LSU's final game of the 2021 season was never going to be normal, but it was a split-screen view of Paul Mainieri looking on as the Tigers batted in the 9th inning that drove home the true emotions of the day.
The legendary LSU coach was clearly fighting tears, standing under the weight of the impending end of a career that spanned 38 years, more than 1,500 wins and an NCAA title.
But when asked after the game what was going through his mind in that moment, Mainieri paused for a full 20 seconds as more tears fell. When he was finally able to speak, he explained that it wasn't baseball at all -- it was memories of his late father, Demie, along with thoughts of his wife, Karen, and children who have been with him through so much of that career. He also made sure to point out that all the tears were tears of joy.
"I was thinking about my dad," Mainieri said before another long pause. "I was thinking about my father, talking to him. I was thinking about my son ... I was thinking about my wife and my children, down here they were with me through all this."
The broadcast had earlier flashed up one of those memories: A family photo of a 4-year-old Paul Mainieri in his first baseball jersey, which his mother had made him to wear to his father's games.
"Listen, I don't want people to be sad for me," he said, earnestly. "I've been the luckiest guy in the world. Thirty-nine years of heaven, really. Got to live out a childhood dream. I got to do what I wanted to do with my life. Who could ask for more? These are not tears of being upset. These are tears of happiness and gratefulness. I got to do what I wanted to do and my dad got to live a long life and got to share it with me for a lot of the time. But I miss him."
The Tigers coach, who announced last month he'd retire at season's end, will finish his LSU career after 15 seasons. Mainieri has been a college head coach since 1983, with stops at St. Thomas, Air Force and Notre Dame before arriving at LSU. In Baton Rouge he's led teams to four SEC regular season titles, six SEC Tournament titles and one College World Series title (2009).
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With Mainieri's decision known for weeks, the only question was when that end would come. The Tigers were unsure of whether they'd be selected at all in the NCAA Tournament after losing their opener at the SEC Tournament. But his LSU baseball squad landed in Eugene, then rose up to stave off their coach's retirement in four consecutive elimination games.
Those wins handed Mainieri an extra week at the helm, but a legendary career came to its inevitable end on a Sunday afternoon, behind a 15-6 defeat in Knoxville.
The result could be viewed as the high of a regional title ending with a thud in the Super Regionals, but Mainieri heaped praise on what his young squad has accomplished throughout a season filled with struggles.
"We got counted out a lot of times during the course of this year, and our guys never gave up. They're a resilient bunch. I love them to death," Mainieri said. "I'll always remember them. They're my last team."
Mainieri says he plans to stay in Baton Rouge the rest of his life -- which he hopes is a long time -- and stay involved with the program in a limited capacity.
LSU's next step is to hire a successor, with a handful of names rumored as potential options. But whoever the next LSU coach is, Mainieri's key piece of advice is a familiar one.
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"I just think that the new coach has to know that there's a lot expected of you here, without question," Mainieri said. "It's an awesome fan base. There's a lot of people that care about LSU baseball. They have a lot of resources. They have a great administration. But you have to be confident in yourself and you can't listen to the criticism too much and let it change you. You have to be confident in yourself and stick by what you believe. You've gotta do it your way."
Mainieri always tried to do that, he said, and that won't change in retirement.
"I want nothing but great things for this program," he said.
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