Not often will I feel compelled to compliment a rival, but in this case I feel it is warranted. I am referring specifically to the LSU fan-base and the city of New Orleans. I, and many other, Buckeye fans traveled at great expense to attend the BCS National Championship in New Orleans this Monday past. And with very few exceptions were treated very well. Allow me to expand and categorize:
LSU Nation
New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana and only 80 miles from the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. So it goes without saying that there would be excellent Tiger representation in New Orleans for the game. Any Buckeye fan already knows that although we may not be to adept at actually winning title games, our fan-base will out travel any school in the nation hands down. That is a battle we will never lose, and it was the case again this year. At times
Bourbon Street looked as much Scarlet & Gray as Purple & Gold. Thousands of fans poured onto the streets to prepare for the game.
I arrived Saturday afternoon and was sitting in Pat O’s by three o’clock with Hurricane in hand. Almost immediately I was introduced to the favorite greeting that LSU fans have for their intended victims: TIGER BAIT. If I had a dollar for every time I heard those two words from Saturday to Monday, I could have paid for my hotel room and drinks for my entire stay! Annoying as it was, it was harmless and eventually I developed a retort of “second place”, which worked well until after the game of course. The real story here is that the LSU fans by and large were not only friendly but down right respectful. Much more so than their Florida counter-parts last year (based upon reports from my friends who attended last year’s game in Glendale), the Notre Dame fans I encountered in Tempe, Michigan fans in general (easily expected), or pretty much any other fan-base I have encountered over the years. It might have been the location, in that it was essentially a home game for LSU and many LSU grads probably stay in Louisiana after college, so they are proud of New Orleans. It really doesn’t matter why, but it was not lost upon my self, or the countless Buckeye fans that I talked to down there that we all had the same experience with the LSU fans. Many times a few chants of “Tiger bait” were followed with “Y’all having a good time down here?” and/ or “What are you drinking”, which would be followed by a drink in my hand. I was double fisted most of the time I was down there, and that is a good thing in my book! I had many respectful exchanges with the fans… and a few not so much, but every fan-base has their ####s (right, Buckeye fans?). Even after the game there was a lot of respect. Most fans even said it was a shame somebody had to lose and that the Buckeyes would be missed. They complimented the way the Buckeye Nation took over the town and partied with LSU nation as we shared our rabid allegiances for our respective teams. Ohio State may or may not have been the correct opponent for the Tigers, but we were the correct team for the city of New Orleans and the LSU fan-base.
I am getting a little long winded. The trip was great and I am proud of our team for the season they had, for the way Buckeye Nation represented themselves in number and class in New Orleans, and for the example that both fan-bases set forth regarding how to respect your opponent and embrace the love for college football that we all had in common.
In closing I will say that this trip, even with the unhappy ending for my team, was one of the best I have ever taken. And to sum up my experience with the LSU fans, I will refer to the end of the game. We stayed until the gun and began to leave as the purple and gold confetti began to swirl in the Superdome. As my wife and I reached the end of our row, and it was our turn to enter the aisle, my wife looked at the gentleman in the LSU shirt who had stopped to let here exit and said: “You are going to let a Buckeye cut in front of you?”
He simply smiled and said, “I’m from New Orleans mam, and it’s ladies first down here”.
Now that the bowl match-ups have been decided by people much wiser than anyone who hangs out in here, we might as well talk about the games.
Obviously, I am going to talk about one game. The BCS National Championship Game between THE Ohio State Buckeyes and the Louisiana State Bayou Bengals. Perhaps you have not had to pleasure of reading any of my previous scribble, so I will reiterate that my mother is from Shreveport, LA. Thus, a good portion of my family pays tribute to the Purple & Gold. Amazingly some were even able to graduate from that very school. Growing up in Ohio has warped my mind and the Buckeye Nation swayed me to their side long ago, however I still pull for the Tigers from time to time.
This will not be one of those times.
Let me refresh the listening audience regarding all the reasons OSU will be beaten like an English school- teacher in a Muslim country….
OSU is a team from the Big Ten conference that doesn’t have a single athlete that can run anything faster than a 6.2 forty. LSU, on the other hand, is from the most masterful college football conference of all time…The Ssssss Eeeeeeee Cccccccc (ominous James Earl Jones echo).
Every player in the SEC, including the punters and long snappers, can run a sub 4.5 forty. Ok, forget it, put us in the Holiday Bowl and let The Greatest Team of All Time w/ 2 losses, USC, play LSU for the title. Give the people what they want!!!! Right, %#@& the people, give Pete_Nice what he wants, OSU in the title game.
Ok where was I…oh right… OSU has never beaten an SEC team in a bowl game (O fer 8 y’all!). Well it ain’t happenen this year either. As I mentioned before, their long snapper can out run our fastest guy, so why show up? Well the gumbo and the ####’s are real nice in Nawlins , for one thing. Hopefully the Buckeye receivers and defensive backs can crack 5.0 on their forty times by game day, and might have a chance to make at least three tackles if the LSU players trip or something.
Les Miles will out coach Jim Tressel…..ok, I can’t even say that tongue-in-cheek. Better chance of him coaching the Wolverines next season than out-coaching The Senator. I just swallowed my gum.
The game will be played in Louisiana. Well that sucks. I sure hope at least a couple of hundred Buckeye fans make the trip. Nothing like spending thousands of dollars and travelling hundreds or thousands of miles to watch your team get spanked like a Bill Clinton intern. Thank you sir, may I please have another!!!???
They have already engraved the trophy with LSU’s name and this game is just a formality. Gee, that sounds familiar….
Glenn Dorsey will be healthy again by game day, and he can tackle the entire OSU offense by himself! WOW, now that will be worth the price of admission.
The super-fast, diminutive Trindon Holiday will run so fast, you will hear a sonic BOOM when he returns akick or punt for a touch down. Chris Leak might show up and throw one more TD pass for old times sake too. The LSU offense may never have to see the field.
And the number one reason OSU has no chance of winning the title game this year is….
They lost to Florida last year.
Stay tuned for a more serious blog concerning how crucial this game is for the Buckeyes.
Until then, enjoy the season, enjoy the sports, and enjoy each other.
*The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of anyone else, nor do they really mean I think the Buckeyes will lose the NCG. Actually, I am pretty sure they will win. I was pretty sure they would win last year too. I was also pretty sure that K-Fed would go platinum, Britney would graduate from high school, Barry Bonds could read, Howard Stern goes to church, and Don Imus would be the next president of the NAACP. What's the line?
I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and I still reside there today. I work for, root for, and defend the Scarlet and Gray. I love all things Buckeye and most things Big Ten. However, I am not above rationality when it comes to sports and would never be a complete "homer" who has no disregard for other opinions and/or viewpoints regardless of the topic....oh who am I kidding, unless you love the Buckeyes you don't count!!!
Go Bucks!!!!!!!! !!
