Well, the two events that tell me it really is the start of another athletic year at LSU are upon us.
Today is the football team’s media day, a day when media large and small get their chance to talk with the coaches and the players.
The media that covers the team on a regular basis will cynically ask who many of the people they’ve never seen before are and wonder who will ask the question that will be retweeted for an hour as the strangest of the day.
My two favorite parts of media day will be hearing what coaches Greg Studrawa and John Chavis have to say. I’ve heard both of them speak before and they are impressive. There is not a lot of coach speak in most of it; but there is a lot of heart-felt emotion and honesty.
My other favorite part is just watching our student newspaper staff, The Reveille, in action. I mean this as a compliment to them. I look up and here they come walking in as a group, usually 10-or-12 of them. They each have their assignments of what players to interview and what stories they are going to write. About midway through player interviews they huddle up like at the two minute warning and the sports editor will check out how things are going and like a good coach or editor they will make a change on the fly.
The other big event is Fan Day Saturday. This event took a dramatic turn for the favorable when LSU officials decided to bring it inside, first at the River Center and now at the Maravich Center and the Maddox Field House. It’s much cooler and weather-proof and dividing the players makes so much sense.
People have their lines they want to get too. Everyone wants the quarterback’s autograph and they’ll wait all day to get Les Miles to sign a football.
It was ways a little comical, maybe that’s not the word, questionable when media members would bring material to be autographed at media day. That’s one of those 10 things as a member of the media you really aren’t supposed to do. It’s kind of right up there with cheering in the press box knocking your soft drink over on someone else’s computer (funny, how it never falls on your own computer).
As far as the media is concerned the football practices didn’t officially start until Coach Les Miles called the team together for the “Big Cat” drill on Sunday. Its offense versus defense, man against man until the Coach blows the whistle. Even better, the team forms a circle and watches the action – and usually comments about the action as well.
It’s always fairly early in the practice session and gives Coach Miles a way to get the Tigers to understand that from start-to-finish practice is going to be physical. Believe me going one-on-one in the Big Cat drill is physical. Coach Miles has his list of players and the matchups he wants and he’s looking for some hitting. Not lengthy, not dirty. Just good, solid football hitting.
The players love it (except maybe some of those who don’t hit hard enough who hear it from the coaches) and the television guys are in heaven (because they are right up close in the action). Maybe we should have the media in the Big Media drill. White-balancing a camera the quickest on the whistle? Ready? Go!
One player on offense lost his helmet and Coach Miles was quick to loudly point out to the player, but he was really instructing his whole team that the rules today would put that player out of the play and the ball would be dead. That could be a bad thing if you are blocking down field for someone who is running free with the ball.
There is that certain air of wanting to be superior in the “Big Cat” drill and the offense loves to tell the defense when they are superior, but it’s also vice versa as well. In reality, I think the Coach is just using the “Big Cat” drill to get his team up for the tough stuff that lies ahead.
So enjoy Fan Day Saturday. Just don’t run in the PMAC or the Maddox Fieldhouse and yell “Big Cat!” You might get run over. LSU and North Texas on Sept. 1 is so close. I can’t wait.
Until next time, Geaux Tigers!