Congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I College World Series.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 616, congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I baseball national championship.

I want to thank my friend, Congressman Bill Cassidy, for sponsoring this resolution and for yielding time to me as well. I also want to thank the Education and Labor Committee for bringing it to the floor.

On June 24, the LSU Tigers defeated the top-seeded University of Texas Longhorns 11-4 in the third and final game of the College World Series to achieve their sixth national championship in baseball.

In only his third year as head coach, Paul Mainieri led the Tigers back into the national spotlight. The series was sealed by an amazing performance from Jared Mitchell, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the series and who was a first-round pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. Mitchell and fan favorite, pitcher Chad Jones, became the first two athletes to win both a College World Series and a BCS football national championship.

Mr. Speaker, I am especially proud of two players from my district. First of all, there is my cousin Mikie Mahtook. Mikie lost his dad when he was about 6 years old. His dad was also a very well-known college athlete at LSU, and Mikie has turned out to be a great young man. He was SEC All-Freshman outfielder. He is from Lafayette, my hometown.

I also want to congratulate Spencer Matthews from Lake Charles, also in my district.

This season, Mikie Mahtook gave an excellent performance in the outfield in addition to batting .450 with 13 home runs, 45 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and multiple clutch hits, most notably in game 1 of the championship series.

Spencer recently represented the Thomasville Hi-Toms in the Coastal Plain League All-Star game, a wooden bat summer league for college players in Wilmington, North Carolina. He pitched a scoreless fifth inning in the game, allowing no hits and striking out two batters. Both student athletes are tremendous assets to the team and to southwest Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, we must not forget that, foremost, these student athletes perform just as hard in the classroom as they do on the baseball field. I am proud to announce that 11 members of this national championship team were placed on the 2009 Southeastern Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll. Each student athlete must have at least a 3.0 grade point average to be recognized.

This championship is very special to the Louisiana State University system and to my great State of Louisiana. It is my honor to recognize Coach Paul Mainieri and the 2009 LSU Tigers baseball team for all of its accomplishments this season and for bringing home the College World Series title.

I also want to commend the families of these players, coaches and support staff and the very loyal, very vocal LSU baseball fans who have come to recognize Omaha as a home away from home.

I now ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Geaux (go) Tigers.

I thank my colleague from Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of House Resolution 616, congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I College World Series.

Louisiana State University, LSU, was founded in 1853. Its first academic session began in 1860. As of the spring of 2009, LSU's enrollment is more than 26,000 students, including more than 1,400 international students and over 4,000 graduate students. LSU includes 10 senior colleges and schools; and since its first commencement in 1869, the university has awarded nearly 200,000 degrees. LSU has more than 300 student organizations on campus and is widely known for its successful athletic program.

The Louisiana State University Tigers have won 45 national sports championships, including five in baseball, three in football, and 25 in women's track and field. Since 1986, LSU's baseball has been considered an elite program in college baseball, making 15 College World Series appearances and winning six national championships. The team was founded in 1895, and it played a total of four games that first season. The Tigers won their first national championship in 1991; and most recently, they were crowned national champions for the sixth time.

The 2009 LSU Tigers baseball team was led to national victory by Coach Paul Mainieri. The team traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, for the NCAA College World Series after sweeping Southern University, Baylor University, and the University of Minnesota in the regional championship and Rice University in the Super Regional Championship.

In the NCAA Division I College World Series, the LSU Tigers faced the Texas Longhorns in the finals after winning victories over the Virginia Cavaliers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The LSU Tigers took the national title after a grueling three-game series against the Texas Longhorns. LSU finished their season 56-17. The team's athletic ability, determination, and Coach Paul Mainieri's leadership led the LSU Tigers baseball team to their first national championship victory since the year 2000.

As a graduate of both LSU and of the LSU Medical School, I am honored to stand before the House today to congratulate and to recognize the significant achievements of the players, coaches and students, whose dedication and hard work have led to the success of the LSU baseball program as the 2009 NCAA Division I College World Series national champions.

I ask my colleagues to support the resolution.

Geaux (go) Tigers.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I do.

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana, my colleague, Dr. Boustany.

I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from Louisiana, Congressman Scalise.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 616) congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I College World Series.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days during which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H. Res. 616 into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Louisiana State University baseball team for their victory in the 2009 NCAA Division I tournament.

On June 24, the LSU Tigers captured the university's sixth national baseball championship with an impressive 11-4 victory over the talented University of Texas Longhorns. This decisive victory over the Texas Longhorns in the third game of a three-game series marked the first baseball championship for the Tigers since 2000.

We want to congratulate the coaches, the fans and the supporters of the LSU Tigers in this dramatic victory. They were rated number one going into the season, third when the tournament began; and they pulled a dramatic victory.

I must emphasize that LSU is not only an athletic powerhouse, but this university is also a premiere academic institution. They offer bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees. The school enrolls over 26,000 students, including more than 1,400 international students and over 4,000 graduate students. LSU graduates elite athletes, renowned scholars, and famous elected officials who are changing the world as we know it.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I congratulate Louisiana State University. I want to thank Representative Cassidy for bringing the resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of my colleague, Mr. Cassidy, if he has any additional speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

We have, I believe, no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of our time, Mr. Speaker.

I thank my colleague from Baton Rouge for yielding me 2 minutes, and it's also good to follow up my colleague from Lafayette rising in support of this resolution commending the 2009 LSU Tigers for their national championship winning the College World Series.

As a proud alumnus of LSU, I was very excited to see them regain the prominence that they had under Skip Burtman, who won five national championship College World Series during his tenure as the head coach, probably one of the greatest baseball coaches in the history of college baseball. And now to have turned the program over to Paul Maneri, who just in his third year won the national title, winning this College World Series in Omaha, a place that many people from Baton Rouge and fans of LSU all throughout the country enjoy going to, and enjoy celebrating national championships like now. They did with the sixth national championship, making them number two behind all college teams in the history of college baseball.

So there were a number of notable achievements. Of course, you've got to congratulate the coaches and the players, and the entire LSU community for what they've done, but there were some distinctions. Chad Jones and Jared Mitchell became the first two teammates who actually won a BCS national championship being on the 2007 football national championship team and also being on the team that won the College World Series. So some notable achievements there. And the entire LSU faculty, of course. The LSU program generates hundreds of thousands of dollars that go back to the academic programs and the great academics at LSU as well.

So, again, I thank my colleague. I'm proud to cosponsor this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Geaux (go) Tigers.

Madam Speaker, yesterday, I missed 4 votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall No. 650, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1293, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall No. 651, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 556, as Amended, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall No. 652, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 509, as Amended, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall No. 653, on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 616, I would have voted ``yea.''