Fans savor Tigers’ super win

• By JARED JANES
• 2theadvocate.com staff writer
• Published: Jun 2, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Baseball at Alex Box Stadium isn’t done yet.

Neither is LSU’s record-breaking 23-game winning streak.

Both of which suit Tigers fan Rick Barrios, of False River, and others just fine.

Barrios, 55, who has made the trek with the Tigers to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series seven times, was back in his old spot this weekend for the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, cooking up whatever came his way.

Sunday’s lineup was like a Murderer’s Row for Louisiana tailgating: deer sausage, oysters, crawfish omelets, fried chicken, fried alligators, four racks of ribeyes.

This weekend marked a return to tailgating at The Box for Barrios and his friends after a five-year absence while Barrios dealt with knee problems, he said.

For him, the regional meant three days of early mornings, sunny skies, baseball at The Box and cooking hundreds of pounds of meat for whoever stopped by whether it was friends, strangers or opposing team’s players.

“It’s like this should go on forever,” said his wife, Debra Barrios, while toying with the last oyster left on her plate.

LSU, which defeated Southern Mississippi 11-4 on Sunday in the regional that also featured Texas Southern and the University of New Orleans, advances to a super regional against the University of California at Irvine next weekend at The Box. It’s a 2 out of 3 format.

Like at the other tailgates spread across the parking lots outside The Box, most of the talk at Barrios’ tailgate was about the streak, the Tigers’ chances in the Super Regional and the health of LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman.

Bertman, 70, was hospitalized Saturday after he experienced discomfort and was driven to the hospital by his wife, Sandy, where doctors discovered early signs of a heart attack, said Senior Associated Athletic Director Herb Vincent. A stent was placed in one of Bertman’s main arteries and he was resting comfortably Sunday at the hospital, with the possibility of being released today.

Fans can send their well wishes to Bertman by going to http://www.lsusports.net and clicking on the story about him and then the tab titled “Send Well Wishes to Coach Skip Bertman.”