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| Head Coach Mark Hudspeth |
It was business as usual for UL's football team Wednesday afternoon ... but, as Elton John once said, "but, then again, no."
The Ragin' Cajuns held their first practice session since arriving in New Orleans for Saturday's R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, which got the UL squad back to some semblance of regular routine after Tuesday's first day of bowl travel and activities.
But even back on the practice field, through a 90-minute session at historic Tad Gormley Stadium, there was a different atmosphere. It wasn't the run-of-the-mill workout, but there also wasn't the quick realization of the bowl experience that the Cajuns had last year in their first-ever on-site bowl workout.
Most of that had to do with the venue. When they began preparations for last year's New Orleans Bowl, UL had every one of its workouts in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This year's opening workout moved outside on a perfect weather day.
"I really think this helped ease us into bowl week," said senior offensive tackle Leonardo Bates. "Last year, it was like we went in wide-eyed right off the bat, going into the 'Dome."
Going to Tad Gormley — the site of countless Crescent City-area high school games for decades, and host site for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials — was a better option for Cajun coach Mark Hudspeth.
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| Quarterback Terrance Broadway |
"We could have worked in the 'Dome," he said after Wednesday's practice, "but we would have had to be there at 9 a.m., so we would have had to get the guys up around 7 and leave before 8, and we thought that was a little early."
That would have been especially early since the players had a free night on Tuesday following their team party at Rock 'N' Bowl. The players had a late (2 a.m.) curfew just like last year and most took the opportunity to walk Bourbon Street and some of the other French Quarter areas. They'll have that same opportunity Wednesday night with a 1 a.m. curfew, before the time starts getting more restricted as Saturday's 11 a.m.. contest with East Carolina approaches.
Hudspeth himself was in the lobby late and say many of his players arriving back. "They did a great job last night of keeping what we call our core values," he said. "We did let them sleep in today, and they responded in practice today. The kids were all jacked up, a lot of juice ... they came out with a lot of energy."
The Cajuns will get into the Superdome for a 10:30 a.m. practice Thursday prior to bowl media day activities just after noon. East Carolina, which has practiced the last two days at the New Orleans Saints training facility on Airline Drive, will hold its Thursday Superdome practice at 1 p.m.
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| Lineman Daniel Quave |
"It's important to get in there just to catch a few punts and kicks and passes," Hudspeth said. "The depth perception in there is different. Plus, we've got a lot of guys who were with us last year but who didn't participate a whole lot and contribute."
For Bates, who prepped at nearby L. W. Higgins, going to Tad Gormley was almost a homecoming.
"I played here several times," he said. "I was actually a little excited about it when I heard we were having practice over here."
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JUNE 18 Here's the latest from the Advocate on the fatal hit-and-run accident allegedly involving the president of the Livingston Parish School Board. He's accused by police of hitting a 21-year-old man on a highway early Sunday and driving away. The man died at a hospital later. On Monday, police seized the president's truck and towed it away. But he's available for board meetings: apparently a $500 bond is sufficient for this type of thing over in St. Helena Parish.
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JUNE 18 Here's a fairly absurd column posted on DIG Magazine about the completely absurd practice of naming killer storms. Tornadoes don't have names. Blizzards don't have names. But hurricanes do, and there's a big process to bestow them, Jacques Cormery writes. He's right about the crazy assemblage of names -- this year, there's everything from Tanya to Humberto -- and his idea that we don't waste good names on killer storms is a good one.
JUNE 17 Political columnist John Maginnis has some advice for Louisiana Republicans: grow up. After the schism that occurred in this past session - fiscal hawks teaming up with Democrats to spank the Republican "majority" and hand Gov. Jindal his, er, aspirations for continued solon control -- they need to figure out how to get along with each other, Maginnis writes.
JUNE 17 Here's the Picayune's obit story for Dorothy 'Miss Dot' Domilise, the lady who made poboys at the uptown restaurant that bears her name. Miss Dot moved to New Orleans during World War II, where she met and married her husband Sam. When she passed away Friday she was 90, and had spent more than 60 of those years working at the restaurant on Annunciation Street.
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JUNE 18 Here's a post from Manny Schewitz on Forward Progressives that is good for a chuckle. Manny had an epiphany back in November, and is sharing it with us today: he believes that Fox "News" is killing the GOP by pandering to right wing nuts. Now, don't get it twisted: Manny's not broke up about it. He says he enjoys watching the downward spiral with a shot of whiskey and "a schadenfreude chaser."
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