LU Baseball Fan

That is GREAT!!!!

Go Lady Cards......Wish more people would go to the volleyball games. They are so fun....

Sounds great to me...

This has always been a debate about the private schools. Kelly has always had financial aid available to anyone wanting to attend Kelly. I know that at times kids have come to Kelly to play for a certain coach and were given financial aid but I can tell you that all the proper channels were followed. I also know that the public schools go to the private Junior High schools and talk to the 8th graders but it is funny how Kelly is not allowed to go to the public schools to do the same thing....

Will Henderson former LU 1B and DH will be giving Hitting and fielding lessons, Call 409-673-0883.

Will Henderson former LU 1B and DH will be giving Hitting and fielding lessons, Call 409-673-0883.

FYI, I was not being sarcastic to TT. I wanted him to know that he was correct. I really enjoy his posts and the sparring that goes on between the LU fans and him. GO BIG RED>>>>>

Well TT now that all is behind us yes I do know the whole story. Not only am I a long time supporter and alumni of Lamar I am also Jake's Mother. For reasons which should be obvious I did not want to reveal this until all was settled one way or the other with the NCAA. I am very happy to announce that Jake received his waiver and will be eligible immediately to be a part of LU Baseball program. We in our family are very excited that he will be back at Lamar where both Kevin and Will played. Just want to make it clear that he had no problem with the UNO program, just the uncertainty of athletics at UNO. They were told to transfer, that UNO athletics were done and so that is what Jake decided to do. I am glad for UNO that things are looking up for them. It is an outstanding program and school. Enough great things cannot be said about Coach Tom Walter and Bruce Peddie. Jake is glad to be apart of the LU program and hopes to be able to make a positive contribution to it. LU Baseball Fan and Mom Elaine Millar

Seems to me that there has just been a glitch in the contract being sent. Doesn't say they are not playing us just that we will not be on schedule til the contract is received. TT it is just that sometimes you have a tendency to try and find things about Lamar to be negative about instead of just saying that GS Has not received contract yet so we are not on their schedule.

Need to add to player list Westbrooks - Derrick Gordon who is playing in AAA for the Oakland A organization

Where are all the people working on putting the turf in. I went by today and there is no one working. Thought the turf was a 90 day job and so far all I see is a big hole with no drains, rocks. What is going on out there.

thats ok mmfl KDOSullivan sometimes thinks Lamar is the last choice for schools. I went to Lamar in the 70s and I know many who choose Lamar because of the quality education they would receive. I for one am excited about the growth. It was just a few years ago we reached the 10,000 mark.

Texas Terror I do not know where you are getting your facts but Henderson pitched the weekend after the student vote. He was definitely there and heard first hand and along with the other baseball players was told they had permission to contact and be contacted by other schools. That they would be released and eligible to play somewhere else for 09-10 year. He never pitched again because he was diagnosed with an intercostal tear. He had been battling with a sprain since the fourth week of the season. He was never off the roster for the entire season. Everything I have posted has come from either newpaper accounts and the internet. Also from Henderson's family. A volleyball player left. A tennis player, A basketball recruit asked to be released from his commitment but decided last week he was going to come to UNO. Besides Henderson those are the people who have left. Of course info could be wrong on the internet. Where did you get the impression he was off the roster 2 weeks before the vote.

Texas Terror... what do you mean my "You are missing the point"?

We shouldn't have to buy until we know who the recruiting class is. WOW, how about supporting them no matter what and not being a "fair weathered" fan

Henderson is definitely coming to Lamar. Do not know if he is going to be able to play yet. I understand they are asking for a waiver because of the circumstances. Last I read there have been 2 baseball, 1 volleyball and 1 basketball player who has left UNO. This is kind of a crazy situation because there appears to be no precedent. How many programs do you know that announced they were doing away with their program then coming back a week later and saying wait we have funding for 1 year? This was after they gave the players a blanket permission to seek somewhere else to go and also promised they would get their release and be eligible to play. It will be interesting to see what happens. I heard the head coach left UNO for Wake Forest and one of the assistants got the new job. I talked to a friend of the family and they said both were supportive of Henderson's transfer and hoped he would be eligible. Also they said thought he was coming to Lamar no matter what.

You are correct in that the money was donated by an anonymous donor, however any funds not used would be used for something else. It was an open bid process and was available to the public. You are correct in that I am sure they are not using Hellas just because they did in Arlington. Just would have been nice if they had used a local company and kept the money in our economy and not sent it elsewhere when the products are almost like comparing apples to apples. I am just glad the decision has been made and it will be done before next year.

Yes I bet it will and it is interesting that they went with Hellas to do the turf instead of Olympia Turf who did the baseball field. You wonder where your tax dollars go. Hellas was $116,000 over Olympia Turf. Just think of what else could have been done with that extra money. Also seems it would have been great to go with a local company. I know for a fact that the baseball program was very satisfied with Olympia. Rumor has it that they wanted to go with the same as what was just put in the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. Funny, Olympia is a better product just not as well known as the original "Field Turf". "Field Turf" is the product that was just replaced at Ford Park go out and look at the difference in the fields. Another example of our govt. wasting money.

Nope, just happy to be there and more than happy with what we have coming back, as we should be back again. And worth noting, SHSU has four NCAA appearances in Lamar's "flagship sports" of basketball and baseball since the last Cardinals' appearance in the NCAAs in said sport. Also had been awhile since I picked on you guys. No one had opened one up like that in awhile. I find it extremely strange that you would not count LU golf as a "flagship sport" they have been outstanding the last few years. Wow, do your really live in New Orleans, and are a SHSU fan, what's wrong do they not have their own forum for you to blow your horn on.......

How much are the chair backs going for, I am curious. I know of several people who plan on buying season tickets. I hope the Golden Triangle supports Lamar Football more than they did before. I have been encouraged by the response from the community and the students when the campaign started to bring football back.

HERE IS THE ARTICLE. AND I POSTED ANOTHER ONE FOUND ON www.bayoubuzz.com about the budget cuts. As you can tell UNO is a long way from keeping their programs. These kids and their parents were told the day after the student body vote that they were to go find somewhere else to play and they would receive their releases. It is really a scary time in Louisiana and yes there are other kids looking to make a move not just Henderson. He was just the first to tell his coaches he was not coming back. I guess we will know the fate of the program by June 26th for sure. I hope for everyone involved in any state funded athletic program in Louisana that they get to retain their programs. Louisiana Senate Committee Helps Higher Education, Gov. Jindal Vows Veto Written by: BayouBuzz Staff Buzz Right Back----E-Mail a Friend----Print Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Governor Bobby Jindal who has had a good legislative session but for an embarrassing vote on the stimulus unemployment legislation that occurred Monday on the House floor, suffered a setback Thursday as a House Committee voted to “approve a funding mechanism†due to the loss the Louisiana Budget was having upon higher education. A press release by Senate President Joel Chaisson explains the setback: A bi-partisan coalition of state lawmakers, led by Senate President Joel Chaisson, Senate President Pro-Tempore Sharon Weston-Broome, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot and Senate Finance Committee Vice-Chair Lydia Jackson, moved today to restore higher education funding. The coalition won the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee's approval of Senate Bill 335 by Sen. Jackson. The measure provides a funding mechanism to restore $118 million in higher education funding, which could reduce the proposed $219 million budget cut in the executive budget to a much more manageable $101 million reduction. Senate Bill 335 would simply retain the currently allowed excess federal itemized deduction on a taxpayer's individual income tax return at 65% for a period of three years. The bill does NOT impose any new taxes and continues to allow any taxpayer with excess itemized deductions to claim the same percentage in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as they can currently claim this year under existing law. In 2012, taxpayers would be able to claim 100% of the deduction. The bill does NOT in any way alter or reduce the state income tax relief provided to Louisiana citizens last year under the Shaw bill that repealed portions of the Stelly Plan. "In lean budget years, cuts need to be made and higher education need to become more efficient and to bear a meaningful portion of cuts. However the amount of the cut proposed for higher education is simply unsustainable and will result in layoffs of tenured faculty, reductions in students services and the start of a downward spiral in the quality of our higher education institutions which could take decades to reverse. We can't afford to let that happen," Senate President Chaisson said. Senator Jackson, Senator Michot and Senate President Pro-Tempore Broome agree. "Today we are faced with budget reductions that will generational scars on the face of higher education in Louisiana. Senate Bill 335 attempts to provide a little salve to the wounds," Senate Finance Committee Vice-Chair Lydia Jackson said. "For the state's immediate and long-term future, it is clear that we cannot allow budget cuts that will do irreparable harm to our colleges and universities, institutions that are the engine that powers the creation of jobs and businesses in Louisiana," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot said. "Providing our citizens access to quality higher education services is key to building better neighborhoods, better communities and a better Louisiana," Senate President Pro-Tempore Sharon Weston-Broome said. "We cannot permit our current state budget crisis to eat away at the foundation of a stronger Louisiana." Board of Regents Chairman Artis Terrell as well as Regents William Raspberry and Charlotte Bollinger indicated their support of Senate Bill 335 as the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee considered the measure. The bill next moves to the full Senate for consideration. Chaisson told Bayoubuzz that four Republicans in the committee including Republican Mike Michot supported the committee’s action. However, should the legislation pass the full Senate and the House, it appears that the action might be short-lived. In an email response through his Director of Communications, Melissa Sellers, Governor Bobby Jindal stated “We have said all along that we would veto any legislation that delays tax relief for Louisianians. We share the legislature’s concerns that reductions too often fall to higher education and health care during lean budget years and we will continue to work with them to find ways to protect these critical areas.†Should Governor Jindal veto the legislation, the Legislature would then be forced to override the veto, should it attempt to do so. HERE IS ANOTHER ARTICLE ON THIS TOPIC: Louisiana Jindals Education Budget Short On Leadership Written by: John Maginnis Buzz Right Back----E-Mail a Friend----Print Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More by his actions than his words, it is clear that Bobby Jindal does not aspire to be the higher education governor. He may cause major historic changes to the university system, but whether they are for better or worse won’t be known until after this slow-moving budgetary train wreck plays out over the next few years. As anyone who attends or draws a paycheck from a state college knows, its leaders face having to make do with $219 million, or 15 percent, less state funding next year, after $55 million was sliced during the current fiscal year. Those cuts grow doubly worse in two years, when $220 million per year in federal stimulus money for higher ed runs out. The Jindal administration has criticized efforts by the House of Representatives to plug some of the holes with one-time money. The governor has outright rejected and promised to veto a bill by senators to raise $118 million by freezing the phase-in of personal income tax deductions, primarily mortgage interest payments and charitable contributions, scheduled to go from 65 percent to 100 percent this year. Brushing aside suggestions for short-term relief, the governor emphasizes the need for significant reductions in higher education spending now so that less will have to be cut in 2011, election year. Just how to make these immediate and drastic reductions is a task he has delegated to Higher Education Commissioner Sally Clausen. After all, she came up with the bright idea for a new formula for distributing academic dollars based more on graduation rates and research grants than the current gauge of warm bodies enrolled. Clausen still champions that plan but points out that it was to be implemented with additional funding, not less. Conceding that cuts must come, however, she and the university presidents are asking for time to ratchet down spending instead of taking such a heavy hit upfront. They warn the immediate loss of 15 percent in state money would chase off top-flight faculty and their research grants with them. In eliminating degree programs, schools still have some obligation to allow upperclassmen to complete those studies. The damage has begun already, warned Clausen, testifying before senators about her conversation with a Louisiana professor who is leaving for Maryland “because that governor is not harming higher education.†Gov. Jindal needs to offer more than a deaf ear to legislators’ unconventional, even short-term solutions. He may reject the proposed deduction freeze as a tax increase by another name, but his tough-love/tough-luck response to the colleges’ plight falls short of responsible leadership. What sets Jindal apart from his predecessors is that past governors, when faced with fiscal downturns, would do all they could, look for money where they could find it—-recurring or one-time, whatever--to help colleges through bad times. In this case, that could be mean tapping into the Budget Stabilization Fund, the so-called rainy day fund, which would net at least $260 million for education and healthcare. There is a constitutional Catch-22 that would require the fund to be replenished some time next year. Yet there are ways to do that with one-time dollars, from several available sources, in order to make the rainy-day umbrella work. The governor warns that using one-time money to cover recurring expenses would just make the fiscal problem worse later, but that’s not necessarily so. If there is any constant in budget-writing, it’s that there always is one-time money—-from different sources and in different amounts, but it’s there every year. Such is not the preferred budgetary practice, but it is not so dangerous and irresponsible as Jindal claims, not like risking ruin to higher education. That happened in the desperate budget deficit years of 20 years ago, and it has taken that long for our universities, particularly LSU, to recover. Applying some less-than-pure budgetary fixes might require some compromise on the governor’s part, to which he is not accustomed, but that’s what on-the-job training is for. Over the next two years, no one will determine the fate of public universities more than will Bobby Jindal, and vice versa. If, by when his time as governor is through, higher education is not efficiently restructured but broken instead, he will own it.

I will not get into a debate about why Henderson is leaving UNO but I do know that there are still a lot of hurdles for the UNO program to be sound once again. They have private donations that will help defer the costs of next year's program but it does not cover everything. In the following article you will see exactly the bill the Senate sub-committee is trying to get passed. It will restore only part of what is needed for the higher education budget and I doubt that athletics is on the top of the list to spend this money on if by chance it gets approved in the budget. Gov Jindal has said he would veto this type of bill. It will be an uphill battle for UNO, they are opptomistic and hopeful that UNO athletics has a future but there are still many unresolved problems. The crisis is only partially resolved for next year but not for the year beyond. Do you fault a player for wanting to come to a program that is as sound as Lamar. Also he is coming home to play where is big brother did and also his Uncle. I for one am glad he is probably coming back, he could contribute a lot to our program. [Hidden Content]

Nothing is for sure as far as UNO and their athletic program. It still needs to go to the legislature. Read the last part of this article and it will tell you where they are in the process of retaining the program. [Hidden Content]