LSU Tiger Blog

LSU’s “Main” Man

Thursday, June 18th, 2009      Email Print

Expectations are taken different ways by different coaches but its clear Paul Mainieri has always embraced them. He knew when he took the job a new ballpark was in the on-deck circle and the "Skip" super-sized shadow was still looming large. The truth is Mainieri knows he will never replace Skip Bertman but that doesn't mean he couldn't carve his own niche, which he already has. His second straight trip to Omaha is proof LSU's "Main" Man can win, adjust, rebuild and ultimately revive one of college baseball's best programs.

His second trip to Omaha as LSU coach is just beginning but the journey to get here wasn't without speedbumps or a few early potholes on the road to recovery. He arrived in Baton Rouge knowing he had to change the mindset of the Smoke Laval regime so he immediately cleaned house after Year 1. He scowered his squad of bad attitudes, team cancers and the kind of ballplayers that would hinder the progress of HIS recruits, thus eliminating roadblocks for future trips to Nebraska.

Once Mainieri started recruiting the results were immediate. His classes were without peer and showed what this program was missing. Its a big reason Skip Bertman hired the former Notre Dame coach and LSU player, but the biggest factor involved his "instincts" which have proved invaluable this season. The LSU coach had the preseason number one team, but that wasn't the number one priority for Mainieri. He saw something was missing so he shuffled his lineup moving starting shortstop DJ LeMahieu to second, second baseman Ryan Schimpf to left and preceded to bench last year's returning starters Derek Helenihi and Leon Landry in favor of FRESHMAN Tyler Hanover and Mikie Mahtook. The Mainieri moves' were bold and paid immediate dividends. Since those moves, how about this stat....the Tigers are 23 and 4 and oh by the way winners of the their last 10 in a row.

Mainieri's moves have paid off, his program is back to where LSU nation knows it belongs. You have to give loads of credit to the Tigers' skipper who will look across the field tonight and see one of his proteges in Virginia's Brian O'Connor who led the Cavs to its first trip to Omaha in the program's history. You think LSU's "Main" Man should get some credit for that? Further proof, Paul Maineri's influence extends way beyond LSU's dugout, time will tell if it brings home LSU's sixth national title.

By: Mike Nabors

An Emmy award winning sports reporter who covers a wide variety of events for CST. Primarily, Mike serves as the network's reporter for Saints coverage.

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