The Wild and Wonderful World Of Les Miles

    Today's new media world has bestowed many gifts upon sports fans.  We now have at our disposal not only voluminous amounts of information available on our respective teams, but also unprecedented interaction with athletes.  But what social media has given in those areas, it has taken away in others.  Specifically, the stampede to over-analysis and criticism of any word uttered by our sports personalities has largely caused those personalities to shrink.  Coaches, in particular, find it much easier to simply never say anything of consequence than risk a misstep that may lead to Twitter persecution.  This may be referred to as the Belichickian model.  Fortunately for all of us, that is not the tact taken by the head man of Kentucky's Saturday night football opponent.  I give you Leslie Edwin Miles, head coach and noble statesman of the Louisiana State Bayou Bengals.   Les Miles is a grass eating, clock mis-managing, bizarre clapping mystery wrapped in a riddle. As head coach of the powerful LSU Tigers since 2005, he's compiled a record of 100 and 26, with two conference titles and the 2007 BCS National Championship to his credit. In his tenure, he's produced an amazing 60 NFL Draft picks to include 13 selected in the first round.  (For a sobering comparison, UK has produced 15 first round picks in its entire football history.)  But despite all of his success, Miles has never quite escaped the long and boring shadow of his predecessor, Nick Saban, in the eyes of the Tiger faithful.  Thus, his hold on the job always seems a bit tenuous. This is undoubtedly due in part to a long list of confounding on- field decisions and off-field silly banter.  But in terms of entertainment value, Miles takes Nick in a landslide.  Saban, as you all are aware by now, is a soul-less football cyborg. The next interesting comment he makes will be his first. Les, on the other hand, has granted us some rare jewels.  Please enjoy a sampling.   On literature: When I wake up in the morning and I turn that film on, it's like reading a book and it's exciting.  I don't read books, but if I read books, it would be like reading a book.   On media: (In response to criticism of his team by a beat writer) Spectacular group of men.  You got to find them, you throw your arms around them and give them a big kiss on the mouth...if you're a girl.   On geography: Louisiana has a heritage of great players that play their football within the boundaries of Louisiana.   On inertia: (explaining a tumble he took running out onto the field before the 2012 LSU - Alabama game.) There was contact between a football player and a cheerleader, male I might add.  That male cheerleader clipped me from the side as I was running full speed, or slower than full speed, but generally in the upper quadrant of speed.  I hit the ground pretty good.   On history: I just want to remind everyone that today is Columbus Day.  All of you that know Italians and like Italians, or the people that might venture onto a ship and travel to explore and find new lands, this is your day.  It is not St. Paddy's Day.  That's a different day entirely.    It is just that kind of fantastical nonsense that makes me love this guy.  And I honestly can not tell whether he is intentionally playing a role for the benefit of the media, or if he really is as magically goofy as he appears.  Either way, in a sports world largely devoid of characters, Les Miles stands out. And I think he should be applauded for that.  Just don't ask him to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWE5SJuMSlo