MONDAY

DONOVAN BANKS FINISHES 3RD IN OLYMPIC TRIALS

Article by Matt Bonnette

 McNeese graduate and All-American javelin thrower Donavon Banks increased his chances greatly to making the Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics when on Sunday, the Shreveport native placed third in the finals at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials.
 
Banks threw 79.19m (259-feet, 9-inches), that coming on his first of six throws, and held off the rest of the field to finish in the top three. He’s looking to become the first America-born athlete from McNeese to qualify for the Olympics and earn a spot on Team USA.
 
No American has met the Olympic standard of 85.50 meters, or 280-feet, 5-inches. Banks has come close, throwing 82.90 in Arizona last month which currently ranks him 19^th in the world. According to the Olympic rules, a non-standard meeting athlete must rank in the top 30 in the world to qualify for the Olympics.

TENNESSEE EVENS COLLEGE WORLD SERIES WITH 4-1 WIN OVER TEXAS A&M

The national champion will be crowned tonight because we are down to the final college event of the 2023-2024 season. Tennessee battled back in the final two innings to overtake the Aggies to set up the final game tonight at 6pm. The Aggies did save their ace for tonight, but the Vols have a deep staff as well. It has been a great World Series, and the SEC has flexed their muscles.

CHARLIE CONDON WINS BEST COLLEGIATE PLAYER AWARD

Georgia’s Charlie Condon has been doing it all season — part of the reason why the redshirt sophomore was named as the 2024 recipient for the Golden Spikes Award. Condon beat out fellow finalists Travis Bazzana of Oregon State and Hagen Smith of Arkansas to claim the award for the first time in Georgia program history.

The story behind Condon is amazing. We know that athletes mature at different ages, and some are just late bloomers. Lightly recruited football players at McNeese such as Leonard Smith, Stephen Starring, Buford Jordan, Rusty Guilbeaux, etc. all got stronger and improved after attending McNeese.

It is quite an accomplishment when a walk-on makes the team in any sport, much less becomes the best player on the team. Charlie Condon accomplished this. Condon had no scholarship offers out of high school and sent his resume to several D1 programs. He got no offers. However, the coach at Georgia got a tip on this kid and invited him to walk-on. He did not play his freshman year and redshirted. During his sophomore season Condon had gotten much stronger and started showing his coaches what he could do. He ended up starting and having a good year.

In 2024, Charlie blossomed into a full pledge star, setting school records and ranking as the best in the SEC. This was capped off by his winning of both the Dick Howser Award for best collegiate player and on Saturday he won the Golden Spikes Aware. He is expected to be either the #1 or #2 player taken in the draft.

He is one of the nation’s top hitters, if not the top hitter, leading the NCAA in batting average (.433), slugging percentage (1.009) and home runs (37). He also ranks in the top five in both on base percentage (.556) and hits (100). Not bad for a walk-on.

THE GREAT KERRY JOSEPH INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA HALL OF FAME

 BRYAN KING CALLED UP TO THE ASTROS

When you talk about late bloomers, check out Bryan King’s overnight success. LOL Bryan is 27 years old and a rookie. Congratulations Bryan!

• Bryan Dalton King
• Born: 11/05/1996 in Littleton, CO
• Draft: 2019, Chicago Cubs, Round: 30, Overall Pick: 912
• College: McNeese State
• Debut: 6/23/2024

SUNDAY

Great start. Great finish.

And now, after beating Tennessee 9-5 in the College World Series finals opener Saturday night, Texas A&M faces its most difficult task of the season. The Aggies must knock off the high-powered No. 1 national seed one more time Sunday to claim their first national championship. Game time is set for 1PM Central and shown on ABC. Tennessee is -175 favorite today.

If you saw the game last night, you saw Jeff Kent’s son Kaedon hit a home run and drive in four runs. The camera kept tuning in to the former MLB star, but he showed no emotion and he and his wife barely ever smiled. It reminded me of why Jeff Kent is not in the Hall of Fame. His stats are in the top three for second basemen of all time. He played 17 years and was MVP while in Houston in 2000 and made the All-Star team five times. He hit almost 400 homeruns which leads all second basemen.

However, his reputation as a bad person followed him to four different ball clubs. He caused trouble in the clubhouse while with the Giants and stirred up trouble in Houston and Los Angeles. I have read several reports that the media types hated him because he was so rude to them. Well, when the media is voting on the Hall of Fame, it is not a great idea to be a butthead. Jeff had 10 years on the ballot to get to 75% and make the Hall of Fame. He never got past 46% which tells you something. He is no longer eligible unless the veterans committee votes him in.

His wife and he met while attending college in Berkley. However, she converted to being a Morman(with Jeff) and they sent their other three kids to BYU. The two boys were good enough to play a little college ball, but they are no Kaedon.

COWBOYS ARE 62 DAYS FROM KICKING OFF THE SEASON

ALL TIMES ARE PACIFIC TIMES SO ADD TWO HOURS

It looks like Donovan will be throwing the javelin at 8:40 pm tonight .

Sunday, June 23, 2024 Evening Session

17:00	Hammer Throw	W	Final
17:30	Master’s 800m	W	Ex
17:38	Master’s 800m	M	Ex
17:40	Pole Vault	M	Final
17:48	100m	M	SF
18:10	Shot Put Hep	W	A & B
18:11	800m	W	SF
18:35	400m	M	SF
18:40	Javelin Throw	M	Final
18:58	400m	W	Final
19:07	3000m Steeplechase	M	Final
19:26	200m Hep	W	Heats
19:49	100m	M	Final

SATURDAY

Track and Field Olympic Trials

The USA Olympic team will be put together in the next few days to represent us in Paris. The following invited participants represent Louisiana. Donavan Banks is a McNeese alum, and Trinity Spooner is an LSU thrower from South Beauregard. Donavan threw last night in the preliminary round and had the 5th best throw (240) and qualified for the finals. This should be on TV on Sunday afternoon. As with all competition, I pull for the very best athletes to have great performances and lead us to gold and silver medals.

OKLAHOMA DID WHAT?

Don’t get me wrong, I like Brent Venables as a coach. Great DC at Clemson and working on being a great coach at OU. The OU AD had Brent locked up for four more years on a six-year contract that paid him about $44 million. Why in the world would they tear up the contract and give him a new six year contract?

Oklahoma has agreed to a new six-year contract with football coach Brent Venables that includes a significant raise and adds two additional seasons.

The new contract, which the Oklahoma board of regents approved Friday, will keep Venables in Norman through the 2029 season. The deal has a total value of $51.6 million. The 53-year-old coach will earn an average of more than $8.5 million annually throughout the course of the deal.

It doesn’t look like OU learned anything from contracts that A&M gave Jimbo Fisher and LSU gave Ed Orgeron and Les Miles. Jimbo will make $7.3 million per year until 2031. There are a bunch of contracts given to coaches like Lincoln Riley and Billy Napier that can break their athletic budgets to fire them this year.

Did OU put so much stock in the win over Texas that they felt they had to tear up his contract? This reminds me of West Lake native Bennie Ellender winning big at Arkansas State and getting the Tulane job. After a couple of mediocre years, Ellender hit paydirt with a nine-win season in 1973 and beat LSU for the first time since 1948. They were so fired up they tore up his contract and awarded him with a 10-year deal. He was fired two years later but played a lot of golf the rest of his life.

Venables has gone 10-8 in the Big 12 during his first two years. He is 16-10 overall. I have said every year that schedules play a huge role in raises and being successful. The radio pundits continue to preach that some programs have a clearer path to a championship than others. That is why Las Vegas keep changes the odds of who wins the titles. LSU is gaining momentum because they do not see them losing more than 2 games. They will be favored in 11 of 12 games as it stands now. They do not play Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, or Tennessee which are four of the five highest rated 2024 teams.

The radio guys mentioned that USC has climbed ahead of Penn State, Washington, and Wisconsin with a better chance of being in the Big 10 title game. It is because they do not play the #1 and #4 rated teams in the nation (Ohio State and Oregon) and their toughest Big 10 game is Penn State at home. They can also score points in the poll numbers because they close the season at home against Notre Dame who might be in the Top 4 in November. Schedules really matter.

Why is everyone high on Ole Miss for the playoffs? They go to LSU, but avoid Alabama, Texas, Missouri, and Tennessee. Let’s be honest, there are a bunch of quality team in the Big 10 and SEC that can beat anybody. There are going to be a ton of letdown Saturdays in which favorites are coming off big rival games and they are going to be flat playing the likes of Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and South Carolina. Remember I told you on June 22 that this was in the forecast. All of these pundits on these podcasts thinking the SEC will get 5 or 6 teams in the playoffs with three losses, don’t count on it.

There are going to be some teams with lighter schedules that are really good. Notre Dame, Florida State, Clemson, Miami, Utah, and Kansas State all could escape with less than three losses. When you figure the four top seeds will probably come from the champions of the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and ACC, that leaves only eight spots for all the rest. Remember, Utah, BYU, Arizona, and others are now in the Big 12.

This is why I think OU may have made a big mistake. I think Venables could surprise some people and he is recruiting very well the past two years. However, look at his schedule. I promise you he cannot duplicate the 10 wins from a year ago. He draws Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina at home, but travels to Missouri, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU. Yes, the Texas game is neutral, but it is not in Oklahoma. He does have Maine, Tulane, Houston, and Temple coming to Norman for big wins, but find me the other six wins.

I wish him luck, but he will earn that 8 million keeping those Sooner fans happy.

Poor Billy Napier! They say he needs to win 8 to save his job. The scheduling gods did him no favors. The Gators host Kentucky for Homecoming on October 19 after going to Tennessee October 12. If they have not fired him by then, then the next 5 will get him. They open with Miami and have Texas A&M in September so they could get off to a rocky start.

Georgia(N), Texas(A), LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State (A) are the final five games of the season. If you ask Gator fans which of the final five games you want to win the most, what would their answer be? This will be what the players have to decide in peaking emotionally.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FAVORITE

UIW has a great schedule although they have a very tough game at national champion South Dakota State. However, they have seven home games in their first 10 ballgames. Look for some long winning streaks.

Nicholls State has a bad schedule, although McNeese playing at Tarleton State and Texas A&M and then not having a home game in October is a bummer. Nicholls opens at Louisiana Tech, LSU, and Sacramento State. Their first six games have only one home game. Winning creates momentum which increases home attendance. Think McNeese basketball. I see UIW doing this, but Nicholls and McNeese will just have to do it on the road.

Southeastern Louisiana opens on the road at Tulane and Southern Miss. Then they host two of the best teams in FCS football in Eastern Washington and South Dakota State. Then they head to Tarleton State. If they win three of these five games, watch out in the SLC. They get four home SLC games including hosting UIW, SFA, Commerce, and Northwestern State. Their trips to Lamar, HCU, and Nicholls is relatively doable.

As with all of these teams both nationally and locally, all you can do is play one game at a time and not look forward or look back. It will be a very entertaining season for fans because of all the competition. However, those fanbases that quit when their team losses a game or two will struggle in November to make money and remain relevant.

FRIDAY

CONGRATULATIONS KERRY JOSEPH FOR ADMISSION TO THE LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Duncanville High School has won back-to-back state championships with Keelon Russell leading the way. Don’t expect a drop-off this year as speed galore returns as does the #1 quarterback in the country. State champion Duncanville’s prized quarterback Keelon Russell shined brighter than all the other top quarterbacks at the Elite 11 Finals.

Russell was named the top performer among the 20 quarterbacks at the three-day event in California. The camp brought elite Class of 2025 quarterbacks to Los Angeles for on-field drills, quarterback classroom instruction, and preparation for the next level. Russell is committed to Alabama and the 4-star QB just became a 5-star after his performance against the Top 20 quarterbacks in the country.

MCNEESE FOOTBALL CONTINUES MORNING WORKOUTS AVOIDING THE HEAT

I continue to update photos of the summer workouts for Will Wade’s basketball team and Gary Goff’s football roster. Both squads are working extremely hard and being pushed to their physical limits.

The old Wendy’s commercial “Where’s the beef”? can be answered in the trenches for the new look Cowboys. The offensive line will average around 6’5 300 this fall while the new defensive line is much more physical than a year ago. This is a pic of the defensive line working on fundamentals.

The defensive line will get a chance to face off against an ex-Cowboy in the first home game. I watched a podcast on Thursday featuring the new Southern University roster. They discussed their rebuilt offensive line in which only two starters are returning. They have moved ex-McNeese guard, Cam Foster, to the all-important left tackle position for this fall. It will be reunion but most of his former teammates are gone. When Poke alum Jason Rollins was head coach at Southern, he hired a very diverse staff with several white coaches. The newest head coach has zero diversity among his 15 assistant coaches.

WILL WADE ANNOUNCES OPENING GAME FOR COWBOYS

 The Field of 68 is partnering with Sanford Sports and the Sanford Pentagon to launch a new, innovative event on the opening day of the college basketball season. On Nov. 4, 2024, the Sanford Pentagon will host “The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase,” featuring matchups between six of the best programs in college basketball.

The inaugural event features the following matchups:

• Saint Louis vs. Santa Clara
• College of Charleston vs. Southern Illinois
• McNeese State vs. South Dakota State

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. CT, August 1 at ticketmaster.com

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ON PACE TO BREAK ALL OFFENSIVE NUMBERS

This is not a positive statistic. The average batting average in MLB is now .241. The Rangers are putting out a lineup with no .300 hitters and four guys hitting under .240. Here are a few reminders of just how bad pitching is dominating.

• 39,404 hits — more than 1,400 fewer than last year.

• 21,078 runs — more than 1,300 fewer than last year.

• 5,079 home runs — almost 800 fewer than last year.

• 7,628 doubles — exactly 600 fewer than last year.

But let’s put that in better perspective. At this pace, we would also be heading toward …

• The fewest doubles in a season since before the 1993 expansion. That’s two expansions ago!

• The fewest homers since 2015, just before the baseball got noticeably livelier.

• The fewest hits per game (in a full season) since 1968.

• The lowest batting average on balls in play (.288) since 1992.

So here is what that means as you try to measure what a good offense or good hitter looks like in 2024:

The average hitter now has a slash line of .241/.311/.390.

Only 25 hitters in the sport are on pace to hit 30 home runs. As recently as 2019, there were 58 of them.

The average lineup now gets just 8.1 hits per game. Yikes! We’ve seen only five full seasons worse than that in the modern era (1901-present) — and four of them were 1906-07-08-09! The other was 1968.

THURSDAY

SEC DOMINATES COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

The SEC has left little doubt where the best baseball is played at the collegiate level. Florida and Kentucky made it to the finals and the championship game is now set with Tennessee playing Texas A&M. The SEC started a run in 2017 when Florida won the championship and were followed by LSU and Arkansas who were runner-up. Oregon State won the title in 2018, 2020 was not played due to COVID, but in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 the titles were won by Vanderbilt, Miss. State, Ole Miss, and LSU. The SEC also had runner-up the last two years with Oklahoma and Florida.

The championship two of three series start Saturday night at 6pm and will continue at 1pm on Sunday. If a third game is needed, it will be played Monday at 6pm.

It did not take long for former TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle to turn Texas A&M into a national power. I will be pulling for him to complete the deal, but Tennessee appears to be the best team.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TABLOIDS ARE HITTING THE STANDS

Lindy’s and Athlon Sports have made it to the stores as has Texas Football. Phil Steele’s football bible should be hitting the stores this week if they have not already in some markets.

 Athlon Sports released its 2024 preseason Top 25 rankings and have LSU at No. 11. Seven other SEC teams made their poll, including Georgia (1), Texas (4), Ole Miss (5), Alabama (6), Missouri (10), Tennessee (13) and Texas A&M (18).

Phil Steele digital is now available. The most accurate mag you can buy.

MCNEESE SOFTBALL ADDS FORMER BARBE STAR

#24 Nyjah Fontenot

OF | R-Fr. | 5-6 | L/R | Lake Charles, La. | Barbe HS

Nyjah was a softball All-American in 2021 when she led Barbe High School to the 5A state title. She signed with Arkansas, but redshirted due to injury.

WHO IS THE BEST PLAYCALLER IN THE SEC?

I am filling my column with national news because the news on FCS and the Southland Conference is not as available as the power houses. There are tons of SEC podcast on YouTube for the fanatical fan to follow so I have been watching as much as I can to be informed and to get a diverse range of opinions. I catch a lot of flak from LSU fans who disagree with these assessments, but they are aligned with only LSU homers such as Dandy Don, Matt Moscona, T-Bob Hebert, Jacob Hester, Shea Dixon, Jordy Cullotta, Sonny Shipp, Brody Miller, and Mike Scarborough; so, the news is slanted. I still have not learned that honey attracts more flies than poop, but it is in my DNA to see the forest even with trees.

There are some national podcasts that are more neutral like Greg McElroy and Josh Pate. In recent days, Josh and others in the Southeast USA have been giving their opinions on who are the best play callers in the SEC. Unfortunately, some are ranking coordinators by position without understanding that they are OC in name only. I am not buying that Nick Sheridan will be calling all of the Bama plays, Derrick Nix at Auburn, Charlie Weis at Ole Miss, or Kyle Flood at Texas. There are several podcasters who rank their SEC coordinators by position, but I have collected several opinions of neutral broadcasters and came up with a different list.

The SEC is two tiered when it comes to big name coordinators and in some ways it is unfair. The bottom three have been repeatedly listed as Tim Beck at Vanderbilt, Rob Sale at Florida, and the combo of Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton at LSU. Bush Hamdan is in his first year at Kentucky and getting few votes as well, but we know Stoops is in charge. Rob gets a lot of criticism because offensive line coaches are not known for their creativity of the passing game, etc, but more in line with line them up and control the line of scrimmage football.

The LSU duo is in a bad spot because they follow the guy(Mike Denbrock) who was voted #1 OC last year and put the Tigers #1 in total offense and points per game in the nation. He put up huge numbers at Cincinnati before moving to Baton Rouge. Of course, he had the #1 quarterback in the country and the NFL’s #2 and #4 rated WR’s in all of college football. One of the reasons Notre Dame is in everyone’s Top 5 is them signing Mike Denbrock.

I know LSU fans are not worried and most podcasters are throwing around superlatives for Joe Sloan to be equal to Denbrock. Did I say that clicks to the podcasters site gets more money from sponsors, etc? Joe Sloan has been a play caller only once in his career and that was at Louisiana Tech. Sloan has been at LSU only two years and was at Tech for eight years with the final four being OC. He is 38 years old. Hankton has even less experience due to having a couple of years at Georgia as a WR coach and then at LSU the past two years as WR coach. Of course, Sloan is the QB coach and gets some credit for Daniels improvement and working with Nussmeier.

Oklahoma’s offense will be run by former UNT coach Seth Lattrell which is not exactly Lincoln Riley. However, OU put its money on the defensive staff and hiring Clemson DC Brent Venables.

Let’s cut to the chase. I have my “Tier One” play callers and it is a collection of what Rick Neuheisel says is the best in the country. At least three podcasters say that Texas has the best coaching staff in the country. Steve Sarkesian has the reputation as an excellent play caller and developer of quarterbacks. He is a top-notch recruiter as well. When the Manning family sets out to find the best landing spot for Arch, you have to figure they have done their homework. I have a lot of respect for Josh Heupel at Tennessee and so does several big-name DC’s in the SEC. The offense he put together at Central Florida is unheard of for that level of program.

It gets tricky after the top two because the podcasters rank OC’s instead of who is calling the plays. Give me Lane Kiffin to call my plays anytime of the week. I don’t care who the OC is, Lane is going to be calling the plays. Derrick Nix maybe the OC at Auburn, but Hugh Freeze can mix it up with the best of them. Freeze stayed one year at Arkansas State and went 8-0 in the Sun Belt and led the conference in offense. He turned Ole Miss around with his great offenses, and then got fired. He turned Liberty around and will turn Auburn around. The guy had a terrific game plan against Bama last year and had the game won before a brain fart by the safeties cost them the game.

Bobby Patrino has the reputation as a great play caller. Arkansas better turn it over to him or Sam Pittman and his staff will be out of work. The new guy at Texas A&M(Mike Elko) is a defensive minded coach, so he is not a top tier OC, but he hired Kansas State’s OC Collin Klien who does have a great reputation as a play caller.

In my opinion, this is your top tier play callers in the SEC. Not a bad list and they are all getting paid a ton of money to move the football.

WEDNESDAY

THE GREATEST CATCH IN MLB HISTORY

Willie Mays passed away on Tuesday at age 93. As with our vets from WW2, we are seeing the greatest generation of baseball players pass on. Willie was truly one of the very best to ever play the game. If you have never seen this catch in the Polo Grounds, then enjoy. Remember it was more than 500 feet from home plate. Be sure to turn the volume up.

https://www.mlb.com/video/bb-moments-willie-mays-catch-c3218956

WILL WADE SUMMER PROGRAM IS DEMANDING

Road Games #2- Sights and Sounds🗣️#BayouBandits | #GeauxPokes pic.twitter.com/jpLbN2Cnvf

— McNeese Men’s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) June 18, 2024

As we have shown, football continues to work out from 7am to 9am Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Pokes are trying to beat the heat which is usually in the 80’s early in the morning but could hit 90 mid-mornings. They are not having that problem in Montana. This is yesterday’s Montana State off-season workout. It sure looks like helmets and shoulder pads to me, but no one is scared of the NCAA these days. It did snow in Montana as this weather station confirms it.

https://www.wunderground.com/video/top-stories/june-snowfall-in-montana-as-us-cooks-in-triple-digit-heat

Hey coach, I did not know that it was legal to be coaching on the field on June 17. I guess it is.

A little summer camp football action at Montana State! Never thought I’d be coaching in the snow on June 17th! pic.twitter.com/FSURGLcHwA

— Brennon Mossholder (@HoldinMoss) June 18, 2024

INCOMING FRESHMAN NEED TO ATTEND COWBOY CAMP

This is not an athletic event, but a freshman orientation. One was held earlier in June and there are two more scheduled this summer. There are two dates to choose from — June 26 & 27 and July 17 & 18. Use the link to register! https://brnw.ch/21wKONR This is a great photo, so I had to post it.

LSU BASEBALL PICKING UP SOME GREAT PORTAL TRANSFERS

Jay Johnson has added several top end transfers to his roster for next year. However, there is a surprising number of young players entering the portal. Here are the guys who are departing. As we have learned at McNeese, the portal taketh and it giveth.

Brady Neal
Javen Coleman
Paxton Kling
Sam Dutton
Zeb Ruddell
Nic Bronzini
Cam Johnson
Derrick Mitchell
Aiden Moffett
Micah Bucknam
Austen Roellig

TUESDAY

Former LSU national championship coach Les Miles filed a lawsuit Monday against the school, the NCAA and the National Football Foundation, alleging LSU and the NCAA improperly vacated 37 wins from his tenure, rendering him ineligible for the College Football Hall of Fame. Miles lost those wins due to illegal recruit violations in regard to paying a player.  It included a Level I violation in which the father of former offensive lineman Vadal Alexander received $180,150 from a booster who embezzled funds from a Baton Rouge children’s hospital.

Miles’ attorneys alleged in the suit that “the NCAA did not find that Miles, as Head Coach, bore any responsibility for the sole violation that occurred during his time with the LSU football program.”

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

It's time for another edition of #PokesThisWeek with McNeese Director of Athletics @HSchroyer. Joining Heath this week are a couple of @McNeeseFB players that will help bring the winning back to Cowboy Country this fall – LB Micah Davey and QB Clifton McDowell. #GeauxPokes pic.twitter.com/vmgkiH7SKM

— McNeese Athletics (@McNeeseSports) June 17, 2024

NEW TENNIS COACH HIRED

Sonia Carlson comes to McNeese from Tarleton State where she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

FOOTBALL REVIEW

The dog days of June allow for time to review the 2023 season in a more neutral light. There is hope in seeing several good quarters of football and some actual competitive games. However, it is not worth trying to sugarcoat a disastrous season. If you are honest with yourselves, which I can tell the McNeese staff was, they know they had too many holes to cover up and their opponents took advantage of these weaknesses. I have looked at highlights of all the games and there is enough tape there to give an observer plenty of knowledge of what those problems were.

I do not single out individual players, so I will be vague in my criticism. However, most of the problems are pretty obvious if you look closely. Fans tend to easily place blame on defensive calls or offensive play calling to explain the opponent’s success, but it is much more serious than that. This is why you see so many programs attacking these weaknesses in talent by recruiting instant help in the transfer portal. Teams like LSU, USC, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida, and too many to mention, have been very aggressive in trying to fill the holes that 2023 film proved that they had.

My experience in actually coaching on the field is that you often have to steal from Peter to pay Paul. I understand enough football to see designed alignments and blitzes, etc .that try to cover up spots that the individual player cannot handle. Whether it is LSU, ULL, ULM, or Louisiana Tech, if you fail in stopping the run, you are in trouble. If your secondary is not equal to the opponent’s speed at wide receiver, you have to help them with pressure. The game has evolved so much from the 20th century era when team just tried to pound the football at you, or your defense was just sitting in the gaps hoping to destroy the offensive line’s block. That is “old school” football, and it has left the building.

So many of the podcast that I have watched this summer are being honest and reviewing just why many of the above-mentioned programs have come up short of expectations. When you are 1-10 or whatever like McNeese, the dam is leaking in several places. The defensive line struggled all year and got worst as the competition got better. Individually we lost a lot of battles head up with offensive linemen. All defensive calls are based on certain positions being able to individually carry out an assignment. For example, the defensive scheme may call for a DE to be able to slow play the quarterback to force him to run behind the line of scrimmage for a long enough period of time that it allows for linebackers or safeties to re-enforce.

However, if you have a 4.9/5.1 trying to do this instead of 4.7, you lose every time. Thus, you may have to change the calls in the back five to help the guy cut off the pursuit angle. The great nose tackles that we see at Alabama, Texas, and other places often require a double team. If it takes a center and a guard to control a quick, strong nose tackle, then it frees up a linebacker or a defensive tackle. The entire schemes are based on individuals controlling their assignment. When there is a deficit in certain areas, you are overcompensating to cover that disadvantage. If a nose guard cannot control a center, then the whole scheme is behind the 8-ball.

You see the same thing on offense when your OL cannot run block and the defense loads the box. You see it in sacks when your offensive line cannot handle DL pressure. There are things you can do to offset your deficiencies, but you are always stealing from Peter to pay Paul. You can run screens, throw flair passes to backs, do nothing but three step drops to get rid of the ball, etc. but your receivers have no time to go deep, and the routes are altered to be less time consuming. If there are leaks up front, then you have to keep the tight end in to block or the RB cannot go to the flats because he has to block. It helps if you have a Jayden Daniels or Jalon Milroe that burns defenses for rushing too hard or buying more time for WR’s to go deep. Not everyone has these types.

I will stop here because I think I have coded the message well enough that open minded fans know what our problems were. All you have to do is look at the recruiting to see what areas they tried to beef up. We can all read all the hype around the country that comes in June and July, but all programs will be assessed by either the additions they have added or the losses they have sustained. Will Wade showed us that improved personnel can go a long way in playing better defense and putting points on the board. Has LSU and McNeese fixed their defensive problems, we will soon find out in about 75 days. I do know this, if you expect the improvement to come from just a year of added experience, you are wrong. Improvement comes with better players being pushed to improve fundamentals and execution.

MONDAY

GEORGE STRAIT STORY

What a moment in Texas A&M lore: George Strait sings “Amarillo By Morning” before more than 110,000 fans in Kyle Field on Saturday night, June 15, 2024. pic.twitter.com/FEfi59H7UD

— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) June 16, 2024

In case you missed all of the Internet post about the largest stadium crowd ever for a concert, here is a short version of hearing 111,000 backup singers.

In 1983 I took Carol to Houston for our anniversary. It was common for us to go several times in the summer to see the Astros or to see concerts. I have a list of the more than 400 concerts that we have attended since 1970 which included 53 members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I have recorded them all for my children’s children.

My reservations were at the Sheriden Hotel Greenway Plaza which is on the Southwest Freeway in Houston. The Summit was across the street, which is where the Rockets played, and they had many great concerts over the years. It is now a church.

I had no idea that George Strait was playing on Saturday night when we arrived on Friday, but the big sign told us so. So, I walked across the street to the ticket office, and it said “Sold-Out”. You would expect that even in 1983, so we checked into the hotel. I always tell my waiter in restaurants and hotel managers when it is a special occasion. You would be surprised how often you get a free dessert, or a room upgrade if it is a classy place.

I told the hotel clerk about out anniversary and Carol loved “King George” who at age 30 with his starched white long sleeve shirts and Wrangler jeans put most of us guys in our place. George had parked two huge travel busses out in the front of the hotel, so I knew he was there. The hotel clerk said George was staying in the top suite of the hotel and his manager was coming down soon and he would talk to him. In about an hour, the phone rang, and it was the hotel clerk. He said the manager asked George how many family members were coming to the concert. The Summit had given George 8 seats on the front row to use, and he said only four were being used. He invited Carol and I to be his guest.

Not only did we sit on Row 1 with his wife, sister, and brother, but in the final song, he walked over to me and tossed his big black Cowboy hat. I caught it in my hand but two guys behind me jumped the chairs and took me down to the concrete floor. One broke his nose and was bleeding all over my hand that was on the hat. I wrestled for about 60 seconds and gave up. If they want it that bad, they can have it. I still regret it to this day that I didn’t fight for it. George’s manager came over after the event and invited us backstage, but we stupidly declined.

If you know anything about his background, his days at Texas State and playing Gruene Hall in Gruene, then you know there are no finer gentleman in the business. He is semi-retired but can still sell tickets better than any country singer in history. Thank You George for your kindness and a lifelong memory. We have seen him three times, but none compared to that first time.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR BALLOT

I filled out my MLB All-Star ballot on Sunday and I can honestly say this is the weakest group of players I have ever voted on. There are 5 second basemen batting under .200. Offense is really down this year, and it is because of the turnover of new players entering the league as well as more hard throwers than any time in history. Seattle has four starters that average over 95 mph per fastball. Closers are coming in throwing 97-102. Where has the power gone?

Look for yourself!

https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot?affiliateId=asb-trending-mlb-2024

One thing for certain, the July event will not touch the heyday of MLB baseball. In 1968 the All-Star game was held in Houston at the Astrodome.

American League				National League
Order	Player	Team	Position	Order	Player	Team	Position
1	Jim Fregosi	Angels	SS	1	Willie Mays	Giants	OF
2	Rod Carew	Twins	2B	2	Curt Flood	Cardinals	OF
3	Carl Yastrzemski	Red Sox	OF	3	Willie McCovey	Giants	1B
4	Frank Howard	Senators	OF	4	Hank Aaron	Braves	OF
5	Willie Horton	Tigers	OF	5	Ron Santo	Cubs	3B
6	Harmon Killebrew	Twins	1B	6	Tommy Helms	Reds	2B
7	Bill Freehan	Tigers	C	7	Jerry Grote	Mets	C
8	Brooks Robinson	Orioles	3B	8	Don Kessinger	Cubs	SS
9	Luis Tiant	Indians	P	9	Don Drysdale	Dodgers	P

The National League had Steve Carleton, Sandy Kofax, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal, and Tom Seaver. This is 6 of the greatest pitchers ever. Just a few years earlier you would have seen an even more impressive batting order with guys like Pete Rose, Roberto Clemente, and Mickey Mantle.

WILL WADE BASKETBALL CAMPS

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES DELIVERS AGAIN

The afternoon game between North Carolina State and Kentucky continued Friday’s late inning heroics with Kentucky scoring late to overcome NC State.

While the largest outdoor concert in Texas was taking place at Kyle Field, fans at home watching on TV and fans in Omaha had to wait until 10:30PM to see the Aggies play Florida. The George Strait concert at Kyle Field had 110,000 fans. It was a good night for Aggie fans as George delivered and A&M held off Florida in the 9th inning to advance in the winner’s bracket game 3-2.

So far, the games have been outstanding.

UNC 3 Virginia 2

Tennessee 12 Florida State 11

Kentucky 5 NC State 4

A&M 3 Kentucky 2

6PM Tonight North Carolina vs Tennessee

ASHLEY VALLEJO COMMITS TO LSU

There is a reason Ashley Vallejo is not listed on the Cowgirls roster. She is headed to LSU. Coach Jay Johnson is having an even bigger haul in the transfer portal for his baseball team. He has lost 11 members to the portal but is quickly filling the roster.

RHP Chandler Dorsey (South Carolina)
UTL Luis Hernandez (Indiana State)
RHP Zac Cowan (Wofford)
RHP Deven Sheerin (Mount St. Mary’s)
RHP Luke Hayden (Indiana State)

SATURDAY

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES OFF TO AN EXCITING START

If you missed last night’s thrilling come from behind win by Tennessee, you missed a good one. In fact, both games on Friday were walk-off wins.

The 2024 College World Series officially began on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska with national No. 1 seed Tennessee rallying in the nightcap against Florida State for a walk-off win. The afternoon’s first game also ended dramatically, with North Carolina topping Virginia on a walk-off single.

The Vols were down 11-7 at one point, and entered the bottom of the 9th down 11-8. Twice the Vols were down to their last strike and got favorable umpire calls on check swings. Tennessee scored four runs in the bottom of the 9th to win 12-11. They will face UNC on Sunday night after UNC walked-off Virginia 3-2.

SUMMER WORKOUTS IN FULL SWING

Pokes sharing carrying the wood!

Team becoming a team.

Bayou Bandits pushing that iron.

FUTURE CONTRACTS SIGNED FOR FOOTBALL GAMES

McNeese has added a couple more football games to the calendar for future years. If you have not seen the future schedules, here is a peak at the next four years. More games are expected to be added.

2025

9/6 at ULL

9/13 Weber State in Cowboy Stadium (this might be the ribbon cutting of the new press box)

9/20 at Utah State

2026

9/12 at LSU

9/19 at Alcorn State

2027

9/04 Alcorn State in Cowboy Stadium

9/11 at South Dakota

2028

9/16 South Dakota in Cowboy Stadium

TBA at LSU

CONGRATULATIONS TO COLORADO QB SHEDEUR SANDERS

Shedeur attended his first college class this past April after four years in college. Sanders discussed his football life recently during an interview prior to summer workouts. Sanders took on-line courses at Jackson State and Colorado. He told the interviewer that he could not give a recruit a tour of the campus because he lives off campus and had not been on campus during his first year at UC.

According to On3, Shedeur Sanders‘ NIL deals are currently valued at an impressive $4.8 million, making him one of the top earners in college football. His substantial social media following, including 1 million Instagram followers, 261,000 TikTok followers, and 46,000 Twitter followers, has played a significant role in boosting his marketability and endorsement earnings.

In addition to his on-field success, Sanders has also secured lucrative endorsement deals with renowned brands. His portfolio includes partnerships with Gatorade, Mercedes Benz, Beats by Dre, Under Armour, and the Tom Brady clothing line brand, Brady. He has also collaborated with PLB Sports and Entertainment, featuring a barbecue sauce named “No. 2” in honor of his jersey number at Jackson State. Other endorsements include Oikos and Active Black.

Shedeur is rumored to have about $2-3 million in the bank, but nothing like his dad who is worth over $50 million. Just your typical struggling college athlete who is trying to survive on a little old scholarship.