The actual trophy, you understand, would be a luxury, paling next to the experience gained, the team bonding. But if LSU reaches Omaha, it may look back fondly to the bus ride back to the hotel after a 13-2 shellacking of Ole Miss as a serious turning point. Bertman has often steadfastly denied knowing any more about an actual baseball game than any garden variety coach. Then you're at least willing take your chances with baseball fate. There's no handbook.
Every team has a different personality.
This one, in particular, has confounded Bertman from the beginning as to what will make it sit up and take notice, to jump-start and then milk its obvious talent. One thing Bertman is sure of, though, is that if fans are waiting for this team to kick it in with a sense of duty to make sure the old man gets a proper sendoff at the end of his marvelous career, it ain't ever gonna end the way it's supposed to. The players, as always, have to play for themselves, believe in each other. Bertman can only point them in the right direction on occasion. At least, that's the way all five of his national championships were fashioned.