So much to celebrate and be proud for. Enough for Mikey to wake from his offseason football slumber to tip the cap and share a few thoughts, links and chuckles about our fantastic LSU Baseball Tigers winning the SIXTH College World Series Championship in history. And that’s not using Alabama football math either.

 

 

It was destiny for the Tigers to win this series once they made the finals. First, the team had not lost consecutive games to any team all year. And secondly, when LSU baseball or football gets to the final game, WE NEVER LOSE. That’s right, baseball is 6-0 and football is 2-0 in honest-to-gosh championship final games. So even when the Longhorn pitching was strangling Mainieri’s brood on Tuesday to even up the series, Mikey was cool in his lair knowing that the Tiger DNA was flawless when going for the kill.

 

Yes, Geauxrilla ball was evident for much of the season. But all the elements of a successful program were in place – great pitching, solid defense, but especially with leadership by the head coach that inspired leadership and unselfishness in the players.  So many stories: Mikey Mahtouk’s legacy and calling on angels; Jared Mitchell becoming the first player to win a National Championship ring in both baseball and football; Chad Jones and the “Dreadlocks of Doom”; Paul Mainieri sharing his achievement with his dad, himself a retired championship winning coach; Les Miles being a fan and Twittering in the stands; Skip Bertman seeing his legacy boost up another generation of champions; Omaha transformed into Tigertown yet again; and on and on.

 

 

 

There is much to be satisfied and –dare I say it – gloat about, a sentiment expressed by TigerToon Dude Tom Sylvest in his first postgame victory sketch:

 

(If you aren't familiar with Tom's work, visit www.tigertoons.org)

His best toon of the series came after Game One of the finals:

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the best possible result anyone could want for the inaugural season of the new Alex Box Stadium: win the SEC, host and win a regional and Super Regional, then go to Eauxmaha and snatch up all the marbles. The path was not easy, but they knocked off formidable opponents and traditional powers along the way.  (Best sign seen at Rosenblatt stadium proclaimed “LSU brought the gumbo, but left Rice at home.”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of our culinary fame, here’s a fitting recipe that is making the rounds in emails:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the best thing about this championship is that it was earned by beating the vaunted Texas Longhorns and head coach Augie Garrido, affectionately tagged “Soggy Burrito” by message board Tiger fans. LSU evened up the all-time CWS title count at six with the Longhorns, and also prevented Garrido from passing Skip Bertman for all-time personal championships as head man.

  

 

 

   

   

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Scoreboard, baby!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas Pride is well documented, and no one is more obnoxious in expressing it than Longhorns. With the jaw-jacking, grandstanding and posturing exhibited by their team through this series, it’s all the more satisfying to shut them up by proving it on the field. Check out this blog entitled “We’re Texas”   that typifies how the arrogant Horns are eating their own in the aftermath. Deauxn’t Mess With Texas? 

 

 

In the end, that signature "Hook Em Horns" hand sign ironically displayed their final ranking as second-best. 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, congratulations to the Ole Miss Rebels for being SEC Co-champs in baseball this year. I’m sure they will hang a banner in Oxford. I’ll bet they come up with something clever like:  

 

Seriously, Tiger fans, these are “the good ole days” of LSU sports. We have so much to be proud of, not only for the championships and overall excellence of all LSU athletics, but for the way we are doing it and for the way our fans show it. 

 

Thanks to the local Atlanta fans who joined us at Buffalo Wild Wings and whose purchases helped donate to our scholarship endowment program. Watch for big developments to be announced soon about regional football view in locations for the 2009 football season!