Skip Bertman Quotations

One of our short term goals is to begin a feasibility study for a new basketball practice facility for both our men's and women's basketball teams, and this move is the first step in making that happen.

No one has called me. But I think this shows what people think about John as a coach.

Pokey has stepped in and taken our women's basketball program to heights never reached before here at LSU,

If we can't play in Tiger Stadium, we might look to another site in Louisiana. A site where there are hotel rooms. Playing at Lafayette might be a possibility. But we're not there yet.

Fresno State is one of the top teams we're looking at. I think our last conversation with them was pretty positive, but I wouldn't say it's done until ESPN finishes talking with them. We need ESPN to cooperate and pay them some money.

We can get back to some type of normalcy we're used to here and get a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium where we can turn our guys loose and turn the fans loose and for a brief time, three, four, maybe six hours, people can forget some serious, serious problems.

Stacy looked exhausted. It ended fast. I've seen worse fights in baseball.

I talked to his friends and told them to take him out and tell him that I wasn't going to fire him. I did not roll over his contract. I don't like rollovers anyway, but that did make a statement. He made some changes and turned it around. He's done a terrific job.

I think the big deal might have been the lopsided ballgame. A lot of times as a coach, you get embarrassed. I know if you beat a guy by 10 runs or more, he was apt to say, 'You ran up the score.' Sometimes that can be taken to a different level.

I think the commissioner was impressed with the stadium and with how everything was handled. He knows we'll do what it takes to help keep the Saints. But we didn't talk about next year.

I tell you what, very mildly. We thought of everything. From going to Ole Miss, which is vacant this Saturday, to Shreveport, but there are reasons that we decided on this trip and I think they're pretty solid. I don't think anything would've been better than this trip.

It could happen that the federal government could tell us not to play the game. It depends on what is happening in New Orleans next week.

You knew she was ill. But even through last week, she was upbeat. She was a great coach, but more importantly, she was a great human being. She touched a lot of people. I was happy for her that she could see all the hard work come to fruition. To reach goals like that, not everybody can do. It was a life well lived and well served.

Michael Clayton, he would be a draw, too.

We feel good about the (ASU) game being next Saturday, but the other day we thought we were going to be playing North Texas this Saturday, ... You never know. We think things might lighten up between now and then. But with the information we have now, I feel real good about the LSU-Arizona State game staying where it is.

We feel good about the game being next Saturday, but the other day we thought we were going to be playing North Texas this Saturday. You never know. We think things might lighten up between now and then. But with the information we have now, I feel real good about the LSU-Arizona State game staying where it is.

We really want to play at home next week.

That would be something very special. It's already been a very special season.

This was as minimal an amount as I could do to make us compete at very high levels. This is the best five years in this school's athletic history, not just in the wins by the football team but certainly in academics.

We're a very flexible campus. We actually still have people in the special needs shelter at the Field House.

We're trying to get Shaq here for an NBA game.

When pro and college teams try to coexist long term, ... the college team usually loses.

We are working hard to address the problem presented by the small percentage of people who, by their actions, damage the reputation of an entire University.

We don't want to interfere with the recovery effort in any way.

We don't want to interfere with the recovery in any way. And there are no hotel rooms in Baton Rouge for the Arizona State team, for the SEC officials, for the media or for the ESPN crew.

We said, 'Yeah, sure. I guess. Why not?'

We stand ready and willing to serve the Sugar Bowl. We'll offer them all our athletic facilities.

While the football game was exciting, I am especially writing to express my sincere apology and regret to you, your president and all Tennessee fans for the incident which took place on our campus as your team buses were approaching Tiger Stadium.

You have to remember these two have a long history that we don't know about. And the Baylor coach is high strung.

We'd have to arrange something as far as a rental agreement. And it would have to work with the LSU football schedule. I'm not sure we could play football on a Saturday night and have it ready for Sunday afternoon.

The money from this game is all going to be donated to the hurricane relief fund.

So we got our night game, but not on Saturday night. Our preference was to play on Sunday night if not Saturday. We weren't going to move this game (to another location).

Although the cost of running the athletics program increases each year, we didn't plan to raise prices this season. Unfortunately, the impact of the recent hurricanes has forced us to accelerate the need to make these price increases now.

This contract shows our belief in what she's doing and what she will do in the future for women's basketball at LSU.

This could be the first time in history that the men and women from one school won the SEC basketball championships.

This is a modest increase in our ticket price in order for us to continue to move forward our basketball programs. One of our short term goals is to begin a feasibility study for a new basketball practice facility for both our men's and women's basketball teams, and this move is the first step in making that happen.

This is history-making. In a hurricane-laden year, people needed something uplifting and spiritual. I think these teams have captivated the entire country. I am proud of the women, and I am proud of the men.

I'm sure we'll get something worked out that will be fair to him.

If North Carolina State offers him $2 million, I think John should interview there because he's not going to get $2 million here. That would be outrageous.

No athletic director would want his football coach to open up on the road with a top-20 team and lose the home field advantage. We worked for a long time trying to solve every problem, but in the end there were some concerns that we just couldn't control. Like the immediate use of the Maravich Center and the Field House. Of course we don't want to interfere with the recovery effort in any way. Money's not an issue in this thing, my God.

It's been very fun and exciting to watch both teams.

I just left John. He said he has not been contacted, and he said his agent has not been contacted. I feel very good about keeping John, and he feels very good about staying here.

Can you imagine anywhere else in the United States where they had to postpone the first game, move the second game to the road, then not be able to get in a regular home where you really want to play?

I don't think John would be interested in either of those jobs. I think he likes it here.

He's just been a winner in every way. He's a good family man, a great communicator and the kids just love him. He has all that in tow.

He's very, very personable, very easy to approach. I think this job proved to be what he was looking for in location, in the financial scenario, in the challenge it offered.

It's great we're able to do all this. We will get a extremely large amount of publicity by hosting the NFL. But as far as doing that again next year, we'll have to look at that.

It's great we're able to do all this. We will get an extremely large amount of publicity by hosting the NFL. But as far as doing that again next year, we'll have to look at that.

As far as I'm concerned, John is going to be our coach for a long time.

The football team feels just like you do, just like we all do. They want to help. And hopefully, against Arizona State (on Sept. 10), that will be a time - after some recovery and some mourning - when the athletics can once again act as a bonding agent to get everybody back together on a positive note.

The events of yesterday and this morning have made it clear that this is not the time to play a football game. This is a dire situation that rivals any in the history of our state, and our priorities are on participating in recovery efforts.

The events of (Monday) and (Tuesday) have made it clear that this is not the time to play a football game. This is a dire situation that rivals any in the history of our state, and our priorities are on participating in recovery efforts.

You cant run a football game in Tiger Stadium without 1,500-1,600 people to help,

This has been the toughest year in the history of Louisiana. God bless you fans, and God bless Louisiana.

Football is woven into the fabric of society here, and to play next weekend would be great medicine for an ailing state, ... Some people might call it insensitive, but sometimes you need a distraction. You need a game.

As you know, there is unfortunately an element in every crowd that does not exhibit good sportsmanship. And when crowds grow to the size of those on a football game day, it takes only a very small percentage of offenders to ruin the day for so many.

They opted for a different setting. We would have to pay Fresno State more money than the other two.

We will now face significant logistical challenges, but we hope for the continued cooperation of our fans. Naturally our strong preference would have been to play during the weekend, but safety for student-athletes, fans and everyone else involved in a football game was the overriding factor for the commissioner.

We will now face significant logistical challenges . . .. Naturally our strong preference would have been to play during the weekend, but safety for student-athletes, fans and everyone else involved in a football game was the overriding factor for the commissioner.

We got our night game, but not on Saturday night. We'll have to be like the football players and focus. This is the first time probably ever that LSU will play a football game on the same day that the school has classes. But the commissioner said that in the best interest of safety, he wanted the game on Monday. He wasn't sure how much the winds will have subsided by Sunday.

I don't think they could have gotten the people together to play a game by Saturday. They're used to having a whole year to prepare for a game. We never talked to them, and they seemed more interested in getting the Saints for a game.

He oversaw budgets, did football scheduling, oversaw maintenance. His job included a little bit of everybody's job. That's what made him so knowledgeable and that's what will make him so valuable to Georgia Tech.

Starkville is an Indian word for trailer park.

NASA is moving the space program to Starkville because it has no atmosphere.

I'm honored to be on this list for the official beginning of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The coaches on the list laid the groundwork for what college baseball is today. Being mentioned with those men means a lot to me.

I know he (Albert Belle) hates me. If he needs that hate to succeed, it's fine by me. I always liked him. He was a good kid. He just had a hard time with the pressure.

If the Saints call, naturally I will consider taking their request to the Board of Supervisors. Because they're our Saints, too, and we're all in this together. But obviously, I couldn't do anything without board action.

You cant run a football game in Tiger Stadium without 1,500-1,600 people to help,

Everytime I go to Starkville I ask for a room without a view

I am very excited to be included in the very first college baseball Hall of Fame class. For me to be honored with these coaches and players that I have grown to admire and respect is very special. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in Lubbock.

Sometimes sports can provide a medicine that no doctor can provide.

The men's team was selected by no one to win the league title, but they scraped and battled to their first outright league championship in 21 years.