I was scanning through the papers yesterday, and saw that LSU athletic director Skip Bertman was taken to the hospital. Reports say he had early signs of a heart attack.
Bertman was the legendary baseball coach for the Tigers, guiding them to five national championships (1992, 93, 96, 97, 00).
I had the pleasure to cover his teams while I attended school there in the late 1990s, and got to know Skip quite well. He remains one of my all-time favorites, not just because of his baseball knowledge but also because of his sense of humor and the stories he told. Rarely did a day go by when he didn't playfully tease me. When I was back down there in April for a crawfish boil, I dropped by Alex Box Stadium, and was hoping to run into him. Sure enough, he turns the corner and has this huge grin when he sees me.
"You remember me?" I shout.
He did. We catch up, and he talked to me for my column. Once again, he was glad to help.
-Trae Thompson
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