Thoughts/observations on LSU

RT Staff Note: The health and promotion of college baseball is our number one priority here at Rounding Third. I read and contribute as a ranting poster from time to time on RivalsBaseball.com. I was impressed by another poster that calls himself, BAMAmgr...obviously a Alabama fan. He traveled to LSU recently and his comment reflects why we think that every single Athletic Director in the country should travel down to Baton Rouge and take notes...Alex Box and the LSU Athletic Department are the standard by which all colleges should emulate. Here are his comments...


We all know the team on the field is great, and they deserve all the praise they get. This post, however, pertains more to the atmosphere and environment surrounding LSU baseball. I feel credit should be given where it is due, and credit is well deserved to the LSU baseball program.

I spent my first weekend in Baton Rouge for a baseball series this weekend and I feel I have to commend both the athletic department at LSU and the LSU fans for their unbelievable support and professionalism when it comes to college baseball.

Simply put, it is unreal down there in Baton Rouge. LSU by far sets the gold standard for every baseball program in the SEC and across the country. The support staff at Alex Box is unmatched, operating more like a miniature MLB stadium than a college or even AA/AAA park. From the field crew preparing the playing surface to the press box/operation of the (unbelievable High Definition) scoreboard, to the in-game entertainment, infrastructure in place to handle fans/traffic etc, and even to the natural flow in the architecture and way the new Box has been put together, LSU has it going on.

Your fans are unbelievably supportive of your players and team, loud and unrelenting during the games, the LSU crowd at Alex Box is undoubtedly a 10th man on the diamond. With that being said, the fans are also extremely knowledgeable of the game and recognize the effort and talent an enemy can bring in to your ballpark. The ovations given to Kelton for his diving play in left on Saturday and Nelson for his 8 2/3 pitching performance on Sunday were twice as loud from OPPOSING FANS than they would have been from the comatose crowd we roll out at Sewell Thomas on a weekly basis.

If this rant I have going here makes me sound like I am envious or jealous, then I have properly conveyed my feelings. When I go to sleep at night I dream about walking in to a ballpark to watch a game at an Alex Box-like stadium and atmosphere, only everyone is wearing crimson and white. After typing a few paragraphs I still don't feel like I have gotten my point across and that there is so much more to rave about, but I will shut up now. I love my Tide and will be an Alabama fan for the rest of my days but here's to you, LSU.

You have done justice to the beautiful game of College Baseball, and the rest of us can only hope to catch up and create an environment/atmosphere like yours some day. Keep geauxing, Tigers.