We could pile on with the local negativity that presented itself last night -- two ragged basketball losses by the Gophers and Wolves, with the average margin of defeat (three) matching that of the still-slumping Wild. Anti-Tubby Smith screeds came via e-mail or Twitter. So, too, did a "top 5" list from a reader of things his/her fifth-graders had called the Vikings recently. Only one of the five things would be remotely printable.

Instead, let's talk briefly about LSU. Let's talk specifically about the school's apparent unabashed love of beer. Per this Wall Street Journal story (thanks to Howard Sinker for the link) the thirst of Tigers fans is legendary. Win or lose in the BCS title game Monday, it is a virtual certainty that tens of thousands of tailgating Tigers fans will be wobblier than a Stanford kicker.

But that isn't necessarily the surprising and/or newsworthy part. The real story, to us, was buried further down in the piece (bold is ours):

Rather than making a push for temperance, LSU is considering a plan to cash in on the situation. The Tin Roof Brewing Company, a microbrewery near LSU's campus, announced a partnership this summer with the university that may result in what could be a first for a major football program: an officially licensed school beer.

According to the brewery, this light ale, which would be marketed in school-color purple and gold cans, would be called Bandit Blonde after a defensive unit on the school's 1958 national-championship squad. The brewery said the brew was chosen for the honor because of its "crisp, refreshing taste," which beer lovers and LSU tailgaters "can enjoy pretty much year round."

The partnership has the support of LSU chancellor Mike Martin, a school spokesman said, and it will be voted on by the LSU Board of Supervisors in coming months. The university will collect a 10% royalty fee.

That cut from beer sales is "no different" than taking a position in selling t-shirts, said Charles D'Agostino, the executive director of the Louisiana Business & Technology Center, an arm of LSU's business school that helps develop revenue streams for the state.

Yikes. Maybe we're a little overly sensitive to this, but with so much attention being paid to binge drinking on college campuses these days, we're having a hard time seeing how this official beer would be a good idea. To us, there is a pretty significant difference between acknowledging that college kids are going to drink -- why, we might have even consumed some such beverages way back the flannel-happy mid-to-late-90s college days! Shhhhh! -- and putting an implied seal of approval on it with specific marketing and blatant profit. Tons of college kids -- and tons of football players -- are under 21. Whether you agree with the law or think enforcement is realistic, that is the law.

Maybe we just don't understand the South. Check that -- we're positive we don't understand the South. But this seems like a terrible idea -- almost like a joke. The 10 percent cut just doesn't seem worth the message sent.