The negative power of unspoken words

[NewsCopy]

About 20 minutes after hearing the news, Michael Lotief walked into the UL softball locker room and plopped down on a wooden bench. Across the room sat two shiny reminders of the program's recent success - a trophy for winning the Sun Belt Conference regular season title and another signifying the SBC Tournament championship. Less than 24 hours had passed since the Ragin' Cajuns won their eighth SBC Tournament in nine years. Having earned the conference tourney's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the program had clinched its 10th straight regional berth. But Lotief and his Cajuns had to wait until Sunday night to learn this year's tournament field. In the end, his suspicion was right: UL (46-12) earned a No. 2 seed and would travel up I-10 to play in the Baton Rouge Regional. Some media members jumped ahead to a possible matchup with top-seeded LSU (42-16), which plays fourth-seeded Mississippi Valley State (28-26) at 7 tonight. Lotief reminded everyone that the Cajuns were not overlooking today's 4 p.m. game against third-seeded East Carolina (36-28). The rest of the story Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • May 16, 2008

[Louisiana84]

Yvette Girouard is a triator and she knows it.

[DeadRed]

_ Yvette Girouard is a triator and she knows it. _

She is a Benedict. I hope she rots in refineryville.

It also doesn't help that when she left, she talked down the SB program to recruits and erased every computer dealing with any aspect of SB. Steph. had to come in a completely start over from scratch. No information, none. Just cleaned out everything. It probably could have been a smooth transition with the coaching staffs (not the fans) but Benedict shot first.

I heard she stole her own plaque.

[CajunRage]

Yvette Girouard is a triator and she knows it.

I have a friend whose mom was real tight with Yvette when she was here. They think that she's the best thing since sliced bread. Their claim is that "she wasn't given anything to work with when she was here." I'm pretty sure the Loteif's have gotten nothing more. Also, I know this guy named Tony who has done more than Yvette could have ever dreamed of doing. (with the same nickel and dime budget may I add) I am all for making a decision for the best of yourself and your family, but you have to realize that those decisions will bring out your true colors.

[Hammer58]

_ I have a friend whose mom was real tight with Yvette when she was here. They think that she's the best thing since sliced bread. Their claim is that "she wasn't given anything to work with when she was here." I'm pretty sure the Loteif's have gotten nothing more. Also, I know this guy named Tony who has done more than Yvette could have ever dreamed of doing. (with the same nickel and dime budget may I add) I am all for making a decision for the best of yourself and your family, but you have to realize that those decisions will bring out your true colors. _

Their claim is accuarate. But your point is also valid. No team here has been given what it really needs to be successful by this administration. But the way she left along with the things she said and did in an attempt to damage the program is what has soured her in the eyes of Cajun fans. She had to be pretty niave to think it wouldn't.

[Cajunsmike]

_ There claim is accuarate. But your point is also valid. No team here has been given what it really needs to be successful by this administration. But the way she left along with the things she said and did in an attempt to damage the program is what has soured her in the eyes of Cajun fans. She had to be pretty niave to think it wouldn't. _

Yvette is correct in her view in that some people consider her a traitor. I think those nos. are few and most people do not begrudge her for leaving for LSU. However they are disapointed in how she left. Sending letters to Cajun season ticket holders asking for them to continue to support her instead of their team was not very wise. Joshua Parrott should have brought this point up in the article. As he has not been here very long, he may not be aware that occurred. If LSU fans participate in this post, they need to address this letter to Cajun season ticket holders in order to give their comments credibility.

[Just1More]

The hilarity of this is when an LSU person makes something of our issues with Yvette. I was discussing (counseling) a fella one day and I lured him into a discussion on Yvette. He jumped all over it... but when I paralleled Nicky Saban into the discussion and reminded him of that massive hatred... he just dug deeper holes. "It isn't the same... Yvette built that program, how could you turn on her"... Saban gave you a national championship, how can you turn on him?

There's a whole lot more reasons to dislike the way Yvette has handled this than the pure and simple she left "us" for "them". She took every one of her UL recruits to LSU, knowing it would leave UL with a shortage of players. She could have left UL intact and simply worked LSU up after many years of hard work. She also knew damn well what she would leave, emotionally, in her wake.

Everyone should do what they want to do in life... and live with the consequences. Yvette did it for the money. She has and will retire with a tremendous softball legacy... it will, however, always be tainted with a character issue. LSU's money will not launder it away. We do not need to discuss it anymore... she knows it... she still wakes up thinking about it. When one door closes another one opens... sometimes things work out better than you ever expected... we have the Lotiefs.

[Sonsissymia]

_ Yvette Girouard is a triator and she knows it. _

is that a cajun term? an amalgam of "traitor" and "alligator?"

[GrandCoteauTiger]

I would someone to explain how YG making three college world series appearance with UL is less than TR making one?

Also, can someone explain LSU's 13-3 series record if UL is the superior program?

[Cajunsmike]

_ I would someone to explain how YG making three college world series appearance with UL is less than TR making one?

Also, can someone explain LSU's 13-3 series record if UL is the superior program? _

I don't recall any Cajun saying UL is the superior program. Someone may have, but if so, I missed it. Cajuns may have had the better program before before LSU started putting resources into softball but that is not the case now. If you look at results from an accomplishments/resources ratio perspective, then the Cajuns are competitive.

[shof]

_ I would someone to explain how YG making three college world series appearance with UL is less than TR making one?

Also, can someone explain LSU's 13-3 series record if UL is the superior program? _

Well, if you'd read and comprehended the article, you'd have seen that YG lost about 8 of her first 9 against LSU. I suspect their program was more established than when USL started their program. I'd research it; but I really don't GAD - that's ancient history.

Like someone else mentioned - it wasn't so much that YG left for LSU as it was "how" she left. A little PC savvy would have gone a long way in making the departure to LSU more palatable. She wasn't the first to take that path. Remember Jerry Simmons (the very successful USL tennis coach)? He left for LSU, and you didn't see anywhere near the nastiness. Just like YG, he recognized that he could be more successful at LSU with their resources; but he didn't rub it in everyone's noses (that I recall) when he left.

Shof

[4LSU]

_ I don't recall any Cajun saying UL is the superior program. Someone may have, but if so, I missed it. Cajuns may have had the better program before before LSU started putting resources into softball but that is not the case now. If you look at results from an accomplishments/resources ratio perspective, then the Cajuns are competitive. _

You guys are much more than simply "competive" in softball and you are a player on the national scene. I think most reasonable LSU fans have no problem seeing that as a fact.

As to the "traitor" thing, why is it ok for a coach to move from the Cowboys to the Cajuns without having a negative label affixed to their back but not ok to move from the Cajuns to the Tigers?

Best of luck to both teams in the regional.