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 Powers out LSU, Southern Cal making other plans this year
Posted: Tuesday June 08, 1999 04:05 PM
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The LSU fans will probably be crying alligator tears at the Cajun food stand at Rosenblatt Stadium. Once dubbed "Team of the Decade" by Baseball America magazine, traditional national power Louisiana State will be sitting out the last College World Series of the 1990s. "Yard work," LSU coach Skip Bertman said gruffly. "Getting a lot of yard work done." It's just the third time this decade the Tigers won't travel to Omaha. LSU has won four national championships during the 1990s, including consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997. Those purple and gold Mardi Gras beads won't be the only familiar sights missing when this year's tournament begins Friday. Defending champion Southern California lost to Stanford in last weekend's super regional, and Trojans coach Mike Gillespie said it will be hard for him to watch the series on television. "I think we justifiably believe we are one of the teams that could have given a good account of ourselves," Gillespie said. That's not to say the CWS field represents a shakeup. Last year's top-seeded team, Miami, is back for the sixth straight year. Alabama is making its third trip this decade, Cal State-Fullerton won the title in 1995 and Oklahoma State was here as recently as 1996. Rice, a relative newcomer to Omaha, is making its second trip overall but it's the school's second visit in three years. Texas A&M, making its fourth trip, last qualified for the series in 1993. "I like the idea of some fresh people that haven't been there much before," Texas A&M coach Mark Johnson said. "I don't like to see total domination by any team in any sport." Some new blood might even make the CWS more fun to watch. Johnson said the famed traditions of Aggie football fans -- kissing after touchdowns, coordinated cheering and so on -- sometimes carry over to the baseball diamond. "We have a lot of great fans," Johnson said. "They have real Aggie spirit and we know those who show up in Omaha will carry it well." The NCAA tournament grew this year from 48 to 64 teams. As a result, the NCAA Division I baseball committee added super regionals for the first time to fill out the expanded bracket. "Our super regional was pitted against Alabama and they were the hottest team in the country," Bertman said. "We weren't good enough to beat them at their place. USC of course would have been back, but they ran into the same problem we had. They had to go to Stanford's place." So while Texas A&M fans are puckering up at Rosenblatt, Bertman said he will be mowing his lawn in Baton Rouge. "Normally, during the playoffs, my yard looks like a wildlife preserve," he said. "Evidently this year, unfortunately, my yard will be looking good. I almost wish my neighbors had reason to complain."
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