CHABERT IN ALTERCATION WITH COLLEAGUE AFTER DEBATE
May 25, 2018
THE ULTIMATE SUMMER BUCKET LIST
May 25, 2018
School sports are over for the 2017-18 academic year.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun talking about what now lies ahead.
Even though we’re in a bit of a quiet pattern in local sports, there have still been a lot of headline stories of local interest in the past week – ranging from JOE Burrow to Boogie Cousins, among other things.
You guys are curious try and help scratch some of that itch.
So let’s go. This week’s mailbag was awfully fun – as it always is.
Want to send questions? Find me on. Twitter @casey_gisclair.
Q: What do you think about Joe Burrow committing to LSU? (Asked by Nick, Cut Off)
A: I think it’s great news. When you’ve not had a solid quarterback for as many years as LSU, it’s always good to have able bodies in your locker room. Burrow
is a good player. He was well-recruited out of high school and has performed well in every chance he’s been given with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Burrow just had a little bit of bad luck in Columbus when Ohio State signed a five-star quarterback, who leap-frogged Burrow on the depth, chart and land-locked him from seeing the field. I think Coach Ed Orgeron will play the company line and will say that the competition is still open. But Burrow IS not leaving Ohio State to be a second fiddle He’s going to play.
Q: What do you make of the Boogie Cousins comments? (Asked by Reed, Houma)
A: I think it means that he’s not the lock to re-sign with the Pelicans that the homer, Kool Aid sipping beat writers in New Orleans say that be is. Cousins wants to win, sure. But at what cost? If the Pelicans give him the short-term, lower than maximun value contract that’s being rumored, then I can absolutely see him flirting with other teams with the strong possibility of leaving and signing elsewhere. And if/when that happens, Pelicans fans shouldn’t pout. They should rejoice. As I’ve said here in this column many times, Cousins is not a winning player. The Pelicans got better literally as soon as Cousins got injured and left the picture. Without Cousins, the Pelicans play with pace, they share the ball, they defend at a higher level and everyone has more confidence.
Q: Who will be the top local football team in 2018? (Asked by Rodney, Houma)
A: It sure sounds like it’s Terrebonne, right? The Tigers won a ton of games last year and return a slew of players, including some of the top play makers in the state. The challenges for Terrebonne will be what they always are: they play in a brutally tough Class SA football district which features state powerhouses up and down the slate. But heck, Terrebonne has a prominent senior class. That matters a lot I think those guys will be awfully tough to beat.
Q: Who will be the new H.L. Bourgeois football coach? (Asked by Tin. Houma)
A: I don’t have a good beat on this one in any direction, I do know this: I know that Carey Melvin is a good guy and he did a really good job with that Braves’ program during his time with the team. I also know that H.L. Bourgeois is not an easy job. There are athletes at the school, sure. But that’s a basketball school. When lined up against Destrehan, Hahnville Thibodaux and the other in that league, it’s often not been a match. The Braves need a young coach who will plan TO be at the school for a while. That program has had far too much turnover TO be successful.
Q: What do you make of all of the athletic successes Nicholls has had this year? (Asked by Ron, Houma)
A: Well, let’s be objective here. I think a lot of the credit belongs to former athletic director Rob Bernardi, who hired a lot of these coaches – from Tim Reborn to DoBee Plaisance to Angel Santiago. Bernardi was very, very under-rated during his times here and some of HIS late-tenure hires were among his beat. Now, with that said, I don’t mean to disrespect current athletic director Matt Roan, who has also done a nice job in his time at Nicholls. But all I’m saying is this: Roan inherited an athletic department that was much more advanced than the one Bernardi inherited many moons ago. That’s progress.
Q: Jordan or LeBron? (Asked bf Banny, Houma)
A: I just want to say up front that I hate this debate because LeBron and Jordan are not similar style players, so to compare the two is a bit lazy. It’s literally like comparing a cat to a dog. But if you are forcing me to make a pick, I will say that I think Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in history and I have many, many reasons to back up that claim. The first is HIS propensity to win. Michael won six titles (while missing two of his prime seasons). LeBron James has just three rings and has lost in the NBA Finals more than he’s won. The second is his competitive edge. Michael was always huge in the biggest moments. LeBron scores 20 points in the first quarter, gets tired, then gets passive for the rest of the game, finishing the game with 35 points. The third is competitive drive. Michael Jordan was a career Bull. He stayed with the team as they shuffled their roster and make tweaks. LeBron James quit the Cavs the first time to go to Miami. Once that party bus got a flat tire, he quit Miami and went back to Cleveland. Guess what? This coming offseason, he’s set to do it all again. The NBA is a star-driven league. If a player is that dominant, the situation around him should always find a way to work itself out.
Q: Something on NetFlix? I love when you do those. (Asked by Bonnie, Thibodaux)
A: I’ve been hooked on Parks and Rec. If you’ve not seen that, I recommend it. Also, I enjoy Friday Night Lights.
Q: Settle a debate with friends. Who is the best wrestler in WWE right now? (Asked by Luke. Raceland)
A: Wrestler as in purely in-ring work? If so, I go with Seth Rollins. But if we’re looking at the total package of in-ring work, character, mic skills and crowd reaction, etc., I go with either A.J. Styles or The Miz. Let me explain Styles speaks for himself. He was over as both a face and a heel. He works five-star matches and he’s great on the mic. He has the charisma needed to be a top-tier star. OK, now, let’s talk about The Miz. A lot of people in my circle don’t like The Miz, but I don’t agree with that sentiment. Literally everything that guy has done for a decade has worked with the audience. How many guys leave The Miz and then lose their place on the roster? Remember Alex Riley? Remember Damien Mizdow? Remember the Miz-Tourage? That guy is the most underrated heel of this generation.
Oreion james is an easy pick for Ellender’s MCP after a great year
