/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15038267/20130618_mje_sa2_009.0.jpg)
So ends the 2012-2013 sports calendar. LSU was unable to comeback from the early 2-run homer, still only the 2nd home run given up by that park in the CWS so far. I can't find a longer video of the postgame press conference than the above, but from the transcript, there was a lot of emotion in the room, especially from Coach Mainieri and senior Mason Katz. Omaha enjoyed the return of their favorite team from the south, however brief, and the fans were glad to return. Now, about those outfield fences....
Misery loves company, so lets all point and laugh at the last decade of Tulane sports.
There was one name we didn't include in our MLB Draft recap, and it's a big one for LSU fans. Two-sport champion Chad Jones was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round and signed for 6 figures.
We all dealt with the disappointment of the LSU regionals not being televised for the first time in more than a decade, but it was worse for former Tiger pitcher and broadcaster Ronnie Rantz, whose Jumbo Sports Net, one of the first ever broadcasters of LSU baseball, is now on the outside looking in as ESPN and the coming SEC Network will mean the end of locally produced LSU baseball broadcasts.
The payouts for these big, neutral site, opening weekend games continues to grow at exponential rates, to the point where teams can earn as much or more than most bowl game payouts. For Example, TCU will make $3 million off of the game against LSU this year, which is nearly as much as they were paid for their recent Rose and Fiesta bowl appearances.
Jason Kirk over at SB Nation.com has an interesting look at the "what if?" scenario of all conference championship games being held on campus sites and what changes to history that might have caused. One game that isn't on his list because of the final score is the 2005 SEC Championship Game. I wonder if, given the extra rest that a home game would include, would an LSU team that played the whole season without a bye week due to hurricanes have fared better against Georgia?
Who doesn't want an extra week of college football on TV added to the begining of the season? ESPN is in talks with the NCAA and a few powerhouse 1-AA schools to create a slate of made-for-TV matchups to air the weekend before the start of the 1-A season on Labor Day.
The Men's basketball team has hired a replacement for outgoing assistant Robert Kirby in UCLA's Korey McCray.
Former LSU FB Shawn Jordan had a big win in UFC over the weekend. You'll only need a minute to watch the match (link removed because of some dangerous pop-ups).
It's not like anyone needs an excuse to bash the NCAA and their idiotic rules, but the story of OT Nic Purcell is just another example of their insanity. Is it any wonder that many of members of the NCAA's enforcement staff are bailing on the organization as the Miami case continues to unravel.
Alabama will finally be addressing their baseball facility issues, but will be doing a series of in-place upgrades at their current site instead of moving.
If you haven't read College and Magnolia's piece on the hiring of Oklahoma's Sunny Golloway, I highly recommend it if you want an in-depth look at the state of Auburn baseball these days.
Football Study Hall has a great story about how a plane crash in 1960 forever changed the relationship between the NCAA and it's "Student-Athletes."
Blurry but you get it. Katz and Bonvillain leaving the press conference. pic.twitter.com/TfdVBV1SAz
— Hunt Palmer (@HuntPalmerBBI) June 18, 2013
Well #tigernation 140 characters can't describe what I want to say... So here is what I could fit in a note pic.twitter.com/yTSfsBXydT
— Mason Katz (@masonkatz58) June 18, 2013