Q and A With LSU Coaches Les Miles and Paul Mainieri

By Garrett Lumpkin


Last month, the LSU Tiger Tour made its annual stop in Westlake at the Isle of Capri Casino. I had a chance to talk with LSU head baseball coach Paul Mainieri, and LSU head football coach Les Miles. Mainieri’s Tigers just won the college baseball national championship, and Miles’ Tigers are gearing up for another football season.

LSU Football Head Coach Les Miles

The defense really struggled last year and you made some changes in the off-season to
correct that. You brought in John Chavis as the defensive coordinator, Brick Haley to
coach the defensive linemen, and Ron Cooper to coach the secondary. How has that new
group gelled through spring practice and over the summer?

I think our guys have an existing culture of dominant defense. John has great experience
and has the same impression that that’s the way defense is played. Our guys have really
embraced him, enjoyed him and I think he’s made a great introduction to his defense this
spring. When you bring in Brick Haley, who comes from the NFL, he brings great
technique work to our guys. Our guys on the defensive line have enjoyed him. Ron
Cooper has great experience with the secondary. I think the transition has been good and
I look forward to how they will play.

Jordan Jefferson looks like he is the frontrunner for the starting quarterback job. He
played well late last season, especially in your big bowl victory. What have you seen
from Jefferson throughout the off-season as he heads into his sophomore season?

He’s bigger and stronger. He certainly has a lot more experience on the field. He won’t
go into a game that he hasn’t experienced in one way or another. He played on the road,
and he played on the road in a bowl game and won. Really, this summer he has probably
shown more leadership than what’s due for a young guy. I think he’ll be much improved
this fall.

I want to get your thoughts on the state of the SEC. With all of the big name coaches in
the league, and these days it seems like any team in the conference can beat you. What do
you think about the current state of your league?

I think it is as competitive a football conference as there is in America. I think it requires
your teams to play at a very high level week in and week out. I think that’s good. I think
it’s good for the fans and it’s good for us. I look forward to playing in big games and I
think our team does.

Your first three years in Baton Rouge were so successful. At least 11 wins in each season.
But last year was a bit of a tough year with the 8-5 record. How has the off-season been
for you, coming off a sub par season?

I think our guys understand that we want to regain the position in the SEC that we’ve
had. I think the guys are hungrier, there’s a little more wanting, more ambitious, I think
it’s been good. The summer has been good and I think our guys are looking forward to
playing.
LSU Baseball Head Coach Paul Mainieri

Congratulations on a fantastic season. What an incredible run in Omaha at the College World Series. What has life been like since winning the national championship of college
baseball?

Thank you very much for the congratulatory message. It still hasn’t really sunk in, it’s
kind of surreal. Your whole life you pray that you’ll have an opportunity to coach a team
to a national championship, and then it happens and you’re not sure how to act or how to
feel. I’ve received so many wonderful letters, phone calls, text messages and emails that
I’ve just been spending my time trying to respond to everybody. It’s a great experience.
It’s something I’m sure that in time will sink in.

After losing to Texas in game two of the championship series, what did you tell your
team?

The message I gave to my players was very simple. I said look, if this was our very first
meeting in August and I told you on that day that we were going to play one game for the
national championship, winner take all, and we were going to have Anthony Ranaudo
pitching for us, would any of you guys take that deal? And they all nodded their heads of
course. And I said, well that’s our situation. So we’re not going to hang our heads about
this loss tonight. We’re going to walk out of here with our chins up. We’re going to walk
out confident, believing in ourselves and knowing that tomorrow night we’re going to
come out here and whip Texas. I wanted them to get a good positive frame of mind right
from that moment, and go to bed that night dreaming of winning the national
championship the next night. And my goodness, they went out there and did it!

New Orleans Saints 2009 Team Preview

By Garrett Lumpkin


Last Season
The Saints finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. It’s been the same story for the Saints in each of the last two seasons. The offense has been fantastic (ranked 1st in 2008), but the defense has been horrendous (ranked 23rd in 2008). Drew Brees joined Dan Marino as the only quarterback in the history of the NFL to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. The Saints weren’t blowing teams out. They had to throw the ball that much just to keep up with their opposition. The Saint’s defense allowed at least 23 points in 13 of 16 games.

Quarterbacks A+
Drew Brees has established himself among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL alongside Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He is the unquestioned leader of the Saints and produces monster numbers year in and year out. Brees has averaged 4,600 yards passing and 30 touchdown passes in three years in New Orleans. He rarely makes the big mistake and doesn’t take many sacks. He is the one player on the roster that the Saints can not afford to lose to injury. Mark Brunell is a 15 year veteran and is the backup quarterback. However, if you ever see Brunell on the field during the regular season, the Saints are probably in big trouble.

Running Backs B
Reggie Bush had his best professional season in 2008, but fans expect more from the former number two overall pick. Bush is the best pass catching running back in the league by far. However, Bush has struggled in the running game and has not finished each of the last two seasons due to injuries. In three NFL seasons Bush has yet to average 4.0 yards per carry. He needs to get there this year for the Saints running game to be a real threat. Third year running back Pierre Thomas could break out this season. Last year playing behind Bush and Deuce McCallister, Thomas averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored 12 touchdowns on only 160 offensive touches. Look for the Saints to give Thomas more touches starting right out of the gate in week one. Mike Bell is third on the depth chart, but look for the Saints to possibly add a veteran free agent during training camp. Ex-Patriots fullback Heath Evans has some versatility and catches the ball well.

Wide Receivers A-
Marques Colston is a big, physical receiver and one of the best at his position. He doesn’t shy away from contact which shows his toughness, but it has also led to injuries. Last year Colston missed five games with a broken finger. If he plays a full season, he should make the pro bowl. Lance Moore benefited from Colston’s absence and posted career bests with 928 yards and 10 touchdowns. Moore is an excellent number two option for Brees. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachum have each been inconsistent, but both are excellent deep threats. Henderson and Meachum each averaged over 24 yards per catch last year. Jeremy Shockey is one of the better pass catching tight ends in the league and is also an above average run blocker at his position.

Offensive Line B+
The Saints pass much more than they run and the offensive line is at its best when Brees is throwing it. Last season only two starting quarterbacks were sacked fewer times than Brees. Brees dropped back to pass 635 times and was only sacked 13 times. Continuity is extremely important on the offensive line and all five starters from last year return. They have Jamal Brown and Jon Stinchomb at the tackles, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans at the guards, and Jonathan Goodwin at center. If there is a flaw with this group, it’s in the running game. However, in November and December Pierre Thomas seemed to find the holes that Reggie Bush could not locate in September and October.

Defensive Line C+
Will Smith is one of the most well rounded defensive ends in the league. He plays the run well, and when healthy, is the Saints best pass rusher. However, Smith’s sack total has decreased in each of the last three seasons. Charles Grant starts at the other defensive end spot and is more of a power player. He runs through people, not around them. Sedric Ellis showed promise as a rookie and is poised for a big season. He’s short, stout, and has a powerful upper body. Kendrick Clancy led the team in sacks with six and is expected to start at the other defensive tackle spot.

Linebackers C-
Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma played well in his first season with the Saints as he led the team in tackles with 132. Vilma is a firm tackler and is adequate dropping back into coverage. Outside linebacker Scott Fujita has been consistent during his three years in New Orleans, but he is vulnerable when playing in space. Scott Shanle is penciled in to start at the other outside linebacker position, but he doesn’t make many big plays. Shanle could be challenged by Dan Morgan during training camp.

Defensive Backs C
Cornerback Tracy Porter had an impressive start to his career last season before a wrist injury cut it short. Porter has solid cover skills to go along with good speed. Jabari Greer is listed next on the cornerback depth chart, but don’t be surprised if rookie Malcolm Jenkins gets the starting nod. Jenkins was the Saints first round draft pick in April’s draft. Strong safety Roman Harper is a big hitter, but he struggles in man to man coverage. Free safety Darren Sharper was signed in the offseason and provides this young group with some experience. Sharper may not have the speed that he once had, but he always seems to be around the ball.

Special Teams B-
Placekicker Garrett Hartley does not have a real strong leg, but he is accurate inside of 50 yards. He made all 13 of his field goal attempts after joining the Saints midway through the year. The Saints don’t punt much, but when they do it will be Glenn Pakulak handling the duties. Reggie Bush is arguably the most feared punt returner in the league. He took three punts to the house in just ten games. Pierre Thomas, Skylar Green, and Lance Moore are all in the mix at kick returner.

Predictions
Best Case Scenario (12-4): The defense plays much better under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Greg Williams. The offense shows more balance with the run and the pass, and the team avoids major injuries.

Worst Case Scenario (7-9): The defense doesn’t get any better. The offense struggles to run the ball, and a big contributor or two goes on injured reserve.

My Prediction (10-6): I think the defense will improve under Williams. Everywhere he has coached in the NFL, he seems to have a top ten defense. I think that with Pierre Thomas getting more carries, the running game will be better and that will allow the Saints defense to rest a little more on the sideline.

The Saints have a difficult schedule and I don’t think they will win the NFC South division. However, I do see the Saints making the playoffs as a wild card.

Sulphur Coach Wins the Battle of His Life

By Garrett Lumpkin

For Sulphur head football coach Paul Bourgeois, the 2008 season was the most difficult of his life. However, it had nothing to do with the Golden Tors’ 5-5 record.

After each football season Bourgeois visits his family doctor for a routine checkup. But when he went to his doctor in February of 2008, something didn’t feel right.

“I was going through a stage where I felt real tired,” said Bourgeois. “There were some things that we talked to the doctor about, so we did some blood work and everything came back negative.”

After the visit, he was experiencing the same symptoms. Bourgeois didn’t have much energy and lacked the drive to do normal daily activities. He went back to the doctor in April and asked for more blood work.

This time the doctor came back with some disturbing news. MRI results showed that Bourgeois had a quarter size benign tumor in his brain. As soon as he received the news, Bourgeois drove two hours to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. He was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the tumor on June 3, 2008.

“The surgery lasted ten hours and went well,” said Bourgeois. “The reason for the length of the surgery was because the tumor was in a bad location, basically in the center of my head.”

The surgeon was able to remove all but six millimeters of the tumor. What was left was destroyed through six weeks of radiation treatment.

Bourgeois began his radiation treatments in late July of 2008. He had to undergo radiation once a day, Monday through Friday. With a new football season beginning in early August, Bourgeois did not want to spend weeks at a time at MD Anderson. He decided to go back and forth between Sulphur and Houston.

“Thank goodness I have the coaching staff that I do because they were basically running the show during August,” said Bourgeois.

Many people told Bourgeois that driving back and forth during his radiation treatments was ridiculous. But the coach didn’t see it that way. Coming back to Sulphur every chance that he could gave Bourgeois a sense of relief.

“Traveling back and forth worked for me,” said Bourgeois. “MD Anderson is a sad place to be. There are some very, very sick people at that place. To be able to come to work and be with youth, coaches, and a lot of healthy people…I felt better when I came home.”

In the six months following his surgery Bourgeois gained 60 pounds. But the weight gain wasn’t due to his diet or work out habits. The tumor basically smothered his pituitary gland. The pituitary gland secretes many important hormones which greatly influence growth and metabolism.

“Basically, I have no use of my pituitary gland anymore,” said Bourgeois. “It doesn’t look like I work out and diet, but I do, and thank goodness I do because obviously I would be a lot bigger.”

The road to recovery for Paul Bourgeois looks outstanding. He went back to MD Anderson in October of 2008 and learned that the lesion was no longer reasonably defined. And the news was even better for Bourgeois when he returned to Houston in April. The lesion was even smaller than it was in the previous examination.

Now having survived this ordeal, he has an even greater appreciation for being able to do what he loves, which is coaching high school football.

“This has been my most enjoyable spring since I have been in coaching,” said Bourgeois. “Last spring I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue coaching, and with the surgery looming, I wasn’t able to enjoy myself because I didn’t know the outcome. Now I’m just happy to be here.”

Local Sports Roundup

McNeese Eying National Championship
There are thousands of rodeo fans in Southwest Louisiana. Unfortunately, the sport does not receive much attention from the media. Rodeo coverage pales in comparison to that of other sports like football, baseball, and basketball. I believe that rodeo deserves more attention considering what the McNeese State men’s rodeo team is doing this year. “We’re coming into the College National Finals Rodeo and we’re going to try and win a national championship for McNeese and for Lake Charles,” said Winn Ratliff, a sophomore bull rider. The MSU men’s rodeo team will compete in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming from June 14-20.
It’s been an incredible turnaround for the Cowboys and their second year head coach Justin Browning. In 2008, the men finished dead last in the Southern Region which consists of nine teams. However, this year not only did the Cowboys win the Southern Region, they won nine of ten rodeos during the regular season. “My goal coming into this year was to win the region,” said Browning. “I just didn’t expect us to be so far ahead of the other teams.
“We’re not just winning. We’re beating the competition badly,” said Jeremy Mouton, a junior who is the region’s top ranked bull rider.
It’s common knowledge that people who rodeo are tough. When asked if he had suffered any major injuries while riding bulls or bareback horses, Winn Ratliff said with a straight face, “I haven’t had very many injuries. I’ve only broken my leg. I dislocated my arm, and I just broke my jaw. I’ve been very blessed.”
“In rodeo there is a saying,” said Browning. “It’s not if you get hurt, it’s when.” Luckily for the Cowboys, they have avoided “the devastating injury” and should be at full strength when they compete for a national championship in June.
McNeese State University is the only Louisiana College or University which competes in rodeo. So the Cowboys will not only be representing SWLA in Wyoming, they’ll be representing the entire pelican state.

Local Sports is Big Business, Brings Big Dollars to SWLA
Earlier this month, Sulphur’s Frasch Park hosted the Fast Pitch 56 High School Softball State Tournament. The two day tournament brought an estimated 21,000 people to the lake area and produced a local economic impact of around four million dollars.
The numbers were reported by the Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Fast Pitch 56 is one of several local sporting events that pump millions of dollars into our local economy each year. This money assists in improving the quality of life in our community with better infrastructure, better roads and better schools.
The SWLA CVB also reported that for 2008, local sporting events produced a $28 million dollar economic impact to the local economy. And the number should be even greater in 2009 with a projected $24 million dollar economic impact from May-July alone.

Quick Sports Hits McNeese State Softball
I have to hand it to McNeese for hiring Natalie Poole as the Cowgirls head softball coach last July. In her first year at the helm, Poole led MSU to its first ever win against LSU. Her Cowgirls finished second in the Southland Conference, and won 20 SLC games for just the third time in school history. The other two years that the Cowgirls won 20 SLC games was in 1994 and 1995 when Poole was playing for them.

Sam Houston Baseball
The Broncos have arguably been the area’s most impressive baseball team during the regular season.
They are seeded #1 in the 4A playoffs, and are looking for their first state championship since 2001.

Barbe Baseball
Head coach Glenn Cecchini recently won his 600th game as the Bucs head coach. Cecchini has led Barbe to five state titles (98,00,01,06,08) which is a Louisiana Class 5A record. The Bucs are in search of state title number six as they enter the 5A playoffs seeded 4th.

Local Legend Making Major Impact in Big Leagues

By Garrett Lumpkin

Joe Lawrence may be the most celebrated baseball player ever to come out of Southwest Louisiana.

In 1996 Lawrence was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft straight out of Barbe High School. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays who he played for from 1996-2002, and finished his baseball playing career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003.

It looked like his MLB career was over, but another sport reconnected Lawrence to the big leagues.

In the summer of 2003, Lawrence received a phone call from the LSU Football team. Lawrence, who had not played football since high school, was given an opportunity to play for the Tigers at the age of 27.

“It was something that intrigued me, and it didn’t help that I had some best friends that wanted to see that happen,” Lawrence said, “I got the family support that I needed to make the decision, so I decided to give it a whirl.”

Joe’s LSU Football encounter was short-lived as he suffered a devastating knee injury, but the experience was still extremely productive. That’s where Lawrence was introduced to Jack Marucci who is LSU’s head athletic trainer.

Marucci was a big baseball fan and spent some of his free time hand crafting wooden baseball bats for his son. Knowing Joe’s background, Jack sought the former major leaguer’s opinion on the bats, and Joe told the trainer that the bats needed to be in the hands of major leaguers.

Lawrence, Marucci, and Kurt Ainsworth, who is another former major leaguer, formed The Marucci Bat Company.

“In 2004 we got licensed by the major leagues,” Lawrence said. “We go from eight clients then, to now where we are in the hundreds.”

The Marucci Bat Company, which is located in Baton Rouge, has come a long way since 2004. Marucci is currently the second leading bat manufacturer in Major League Baseball behind the Louisville Slugger.

“If there is one marketing scheme we used, it was letting the right people swing our bats,” said Lawrence. “It has caused a ripple effect through the major leagues. We have clients from every organization in the league. Our clients are typically the better players on the team, meaning character wise. They just happen to be great players as well.”

Marucci’s clients include Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are two of MLB’s top sluggers in the game today.
And while Marucci has well over two hundred major league clients, the company produces thousands of bats each year.

“We did close to 18,000 bats in 2008,” said Lawrence. “This year we projected 20,000 and we’re well ahead of that pace.”

Lawrence is still very actively involved with the Barbe baseball program. Last year Marucci developed a prototype aluminum bat called the Cat 5. Lawrence allowed Barbe to use the bat last year, and maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Barbe won the state championship.

“Our kids love it,” said Barbe head baseball coach Glenn Cecchini. We just have one bat because they are being manufactured right now and all of the kids say it’s the best bat they’ve ever used.”

“It’s the hottest bat on the market as far as technology,” Lawrence said. “If you get any hotter, that’s an aluminum bat term meaning how the ball comes off of the barrel, it’s going to be illegal. So we are right on that threshold. We’ve pushed it as far as we can push it.”

The future certainly looks bright for Joe Lawrence and The Marucci Bat family. With the launch of its new aluminum bat, Marucci expects to become a major player in the aluminum bat industry, just as the company has done with its wooden bat line.

1st picture player at Barbe High School. 2nd picture shows the player during his MLB days. 3rd picture shows the bats that his company manufactures.

How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is Making Southwest Louisiana a Safer Place

By Garrett Lumpkin
337 Sports



The fastest growing sport in America is not football. It’s not baseball or auto racing. It’s mixed martial arts.
For the past fifteen years mixed martial arts or MMA has steadily gained popularity. However, the sport has never received more attention than it does today.
Interest in MMA has also increased here in Southwest Louisiana. Thousands of lake area men, women, and children train in mixed martial arts.

Some of them fight competitively while others train strictly to stay in shape or to learn self defense tactics.
There are some that train in mixed martial arts because everything that is learned in the classroom can be applied to their careers.

Corey Manuel works as a deputy for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Four years ago, while working the late night patrol, Corey found himself in a fight for his life.

“I got in a foot pursuit with a suspect,” said Manuel. “I chased him for about a mile and he decided he wanted to fight me. Not fight to get away, he actually wanted to fight.” In the process of fighting he tried disarming me, so it was very eye opening. And when I left the scene that night I told myself I was going to do everything I could to protect myself.”

That frightening experience led Corey to Lake Area Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Lake Charles. The mixed martial arts training facility has become a second home for ten local law enforcement officers.

Each of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputies, Louisiana State Troopers, and Lake Charles Police Officers who train at LABJJ went through physical training at the Police Academy. Through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, they have developed many additional skills and techniques that can help them on the job.

“When you’re in the police academy they just give you basic tools,” said Manuel. “It’s up to the individual police officer to expand what they know.”

Louisiana State Trooper Andrew Leonards said, “I felt that there were a lot of situations where I might not know what to do. I feel more comfortable knowing that if something would happen, that I have a higher skill set than what I had coming out of the police academy.”

Lake Area Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu owner Mike Ellender started seeing an influx of local law enforcement officers at his facility three years ago.

“We do a lot of clinch work, a lot of takedowns, a lot of groundwork, and basically it’s showing someone how to control an opponent without having to hit or strike the opponent,” said Ellender. “We’re teaching these officers how to control whoever they are arresting and to defend themselves at the same time.”

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that focuses on ground fighting. It promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger opponent using leverage and proper technique.
Once the smaller person has control, they can administer a joint lock or choke hold to end the fight.

“With the things that Mike teaches us in here, I don’t feel there is any way ‘Joe blow’ on the street will have a chance with us,” said Louisiana State Trooper Justin Weeks. “If you don’t know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and you go to the ground with someone who does, you don’t have a chance.”

“We’re all very professional,” says Manuel. “We don’t like using what we know. But I think the word on the street is that everybody knows who we are and what we do know. To be honest we don’t get tested much now.”
There is still a major misconception concerning mixed martial arts. Critics view mixed martial arts as a blood sport with a barbaric mentality.
These law enforcement officers don’t train because it’s macho, or because they want to hurt someone, or because they are trying to prove something. They train five and six days each week for us.
Although they come from different branches of law enforcement, all of the officers share the same objective—Protect Southwest Louisiana.

“I think we’re depriving ourselves and community if we’re not the best at what we do,” said Manuel. “All of us give up times with our families to train and stay in good shape to go out on the streets and protect the public.”

Lake Charles Police Officer Mitch Sawyer echoes that sentiment. “It’s our job to protect the community,” Sawyer said, “And in order to do that to the best of our ability we need to take our training to the highest level that we can.”