Open Letter to Chicken (Long)

Dear Chicken,
Thanks for creating this board. I've been following LSU football for over forty-five years and, since graduating from LSU undergraduate in 1982 and law school in 1985, for the last twenty-five years I have been living in Texas. I was reading and posting on LSU internet bulletin boards before most of your users knew what one was. This is THE board for LSU football and I appreciate your efforts.

For the last two weeks, I get madder reading this board than anything else. Most of the posts I read I would be expecting to read on opposing teams bulletin boards, not our own. I now find myself attacking other LSU fans for posts they are making. I am sick and tired of defending our players and our coaches to our own fan base.

I would like to offer a suggestion. Would it be possible to have two different boards: (1) one board for those that (i) truly hate Coach Miles, (ii) wish him and the players would play poorly so that LSU will fire the coaches, (iii) feel the need to comment on our coach's interviews, his attire, etc., (iv) those that feel the need to criticize every play that does not go our way and (v) those that criticize every player that makes a mistake; and (2) one board for those that love LSU, that will root for and support our players and coaches every game, that will ask constructive questions, provide constructive critique, and those that will remember the good with the bad. I am sick and tired of reading posts on this board from those that I would classify as Board #1 posters. I am still interested in reading posts from Board #2 posters.

I,for one, am tired of the vocal minority of our fan base making the majority of true LSU fans look like asses in the public arena. Sure, the vocal minority says that “all of my friends at my tailgate hate Coach Miles” or “everyone at my office thinks Coach Miles is an idiot.” My suggestion for those posters, find another tailgate or find another job. Did you ever think that people are saying and talking like that because they know that you don’t like Coach Miles? As they say, birds of a feather flock together.

I am sick and tired of explaining to football fans in Texas why some LSU fans are so arrogant that they actually believe that if we don’t win a national championship every year that we have to fire our coach. Do you know the odds of a college program wining one national championship every ten years actually are? Do you know what the odds of a college program winning two national championships in five years actually are? Do you know what the odds of a college program winning three national championships in eight years actually are? I don’t know the odds, but I know that it is probably near impossible. Do you know how many college football fans in Texas would love to have two national championships in the last eight years?

College sports are played by young men who are not getting paid. They all make mistakes. Coaches get paid, but all coaches (NFL and College) make mistakes.

I have two sons in college and if my sons played football at LSU, there is no way that I would be reading any of these bulletin boards for the hateful, spiteful things that some of our so-called “fans” write when a player or coach makes a mistake. If my sons were good enough to play college football, there is no coach I would rather them play for than Coach Miles. I also think Coach Saban is a good football coach and he has been successful, but I would not want my sons playing for him. I like Coach Saban as a coach, but I don’t respect him as a person. I don’t know Coach Miles very well, but I respect him as a person and as a coach. He is our coach at LSU and I am damm glad that he is.

As fans, we have the ability to sit in the stands and watch football, a game that most of us love. We get to watch LSU on our "Fields of Gold." We get to smell the gin and bourbon from the stands, wear our purple and gold to the stadiums, let our kids experience our tailgate and football traditions and pass them on to the next generation. We get to root for LSU, win or lose.

Over the last forty-five years, I probably seen more losses than most of you have experienced as wins during your lifetimes. I get disappointed, but I get over it. Life goes on and on. The players will still walk down Victory Hill, the great Tiger band will play again and the next Saturday, it will be “Saturday Night in Death Valley” again.

I've seen LSU win and I've seen them lose. Of course, I enjoy it more when we win - but win or lose, I support LSU, our players, our coaches and our administrators. I would like to read more posts from our supporters than our detractors. I would like to read and post on Board #2.

Thanks for your efforts in creating this great internet board.

Geaux Tigers!
Danny Palmer
Class of 1982 (LSU), 1985 (LSU Law School)