Lost Souls

I am so sad for Tulane students these days. (warning, this one is a little bit of a downer).

I asked the student newspaper where their article was on Mewelde's Super Bowl appearance and they said they'd write something on his performance. OK. So then in the following issue appears an "investigative" article on how Tulane has "shockingly" placed more athletes in the NFL than our vaunted baseball team places in the MLB.

From those of us who weathered the infamous 2003 Review: thanks for noticing.

There was a very real possibility that nobody would get to enjoy anything about Tulane football EVER again. So our picketing, marching and chanting outside of Cowen's window on a non-stop vigil during those stressful weeks was intended to benefit you.

So now please go out and get to know your fellow classmates who bleed Olive and Blue and support them at a game.

Like our new fabulous addition to the 2009 Class: Cody Ledford (thanks to his dad for the pic).

Cody fended off SEC and ACC suiters to stick with his commitment to Tulane. AND he's wearing a beautiful crested "T" tie here in his Signing Day photos. (Tie available at the Tulane ticket office and also at Perlis on Magazine.)

Oh, and Wilson Van Hoosier! (rivals pic)

Love his enthusiasm! He was so excited to be coming to Tulane, HE started "working the phones" on other Tulane commits. They said they couldn't get past his enthusiasm. OK, so his Namath-esque predictions about future SEC match-ups may make you giggle, but you gotta love the guy!

Wilson's efforts are such a stark contrast to something I ran across last year. There was either an article or a posting in Hullabaloo (The actual newspaper, not my drivel here - ha!) where they discussed student participation at athletic events at our alma mater. I can't remember my exact wording in a response to these chirren. Something along the lines that they just need to buck up and support their classmates.

I will never forget their sad little responses in the forum: that the citizens of New Orleans just needed to pick up their slack.

What is wrong with you?!

I wish that freshman orientation consisted of giving every incoming new member of our fabulous college a copy of our departed coach's book: Fourth and New Orleans (amazon.com - go buy one. like now).

Say what you will about Coach Scelfo and the book deal, blah blah blah. It's not about him. This book is about the student athletes and what they went through representing our school.

11 games on the road with a folding chair serving as your locker. Mr. Hullabaloo and I packed our bags and hit the road to make the ones we could get to from our exiled location. And, let me tell you, that was not an easy task during the aftermath of the storm with the rebuilding of careers, homes, locating family and friends. Finding an open gas station or feeding establishments. Let alone having to suit up and play in all 11 road games, on top of keeping up with school.

If you aren't clutching a hanky during the chapter on Brandon Spincer's funeral, then there is something seriously wrong with you.

Oh, and the heroine in the book: Patti Terranova. The good lord has blessed our Greenwave Nation with a gem. Bubba hasn't been on the team in years and yet Patti is still going to Tulane football stuff. I was just with her when she picked out a fabulous pink Tulane tee-shirt at the ticket office at the Signing Day party this week. She'll totally rock that tee.

So the least students can do is plop their rear in a seat for 3 hours, 5 times a year. That's 15 hours. Half of a day. For the love of god, we're asking you to have fun for free and get to know your classmates before you have to pay hundreds to see them play professionally.

Seriously, how much is a ticket to the see a Chicago Bears game these days? At least the superdome is climate controlled and we have an excellent array of frosty beverages to enjoy.

ROLL WAVE ROLL