Before the world ends…What I want to see in sports

Cassidy: Louisiana has answers for nation’s woes
May 31, 2011
Katherine Newsom
June 2, 2011
Cassidy: Louisiana has answers for nation’s woes
May 31, 2011
Katherine Newsom
June 2, 2011

Well, it looks like there was either no rapture or I just haven’t been on my best behavior lately and wasn’t among the lucky ones chosen.


If the second half of that last statement is the case, then never fear, because I have plenty enough time to finish this column before the zombies find me bunkered down here off La. Highway 3235 in beautiful Cut Off.


Wait a minute. Did I just reveal my location in print for everyone, including zombies, to see?

OK, maybe that wasn’t the smartest idea. For all of you zombies out there, ignore those last two paragraphs. I’m actually writing this column from the comforts of my new home in Toronto, Canada.


I sure hate throwing my new home under the bus like that, but at the end of the day, it’s just Canada, right?


Back to the topic. All of this rapture talk got me thinking about what would happen if the world truly did come to its end in a day, a week, a month or even a year.

As a sports fan, would I have seen everything that I wanted to see?


The answer is no and I’m sure once you all see my list, you’ll be on the same page.


Here’s my “Before the World Comes to an End” list:

1. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. I’m a huge boxing fan and it’s been far too long since the sport had a true super fight. This would be that fight. Mayweather and Pacquiao are hands-down the two best boxers in the world, but they both consistently duck one another for various reasons, which include fear of losing to the other. But this fight has to happen. These guys aren’t getting any younger and the sport of boxing is dying a slow death. This would be the jolt of life support it needs.


2. The Chicago Cubs win the World Series. Sure, I might need to live to be about 150 before the team ever even makes the playoffs again, but negative history has to stop at some point, right? The Cubs are one of the most beloved teams in the world and it’s time those poor and suffering people that call themselves fans get some love, too. No group of humans deserves to be punished that severely.

3. Nicholls State makes a run in the NCAA Tournament. I do remember the last time the Colonels made it to the Big Dance, so it would be cheating if I put something down that I already saw. So I’m going to get more ambitious and say that I’d love to see the Colonels make a run in the Big Dance. Whether it’s winning just one game in the tournament like Northwestern State did a few years ago, or making a deeper run to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8, it would be awesome to see. It would also be a great source of pride for the students of the university, too, who, frankly, probably have more purple and gold in their closets than they do red and white.

4. Tiger Woods breaks Jack Nicklaus’ major championship records. Whether he breaks the record or not, Woods is the best golfer who ever lived. I might be biased, because I’m a big Woods guy, but Nicklaus never routinely won major championships by 10-plus strokes the way Tiger did in the early 2000s. So I want Mr. Woods to end all discussion and get five more majors. Although, even the most loyal Tiger supporter has to admit that I might be waiting for a while for that one to happen.

5. A Tri-parish rivalry game in the state finals in football. Our football rivalries are as thick as swamp mud. Teams from around here just don’t like one another very much and that’s putting it mildly. I’d love to see that rivalry displayed in front of the state and played out on the grandest stage of them all, the state championship game. Can you imagine how intense it would be if South Lafourche played Central Lafourche in the finals? Or how about Terrebonne and H.L. Bourgeois? There would be so much buzz around the community and the players would truly clean their inner tanks to leave every ounce of energy on the field. It truly would be amazing to see.

6. Clarity in the Lance Armstrong situation. I just want to know whether he did or didn’t do it. No matter the answer, I won’t think any less of him as a cyclist or as a cancer survivor, because the truth is a) 99.9 percent of everyone in cycling dopes and b) he’s raised countless millions of dollars for cancer research with his Livestrong campaign. I just want clarity so I can remember the man as a cyclist and not as someone who maybe did or didn’t use performance-enhancing drugs.

7. Major league baseball in New Orleans. Let me start this off by stating that I know this is probably the biggest long shot of them all on the list for various reasons. But summer in Louisiana is awfully boring. How cool would it be to be able to drive out to the ballpark and catch a game?

All of the excuses I hear aren’t valid. Heat? There’s a team in Atlanta. It gets pretty hot there, too. Support? LSU baseball has the largest fan base in America.

Louisianans are old-fashioned people. Baseball is an old-fashioned sport. It’s worth a shot, even if I know it will probably never happen.

Feel free to share any you all might have on our Facebook page.

I’ll be sure to check them out, if the zombies don’t find me first.

Although, if they are looking in Canada, I have a hunch that they’ll be looking for a long, long time.