LSU Game - SO MUCH FUN!

I got back last week from a 4 night trip to Louisiana to visit my parents. I had the pleasure of being there during LSU football season. Hard to believe that in the 10 years that I've lived in Dallas I never went "home" during LSU Football. 

I, of course, HAD to get tickets. The game was against the undefeated West Virginia team and started at 8pm. I contacted a few friends and let them know I was in town and ready to tailgate. We bought new LSU shirts, got a large daquiri from Daquiri Cafe and headed towards LSU. We arrived to campus around 1pm - which is actually extremely late to start tailgating, but "this old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be" so I planned accordingly for my day of boozing and balling, LSU style.

The day of tailgating was absolutely awesome. I forgot how ALIVE that campus is during game day. There were thousands upon thousands of people all in their purple and gold attire with smiles from ear-to-ear. It was actually quite therapeutic being there and being a part of something that was such a huge part of my past (and this time remembering every single part of it... ).

The easiest way to explain my time at the LSU Game is in a list...so, here are the 10 things I learned while at the LSU game.

1. I feel sorry for Mike the Tiger. His "home" is very much Garden of Eden kind of luxury. Unbelievable the amenities his little hotel has - but he is missing a girlfriend. I kept wondering whether he gets conjugal visits because as pretty as it was, it seemed kinda lonely. Granted - this was after several hours of tailgating so my compassion meter was off the charts. The more I "tailgate" the more I want to rescue tigers, save the whales and let misunderstood felons sleep on my couch.

2. Tailgating is FUN - the food is good, everyone is happy, you are encouraged to get crazy and people think it's funny. When there is a line to play Beer Pong - you know you are going to have fun.

3. Tailgating by a bathroom is MUCH more important to me at 34 years old than it was to me at 20 years old. Not sure if my bladder has shrunk or the idea of peeing behind a tree is no longer acceptable - either way - big fan of tailgating by a restroom.

4 . I miss my friends from college - A LOT.

5. I miss LSU Football Games - A LOT.

6. It IS possible for your seats to be "too good". This happened to us - we were so close to the field that we could not see many of the plays  - kind of a "forest through the trees" situation. However, we loved our seats, the people around us and the fact that we could sneak in a flask of Crown Royal without getting frisked. No more taping it to my inner-thigh as I entered the student section like when I was younger.

7. Leaving the game and going the opposite way from home to try to "trick the rest of the traffic" does not work. Apparently, tons of people live the other way too. I've never claimed to be a real brainiac.

8. I don't hate Les Miles, don't hate Jordan Jefferson and don't hate any part of those games. Go for 10 years not getting to see a game in person and then see if you want to complain. We are an undefeated team with a fan-base that seems to have some unrealistic expectations at times.

9. Not to be a complainer but there was a point in the game that I was embarrassed to be a part of the LSU fan base. To me, booing your team is not justified - EVER. I was extremely disappointed when it happened and will still speak quite passionately about the subject. I don't give a darn why the boos were occurring - it's just wrong. These are kids - nervous, insecure kids playing in front of 94,000 people along with a national television audience in the millions. The pressure has got to be unbelievable. And, yes - I understand that people were not booing at the team as much as they were booing at Les Miles and the coaching crew's decisions - but again, I don't care. The perception from the outside looking in is that we don't support our team and our expectations are either win a national championship or get fired. So - don't boo. Send an email, post your opinion on Facebook, twitter your frustrations or show up on campus with a picket sign against Les Miles - but don't boo 19 year old kids. It's just tacky.

10. To end on a positive note - I had an unbelievable time. LSU games are a blast! I walked all over campus, saw tons of people, remembered some unbelievable times from my past and came to the realization that attending home LSU Games should be more of a priority. We will be visiting Louisiana more often to make this happen - so it's a win-win!

GEAUX TIGERS!!