Tinker
Missiles, bullets, and bombs are for killing people and not for warnings from a man worried about how he looks, just like Charles Krauthammer said.
I am very tired of watching our American president reading from a teleprompter looking back at his reflection in a mirror. Frankly I don't think that the rest of the world cares what he look like.
So hang it up Mr. president and go play all the golf you want, the American people have looked at you once to often, and don't much expect to see nothing more then a Washington DC politician.
The American people will need to pick up the broken pieces of our country's government and go on form there. Maybe the next man or women will not be so divisive, and bring the American people together as one people pulling in the same direction.
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http://www.drudgereport.com/
RUSSIA: U.S. fuels tension by deploying warships near Syria...
ISRAEL, U.S. FIRE MISSILES IN MED
Read more...http://www.usatoday.
RED LINE: ISRAEL LAUNCHES MISSILES IN MED
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http://www.theblaze.com/
-
WatchKrauthammer Warns Strike on Syria May Result in ‘Major Regional War’
MediaKrauthammer: Strike on Syria will put Iran in the “driver’s seat.”
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http://www.theblaze.com/
http://www.theblaze.com/
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http://online.wsj.com/article/
HILL BATTLE OVER WAR
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http://www.theblaze.com/
Palin on Syria: ‘Let Allah Sort It Out’
“If our invasion of Iraq wasn’t enough of a deterrent to stop evil men from using chemical weapons on their own people, why do we think this will be?”
http://www.theblaze.com/
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[Benedict Arnold] McCain
snorf1Jul 25 17:59
McCain drops veil and all pretense, reveals self as complete traitor. Yes and Benedict Arnold was a war hero before he turned traitor too.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/
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http://www.anncoulter.com/
Ann Coulter
IT'S SUPER-MEDIA! WITH THE POWER TO DETECT NON-EXISTENT RACISM
August 28, 2013
The thesis of my book, "Mugged: Racial Demagoguery From the Seventies to Obama" -- out in paperback
this week! -- is that after decades of liberals play-acting Racist
America, wherein they cast themselves as civil rights champions, and
other, random white people as Bull Connor (a Democrat), it all ended
with the O.J. verdict.
That's when white America said, That's it. The white guilt bank is shut down. It was one of the best things that ever happened to America -- especially for black people.
But then in 2007, Barack Obama brought it all back. In order to immunize the most left-wing presidential candidate the nation has ever seen, the Non-Fox Media went into overdrive reporting their fantasies of an America full of racists, constantly terrorizing innocent blacks.
Of course, once Republicans got the Democrats to stop terrorizing black people, there was no one else doing it. Nonetheless, for decades, the media would highlight every apparent white-on-black crime, treating each such incident as the Crime of the Century.
White-on-black crimes were, and are, freakishly rare. But the media weren't showcasing these one-off events as man-bites-dog stories, but rather as dog-bites-man stories in a universe brimming with packs of rabid dogs. According to liberals, whites attacking blacks was an epidemic -- a nationwide "cancer," in the words of erstwhile New York City Mayor Ed Koch. Read More » http://www.anncoulter.com/
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/
US-Brazil tensions rise after new spy report
By BRADLEY BROOKS and MARCO SIBAJA Associated Press
SNOWDEN: NSA SPIED ON LEADERS OF BRAZIL, MEXICO...
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http://www.weeklystandard.com/
UK WILL NOT VOTE AGAIN...
POLL: Two-thirds against taking military action...
British military chiefs ejected from US meetings...
RUSSIA NOT CONVINCED BY EVIDENCE...
China argues against unilateral action...
Israel fears having to counter Iran ALONE...
ASSAD: RISK OF REGIONAL WAR IF WEST STRIKES...
2010: 'I Trust Senator Kerry... I Met Him Five Times'...
'Show me the proof'...
Obama, Biden, Hagel, Clinton backed 'reformer' during Bush admin...
Marines.com Hacked...
'Refuse your orders'...
FLASHBACK: REBELS arrested with Sarin gas!
KERRY'S DRINKS AND DINNERS WITH TYRANT
http://www.theblaze.com/
‘Treason’ Or ‘Free Speech?’ – Are These Anti-Syria Strike Pictures From U.S. Military Members Okay? (Blaze Poll)
Since the U.S. has started serious discussions about taking military action against Syria, many have publicly spoken out against a possible military strike. And now it appears that some of our uniformed service personnel have come forward to express their disagreement with an attack, any attack on Syria.More than 2,000 people have “liked” this image that was posted on Sunday.
Image: Armed Forces Tea Party on Facebook
Image: Armed Forces Tea Party on Facebook
Image: Armed Forces Tea Party on Facebook
Image: Armed Forces Tea Party on Facebook------------------
http://www.humanevents.com/
-
Will Boehner stop our rogue president?
By: Patrick J. BuchananBoehner can instruct Obama that Congress alone has the authority to decide whether the United States goes to war.
8/30/2013 06:00 AM
Sports
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Video: One good thing -- LSU
September, 2, 2013
- LSU's offense under first-year coordinator Cam Cameron makes a big splash in the Tigers' opener.
comments
Thomas Williams · Im not telling u
Heck! LSU football team looks very good to me after their victory
over TCU, because when you consider the practicing time they have to
train for playing college football. The pros put in a full eight hours
or more getting prepared training as professional football players. The
college football player don't nearly have that kind of devotion to
victory as the big money play for pay pros do.
So all in all LSU has really improved offensively in 2013...
So all in all LSU has really improved offensively in 2013...
Vieng Phommaseng · Top Commenter · Opelika High School
All I ask for is a consistent offense and this team will be OK.
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http://www.lsusports.net/
LSU vs. TCU Game Highlights
http://www.lsusports.net/
Category: Highlight Videos
LSU (remember the Tigers?) announces itself as a contender
September 1, 2013 2:21 am ET
Perhaps overlooked, LSU could become a player in the national title picture. (USATSI)
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Clearly the takeaway from Week 1 in college football is secrecy.As much as Johnny Football talks on the field, he is media mum off it until further notice. Starting quarterback decisions were treated like encrypted launch codes. A flurry of last-minute player suspensions, well, couldn't have been that last minute, could they?
The mini-mystery of AJ McCarron's walking boot resulted in -- to paraphrase his coach -- the most famous ingrown toenail in history.
RecapLSU 37, TCU 27
Add
to this covert conduct the Harry High School hijinks of Les Miles and
Gary Patterson prior to Saturday's Cowboys Classic. They jousted with
each other basically hinting at playing suspended stars who had done
some pretty heinous stuff.
Both LSU tailback Jeremy Hill (caught on camera sucker punching a guy) and TCU defensive end Devonte Fields (violation of team rules, out two games) actually dressed Saturday night. Both coaches seemed bent on mutually destroying each of their reputations had either one played.
But the threat was empty and, finally, some basic truths filled the air as college football's first Saturday drew to a close.
LSU isn't going away. In an SEC and national conversation filled with the praise of Alabama, a Georgia mission and everything Manziel, the Tigers are your national championship dark horse, ladies and gentlemen.
"Our dream," declared defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, "is California."
That would be the Rose Bowl, site of the final BCS championship game.
"If you're not playing for California, why play the game?" he added.
OK, so LSU is a really, really dark horse considering the depth of the SEC and bumps and grinds of Saturday's 37-27 over No. 20 TCU in the Cowboys Classic. But still ...
This was Cowboys Stadium where SEC teams are now 10-0. LSU launched a BCS title game run here two years ago against Oregon. Alabama began its 2012 run last year by blasting Michigan.
This was a de facto LSU home game despite TCU's campus being 19 miles away. You have to remember, there are more ticketless fans back home at Tiger Stadium tailgating for the average home game than there are students enrolled at TCU. The overwhelmingly majority of the 80,000, then, fell in love with a whole new set of Tigers.
Five LSU true freshmen saw their first career battles in the first quarter. Six Tigers made their first career start. Until Saturday, the massive Ferguson (four tackles, one tackle for loss, one hurry) was more famous for his first name than for his play.
"My feeling tonight was, 'About time,'" he said after his first career start. "It was about time I started making some plays."
A similar thing happened two years ago in this very place when LSU announced a title run with the likes of Tyrann Mathieu and Sam Montgomery in that win over the Ducks.
"My role here two years ago was to contribute to the team a little bit," Ferguson said. "We had a couple of good D-tackles in front of me, Michael Brockers and Bennie Logan. I just had to wait my time."
In short, LSU does the retool thing well. The defense that lost eight draft picks is still plucky. It survived TCU's two-headed quarterbacks, Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin. The final margin -- sweat-stained for LSU until midway through the fourth quarter -- was almost cosmetic.
If not for a 100-yard kickoff return by TCU's B.J. Catalon and a fumble by LSU's Alfred Blue 6 yards from his own goal line that led to a Horned Frogs' touchdown, the score would have reflected the proper dominance.
Time of possession: 36 minutes for LSU. TCU was held to 259 yards.
"We didn't freak out when they did something different that we hadn't seen on film," said center Elliott Porter, making his second career start.
It was especially important that quarterback Zach Mettenberger not freak about anything. Mettenberger is not new but certainly different. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron allowed the much critiqued Mettenberger to throw downfield perhaps more than any quarterback in the Miles era Saturday night.
The lower completion rate (16 of 32) was partially the result of some dropped balls, but there were more explosive plays. Give credit to Cameron, who is more than familiar with what Miles wants. It was Cameron who kept Les and his future wife together at a critical point in their courtship, according to Sissy Cameron.
The Mettenberger/Cameron relationship looks promising as well. The quarterback was helped by veteran receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. There were more big plays. Seven Mettenberger completions went for at least 14 yards.
"I feel like it's a weight off his shoulders," Beckham said of his quarterback. "He's more like himself right now and he's comfortable. He knows he's going to make some amazing plays."
Hill's absence affected the Tiger tailback depth, well, not much. Blue, returning from a 2012 knee injury, ran for 89 yards. Junior Terrence Magee is listed as a wide receiver/running back. He went for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps it's good thing that few are talking about the Tigers. Good for the Tigers. It's hard to hide hopes on opening night. The secret about LSU may be out.
Both LSU tailback Jeremy Hill (caught on camera sucker punching a guy) and TCU defensive end Devonte Fields (violation of team rules, out two games) actually dressed Saturday night. Both coaches seemed bent on mutually destroying each of their reputations had either one played.
But the threat was empty and, finally, some basic truths filled the air as college football's first Saturday drew to a close.
LSU isn't going away. In an SEC and national conversation filled with the praise of Alabama, a Georgia mission and everything Manziel, the Tigers are your national championship dark horse, ladies and gentlemen.
"Our dream," declared defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, "is California."
That would be the Rose Bowl, site of the final BCS championship game.
"If you're not playing for California, why play the game?" he added.
OK, so LSU is a really, really dark horse considering the depth of the SEC and bumps and grinds of Saturday's 37-27 over No. 20 TCU in the Cowboys Classic. But still ...
This was Cowboys Stadium where SEC teams are now 10-0. LSU launched a BCS title game run here two years ago against Oregon. Alabama began its 2012 run last year by blasting Michigan.
This was a de facto LSU home game despite TCU's campus being 19 miles away. You have to remember, there are more ticketless fans back home at Tiger Stadium tailgating for the average home game than there are students enrolled at TCU. The overwhelmingly majority of the 80,000, then, fell in love with a whole new set of Tigers.
Five LSU true freshmen saw their first career battles in the first quarter. Six Tigers made their first career start. Until Saturday, the massive Ferguson (four tackles, one tackle for loss, one hurry) was more famous for his first name than for his play.
"My feeling tonight was, 'About time,'" he said after his first career start. "It was about time I started making some plays."
A similar thing happened two years ago in this very place when LSU announced a title run with the likes of Tyrann Mathieu and Sam Montgomery in that win over the Ducks.
"My role here two years ago was to contribute to the team a little bit," Ferguson said. "We had a couple of good D-tackles in front of me, Michael Brockers and Bennie Logan. I just had to wait my time."
In short, LSU does the retool thing well. The defense that lost eight draft picks is still plucky. It survived TCU's two-headed quarterbacks, Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin. The final margin -- sweat-stained for LSU until midway through the fourth quarter -- was almost cosmetic.
If not for a 100-yard kickoff return by TCU's B.J. Catalon and a fumble by LSU's Alfred Blue 6 yards from his own goal line that led to a Horned Frogs' touchdown, the score would have reflected the proper dominance.
Time of possession: 36 minutes for LSU. TCU was held to 259 yards.
"We didn't freak out when they did something different that we hadn't seen on film," said center Elliott Porter, making his second career start.
It was especially important that quarterback Zach Mettenberger not freak about anything. Mettenberger is not new but certainly different. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron allowed the much critiqued Mettenberger to throw downfield perhaps more than any quarterback in the Miles era Saturday night.
The lower completion rate (16 of 32) was partially the result of some dropped balls, but there were more explosive plays. Give credit to Cameron, who is more than familiar with what Miles wants. It was Cameron who kept Les and his future wife together at a critical point in their courtship, according to Sissy Cameron.
The Mettenberger/Cameron relationship looks promising as well. The quarterback was helped by veteran receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. There were more big plays. Seven Mettenberger completions went for at least 14 yards.
"I feel like it's a weight off his shoulders," Beckham said of his quarterback. "He's more like himself right now and he's comfortable. He knows he's going to make some amazing plays."
Hill's absence affected the Tiger tailback depth, well, not much. Blue, returning from a 2012 knee injury, ran for 89 yards. Junior Terrence Magee is listed as a wide receiver/running back. He went for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps it's good thing that few are talking about the Tigers. Good for the Tigers. It's hard to hide hopes on opening night. The secret about LSU may be out.
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Todd Blackledge tweeted about the LSU offense (Posted on 9/1/13 at 10:09 am)
quote:I was a little disappointed not to see Travis Dickson make an impact In fact other than the dropped TD pass to DeSean Smith, I don't recall any passes thrown to a TE. The absence of a big target was a major factor last night.
Todd Blackledge ?@Todd_Blackledge 16m
My takeaway LSU: offense has a chance to be really good if the OLine stays healthy. Must develop some inside pass game (TE/RB) to help WRs
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.
Stewart Mandel>INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL
LSU beats TCU soundly, but Tigers' consistency must improve
Zach Mettenberger showed off his arm strength with 225 yards passing and one touchdown.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
"Our dream is California," said Tigers defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, referencing the site of this year's national title game (Pasadena). "If you're not playing for California, why play the game?"
Ferguson is one of several first-time LSU starters whose names to this point have remained unfamiliar outside the state of Louisiana, but it's a good bet by season's end that he, Jermauria Rasco, Danielle Hunter, Terrence Magee and a host of others will roll off the tongues of All-SEC selectors and/or NFL talent evaluators. Say hello to Les Miles' 2013 LSU squad, which, in dispatching No. 20 TCU here Saturday night, 37-27, bore a strong resemblance to ... pretty much every other Miles-coached LSU team that's come before it. Considering he had to replace 10 NFL early entrants and eight drafted defensive players from a year ago, this squad can take it as a compliment.
The Tigers physically dominated the Horned Frogs for much of the night, outgaining them 448 to 259 yards and forcing TCU coach Gary Patterson to change quarterbacks midstream. But it would also be unbefitting of a Miles-coached team for LSU to make things easy on themselves, which is why, thanks to a flurry of self-inflicted wounds, the Tigers led by just a field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger looked poised and crisp early on and threw a decisive 20-yard touchdown late, yet still completed just 50 percent of his passes. The Tigers' defense mostly dominated but also committed costly penalties that helped keep their foe in the game.
"It was a sloppy opener at times for us," said Miles. "Things we could do to improve would have made a very significant difference in this game. All in all, you put up 448 yards on them ... you keep on."
The truth is, LSU should have blown the Horned Frogs out of the building. They were physically superior in almost every area. However, immediately upon scoring their first touchdown, TCU's B.J. Catalon returned the ensuing kickoff for a score. After a 52-yard touchdown run by previously unsung tailback Magee gave LSU its first double-digit lead at 23-10, a roughing the passer penalty by Ferguson on third down kept alive an eventual Horned Frogs touchdown drive. Later, back up by 30-17, tailback Alfred Blue would fumble at his own 6-yard line, setting up TCU for an easy touchdown.
And then there was the classically Miles-esque sequence just before halftime when the Tigers managed to turn third and goal from the 2 into third and goal from the 12 thanks to consecutive delay of game and false start penalties -- coming off a timeout. Following an even stranger sequence in which TCU at one point ran off the field when officials mistakenly declared halftime, the Tigers kicked a field goal to go up 16-10.
But these things happen in season openers. They happened plenty the last time LSU played in the Cowboys Classic, two years ago against Oregon -- though those miscues came primarily by the Ducks. In that highly anticipated 2011 season opener, a stout LSU defense shut down the Ducks' high-flying offense, but a pair of fumbles by De'Anthony Thomas helped the Tigers pull away.
TCU is not Oregon -- the Frogs were just 7-6 last season, though most expect they'll fare better this year in the Big 12 -- but that doesn't mean this opener wasn't encouraging. In fact, the biggest difference from 2011 to 2013 is that the Tigers won't need to rely solely on their defense. At long last, they have a legitimate passing game to go with a deep stable of tailbacks.
In Cam Cameron's first game as LSU offensive coordinator, the strong-armed Mettenberger came out slinging. "TCU does a great job stopping the run," said Miles. "... So the plan was, let's see if they can cover the pass, and we certainly did move the ball through the air very well."
Mettenbeger attempted nearly as many passes in the first half (22) as he averaged per full game last season (27). That he only completed 10 of them was due in part to some fine defense by TCU cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Kevin White, who combined for seven pass break-ups, but also drops by his receivers. At one point, top receiver Odell Beckham Jr. got behind the entire TCU defense. Mettenberger put a perfectly placed ball deep downfield but Beckham couldn't haul it in.
There were a couple questionable throws by the senior quarterback, who finished 16-of-32 for 251 yards, but he had no turnovers and was mostly on the money. He had consecutive completions of 26 and 44 yards on the Tigers' first touchdown drive. And when TCU got within 30-27 with 7:35 left, Mettenberger hit Jarvis Landry on a slant that the receiver turned into a back-breaking 20-yard score.
"It's what people have been saying about Zach forever," Landry said of Mettenberger's renowned arm strength. "He's got all the arm in the world. This year he's putting his mind with his arm."
Cameron, the former college and NFL head coach and longtime quarterback mentor, will get no shortage of credit if the previously inconsistent QB puts together a strong season. Miles commended his new coordinator Saturday night. Asked if this was the type of performance he envisioned from Mettenberger upon making the hire, Miles replied: "Yes, that's exactly right. I think that Zach will have nights like that pretty routinely from this point forward."
Whether their victory over a Big 12 foe is a sign that the Tigers will again contend in the SEC will likely depend on the continued development of Ferguson and all those other first-time starters -- and cutting down on all those mistakes.
"I feel like we could be better," said center Elliott Porter. "We need fewer mistakes, fewer penalties. We could play a little faster. But we did play pretty good. We're only going up from here."
They think they're going all the way to California.
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http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!
| Monday, September 2, 2013 | |
|---|---|
| The Advocate | Notes: Defense shows it’s not weak spot | Photos |
| The Advocate | More to LSU offense story than stats |
| The Advocate | Tigers up to opening challenges |
| Times Picayune | Quick impact from DE Jordan Allen helps key a strong defensive showing |
| Times Picayune | LSU gets a much-needed boost on Odell Beckham's timely kickoff return |
| Louisiana Gannett News | Guilbeau: Miles pleased with new offense as LSU rolls up yardage |
| Louisiana Gannett News | Guilbeaau: Suspensions hurt TCU more than LSU in opener |
| The Advocate | LSU: Golden Band from Tigerland (with video) |
| SEC Digital Network | SEC Players of the Week; La'el Collins O-Line |
| Notes: Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | Mississippi State | |
| Notes: Missouri | Ole Miss | South Carolina | TCU | Tennessee | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt | |
| College Football News | CFN Thoughts: It's still an SEC world |
| College Football News | SEC Week 1: Roundup & breakdown |
| Star-Telegram, TX | Horned Frogs must take praise in stride after hanging with LSU |
------------------
http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.
By Randy Rosetta, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on September 01, 2013 at 9:30 PM, updated September 01, 2013 at 11:21 PM
Quick impact from LSU defensive end Jordan Allen helps key a strong defensive showing
LSU's Jordan Allen says the defense will be ready for anything: Video LSU DE Jordan Allen and the defense faced two very different quarterbacks, but contained them both.
By Randy Rosetta, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on September 01, 2013 at 9:30 PM, updated September 01, 2013 at 11:21 PM
 The Tigers' junior got the first start of his career Saturday when No. 12 LSU clipped 20th-ranked TCU 37-27 at AT&T Stadium. And while the numbers don't seem all that impactful - 1 tackle, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry - the lanky guy in No. 98 was impossible to miss whenever he and the Tigers defense were on the field. Allen harassed Horned Frogs quarterback Casey Pachall on the first two series enough that it appeared that the TCU game plan was tweaked to avoid the 6-foot-6, 254-pound Allen as much as possible. That was certainly satisfying to the former West Monroe star whose college career has been derailed for one reason or another for three years, which has limited him to a handful of snaps. "To go out there and know I can be the guy the coaches can count on, it just gives me that much more motivation to get out there," Allen said after he helped anchor a defensive effort that limited the Frogs to 259 total yards. "It felt great to finally be out there."
1 / 37
LSU
Tigers coach Les Miles shakes hands with TCU Horned Frogs coach Gary
Patterson at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Saturday, August
31, 2013. (Brett Duke, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
|
LSU: Golden Band from Tigerland (Video)
Today is the day.
The sunlight bounces off brass and silver, blinding those standing along Victory Hill.
These fans have been waiting for this moment since the LSU Tigers closed out their 2012 season.
They know the 2013 football season is official once the LSU Tiger Marching Band makes its practice march to Tiger Stadium.
Of course, the crowd will be much bigger next Saturday, when LSU takes on the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the home opener. So big, in fact, barricades will be in place, creating an atmosphere more akin to Mardi Gras than a band’s march to the stadium.
But this isn’t just any band. It’s the Golden Band from Tigerland. So it’s not unusual for fans to show up the Saturday before the beginning of classes, iPads in hand recording the band’s every step.
They’re ready to hear the drums, ready to hear that first note of the “Tiger Rag” chorus that makes up the band’s “Pregame” fanfare.
“The band’s ready for this, too,” says Roy King, whose official title is director of athletic bands, but whom everyone recognizes as director of the Tiger Band, which is no simple task.
Coordinating preseason band camp, alone, is quite a task, what with welcoming incoming freshmen the first week, mixing them with returning upperclassmen in the second, then whittling the number down to 325 a couple of days before that practice run to the stadium.
All positions are up for grabs, meaning not every returning member is guaranteed a spot.
“We made the cuts a day early this year,” King says. “We cut some freshmen, and we had to cut some returning members, which is always heartbreaking.”
That enabled King, associate director of bands director Dennis Llinas and graduate assistants Christopher Drew Dickey, Danielle Emerich, Kelvin Jones and William Novak to teach the first halftime show during camp.
Normally, the first show doesn’t come together until the first week of classes.
“I think the Tiger Band made history this year, when we learned the show early” King says. “And Les Miles came and spoke to the band last night. He told them how much the band means to the football team and how it’s not the same when the band isn’t there.”
The band maintains a good relationship with the athletic department as a whole.
“We’ve received such great support from the athletic department. We usually practice in the field house during preseason, but because it’s undergoing renovations, the athletic department opened up the Assembly Center to us and allowed us extra time in the indoor practice facility,” King says. “That means so much.”
So the band is ready. More than ready.
Instrument sections huddle in separate groups before lining up in parade formation, each observing a tradition that culminates in loud cheers.
Standing in the midst of it all is new drum major Taylor Herpin. And he will be doing that oh-so-familiar toss of the silver baton high into the air for several flips.
“I worked with the drum major before me,” says Herpin. “And I practiced during the summer.”
Herpin, of Lafayette, beat out eight others for the job to lead the 325-member Golden Band from Tigerland down Victory Hill.
The game is on.
Comments
The sunlight bounces off brass and silver, blinding those standing along Victory Hill.
These fans have been waiting for this moment since the LSU Tigers closed out their 2012 season.
They know the 2013 football season is official once the LSU Tiger Marching Band makes its practice march to Tiger Stadium.
Of course, the crowd will be much bigger next Saturday, when LSU takes on the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the home opener. So big, in fact, barricades will be in place, creating an atmosphere more akin to Mardi Gras than a band’s march to the stadium.
But this isn’t just any band. It’s the Golden Band from Tigerland. So it’s not unusual for fans to show up the Saturday before the beginning of classes, iPads in hand recording the band’s every step.
They’re ready to hear the drums, ready to hear that first note of the “Tiger Rag” chorus that makes up the band’s “Pregame” fanfare.
“The band’s ready for this, too,” says Roy King, whose official title is director of athletic bands, but whom everyone recognizes as director of the Tiger Band, which is no simple task.
Coordinating preseason band camp, alone, is quite a task, what with welcoming incoming freshmen the first week, mixing them with returning upperclassmen in the second, then whittling the number down to 325 a couple of days before that practice run to the stadium.
All positions are up for grabs, meaning not every returning member is guaranteed a spot.
“We made the cuts a day early this year,” King says. “We cut some freshmen, and we had to cut some returning members, which is always heartbreaking.”
That enabled King, associate director of bands director Dennis Llinas and graduate assistants Christopher Drew Dickey, Danielle Emerich, Kelvin Jones and William Novak to teach the first halftime show during camp.
Normally, the first show doesn’t come together until the first week of classes.
“I think the Tiger Band made history this year, when we learned the show early” King says. “And Les Miles came and spoke to the band last night. He told them how much the band means to the football team and how it’s not the same when the band isn’t there.”
The band maintains a good relationship with the athletic department as a whole.
“We’ve received such great support from the athletic department. We usually practice in the field house during preseason, but because it’s undergoing renovations, the athletic department opened up the Assembly Center to us and allowed us extra time in the indoor practice facility,” King says. “That means so much.”
So the band is ready. More than ready.
Instrument sections huddle in separate groups before lining up in parade formation, each observing a tradition that culminates in loud cheers.
Standing in the midst of it all is new drum major Taylor Herpin. And he will be doing that oh-so-familiar toss of the silver baton high into the air for several flips.
“I worked with the drum major before me,” says Herpin. “And I practiced during the summer.”
Herpin, of Lafayette, beat out eight others for the job to lead the 325-member Golden Band from Tigerland down Victory Hill.
The game is on.
Comments
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Kassim Rasoulian · Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
I get a 404 when I click on your notification in facebook. Looks like the advocate's facebook commenting system still has a few bugs. Also, all these comments on facebook are being shown on the article on The Advocates website. Here is the link. http://theadvocate.com/home/6843203-125/lsu-golden-band- from-tigerland
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