Delusional Optimism is Dead

Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.

-Lao Tzu

Delusional optimism has always been a paradox. There is something inherently Louisiana about it. We believe in ourselves a whole lot more than anyone else, even in the face of mounting empirical evidence that suggests we shouldn’t. And we’re better off for it. Frankly, always expecting the next bad thing to happen is never a good thing.

Though I’m struck by how quickly many abandon our principles. D.O.’s chief proselytizer, Poseur, is upset we didn’t hire a coach in the manner he wanted. It’s not that I think Poseur, or anyone else, should simply fall in line and start adorning Orgeron with praise just because “he’s our coach, deal with it.” It’s more so the cascading attitude of negativity that pollutes O’s every action that follows the line of dissenting the hire.

I quote Poseur, but only as example of the things I’ve read and heard from many:

This was a chance to do something bold, and instead we settled.

There’s a notion that somehow LSU didn’t make the best choice. Spoiler Alert: That’s the same debate that occurred when Skip Bertman hired Les Miles. Frankly, all we’re doing is resetting that argument with a new set of names. An argument we said we hated. It’s already a divided fan base and we haven’t even played a game or completed a signing class under his watch as full-time coach. Three weeks into a coach’s tenure is a bit premature for anyone, including myself, to be foretelling his demise. To which I quote, the birth of D.O.:

10. Why not? Being optimistic is just more fun then being negative. I'm just tired of the negativity. I'm tired of listening to fans whine about losses that haven't even happened yet. This is supposed to be fun, so let's have fun. I know the guys at DawgSports have adopted the theory of constant pessimism so anything good will come as a pleasant surprise, but I'd rather get to the party early. Expect good things to happen. If anything, it's more fun that way.

Yet, he we are, 6 years later, bemoaning a story halfway through the foreword. It’s a curious distinction. Why now was this a chance to blow everything up? What sense does that make when we’ve spent the past 6 years arguing that everything is pretty good, just needing some minor adjustments?

Alleva’s assessment is that this program only needed minor adjustments, namely that someone that would actually incite change in the offense. Even when Miles skirted death last year, Alleva said Miles assured him there would be changes. There were not. So Alleva took action. Alleva’s argument is simple: the Maserati only needed a tune-up, not a new engine.

If you disagree with that assessment, that’s fine. But you must also then acknowledge all of your arguments of LSU being “this close” for the past 6 years are fraudulent. All of that optimism was misplaced. All along, the engine was actually shot. A tune up won’t solve for that.

But for me? I won’t stop believing. I wanted Tom Herman too, but it wasn’t going to happen. So we move on. Delusional Optimism shouldn’t yield just because the plot twists in a way we didn’t want. But it did.

Good times are ahead.

Delusional Optimism is dead.

Lache pas la patate. The new era.