Coach Bertman then began what amounted to a reenactment of LSUs first SEC championship season in over 20 years. "I remember at the start of the season, I hung a rope off the front of my desk. I told the fellas 'imagine you are holding onto that rope, hanging over a cliff. Who would you want to be holding the other end?' Oh, they said names of buddies, heroes, coaches, each one had a different person. I said to them, 'those were all good choices, but when you can answer the question with 'any teammate,' then that is what you will be, a team." As he passed into the SEC Championship game, I closed my eyes and leaned back. Batters came and went, weary pitchers, who had thrown the night before, were pulled off the bench in relief, and heads hung low. The back and forth of 11 tied up innings poured out of him until at last, a tired Stan Loewer faced the go ahead run. LSU reliever Robby Smith stood up on the edge of the dugout and shouted to his pitcher, "Hey Stan, hold onto the rope!" Heads came up. Marty Lanoux at third called over to the first baseman, "Hold onto the rope." The word passed from player to player, 'around-the-horn,' until even the dugout was on its feet. "They sensed it," said Skip. "Somehow, they knew they had already won." The pitch! A quick chopper to the short stop, a simple toss to second base and the Bertman dynasty was set on its path to this one Tuesday in the spring of 2004.
Fellas in the past we have talked about this..I feel the past couple of seasons your teammates would be the last people you would want holding the other side of the rope...If your going to say it! mean it.!.
sanch
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