A couple of Hot Sports Opinions about the

[Harry]

In my opinion this game shouldn't be played. 80% of New Orleans is underwater right now. It is a MAJOR Crisis. There are bodies and snakes floating throughout the city. They have instituted Marshall Law in the City meaning that if looters are caught they can be shot. Baton Rouge is having power outages and all of the police and fire are being diverted to the crisis in NO. I realize that life goes on but in this case they should allow for some time to get things stabilized.

Part of the problem in NO is the fact that the levees were broken and the pumps malfunctioned. What I don't understand is if you knew that this could happen why was there no effort to ramp up the levees and replace/upgrade the pumps? Was there not any long term effort to prepare for this disaster? The Mayor and congressmen/Senators of that area should be held responsible. I would like to know how much focus was put on tourism and generating revenue compared to being proactive and protecting the city from this type of nightmare....

Sorry for the vent, but watching this on TV just makes me sick....

[good_ken]

You forgot to mention the fire ants and the alligators. As if they didn't have enough to worry aobut.

[eulesseagle]

I am sure that Baton Rouge, 80 miles away, did not get the brunt of the hurricane like New Orleans. What I have seen is that the storm headed North by North East after hitting New Orleans and not toward Baton Rouge.

If the stadium at LSU is undamaged then let's play!

Since UNT students are not known as rioters and rowdies, like our English cousins, then let some of the Baton Rouge P.D. and F.D. do their humanitarian work in N.O..

[Eagle-96]

LSU becoming a major staging area for injured and evacuees. Campus allowing families of students to house with them. Making facilities available as "community responsibility" according to Chancellor Sean O'Keefe.

It's not about the football stadium being damaged. The fire, police, emt's, etc... have better things to do than provide security for a meaningless football game.

[SilverEagle]

Harry, I have seen specials (probably on the history channel or discovery channel) about past disasters, which lead to discussions on the shows about possible future disasters. One of the scenarios that was discussed was a catagory 5 hurricane hitting NO, and what it would mean to the city as things stood right then. As I recall, the people on the shows were saying that the scenarios that were being discussed were not an "If", but a "WHEN". They have known for some time that they have been dodging the bullett, and they have known for some time about what they have needed to do to shore up their defenses.

Looks like "WHEN" has finally arrived.

I feel bad for those poor people down there. I hope that the looters are going to be dealt with harshly.

I also hope that anyone caught gouging those poor Lousiana people are dealt with just as harshly.

[Eagle1855]

I hope that the looters are going to be dealt with harshly.

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Heard on the radio this morning in Houston that Mississippi police were announcing it was "open season" on all looters... I love that kind of attitude!

[j0nat8an]

i completely agree. this game should be cancelled so everyone can worry about the important things...plus, it gives us one less loss!

[mad dog]

Here's a link if you want to give. I'm poor, but, next to what these people are going through, I can certainly spare twenty bucks. Give if you can.

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

[Guest JohnDenver]

I have a hot sports opinion on looting of stores/not houses (in the flooded areas) ...

The food is going bad anyway. Let the people without power take it from the store and salvage it.

The clothes are wet and damaged anyway, let the wet and cold people living in water salvage them.

Now, if I start seeing it on ebay, well, that is a different story. I don't think these people will have a DSL connection to post the looted goods anyhow.

[medpilot21]

I'm with ya Harry. I cant see why an OOC game would even be considerred now that there are other more pressing matters. There are still missing people in New Orleans, and that should be a priority. A Season-opener at MTSU would be just fine in my book....

GMG!!!

[GreenN'walinsVet]

IF there going to cancel the game becuase of emergancy personal then why not just move the game to eitehr College Station, Waco, or Shrevport, or Dallas? I know that it would be played with heavy hearts but even with 5 or 4 days notice i bet LSU and NT could sell out Waco, Shrevport, or Texas Stadium. Forgoe the 500,000 payment and split the gate at a neutral site, and neither program comes out that bad.

[MootPoint]

I'm with ya Harry. I cant see why an OOC game would even be considerred now that there are other more pressing matters.  There are still missing people in New Orleans, and that should be a priority. A Season-opener at MTSU would be just fine in my book....

GMG!!!

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It could also be a season opener for TMS too. . . .

[Harry]

IF there going to cancel the game becuase of emergancy personal then why not just move the game to eitehr College Station, Waco, or Shrevport, or Dallas?  I know that it would be played with heavy hearts but even with 5 or 4 days notice i bet LSU and NT could sell out Waco, Shrevport, or Texas Stadium.  Forgoe the 500,000 payment and split the gate at a neutral site, and neither program comes out that bad.

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That makes a whole lot of sense but they won't do that because of the $$$$$$$

The season ticket holders who are inconvenienced would ask for refunds and well let's just say BCS programs don't like writing checks for any reason - other than guaranteed wins.

My guess is that they will try to reschedule the game next year or in the future because it will be tough looking at the calendar this year.

[untbowler]

Also just heard that the fieldhouse at LSU will be a makeshift Red Cross type center for residents who can not make it back to NO.

The game should be cancelled in order to respect the victims.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

That makes a whole lot of sense but they won't do that because of the $$$$$$$

The season ticket holders who are inconvenienced would ask for refunds and well let's just say BCS programs don't like writing checks for any reason - other than guaranteed wins.

My guess is that they will try to reschedule the game next year or in the future because it will be tough looking at the calendar this year.

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They will deserve a refund anyway since there will be no game if cancelled.

Gators are a problem no doubt but most problem ones are large enough to see in rather shallow water but I would fear snakes... rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cotton-mouths even more. That water is full of disease and sewage and chemicals which are real killers as well. ......poor folks..... May God help them.

Edited August 30, 2005 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[eulesseagle]

OK.....I relent on playing the game this Saturday. Everything is pointing to LSU turning into a refugee camp for some of the victims of the hurricane. LSU has some class in opening up their campus to their Louisiana brothers and sisters.

Cancel the game for this year.

If by chance the game were immediately moved to a neutral site then I would be OK with all the monies made from this game including our take from the game going to the devistated people of New Orleans.

[posiesnivy]

We've spoken to some LSU fans that we were to meet once we got there, and they indicate the game is still on. I agree with an earlier post that if the game is going to be played, use this opportunity to gather donations for the victims. I've also been told that it may be hard to get the hotel rooms, even though they've been reserved so I'm getting ready to check on that. We have friends we can stay with if that should be the case but it's something those who are going should think about. Personally, I can see them cancelling the game but you never know. We're making alternate plans should they play and plan on taking some work clothes in case there is something we can do to help out (clean up, etc.).

[ADLER]

There may be a few snakes and alligators, but I doubt they will actually be a major problem. Smaller organisms will be a hige issue.

There are thousands of acres of free standing water virtually devoid of fish. In about a week, with all the free floating sewage and debris, New Orleans is going to become the the world's largest mosquito breeding farm.

The heat and the mosquitos could make the clean-up unbearable, and West Nile, Malaria and other illnesses may soon follow.

[untgirl04]

Honestly, with all the nasty chemicals in the water, I would be surprised, depending on the concentration of chemicals, if anything survives.

I agree with Harry that NO has known this was coming for a VERY long time. I hold the mayor/senators/governor of Louisiana responsible for not taking care of business. To me, no amount of tourism is worth the cost of possibly hundreds of lives and billions of dollars worth of damage.

And I'd like to give props to LSU for their generosity throughout this disaster. I'm glad to see the university take community responsibility for helping its students and neighbors.

[ADLER]

I can't see this game being played.

At this time, there have to be better uses for all that manpower than having it sit idle in a football stadium.

Hotel rooms are also a limited commodity, and who is going to feel comfortable checking in for a football game knowing that you are displacing a family who's home has been destroyed that week.

Where is the team going to stay?

Both New Orleans airports are under water. Baton Rouge Airport is where all the relief efforts are being funnelled through. Do we really want to hamper relief efforts because of a football game?

Edited August 30, 2005 by ADLER

[NM Green]

All I will lose is a few hundred dollars while many have lost everything.

However, with that said this might just be the relief some of those folks need down there. Nothing lifts their spirits more than a football game. It sounds trite but these people have a lot to deal with for months and years to come. Whenever, they decide to head back on the field they will play with heavy hearts, minds and spirits.

I hope to still go but truly I won't be crushed if this game does not occur.

What are Southern Miss, Auburn, UAB and Alabama doing?

GMG

[posiesnivy]

I agree with Adler. You feel guilty staying in a hotel knowing a homeless person/family or rescue workers may need that room. I've checked with the hotel we are staying at to see if this is the case but could not get through. The corporate office said the phonelines and electricity were out at the hotel which is located 1 1/2 miles from LSU. As stated before, we are making alternate lodging plans should the game be played.

[HoustonEagle]

I agree with Harry that NO has known this was coming for a VERY long time. I hold the mayor/senators/governor of Louisiana responsible for not taking care of business. To me, no amount of tourism is worth the cost of possibly hundreds of lives and billions of dollars worth of damage.

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I am not saying more could not have been done. But...... to see the bigger picture for why New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen you have too look back to the taming of the Mississippi. The sequence of dams and The Old River Control Structure put a grip one of the worlds largest rivers. Enabling what was once the quaint flood prone city of New Orleans to becoming a mamoth city. I just don't think it is feasible to fight back mother nature forever. She always wins. That has been proven time and time again. You can not build in flood plains and expect to never get flooded. And, you especially can not build a major city below sea-level. I hated to see this happen and hope and pray it does not get worse for the people and the city. But in the end, as long as N.O is located where it is, the future is bleak.

[SUMG]

We have a lot of evacuees staying here in Texarkana. I met a guy at the gym today, who is an evacuee from down there. This fellow lives in one of the Louisiana towns in St. Bernard Parish, east of New Orleans. (one of the hardest hit areas).

He told me that he and his extended family plan to go back to New Orleans, once they can. And once they get an insurance settlement.....they're moving to another state. They don't plan on rebuilding, but plan on getting out of there.

I asked him if he thought more could have been done with the levee system/pumps, etc. and he said, "No." It was his opinion that really, there shouldn't be 700,000 people living in that small of area, below sea level.

Anyway, God Bless all the folks dealing with this. This is the most crestfallen that I've been about a national situation....since 9/11.

Edited August 30, 2005 by SUMG

[Cerebus]

It was his opinion that really, there shouldn't be 700,000 people living in that small of area, below sea level.

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Agree with that 100%.

They kept building the levies up, and all that did was create a bigger pool of water. And the flood control they provided just made more low lying land ready for developoment, which put more people in danger, and destroyed marshland that could have slowed the hurricane.

NO is borded by the gulf, the river and the lake, something like this was bound to happen no matter what.

However, there could have been more shelters built by the city, the red cross had some but refused to staff them because they though they where not survivable if a cat 5 hit the city directly.