LSU President William Tate IV has not brandished much of a backbone in his first three years at TigerTown. Tate is usually in favor of something until a governor tells him to change course as proved by his shifting positions on the Dale Brown Court, removing names of slave traders and segregationists from campus buildings and shutting down the campus DEI office. These are curious moves from a recognized authority on critical race theory.
Now the brilliant bureaucrat has allowed his university to snub requests from Gov. Jeff Landry, who like most people with real power, expects underlings like Tate to carry his water. To make matters worse, Gov. Landry is on the correct side in a pair of demands for LSU football. And Tate again is on the wrong side of history.
Jeffrey Martin Landry, a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, desires LSU football players to be present for the playing of the national anthem. Brian Kelly has a pre-game routine as did previous coaches to get his team ready without this distraction. Landry is on the mark with an expectation for the biggest brand name in Louisiana, LSU football be on the field for any rendition of the Star- Spangled Banner.
Gov. Landry is also interested in returning LSU’s mascot to Death Valley for seven appearances a year. Mike is blessed with most lavish home for a Tiger this side of Tiger Woods. Despite the opulence of his habitat, it is easy to notice Mike needs to shed a plethora of poundage. A little exercise could extend his life and intimidate the hell out of Alabama. Imagine Mike parked outside the visitors’ locker room as he was in the Bear Bryant Era, pacing and growling as he shows who is boss in his arena.
LSU has cited opinions from animal rights activists about the inhumanity of having a Tiger inside raucous Tiger Stadium for 15 to 20 hours per year. Mike’s habitat was small and sparse for a generation, and the university’s big cats did just fine as they were paraded before the debaucherous denizens of Death Valley.
Mike is a symbol of the decline of American manhood. Today, U.S. males are largely out of shape and often get their jollies by driving big cars, shooting big guns and living vicariously through sports gladiators frequently coached by slobs who are a disgrace to themselves and our country.
LSU is the Ole War Shule. Let’s hope President Tate displays national pride by adhering to the governor’s edict to show up for the presentation by the stellar LSU band of the national anthem and have Mike the Tiger cheering as Kelly’s troops sing vigorously about the land of the free and home of the brave.
Woody Allen once said showing up is 85-percent of success. President Tate surely knows this since he is receiving a $500,000 attendance bonus this year. Not bad for one of the best compensated public university leaders in America. Tate leads a university lagging behind its SEC cohorts in national rankings and size of its endowment.
This makes championships in football even more important to a university that trails SEC counterparts in more relevant pursuits. When national football championships come every four years or so, everything is copacetic at Thomas Boyd Hall. Go Tigers.
LSU would benefit in its quest for a No. 1 football program by coaxing cameos from Mike in the stadium named in his honor. Gov. Landry wants to intimidate SEC foes with every weapon in the arsenal. He’s on target to couple this strategy with players and coaches in position to publicly pay homage to our country where a grand spectacle like college football is revered.
It is amusing how keyboard cowards attack the governor when he is right while Tiger Droppers are silent when LSU faces 13 budget cuts as it did during the Jindal years.
For those who claim Mike could be traumatized by the cheap stunt of rolling him out for the masses to bloviate, naysayers should be reminded of student-athletes who are incapacitated in middle age from head shots endured on the field and unnatural weight retention is encouraged to play on the offensive and defensive lines.
This writer would gladly embrace the presumed safety of Mike shielded from the cacophony of the madding crowd in exchange for demanding that starters play on both sides of the ball. This would eliminate 350-pound specialists who have challenges running a mile at 21 and drop dead of heart disease at 61.
It is encouraging to see LSU’s leader show that he is not the wimpiest guy to hail from the south side of Chicago. But he is picking the wrong fight with the wrong man in defying the wishes of Gov. Landry on reasonable requests. The kid from St. Martinville is no fool. He is cognizant of the arrogance from the interloper from Illinois.
Tate should ask his neighbor, Congressman Garret Graves, about the peril of underestimating Landry. Don’t be surprised if LSU’s sleek administrator has fewer days remaining at his new home on the LSU lakes than he logged at his previous residence on Lakeshore Drive.
It is certain the governor is keeping score, and Tate just flunked a crucial mid-term test.
Tale of Two LSU Greats
Last year, Paul Skenes was the first player selected in the MLB free agent draft and Dylan Crews was second, an unprecedented achievement for LSU, which also captured the 2023 College World Series.
Skenes and Crews have advanced to the Big Show this season with staggering contrasts.
With three games remaining in the regular season, Skenes has been the best pitcher in baseball in his rookie year. His WAR score is 5.9 in 22 starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes has allowed 94 hits in 131 innings, walking 32 and striking out 167. His ERA is1.99.
If the 6-6 righthander stays healthy, he is a candidate to become LSU’s first Baseball Hall of Famer.
Crews has played 27 games for the Washington Nationals. He is batting .191 with three home runs, eight RBI, with an on-base percentage of .252 and a slugging percentage of .314. His WAR score is 0.0.
These are putrid numbers for a player who hit 58 home runs in 196 college games with a batting average of .380 as a Tiger. Crews had a college on-base percentage of .498 and a slugging percentage of .689. Redemption in 2025 is possible.
It is too soon to make final judgments, but Skenes is likely to reign as a dominant pitcher for a few years while Crews, who is also 22, has much enhancement needed to become a solid starter in the majors.
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