Friday, July 23, 2010

LSU Fans And Media Ignore Reality Regarding the Demise of Les Miles

I like Les and I defend him though at times he drives me crazy. I agree the last two years could have been improved on. Still Les is a easy fun target and people including a loud segment of the LSU fan base, talk show folks, sports bloggers, and others get on the bandwagon to stir stuff up.

The SEC is a soap opera for guys and a SEC soap opera would be incomplete without the scent of a coaches blood in the water. First it was Tuberville and Nutt as to "Hot Seat" Soap Opera. This year it is Les . If Les got the boot it will most likely be the coach of Georgia next.

Dennis Dodd of CBS throws a bucket of cold reality that peanut gallery should be looking at.

SEC fans think their school is like the Disney world. The best place in the entire world that everyone wants to come too. They have failed to note recently that two high profiles SEC schools did not get anywhere their first choice (or for that matter 2nd, 3rd, or 4th) as to Coaches. That is Auburn and Tennessee.

There are many reason for this. Coaches are like all people and have concerns for family stability and stability for the Coaches (who also have families). Perhaps they look at times of the expectations that are a tad unrealistic and go forget that.

Now lets look at LSU. Dodd mentions Les Miles's contract. I am not sure Les would be owed all that money but it would be significant.

LSU fans think the almighty TAF (The Tiger Athletic Foundation) and it's members are a source of unlimited income. This is false.

Also LSU fans look around. Not only is the economy bad, but because of the potential oil moratorium, the closing down of shipyards, the now devastated fishing industry Louisiana and indeed LSU is even in more of a hell of a fix.

Before the oil spill it was well known that next year will be fiscal Armageddon for all public universities in Louisiana. Now it is true that LSU athletics does not take taxpayer funds however there are more legitimate demands or LSU athletics to give more direct payments to LSU.

Expect this to increase greatly next year. In other words even if you could come up with Alumni to pay out Les's option , this already strapped source will be called on for a huge amount of money just to keep the LSU athletic program and all it's capital improvements that are in development just to be at the status quo. It should also be noted that even though the LSU Athletic staff is paid by LSU Athletic fund revenue they all had to take voluntary pay reductions last year. Now it's true that LES would not get a LUMP payment. It would be paid out over a period of time. However if LSU fans have any chance of getting the Coach they think they deserve" that is going to cost. Looking at the recent experiences of Auburn and Tennessee it appears it might costs a lot more than many people think

BUT BUT BUT Coaches would come running to Louisiana because of the "talent". Have no doubt that Louisiana has talent but I think the fan base has an unrealistic view of it.

If the talent was so good then why do we not see sustained success at Div I schools such as Louisiana Tech, ULM, Tulane, and ULL.

We see in other States with established SEC programs great success. Look at Southern Miss in Mississippi, Troy in Alabama etc etc.

There is talent but it is not at the level that LSU fans like to imagine. I also just noticed that only one native LA resident (Kentrell Lockett of Ole Miss) was named to either 1st or 2nd All-SEC team by the media. Also did you notice Did ya notice both of the All-SEC picks from LSU were from out of state? Imagine what the effects of the Oil spill and the damage to the fishing industry could do as to this talent pool in the future. These players have things called parents and parents have to work. We have not factored in the possibility of huge hurricane yet!!

Now out of state sports media does not connect all these dots. In state radio sports talks show people don;t talk about this because to the audience LSU sports are place to where they can go and ignore all this depressing news. But ignoring it does not make it go away and the people that make the trains run on time at LSU are quite aware of it.

At this point I am sure Les and other LSU Coaches is thanking his lucky stars that Texas A @ M did not get an invite to the SEC because we are going to going into TEXAS more than ever for recruits.

I second Dodd's comments on Les's ability and his record. I also suspect that sine football coaches are very political creatures Les has cultivated his own allies in the LSU system.

Now over the next months as Les is put under a microscope we hear countless callers on talk radio and people on message boards tell us how their friend at TAF or "HIGH UP" at LSU tells us Les is out the door. The wheels are in motion. Well after observing these folks contacts over the years I have learned that 95 percent of the time they are wrong!! But it will make a great soap opera though it is a distraction.

So LSU fans unless Les has a disaster of a season expect to see him on the sidelines next year as the LSU Coach. Which I think would be in the end a good thing.

2 comments:

Roger Miller said...

Not to be picky, but it's actually Dennis Dodd of CBS, not Chris Dodd.

James H said...

Ahh thanks!! Missed my typod