since there are copyright laws I didnt paste the entire article. I left out one word somewhere. Hope you miss it. LSU Baseball News GREAT EXPECTATIONS LSU appearing in the College World Series seems to be an annual ritual. But has the Tigers' past success created unreasonable pressure on Coach Smoke Laval? Friday, June 11, 2004 By Mike Triplett Staff writer BATON ROUGE -- LSU's Smoke Laval has the best conference record of any SEC baseball coach in the past three years. Laval's Tigers are the only team to finish among the SEC's top four in each of those seasons. Only two SEC coaches have taken their teams to the NCAA super regional three years in a row Laval and South Carolina's Ray Tanner. Only Laval and Tanner have reached the College World Series in that span. But Laval doesn't have the luxury of being compared to other current SEC coaches. In his three years since taking over for legendary coach Skip Bertman, Laval has been held to a much higher standard. The bar was set when Bertman led the Tigers to five national championships between 1991 and 2000. And, fair or not, the bar was raised when Nick Saban led the LSU football team to a national championship in January. Folks around here have become accustomed to greatness. They seem to demand it from their coaches. "After Nick won the national championship, I said the No. 1 guy (who would have to deal with inflated expectations is basketball coach John) Brady. And the No. 2 guy is Smoke," said Bertman, now the athletic director. "It's a tough concept. But he (Laval) deals with it. The fans here are very spoiled. And that's good. "The fact that they're rabid and in abundance is a wonderful thing. Don't ever complain about that. The only time you want to complain is when nobody cares." Bertman, who hand-picked his successor, said he has heard only a few rumblings and received a few emails over the past couple of years from people dissatisfied with Laval. Laval said the same thing. But, as with all coaches in all sports, there is always a vocal minority that demands more. In truth, the jury is probably still out on Laval, who took his first team to the College World Series last season, only to go two-and-out. But the 48-year-old skipper might have a chance to put his own stamp on this storied program if his Tigers can defeat Texas A&M in this weekend's super regional. "Everybody has an opinion," Laval said. "That doesn't bug me. I don't read the newspapers. I don't listen to the talk shows. My family does. And it kills 'em. But so be it. "I just try to go out and do my best. That's all I can do. And I try to prepare these guys for professional ball or, you know, life after baseball." It's not like Laval didn't know what he was getting himself into. He was an assistant on the Tigers' staff from 1984-93 before becoming head coach at UL-Monroe. And, back in 2000, Laval remembers hearing rumblings that Bertman was "too old" and the "game had passed him by." "I mean, c'mon," Laval said. Then again, Laval grew up in McDonald, Pa., where he and his family were Pittsburgh Steelers fans. And his father has told him that Steelers coach Bill Cowher should be on the chopping block if he doesn't win this year. But Laval doesn't want to go anywhere else. They are still playing baseball at its highest level at LSU, and in the SEC. He still gets to work with the highest-caliber talent. And, oh by the way, LSU still has a shot to win a national championship this season and every other season. It's just a lot more difficult for any team to repeat success these days, Bertman said. Defending champion Rice didn't even make it out of last weekend's regional. "Every year, you want to do better. That's the whole thing," Laval said. "It was that way when I went to Monroe. And, when I got beat by Sam Houston or Alcorn State, I didn't go home and give high fives. I was livid. Now I get beat by Arkansas or Georgia, and I take the losses harder than the wins gratify. Much. "It's not about me. Watching the kids, that's what it's all about," Laval said. "Getting guys going in the professional draft (who) last year really struggled at times. ... (Or) It's about (Rhett) Buteau and seeing if he can get better and play more next year. And seeing (Ivan) Naccarata hit a homer or (Justin) Meier get better or (Lane) Mestepey get healthy or (Blake) Gill become a draftable shortstop next year. "Omaha is what you strive for along the way. But what happens if you have some injuries or you're really not that good? That can happen." Laval is described by his players and assistants as a "laid-back" coach who lets his guys play their game. "But if he sees something that needs to be corrected, or if we need to be fired up, then he jumps up and takes the reins," Mestepey, a junior pitcher, said. Laval doesn't have the charm with the media that Bertman had. And Laval isn't much on giving speeches. But he does a great job of blending humor with business. Guys say he cracks them up quite a bit around the clubhouse. "I guess that's about timing," Laval said. "I'll tell you one thing. Say what you will about Skip Bertman, but he had great timing. I don't know if it was uncanny or it was planned. But, boy, he was outstanding. I kept a diary for three years, the kind that teachers write out on their desk. And I would take notes on when he would use a speech to try and get in their face, when he would ease off." Mostly, Laval loves the baseball. As a former catcher at Jacksonville University and Gulf Coast Community College, he has a passion for the strategy of the game. He likes to think about matchups, percentage plays. Laval makes a lot of moves during the season with the postseason in mind such as leaving in a struggling pitcher to let him work out his problems, or not stealing with his top runners very often so the opponents don't get much of a scouting report on them. "He knows this game as well as anybody," LSU assistant Turtle Thomas said. "He makes great personnel moves. He's really good in devising a lineup to get the most out of our team offensively. He knows when to change pitchers. He knows when to leave them in. He's just a very good baseball mind." "If you listen to him," added junior J.C. Holt, "you'll learn a lot." Regardless, Laval probably will be judged on what happens this weekend. Win two out of three, and he's golden. Lose two out of three, and the rumblings start. But Laval said he won't let himself be bothered. "I have to win, because it's what I put on myself," Laval said. "You're confusing that with what other people think. I don't care, as long as I'm pleased myself. In other words, I could sit you around with my friends and you'd think everything was wonderful. Or you could sit around the people that are looking for something negative." . . . . . . .
His mistake is that he doesn't get on the phone and call some of the guys here to let them know what he's thinking.
Man I know...I hate that.....I mean he used to call me and stuff....and I would like know what he was gonna do....it was cool right....then the dude just straight up just stop callin.....he be trippin
