseball news, with the sweep of South Carolina LSU's record improved to 28-16-1, 9-11-1. With three series remaining in the regular season against Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi State, the Tigers will have to win two out of three in each series to make the SEC tournament. The Tigers can receive an invitation to play in a NCAA regional without making the cut to play in the SEC tournament.
In Sunday's 6-3 win over South Carolina, Ryan Verdugo started the game for the Tigers, pitched six strong innings, and allowed seven hits and three earned runs. Paul Bertuccini pitched three shutout innings in relief of Verdugo allowing only one base hit and retiring the final three outs on strikeouts after a one hour and five minute rain delay. LSU collected 10 hits in the game including three home runs by Derek Helenihi, DJ LeMahieu and Jared Mitchell. Helenihi's second home run of the season tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom if the second inning. LeMahieu fifth home run of the season gave LSU a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. LSU added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on three hits to take a 5-1 lead. South Carolina scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning on three base hits to make the score 5-3. Mitchell hit his third home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning to increase the lead to 6-3. LSU will play ULL Tuesday night in the final non-conference game to ever be played at Alex Box Stadium.
In football news, seven former LSU Tiger players were drafted in the NFL draft that began Saturday. Glen Dorsey was the No. 5 pick in the first round by Kansas City. Chevis Jackson, Jacob Hester and Early Doucet were selected in the third round. Jackson was picked by Atlanta, Hester by San Diego, and Doucet by Arizona. Craig Steltz went in the fourth round to the Chicago Bears and Matt Flynn and Keith Zinger were selected in the seventh round. Flynn was selected by Green Bay and Keith Zinger by Atlanta. Two undrafted LSU Tigers, LB Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders, have also found a home. Highsmith signed as a Free Agent with Arizona while Luke Sanders traveled 90 miles East to sign a Free Agent deal with the Saints.
Those of you who follow recruiting and the star system will find this interesting. In the first 31 selections of the NFL draft there were THREE non rated players, NINE 2-star players, EIGHT 3-star players, SEVEN 4-star players and FOUR 5-star players.
In track and field news, LSU won six relays. The Tigers and Lady Tigers will take off three weeks before competing for the outdoors national title in Auburn May 15-18. Both the men's and women's teams are ranked number one in the polls and will likely be favored to win the title.
In football recruiting news, seven LSU assistant coaches will be on the road recruiting for the second week of the Spring evaluating period. Head coaches are not allowed to attend practices or visit with high school coaches during the Spring because of a new NCAA rule which is often referred to as the Saban rule. I have not read up on the rule but my understanding is that Saban was a little over aggressive last Spring and was turned in by a few high school coaches.
Reader comments: New LSU athletic director Joe Alleva will be Lee Feinswog's guest on Sports Monday tonight at 6:30 p.m. The live show can be seen on Cox 4 in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas and all of Acadiana. It replays at 11 p.m. Monday and 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
Sports Monday, the longest-running independently owned TV show in the history of Baton Rouge, is in its 13th year on the air.
4/27/08 7:35 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team overcame a seven-run deficit after five innings and scored two runs in the bottom of the eleventh to defeat South Carolina 11-10. LSU head Coach Paul Mainieri made several good moves in the game that led to the win including a pinch hit home run by Sean Ochinko that scored LSU's first run and a pinch hit home run by Nicholson in the eighth inning that tied the game at 9-9.
South Carolina took the lead in the top of the first inning and increase the lead to 5-0 in the top of the second inning. South Carolina increase the lead to 7-0 after six innings on solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings. LSU scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 7-3, but South Carolina got one of the runs back in the top of the seventh on a solo home run to make the score 8-3. LSU scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 8-7 on a base on balls to Michael Hollander, singles by Chris McGhee and Blake Dean, a costly error by the Gamecocks' third baseman and a ground out by Micah Gibbs. South Carolina scored one run in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 9-7. LSU scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score 9-9.
The two teams failed to score in the 9th and 10th innings. South Carolina scored one run in the top of the 11th to take a 10-9 lead and it could have been much worse. South Carolina collected three singles, a sacrifice and an intentional base on balls and left the bases loaded on two strikeouts by Jared Bradford. LSU scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game 11-10. Michael Hollander led off the inning reaching base on a two-base throwing error by the Gamecocks' third baseman, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Chris McGhee's short fly ball to left field that was dropped to tie the game 10-10. Derek Helenihi grounded out to first base with McGhee advancing to second base, McGhee stole third base, Johnny Deshon was intentionally walked, and Micah Gibbs' ground ball to second base was mishandled allowing McGhee to score from third base.
Jordan Brown was the starting pitcher for LSU and only pitched one inning. He faced three hitters in the second inning without recording an out. Brown allowed five runs, two of which were earned, on five hits. LSU's defense made two errors that were part of Brown's undoing. Nolan Cain pitched three outstanding innings allowing only one run, a lead off home run in the top of the fifth inning. Shane Ardoin pitched the fifth inning and allowed one run on a long homer. Daniel Bradshaw pitched two innings and allowed one run. Jared Bradford pitched four innings and was the winning pitcher. Bradford allowed two runs on five base hits, two bases on balls and issued five strikeouts. Bradford was at his best in crunch time.
LSU will go for the sweep today which would be a great confidence builder for the team. Ryan Verdugo, who might be LSU's best pitcher, will get the start today. With yesterday's win, LSU's record improved to 27-16, 8-11. Today's game can be seen on CST with Lyn Rollins and Ben McDonald. After today's game, there will only be four remaining games to be played at Alex Box Stadium.
The LSU Lady Tigers softball team won a doubleheader Saturday, 4-0 and 8-6, over Arkansas. With the win, LSU's season record improved to 37- 14, 14-10, assuring the team a spot in the SEC tournament that will be played at LSU in two weeks.
The NFL draft started yesterday and Glen Dorsey was the fifth overall pick. Dorsey was selected by Kansas City. I think that it is a shame that Dorsey slipped to number five. There is no doubt in my mind that Dorsey would have been the top pick in the draft if not for the cheap shot in the Auburn game. I will have a full report on LSU players who were drafted in my next update.
Below is some very interesting information sent to me from one of my readers.
Reader comments: DD (I think my numbers are correct)...
The wisdom, and your sentiment, about not being overly concerned with the lack of 4-star and 5-star players in a college recruiting class proves itself yet again.
In the 1st 31 selections of the NFL draft there were THREE non rated players, NINE 2-star players, EIGHT 3-star players, SEVEN 4-star players and FOUR 5-star players.
4/26/08 7:40 AM
The LSU baseball team defeated South Carolina 11-3 behind the
pitching of Blake Martin and home runs by Michal Hollander, DJ LaMahieu,
Matt Clark and Jared Mitchell. South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the first
inning on a leadoff double and a single. The Gamecocks increased the lead to
2-0 in the top of the second inning but LSU exploded for five runs in the
bottom of the second inning to take a 5-2 lead. The big blows in the inning
were two-run homers by Michael Hollander and DJ LeMahieu. LSU increased
the lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run homer by
Matt Clark, his 16th home run of the season. LSU scored three runs in the bottom of
the seventh inning to increase the lead to 10-2 on singles by Leon Landry
and Jared Mitchell, a hit and run double by Ryan Schimpf and a single by
Blake Dean. LSU's final run came in the bottom of the eigth inning on a home run by Jared
Mitchell. Mitchell was reinstated in the lineup five games ago in leftfield
and has really played great on offense and defense. Leon Landry continues to
start in centerfield with Derek Helenihi in right-field.
Blake Martin got the start for LSU and pitched eight and one-third very strong innings. Martin allowed two runs on six hits, five bases on balls and issued seven strikeouts.
Louis Coleman entered in relief of Martin and retired the first batter he faced then
allowed a home run before retiring the final hitter on a fly ball to right-field.
The win was only the third win on Friday night for the Tigers in SEC play. The second game of the series will be played today at 3 p.m.
There is no recruiting news to report and I do not expect any
commitments for several more weeks, but in recruiting you never know. At this time it looks like LSU will have a top-three signing class.
4/25/08 7:35 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU fighting Tigers baseball team, fresh off of two very impressive mid-week wins, will be hosting South Carolina this weekend. LSU is 25-16- 1, 6-11 on the season. South Carolina is 31-11, 11-7. LSU will need to win two of the three games to keep hopes of finishing in the top eight in the SEC and becoming eligible to play in the SEC tournament.
In my opinion, South Carolina will be the third best SEC school LSU will have played this season behind Georgia and Ole Miss. South Carolina's out-of-conference schedule has not been as hard as Georgia and Ole Miss but they did play Clemson three times and won all three games 6-0, 10-1 and 5-1. The 11 games that the Gamecocks lost were against East Carolina, Charlotte, Yale, Furman, Kentucky, Ole Miss, two to Vanderbilt 4-3 and 10-4, and three to Georgia 1-0, 5-3 and 4-2.
South Carolina appears to be a little stronger than LSU in terms of stats. The Gamecocks have a team batting average of .304 holding their opponents to .245. South Carolina has hit 77 home runs while their opponents have hit 52 home runs. The Gamecocks have stolen 21 of 37 attempts. South Carolina's pitching staff has a 3.61 ERA while their opponents' pitching staff ERA is 6.63.
LSU is hitting .294 and their opponents are hitting .258. LSU has hit 50 home runs on the season while their opponents have hit 30. LSU has stolen 61 of 76 stolen bases attempts. LSU's pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.92 and their opponents' ERA is 5.92. South Carolina is ranked No. 9 by USA Toady and No. 12 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
Sunday game will be televised by the Jumbo Sports Network. LSU leads the series 22-20-1.
Junior LHP Blake Martin (1-3, 5.14 ERA) will get the start for LSU. South Carolina will start junior RHP Mike Cisco (5-1, 3.99 ERA). Jordan Brown (3-0, 4.28 ERA) will start Saturday's game for LSU and junior LHP Ryan Verdugo (6-2, 3.12 ERA) will start Sundayís game for LSU.
In other LSU news, the LSU Board of Supervisors has approved the contracts of head football coach Les Miles, athletic director Joe Alleva and head basketball coach Trent Johnson. Miles' contract calls for $3.751 million per year for five years. Miles will the third highest paid coach in the nation. Alleva will make $550,00 per year with incentives that could bump his salary up another $100,000. Johnson's contract is for five years with a salry of $1.2 millions. Johnson appears to be a great recruiter and I believe will be very successful at LSU. There are a large number of LSU fans who believe that it should be easier to win the national championship in basketball over football because of the high school talent in the state of Louisiana. In case you missed it yesterday, here is a nice article on JíMison Morgan honoring his commitment to LSU.
In high school football news, last night I interviewed Jonathan Stewart (6'4", 225, linebacker) from Byrd High school in Shreveport. I was not able to make contact with Stewart in February when I was interviewing in-state prospects. Stewart told me that he runs the 40 in 4.6 and has received scholarship offers from Tennessee, Arizona State, Duke, MSU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Ga Tech, and SMU. Stewart is hearing from several other schools including LSU and Alabama. I asked Stewart what schools he would like to visit and he said Tennessee for sure, but he was not sure about any others. Stewart said he will probably attend two Summer camps but has not had time to sit down and decide what camps he will attend. Stewart said that coaches from LSU, Alabama, Ga Tech and La Tech have attended his team's practice this week.
In other football news, I have posted my predictions for high school and college football for the 2008 season.
Reader comments: Two LSU boys lift Cubs to milestone win. With two out in 10th inning, Ryan Theriot singled in Mike Fontenot to give the Chicago Cubs the 10,000th victory of franchise history. Both players are formerly LSU baseball players. Chicago is only the second club to reach this level of victories.
The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 is coming to Covington!
The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 presented by Capital One, CST and Eagle 98.1 hits the road this year traveling to 12 cities across the southern region. The Covington event hosted by the Tammany Tigers TAF and Alumni Chapter will be held on Thursday, May 22 at the Tchefuncta Country Club. The event will feature appearances by national championship coach Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests. The chapter will also host a VIP party prior to the event at the home of Joel and Jill Champagne. The annual golf classic will be held on Friday, May 23 at Money Hill Country Club in Abita Springs.
Doors for the event open at 6:00 p.m. with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m. The tour experience includes silent auction items provided by TAF, LSU merchandise for sale from the LSU Alumni Association, and a special door prize, as well as dinner and an open bar. Tiger fans will not want to miss the interactive experiences including the Capital One Photo Area and the CST Trivia Challenge. Finally, donít miss out on your chance to see the BCS Coachesí trophy in person!
To order tickets to any LSU Tiger Tour 2008 event, visit www.lsutigertour.com for an entry form.
Reader comments: Hey Dandy, this is your old LSU chapter friend from Northeast Oklahoma. We are striving to keep the enthusiasm up about LSU in the Tulsa area and your site is really appreciated by our members. We had over 65 people for the national championship game in January and last week we had a celebration party where we played the dvd of the game and had 24 people in attendance. Your name and your insight was quoted several times at the party as we anxiously prepare for the 08 season.
We do however have small favor to ask of you. We are approaching our biggest fundraiser for the chapter, our Annual Crawfish Boil and was hoping that you would publish the following announcement on your site. We will have Assistant Athletic Director of Football Operations Mack Butler as our guest speaker.
On Saturday May 3rd, the N.E. Oklahoma Chapter of the LSU Alumni (the Tulsa area) will be hosting its 2008 Crawfish Boil at 26004 Joy Avenue, Broken Arrow, Ok. 74014. Enjoy Louisiana favorites at the Boil including crawfish, gumbo, and bread pudding. We will also have hot dogs for the kids. Pay one price for all you all you can eat with iced tea, soda and water included The advance price is $25 per person (members) and $35 (non-members). The day of the event price is $10 more. Kids 12 and under are free. Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations Mack Butler will be our guest speaker. The event starts at 3 PM. Invite your friends and co-workers as this is one of our big chapter events of the year. Remember active chapter members can get their friends in for the chapter price, so make sure your 2007-08 chapter dues are current You can send your dues ($15 indv., $20 family) and Crawfish money to our chapter address at 2608 W. Kenosha #244 Broken Arrow, OK 74012. For directions or for more information contact Keith Huffman at 918-806-6668 or at tulsatiger@cox.net .
4/24/08 7:35 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Three LSU true freshmen pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter against McNeese State Wednesday night, Matt Clarks hit two home runs and Blake Dean hit one home run to lead LSU to a 6-0 win. The three LSU pitchers did not issue any bases on balls and combined for nine strikeouts. The Cowboys from McNeese only sent 28 batters to the plate the entire game.
Daniel Bradshaw got the start, pitched six inning and gave up the only hit of the game. Austin Ross pitched one perfect inning and Anthony Ranaudo pitched two perfect innings. The one-hitter was the last pitched by an LSU pitcher since April 18, 1997.
LSU will host South Carolina this weekend in a very important three-game series.
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McNeese State...... 000 000 000 - 0 1 2 (10-31)
LSU................ 000 201 12X - 6 9 0 (25-16-1)
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The LSU Lady Tigers softball team defeated ULM 11-0 Wednesday afternoon in Monroe behind the one-hit pitching of true freshman Casey Faile. With the win, LSU's record improved to 35-14. A record crowd of over 600 mostly LSU fans attended the game.
Wednesday was a slow day for LSU football news. I know that hundreds of thousands of LSU football fans will be watching the NFL draft this Saturday. Defensive tackle Glen Dorsey of LSU is expected to be drafted second or third in the draft and would have been the first player drafted if not for the injury he suffered in the Auburn game by a chop block. Early Doucet is expected to be selected in the second round. Ali Highsmith is also projected to be an early round pick. Jacob Hester, Chevis Jackson, Matt Flynn, Craig Steltz, Will Arnold and Keith Zinger are all projected to be selected in the mid to late rounds. At least nine LSU players are projected to be selected in the 2009 draft.
Basketball news: Coach Trent Johnson is expected to announce his complete coaching staff in the next few days which will include Butch Pierre. Also, J'Mison Morgan has confirmed his intent to remain an LSU commitment after speaking with Coach Johnson. I saw this reported in two national publications with quotes from Morgan and his head high school coach. Morgan had been concerned whether Coach Johnson was going to introduce an outside shooting offense where his skills would not be shown off. Here is a link comfirming that Morgan is going to honor his commitment.
Reader comments: The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 is coming to Covington!
The LSU Tiger Tour 2008 presented by Capital One, CST and Eagle 98.1 hits the road this year traveling to 12 cities across the southern region. The Covington event hosted by the Tammany Tigers TAF and Alumni Chapter will be held on Thursday, May 22 at the Tchefuncta Country Club. The event will feature appearances by national championship coach Les Miles, Trent Johnson, Skip Bertman and other special guests. The chapter will also host a VIP party prior to the event at the home of Joel and Jill Champagne. The annual golf classic will be held on Friday, May 23 at Money Hill Country Club in Abita Springs.
Doors for the event open at 6:00 p.m. with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m.? The tour experience includes silent auction items provided by TAF, LSU merchandise for sale from the LSU Alumni Association, and a special door prize, as well as dinner and an open bar. Tiger fans will not want to miss the interactive experiences including the Capital One Photo Area and the CST Trivia Challenge. Finally, donít miss out on your chance to see the BCS Coachesí trophy in person!
To order tickets to any LSU Tiger Tour 2008 event, visit www.lsutigertour.com for an entry form.
4/23/08 7:40 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team defeated Tulane last night 8-4 in a very important win for the Tigers and Coach Paul Mainieri. The win was important because it stopped the bleeding and because it was the second win of the season over Tulane. The win was LSU's first of the season after trailing after seven innings. Tulane took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, but LSU tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third inning. Tulane took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning but LSU scored two runs in the sixth inning on Blake Dean's ninth home run of the season and a two-out double by D.J. LeMahieu to tie the game at 3-3. Tulane scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead on three base hits and could have scored more if not for a great throw by LSU catcher Micah Gibbs to fan down a runner attempting to steal second base. LSU scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Blake Dean, who had four hits in the game, led off the inning with a double, Derek Helenihi singled off the Tulane second baseman's glove, Gibbs grounded back to the pitchers mound for the first out of the inning, Matt Clark struck out for the second out of the inning, and D. J. LeMahieu came through with a clutch single. LSU scored three runs in the top of the ninth on a lead off single by Ryan Schimpf who stole second base on the first pitch to Michael Hollander. Hollander later flew out to centerfield. Blake Dean was intentionally walked, Helenihi singled and Gibbs doubled to the left field fence to make the score 8-4.
Ryan Verdugo was LSU's starting pitcher and pitched in and out of trouble for five and two-thirds innings. Verdugo allowed four runs on nine base hits, one base on balls and four strikeouts. Louis Colemm pitched two and one-third innings and was the winning pitcher. Coleman pitched one and two-thirds innings without allowing any runs. Shane Ardoin pitched to one batter with two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth and ended the inning on a ground out to LeMahieu who made a super play. Paul Bertuccini retired Tulane in order in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Tigers play McNeese tonight at LSU and needs a win to get momentum going for the weekend. With the win, LSU's record improved to 26-16-1.
The Spring football recruiting period has begun. Seven members of the LSU coaching staff have hit the road recruiting and under NCAA rules will be allowed to spend four weeks evaluating high school talent. Several LSU coaches were in Shreveport Tuesday and made stops at three schools according to two emails I received. I was told that LSU coaches made stops at Byrd, Evangel and one other school in the Shreveport area. My guess is that the coaching staff made a stop at Mansfield located less than 20 miles from Shreveport. LSU coaches have also made stops in Leesville and Lufkin, Texas this week. Coaches are not allowed to talk to prospects during the Spring evaluating period but are allowed to watch the players practice and participate in other types of workouts. The Spring evaluating period is also a great time for the coaches to checkout freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Reader comments: The LSU Memphis alumni chapter will host its crawfish boil Saturday, April 26, at 3 p.m. Adult tickets are $35. Kids 12 and under are free. The chapter will provide beer and soft drinks. Just bring a lawn chair, an appetizer or a dessert. Everyone is welcome - friends, neighbors, family. You don't need to be an LSU alum to attend. John and Jennifer Lawhorn are our hosts. They live at 4958 Forest Hill Irene. A red and white "Tony's Seafood" banner on the fence marks the spot. Directions are on the LSU Memphis website (www.lsumemphis.org) and there is plenty of parking at the entrance to the neighborhood. For more information, contact Doug Gremillion at 373-5938 or email djgrem@juno.com.
The LSU softball team slipped in one of the polls this week, coming in at No. 15 in the NFCA/USA Today poll while remaining at No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. The Lady Tigers travel to in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the ULM Softball Complex.
4/22/08 7:10 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. Coach Paul Mainieri's LSU Tigers will be playing at Tulane tonight at 6 P.M. LSU defeated Tulane earlier in the season 7-5 at Alex Box Stadium. Ryan Verdugo (6-2) will get the start for LSU. Tulane will start freshman Robby Broach (4-1) from Rummel high school. LSU is 23-16-1 on the season and Tulane is 27-12-1. Tulane's 12 losses came against Pepperdine 4-2, Minnesota 7-5, UNO 4-2, UC Irvine 7-3 and 5-1, LSU 7-5, Southeastern 12-11, UAB 8-7, Marshall 7-4, Houston 4-3 and 11-7 and Southern Mississippi 10-8. Tulane was very competitive in all 12 of the games they lost with their worse lost being by only four runs.
LSU has lost three of their last four games and played to a 10-10 tie in the other game. Coach Mainieri needs a win tonight, a win Wednesday night against McNeese and needs to win two out of three at home this weekend against South Carolina to calm down the fans just a little.
Monday was a huge day for email and most of the messages I received were concerning the downward slide of the baseball program. Coach Paul Mainieri entered the 2008 season very confident that LSU had turned the corner and would return to post season play. Here are example of a few things that have many LSU baseball fans concerned, including myself. Two weekends ago Mainieri had a 9-0 lead against Arkansas and lost the game. Sunday the team saw a 10-3 lead against Georgia slip away. In Sunday's game, Daniel Bradshaw hit a Georgia hitter on a 0-2 pitch and gave up a home run to the next Georgia hitter. A large number of Tiger fans that I have heard from feel like Mainieri should have replaced Bradshaw after the hit batter or should have called timeout to talk to the young freshman. Also, in Sunday's game catcher Michal Gibbs who is not a speedster led off the 10th inning with a single but was not replaced by a pinch runner and was not moved up by a sacrifice bunt attempt. Also, earlier in the season Mainieri replaced Blake Martin when he was hot and had the lead against Tennessee and Florida and ended up losing the two games.
LSU is 3-7 in one-run games, and the Tigers have not won a game this season when trailing after six innings. These aren't the signs of a team ready to win. If Trent Johnson turns the basketball program around in 2008, added pressure will be placed on Mainieri to have a winning season in 2009 and return to post season play.
LSU baseball will be televised live Tuesday and Wednesday on CST (Cox Sports Television). The LSU-Tulane game starts at 6 p.m., and the McNeese-LSU game begins at 6:30 p.m. The next LSU softball telecast will be Sunday at 1 p.m. when Arkansas visits the Lady Tigers. CST will televise the Troy-ULL baseball game from Lafayette at 3 p.m. Saturday.
In football recruiting news, LSU picked up commitment No. 11 Monday from linebacker Willie Ferrell (6'2", 223, 4.6) from Tallahassee FAMU high school in Florida. Ferrell had 212 tackles in 2006 and 183 in 2007 including 29 for lost yards. He is a sideline to sideline guy. Ferrell benches 350 lbs, has a 2.7 GPA and is very close on the ACT, according to reports. Ferrell chose LSU over South Carolina, Maryland and Illinois and nine other offers that do not include Florida, FSU and Miami. It always concerns me when LSU accepts commitments from prospects who do not receive offers from at least one of their state's major universities. Ferrell is a four-star prospect by one of the star-system web sites. I have nothing against the star rating system but I look more to who prospects receive offers from. With Ferrell's commitment, my guess is that LSU will accept two more commitments from linebackers and I hope that Tahj Jones from Sulphur and Barkevious Mingo from West Monroe are the two.
LSUíS MILES FEATURED ON FOX SPORTS SOUTH ON THURSDAY
BATON ROUGE ñ LSU coach Les Miles will be featured on Fox Sports South on Thursday night as part of the networkís In My Own Words programming.
The Miles feature airs at 9:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports South. Fox Sports Southwest will carry the feature on May 12 at 7:30 p.m.
In My Own Words is a 30-minute first-person feature on different personalities in the sports world. In My Own Words has also featured the likes of Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno as well as numerous professional sports stars.
The Miles spotlight was filmed back in March on the LSU campus and covers topics such as leading the Tigers to the 2007 BCS National Championship, defending himself against the rumors that he was leaving LSU for Michigan, and Hurricane Katrina and how LSU lifted the spirit of a state that was devastated by the storm.
Reader comments: Dandy did you notice that Bo Pelini drew 80,000 to the Nebraska spring game. I do not understand LSU only getting 33,000+.
Late-breaking News 4/21, 3:30 PM
Coach Les Miles picked up his 11th commitment for the 2009 signing class today, according to Michael Langston of FlaVarsity.com, in Willie Ferrell (6'2", LB) from Tallahassee FAMU high school. Ferrell chose LSU over Illinois, Maryland and seven other offers. I will have more in my Tuesday morning update.
4/21/08 7:05 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope all of you had a great weekend. I had a great weekend with my three sons and two of my grandsons on a short one-night camping trip. I will have more later in this update on our trip.
The LSU baseball team had a very disappointing weekend losing Friday and Saturday and playing to a 10-10 tie in 12 innings Sunday. The game was stopped because of Georgia having a plane to catch to return to Athens. I hate ties and in my opinion there is no excuse for tie games on Sunday in the SEC. I would like to see the SEC play single games on Friday and doubleheaders on Saturday or start Sunday games at 11 a.m.
In yesterday's game, LSU led 10-3 after six innings but failed to score the final six innings of the game. LSU made three costly errors and a couple of mental errors. Shortstop D. J. LaMahieu's two-base throwing error on a routine double play ground ball led to four unearned runs in the seventh. Pitcher Daniel Bradshaw hit the number eight hitter in Georgia's lineup on an 0-2 pitch in the top of the ninth inning and gave up a long home run to the No. 9 hitter that tied the game at 10-10. The team seems to find new ways to lose games each week.
With only four remaining SEC series to be played, LSU has an uphill battle to be one of the eight teams to make the cut to play in the SEC tournament. LSU made 11 errors in the three games against Georgia and it could have been 14-15 errors if not for some "home cooking". Mainieri is saying that the team received a lot of bad luck against Georgia, but, to me, making 11 errors in three games sounds more like the team is not playing very well.
I am very concerned about the future of LSU baseball because of the team's record and the declining interest in baseball. The three-game series against Georgia drew less than 9,000 paid fans. LSU season tickets sales have continued to be very good and with the opening of the new Alex Box Stadium for the 2009 season ticket sales will continue to be near the top in the SEC. I believe the 2009 season is going to be a very important year for Paul Mainieri at LSU. Mainieri had the number one recruiting class in 2007, according to a couple of publications, but the results of the great signing class are not showing on the playing field.
LSU will be playing Tulane Tuesday night at 6.00 p.m. in New Orleans. LSU defeated Tulane earlier in the season 7- 5.
In softball news, the Lady Tigers lost two out of three at Tennessee this past weekend. Tennessee won the first game of a doubleheader Saturday 8-0 and LSU won the second game 8-2. Tennessee won the final game of the series 6-4 Sunday afternoon. LSU's season record is 34-14, 12-10. LSU was 8-0 in SEC play on March 26 but has won only four games and lost 10 in the last month.
In football recruiting news, LSU is in very good shape on several in-state and out-of-state players. I am hearing that there is a good chance that LSU will pick up two or three new commitments before the end of May.
This past weekend me and my three sons and two of my four grandsons went on a very pleasant camping trip. The weather conditions were not perfect for fishing with a cold front coming through Friday along with some rain. My son Scott caught two nice Bass, one about three pounds and the other about five pounds. We set out one long trotline and two short trotlines and used crawfish, Canadian night crawlers and live bait. Check out a couple of photos of the four Appaloosa Catfish.
4/20/08 6:40 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope all of you have a great day. As most of you
know, I am on a camping trip and will make this update very short.
The LSU Tigers baseball team lost to Georgia 9-8 Saturday. I was able to listen to a
little of the game from our camping site but the reception was very poor. I do know that Georgia led 6-0 at one time in the game and I am glad that the Tigers came back and made a game of the contest. LSU will try to win the final game of the series today
In women's softball news, LSU lost to Tennessee 8-0 in the first game of a
doubleheader but came back to win the second game 8-2. The third and final
game of the series will be played today. A win by the Lady Tigers today
would be very impressive after being blown out in the first game.
I will have more in my Monday morning update.
4/19/08 6:00 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team lost 6 to 3 to Georgia last night in front of a small crowd of 2,600 fans.
Here's how it went: Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a single and double. The Bulldogs increased the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third inning on a double, a wild pitch and another double. Georgia scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning on two bases on balls, two singles, an error and a wild pitch to increase the lead to 4-0. LSU scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 4-2 on singles by D. J. LeMahieu and Matt Clark. Micah Gibbs was hit by a pitch, Taylor drew a base on balls that scored LeMahieu, Sean Ochinko, pinch hitting for Leon Landry, singled to score Clark. With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Schimpf struck out and Michael Hollander flied out to right field. Georgia got the two runs back in the top of the eighth inning on a base on balls, a single, and a bunt that Louis Coleman fielded and threw away that scored both runners. LSU scored one run in the bottom of the eighth on bases on balls to Helenihi and Clark and a two-out single by Micah Gibbs to cut the Georgia lead to 6-3. LSU threatened in the bottom of the ninth on two bases on balls and a strikeout that got past the Georgia catcher that allowed Helenihi to reach base to load the bases. However, D. J. LeMahieu struck out to end the game.
Blake Martin started the game for LSU, pitched five innings, allowed four runs on six hits, four bases on balls and four strikeouts. Louis Coleman, in relief of Martin, pitched three innings and allowed two runs on three base hits, two bases on balls and four strikeouts.
In softball news, the Lady Tigers (32-12, 11-8) will be playing a three-game series at No. 9 Tennessee (41-8, 11-7) this weekend with the two teams playing a doubleheader today. Tennessee is a very young team with several freshmen playing key roles including freshman pitcher Ashton Ward with a 22-3 record, a 1.60 ERA and 147 strikeouts. LSU is a veteran team that has not performed as expected this season, in my opinion. The Lady Tigers are 1-8 in their last nine SEC games. Two of the three games this weekend will be televised regionally by Fox Sports.
As expected, Friday was a nice day for emails and I received many concerning my football depth chart that I posted Thursday. My depth chart is based on what I saw during the Spring practices I attended and the Spring game. I did not include any of the incoming freshmen because I know for a fact that all incoming freshman will report at the bottom of the depth chart at the position they play. I do believe that several incoming freshmen will play including Patrick Johnson who I believe will be starting at cornerback by the time SEC play begins. I also believe that wide receiver DeAngelo Benton will receive some playing time as will tight ends Tyler Edward and Matt Branch and linebackers Ryan Baker and Kellen Theriot. I do not believe that any of the incoming offensive and defensive linemen will play as true freshmen. Incoming freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson will receive a redshirt year and probably will not play as a redshirt freshman. I believe Jefferson will be a sophomore before receiving playing time but I do believe he is going to have a great career at LSU.
I am looking forward to a very successful 2008 season. I am especially looking forward to home games against Georgia and Alabama.
I will be on a camping trip this weekend and I am not sure if I will have a Sunday morning update. I will check my mail and if anything big breaks I will report the news.
4/18/08 7:40 AM
Good morning, Tiger fans. The LSU baseball team (23-14, 6-9) will be playing the league leading Georgia Bulldogs this weekend at Alex Box Stadium in a very important three-game series. Georgia (25-12, 12-3) has won eight straight SEC games and that is something hard to do. They are also ranked No. 7 and No. 13 in the two weekly polls. Georgia played a very hard early season schedule with three games against then top-rated Arizona State and won one game 9-7 and lost the other two 7-1 and 9-8. Georgia also played No. 12 Oregon State early in the season losing 6-4 and 5-4 and winning 10-5.
LSU will start Jr. LHP Blake Martin who has pitched much better than his 1-2 record and 4.91 ERA would lead one to believe. Martin has pitched 44 innings and has given up 42 hits, walked 16 and struck out 47. Martin will have his work cut out for him because Georgia as a team is hitting .297 with 49 home runs. Junior shortstop Gordon Bechman has hit 17 home runs and has 43 RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Rich Poythress is hitting .394 with nine home runs.
LSU is led in hitting by Derek Helenihi with a .359 average. Freshman shortstop D. J. LeMahieu is hitting .331. Matt Clark leads LSU in home runs with 13. Blake Dean leads LSU in RBIs with 29.
The Tigers need to win two of the three games. Georgia has not lost an SEC series this season and this would be a great weekend for them to lose their first. LSU leads the all-time series 51-15-1.
In LSU football news, the NFL draft will be held April 26-27 and Glen Dorsey is expected to be picked in the top five. Early Doucet might slip in as a late first round pick but is likely to be a second round pick. Ali Highsmith, in my opinion, is likely to be the third LSU player selected, most likely in the fourth round. Chevis Jackson will likely be selected in the first six rounds. Craig Steltz, Jacob Hester, Luke Sanders, Matt Flynn, Will Arnold , Keith Zinger and Matt Flynn are likely to be mid- to late-round selections.
In other LSU football news, I have updated my depth chart and am expecting to receive a lot of emails about having Ryan Perrilloux number three behind Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch. Perrilloux is number three only because he missed all of Spring practice. I do believe that Ryan Perrilloux will return to No. 1 by the end of Fall practice, but it will not be as easy as one might think because Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch are better than most people believe they are. Please keep in mind that my depth chart will be different than some others' depth charts and that is alright because the only depth chart that matters is Les Miles'.
In basketball news, new basketball coach Trent Johnson's coaching staff is almost complete. Johnson has retained Butch Pierre and John Treloar from John Brady's staff and will hire Keith Richard who played his high school basketball at Redemptorist in Baton Rouge and coached at La Tech for nine seasons with a 150-117 record. See this article for more information.
Reader comments: Tiger fans in Tennessee are trying to get an official LSU license plate. If your readers that live in Tennessee are interested they can check out the alumni website: www.lsunashville.com/news.php for more information. Don't let LSU be the only SEC team without a plate in Tennessee!
Reader comments: The Carolina Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association will hold its annual Crawfish Boil on Saturday, May 3, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm, at Park Road Park in Charlotte. Jambalaya, crawfish, potato's and corn will be provided by Cajun Caterer's of Atlanta. Don't be late, because food starts being served just after 1:00. The price is $30 per person, with children under 10 free. Please bring the beverage of your choice and plenty of newspapers. Also, if you have extra tables, chairs, party tents, you might want to bring them as well. Just in case.
Please remit your payment using Paypal.com (No, you don't have to have a Paypal account to use this!!!) and send your payment to geauxgirllafayette@yahoo.com. Please use this method of payment if possible. That way, everyone can enjoy the boil and not have to worry about collecting money, There will be a raffle as well for various LSU and Louisiana products. Any one from Louisiana or a fan of LSU is welcome. If you have any other questions, please send them to lsualumnicarolinas@gmail.com. Or visit our website - www.lsucarolina.com.
Reader comments: Vote for the football team of the decade. LSU was leading as of 8.30 p.m. but not by a lot.
4/17/08 7:30 AM
The LSU baseball team lost 6-5 to New Orleans last night. The loss was LSU's second of the season to the privateers. LSU led the game 4-3 going into the bottom of the eighth inning
but, just like in the first game that the two teams played, the Privateers rallied of of Daniel Bradshaw late in the game for the win.
Austin Ross was the starting pitcher for the Tigers and pitched four strong innings allowing one run on two base hits. Ross, who is not a weekend starter, has pitched great his last four outings but for some unknown reason Ross was replaced by Ryan Byrd in the fifth inning. Byrd pitched one-third of an inning and allowed one run to two base hits. Paul Bertuccini pitched one and two-thirds of an inning and allowed one run on two base hits. Daniel Bradshaw pitched two inning and was the losing pitcher. Bradshaw gave up three runs on two base hits.
LSU was their own worse enemy on the bases having three men thrown out killing scoring opportunities. Leon Landry, who hit a home run in the game and made a couple of nice catches, was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double and was thrown out at home on a passed ball. Matt Clark was thrown out trying to go from first to third on a hit and run single. LSU will have to shake the disappointing lost off and get ready to play a very good Georgia team this weekend.
In basketball news, WAFB Channel Nine in Baton Rouge reported last night that Butch Pierre will be retained by Trent Johnson. In my opinion, keeping Pierre on staff was a great decision. Pierre should be in line to land a head coaching job in the next year or so.
In other basketball news, Travis Ford, who at one time was rumored to be LSU's new head coach, has been hired by Oklahoma State. In my opinion, Travis Ford is one of the top young coaches in the nation.
There is no late-breaking news to report in football recruiting. With 10 solid commitments and at lea |
