Perhaps it was like being an LSU fan living in Arkansas.
Or an Alabama fan - although the Crimson Tide Nation has more to brag about recently - or a fan of any other team.
Blessed to be here, but it’s hard to call the Hogs.
It was Sunday afternoon. I was on the back of the lido deck, surrounded by the deep blue waters of the Gulf, and the intention had been to quietly eat salmon and cream cheese on a toasted bagel.
Instead, with three televisions on and two bartenders serving up fruity drinks and overpriced beer, there were dozens and dozens of the Tiger Nation.
They were there to watch LSU take on Vanderbilt for the SEC baseball championship.
With two outs in the top of the first inning - with eight more innings to go - a Tigers batter got a hit and the back of the boat exploded in a roar that usually comes with a game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. It was soon choked away by a force out at second.
The first pitch of the bottom of the first by LSU was accompanied with, “Right down the middle. Right down the middle.”
Your trusty scribe began to look for an escape route, but it wasn’t lifeboat time. That came in the second inning after the Tigers scored three runs on four hits and an error.
The afternoon was filled with joy and hearts swelled among those wearing purple. Admittedly, most were wearing T-shirts with messages about football.
By the bottom of the second, the clever comments - “Did you see dat? Did you see dat?” and “Geaux-geaux time for the Tigers” - were getting wearisome and quieter quarters were sought.
So it was down a flight of stairs to Gatsby’s, where every television was tuned in to the game, even though one guy was requesting NASCAR.
Watching the game was the intent, and as people wandered by and idle conversation was made, it was quite clear that a large portion of the Tigers faithful - at least among those who like cruises - are not enamored with their football coach (Les Miles), weren’t sure who their basketball coach is (Johnny Jones) and hate Nick Saban.
Oh, they understood Saban leaving LSU for the Miami Dolphins and the NFL. What they can’t stomach is that when he wearied of the NFL, he went to Alabama.
“Our archrival,” said a young man who added that he once played baseball for the Tigers, which was when he said he discovered a taste for Bud Light.
“I dearly miss the game,”he said, reaching for another $4.50 can of brew.
LSU went on to win its 10th SEC championship, and later the Tigers were awarded an NCAA regional tournament as expected.
The Razorbacks are going to the NCAA Tournament but will travel to Manhattan, Kan., which is not a garden spot, as a No. 2 seed. There was disappointment all around that the Hogs wouldn’t be hosting a regional tournament, but when you lose 6 of 7 non-conference road games, your power rating isn’t so powerful.
The University of Central Arkansas was elated to be sent to Starkville, Miss., and if the Bears don’t get a case of nerves, they have a shot to do some damage there.
At dinner Sunday night,with three couples from Louisiana who said they were huge Tigers fans (only one actually attended school there), the conversation was varied but not one of them knew LSU had won that afternoon. In fact, they didn’t know the Tigers had made the championship game.
They were all about football and agreed that Alabama is dominating their sport, that LSU should do better in all sports and that the fan support is unbelievably loyal.
They also agreed that the food had been consistent for four days - average at best.
Sports, Pages 17 on 05/29/2013