Interesting helmet....

[ShowDog]

_ My only problem with our current helmet is Ragin Cajuns is not tied into the University of Louisiana. Our softball team had Ragin Cajuns on everything except the batting helmet which had Louisiana. But, we were still referred to as Louisiana Lafayette. On ESPN a couple of months ago was a game between Southern and USC. The announcers talked about several of the Southern players being Ragin Cajuns with no idea that name is associated with our university. When LSU games are televised, which is pretty often, I hear announcers referring to Ragin Cajun players at LSU. Here in Houston, I was wearing a Ragin Cajun shirt and someone asked me if I was associated with the Ragin Cajun restaurant in Houston, not the university. We have the #1 moniker in the country, but it has no tie in to the University of Louisiana. I would rather see "UL" on the helmet and Ragin Cajuns on the jersey. We must better connect the two and, IMO, that is a great way to do that. Just my preference. _

I've watched many an LSU game and have never once heard their players called "Ragin Cajuns", they may have been referred to as having Cajun heritage but I've never heard the former.

I DID hear an announcer call us UL when LSU was playing Ole Miss for the SEC baseball championship. He stated that during LSU's winning streak, many of the teams were not pushovers including the UL Ragin Cajuns.

[ShowDog]

I'd sure like to see people get one thing absolutely "correct"... we are best known as the Ragin Cajuns... and that is the best and first identity, especially in athletics, to push. The UL and Louisiana should be a subtle addition... eventually, people put the two together.

I was in St. Kitts last summer wearing a UL t-shirt and a native said, "YOU RAGIN CAJUN?? I said sure am. You're right, we need to be pushing the heck out of it. We should have copyrighted it but were too stupid. If I remember right, a few years ago, ESPN said it was the best nick name in college sports.

[ShowDog]

5) Finally, what would be the "mark" (pun intended) of a great university? Ohio State, who manage their logos like corporate Nazis, and allow very little diversity?

Not so sure I agree with you about the coolest names. Ohioans do not love the nick name Buckeyes, in fact the die hards just say "Bucks". Most make jokes about the Buckeye nickname as it is the flower of a tree that produces a worthless nut.

[RCAJUN90]

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?

Tony McRoni it was not directed at you. It was a general statement. Perhaps you should stop donating?

[leeman]

_ OUR CURRENT HELMETS ARE TERRIBLE!!!!!!! _

I agree... I like the ul lafayette helmet

[CajunFun]

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?

With all due respect, Hammer, I disagree. Winning is not the main thing, and you and I prove it every time we show up at a game, at tailgating, or even on these boards, and support the Cajuns even though they're losing.

In fact, that was your point above, that you support UL even when they aren't winning.

A more important thing is community... which is an extension of family, which is the most important thing. When our family is out there competing, we support them win or lose.

UL is my family. Which means you guys are also family.

Which, I'm afraid, means no more french-kissing between you & Zeebart.

8-D

Seriously, I thought about that a lot this year in baseball, when I was sitting up there and we were getting pounded. I'd look around at the hilarious jackasses who sit around me (and I suppose I'm one of 'em), and think how lucky I am, to live in this community.

I wouldn't trade this community for every national championship for the next 100 years. And I bet a lot of people here would agree with me... which is exactly why we stick around while the doggies and tiagras and pokebacks make fun of us.

Some things are more important than winning. Community is one of them.

[RCAJUN90]

_ With all due respect, Hammer, I disagree. Winning is not the main thing, and you and I prove it every time we show up at a game, at tailgating, or even on these boards, and support the Cajuns even though they're losing.

In fact, that was your point above, that you support UL even when they aren't winning.

A more important thing is community... which is an extension of family, which is the most important thing. When our family is out there competing, we support them win or lose.

UL is my family. Which means you guys are also family.

Which, I'm afraid, means no more french-kissing between you & Zeebart.

8-D

Seriously, I thought about that a lot this year in baseball, when I was sitting up there and we were getting pounded. I'd look around at the hilarious jackasses who sit around me (and I suppose I'm one of 'em), and think how lucky I am, to live in this community.

I wouldn't trade this community for every national championship for the next 100 years. And I bet a lot of people here would agree with me... which is exactly why we stick around while the doggies and tiagras and pokebacks make fun of us.

Some things are more important than winning. Community is one of them. _

The Kool aide sippers don't realize the most important thing. There is a point where you just give up. I don't live in Lafayette Parish. I would think many of our alumni do not if so then we don't deserve the name "Louisiana". Lafayette is a wonderful city but if that makes or breaks our college then we are a community college. BTW Nothing is more important than winning. You must win to make a community. A lot of regulars on here don't realize that you have grads from all 50 states. It is easy to forget a loser and just support the pro team in your area. Winning is everthing and it isn't a dollar value where you can place on it. Money helps but it isn't everything.

[Hammer58]

_ Tony McRoni it was not directed at you. It was a general statement. Perhaps you should stop donating? _

Yea, right. You quote my post and comment on it but its not directed at me.

As for your point suggesting that we stop donating, that's a real formula for success. (That was sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on it.) Money drives college sports today. If you want the level of success that you claim then you better be ready to step up. And that goes for all of us. Whenever the administration gets off its ass and starts up the Cajun Athletic Foundation we all better be ready to contribute or we can expect more of the same on the field. If you want a significanlty superior product on the field you had better be willing to contribute to greatly enhance our budget in order to eventually see it happen. And the investment needs to be made NOW. Like anything else the investment must be made first in order to see the results at a later date.

[CajunFun]

The Kool aide sippers don't realize the most important thing. There is a point where you just give up. I don't live in Lafayette Parish. I would think many of our alumni do not if so then we don't deserve the name "Louisiana". Lafayette is a wonderful city but if that makes or breaks our college then we are a community college. BTW Nothing is more important than winning. You must win to make a community. A lot of regulars on here don't realize that you have grads from all 50 states. It is easy to forget a loser and just support the pro team in your area. Winning is everthing and it isn't a dollar value where you can place on it. Money helps but it isn't everything.

We raised $150M without winning.

We were the first school to make Doc II in Louisiana without winning.

We'll be the first school to make it to Doc I & rival State, without winning.

We've grown R&D here to $50M/year (and still going) without winning.

We've continually grown our campus without winning.

We've added innovative PhD & research programs without winning.

And those things prove-- correction, they are the very things that prove-- that we're certainly no community college.

On the other hand, McNeese & Tech & others have won more than we have, but they aren't doing any of these things.

Sports don't make a great University. Being a great University makes a great University.

There are different flavors of Kool-Aid... I guess the one that bothers me the most is not the one that's a different color from mine, it's the one that leads people to start with a conclusion and build their arguments from there, the one that convinces people that there is only one way to do anything, the one that keeps them from ever admitting to any data that suggests that there might be another way to approach a problem, the one that makes one question the value of a college education.

Anyway, I have one great advantage over you; at least mine's vermilion:

[RCAJUN90]

Yea, right. You quote my post and comment on it but its not directed at me.

As for your point suggesting that we stop donating, that's a real formula for success. (That was sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on it.) Money drives college sports today. If you want the level of success that you claim then you better be ready to step up. And that goes for all of us. Whenever the administration gets off its ass and starts up the Cajun Athletic Foundation we all better be ready to contribute or we can expect more of the same on the field. If you want a significanlty superior product on the field you had better be willing to contribute to greatly enhance our budget in order to eventually see it happen. And the investment needs to be made NOW. Like anything else the investment must be made first in order to see the results at a later date.

It might pain you to realize that the world does not revolve around you. You have made it a point to make this about you but it is not. You and several others complain so much about the vast amounts of money you give to the program, one can only say perhaps you should stop. I was always taught that if you give something to someone you are not to speak about because then it is not a donation. The team has to win to garner the support we all seek. McNeese and ULM have less but beat us on the field so it isn't all about money. This is a helmet thread and I thought how sad it is that we are worried so much about how we look. We could have plain red helmets and as long as we win I would be happy. Bustle has had plenty of time and we are going into another season with him at the helm and I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope we are successful but I highly doubt it. Then we will have to look for a new coach and start all over. On the bright side, look for short lines in the bathrooms and concessions.

[RCAJUN90]

We raised $150M without winning.

We were the first school to make Doc II in Louisiana without winning.

We'll be the first school to make it to Doc I & rival State, without winning.

We've grown R&D here to $50M/year (and still going) without winning.

We've continually grown our campus without winning.

We've added innovative PhD & research programs without winning.

And those things prove-- correction, they are the very things that prove-- that we're certainly no community college.

On the other hand, McNeese & Tech & others have won more than we have, but they aren't doing any of these things.

Sports don't make a great University. Being a great University makes a great University.

There are different flavors of Kool-Aid... I guess the one that bothers me the most is not the one that's a different color from mine, it's the one that leads people to start with a conclusion and build their arguments from there, the one that convinces people that there is only one way to do anything, the one that keeps them from ever admitting to any data that suggests that there might be another way to approach a problem, the one that makes one question the value of a college education.

Anyway, I have one great advantage over you; at least mine's vermilion:

Isn't that what you guys wanted to hang Dr. A on? He cared more about academics than athletics. The school is growing even with a terrible football team. Just think how much better we would be with a competitive team! That would help complete the college experience for our students. Around these parts they are calling UL the new LSU. In my mind that is a positive especially if we can start producing on the field.

[Hammer58]

_ It might pain you to realize that the world does not revolve around you. You have made it a point to make this about you but it is not. You and several others complain so much about the vast amounts of money you give to the program, one can only say perhaps you should stop. I was always taught that if you give something to someone you are not to speak about because then it is not a donation. The team has to win to garner the support we all seek. McNeese and ULM have less but beat us on the field so it isn't all about money. This is a helmet thread and I thought how sad it is that we are worried so much about how we look. We could have plain red helmets and as long as we win I would be happy. Bustle has had plenty of time and we are going into another season with him at the helm and I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope we are successful but I highly doubt it. Then we will have to look for a new coach and start all over. On the bright side, look for short lines in the bathrooms and concessions. _

Exactly, its not about me. It about UL and supporting this program if you expect success. Petey, you still have not answered the question of what YOU contribute to this program. As usual you dance around the question, change the subject and try to turn it into a personal argument. And if by the statement highlighted above you are trying to imply that you secretly donate, escuse me if I don't buy it. You have stated repeatedly that you will not give to this program. So I guess your answer by ommission is: you give NOTHING. So don't be disappointed when that is what you get in return.

When I brought up the subject of increased funding I fully expected you to bring up mcneese and monroe. The argument that they beat us with less is flawed because the mcneese budget is not significantly less than ours and the monroe budget is virtually the same. In addition listening to a mcneese alum whose son just recently finished playing baseball for mcneese, the complaint is that they put the majority of their resources into football and allow the other sports to suffer. So their actual football budget may be even closer to our football budget. But the main point is that if you want a successful program we (all of us including you) need to contribute and increase the budget exponentially. That will be especially true if the current staff does not turn it around and we do need to find a new coach. Afterall, you were the one who cried that we needed to hire Steve Spurrier. Think he is going to work for peanuts? Where do you expect to get the money to pay for ANY coach that is better than Bustle, much less to pay for a Spurrier-type coach?