Done DEAL - Tigers capture Natty #7
"You guys have enough energy for 2 more? I want to win a national championship worse than I want to breathe...but more importantly, more than that, I just want to keep doing our deal" - Jay Johnson
Gazing through the windshield of my rented Kia Sorento, desperately looking for a place to eat, grab some gas, and switch drivers, my GPS showed Winfield, Kansas, just 10 miles ahead. WIN FIELD - what an appropriate place to stop on our way home after an 11-day odyssey following our beloved LSU Tigers 2023 Baseball team. After my wife graciously offered to drive the next shift, my daughter claimed shotgun, and I settled into the back seat, hoping to grab some rest before taking over the final leg.
My first thoughts as we accelerated to cruising speed on the Kansas Turnpike were not the 7 hours we had left in this tin can with wheels. Not that I have anything against Kia, or its fine inventory of cars, but as it turns out, we should have never been in this vehicle. Our itinerary on United Airlines had us arriving home by 8:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, assuming that is, that the flight does not get cancelled at 1:20 a.m. while we are all trying to grab a few hours of sleep after LSU dropped 18 runs and 24 hits on Florida to win Natty #7. As I stretched out, there were no thoughts rushing to get in - and to be honest, this seemed a bit unusual. On the same trip in 2017, I can vividly remember how impossible it was to keep the flood of thoughts away, even though I prepared myself thoroughly. It should have been easy - if the thought contains the words “what” or “if”, merely swat them away. Like what if Eric Walker had not gone down with an injury mere days before the CWS? Or what if Jake Slaughter would not have been called for runner’s interference in the 7th inning of Game 2, wiping the tying run off the board? Or what if Greg Deichmann didn’t hit a one-hopper to the 1st baseman with runners on 1st and 3rd in the very next inning, allowing Florida to nail Little Sweet at the plate? Or what if Alex Lange would have been able to pitch a deciding Game 3 against Florida’s 3rd starter? In 2023, no WHAT IFS! With my neurons free from the vicious loop of negativity that plagued me in 2017, I could feel my serotonin levels find their happy place, and I was able to grab a few hours of sleep.
Arriving home, it would still take a day or two to decompress (which is a nice way of saying detoxify) and let it all sink in. As is my habit when commemorating an LSU national championship, my first task it to make room for the poster which typically shows the baseball team in mid dog-pile.
As I was measuring, and re-measuring, eventually moving the 6 previous posters, I stopped to reflect on each of the previous national championships. Aside from the years, which are seared in my memory, what little tidbits did I carry with me from the others? Obviously, The Walk Off, Hold the Rope, Ryan Theriot’s slide and helmet flip, and of course, the Skipper. But what would I take from #7? This one was unique for me - although this was my 7th trip to Omaha (and yes, I still miss the Blatt), this was my 1st trip from start to finish. I was fortunate enough to experience the entire gamut of stress and joy that comes with supporting the only team in the postseason to win their last game.
As each new baseball season starts, expectations are always running high, and more often than not, the word Omaha is used rather than national title. It’s for the same reason basketball fans say Final Four. Reaching Omaha is a manifestation of a successful season, typically resulting from playing at home during Regionals and Super Regionals. Omaha is a completely different animal - not only is our team facing the best teams in the nation, they are facing a media schedule that rivals most MLB teams. Thanks to The Skipper and his incredible run in the 90’s, Omaha has embraced the party spirit of the LSU fanbase, turning the 11 days of Omaha into Mardi Gras with a little baseball thrown in for good measure. Think about it - Omaha starts on a Friday, with continuous parties for 11 days, leaving you, dare I say, exhausted and fat on a Tuesday?
The slight difference between Omaha and Mardi Gras is that the duration of the Omaha party is inexorably tied to the number of victories by the Tiger baseball team. The team arrives in Omaha hot off a Super Regional sweep, looking to burn through the other teams, knowing they brought a secret weapon - a seemingly unlimited supply of oxygen from Tiger fans to keep the fire blazing at maximum efficiency. Is this why some people refer to Tiger fans as blowhards? Hmmm.. Be that as it may, the Tigers fanbase is well aware of this symbiotic relationship. The unwritten pact is the Tigers fans leave every game hoarse, soothe their throats with “grandpa’s ole cough medicine”, and rinse and repeat until they see a mass of Tiger Baseball humanity covering the mound at Charles Schwab Field. Done deal!
During the Tommy Tanks walk-off game which sent the Tigers to the Finals, I was approached by a Wake Forest fan during the middle innings. At the time, the game was scoreless, well before Tre’ Morgan’s web gem on the suicide squeeze attempt. The Wake Forest fan sheepishly turned to me and said “when we cheer, you can hear us. When you guys cheer, you can FEEL it”. This is the second time over the past few years I missed the opportunity to say “It Just Means More”, but the only thing that came to mind was “hmm…it’s just numbers”. And numbers it was - being conservative, 95% of the people in Charles Schwab were LSU fans. I also recall watching a replay of Game 3 of the Finals, with Kyle Peterson wondering how LSU would bounce back after a 24-4 drubbing in Game 2. After mentioning the pressure the Tigers would feel, he said “but it sure helps to run on the field and get a great big bear hug from 20,000+ LSU fans”. Without a doubt, however, the best moment between the LSU fans and their beloved baseball team occurred during the 2nd inning of Game 3 of the Finals. With the Tigers trailing 2-0 and a threat brewing with Jobert on 1st and Dugas on 3rd with no outs, Jordan Thompson strolled to the plate, having only 1 hit in the CWS. I imagine JT must have felt like the Grinch when he heard the Whos singing after he stole Christmas, but unlike that Dr. Seuss classic, this chant didn’t start low and begin to grow - in full throat, the crowd chanted “JORDAN THOMPSON” with the intermittent clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, over and over, until he delivered an RBI knock to left on a 2-strike count. Jordan Thompson started what was to be an historic hit parade for the Tigers, and the fans in Charles Schwab made sure the Gator players would never feel any energy from that point on. Keep the line and the party going!
The Mardi Gras atmosphere in Omaha over that 11-day span could never happen if not for a gracious host and extensive planning. Although Charles Schwab had his name all over this production, the real host was Jay Johnson and his 2023 Tiger baseball team, and they have been planning this party since the first team meeting in January. When asked about the pressure of being the preseason favorite to not only make it to Omaha, but bring the trophy back to Baton Rouge, Jay answered with
"We tried to take the No. 1 thing and turn it to our advantage. Everybody was asking me about pressure and expectations, and what they don’t understand is that it always comes back to the play, and it always comes back to the preparation. Things you've heard me say it a million times. I don’t just say that, we actually believe it.
Make that a million and one - in every postseason press conference, regardless of the player at the table, we heard the words PLAN and EXECUTE at least once in every response. These boys were locked into the plan from day one.
But, as we all know, baseball is a game where the plan doesn’t always work out. What if the plan isn’t working, what do you do? Adjust the plan? Make a new one? This has often intrigued me about Jay Johnson - for someone who hates losing more than he enjoys winning, and who admits that baseball is his life, how does such a person process coming up on the short side of the scoreboard? In an answer which could only come from such a consummate planner and tactician, Jay offered:
A big thing for us as we were going through this is, great teams play near their capability often. I talked about staying in character a lot and again, those are not just words. That’s what we had to do. And if we did that, then I could surrender the result, because I had so much confidence in what the result could be.
Thinking about the many unbelievable moments wrapped up in an 8-game stretch, I can’t help but think this whole thing was some sort of movie - it had it all.
Likeable Heroes - players like Cade Beloso and Gavin Dugas, who weren’t on the opening day roster, but through their love for LSU, persevered and became heroes.
Unlikeable Bullies - Tennessee and Florida, who have had their way with the Tigers in most recent postseason play.
Unexpected Plot Twists - Nate Ackenhausen getting his first start of the year and sending the Fighting Tony Vitellos back to Hickville, while setting up the drama yet to come with Wake Forest.
Poetic Justice - Tre’ Morgan, who was thrown out at the plate in the 8th inning of the first Wake Forest game, returns the favor to Wake Forest in the 8th inning of the bracket final.
Cliff Hangers - what else would you call the catch made by Josh Pearson in the bottom of the 10th against Florida in Game 1 of the Finals? If that ball gets over his head, the season is over.
A True Showdown - it was only fitting that Paul Skenes and Rhett Lowder would face off in the bracket final. With both warriors dueling to a scoreless outcome, Tommy Tanks stepped in to provide the climax.
Redemption - having only 1 hit through 6 games, Jordan Thompson’s error in Game 2 of the Finals gave way to the wind-aided grand slam, which would propel Florida to a 20-run win. Maybe sensing redemption was only one swing away, JT took a 1-2 pitch to left field in the 2nd inning of Game 3, sending the 1st of 18 runs across the plate.
Happy Ending - although the ending of this story was anti-climactic, with a 14-run cushion, the final out being a strike out from Gavin Guidry sent the team and the crowd into a frenzy.
Sequel Tidbits - all throughout the CWS, Coach Jay Johnson provided ample evidence that not only is a sequel in the works, it’s more like a series. What would you call a series of world series?
Aside from the list above, which merely scratched the surface on the greatness that was the 2023 CWS, I will always remember this season as the rebirth of Tiger Baseball, with order being restored, and my pledge to be in attendance for every game the Tigers play in Omaha, down to my last breath! GEAUX TIGERS!!!
P.S. If any of you read my post before the season started, I ended it with:
Geaux Tigers! See y’all in June on Leavenworth, between 43rd and 44th!
And just between us, the Little Guy is undefeated in Omaha, and although my daughter and son-in-law may object, I’m shaving Little Buddy’s head before the next trip. Geaux Tigers!