Visit from NSU gives former Lady Demon Ortega reason to reminisce

When the Northwestern State Lady Demons visited Austin during the 2013-14 season, Angela Ortega wore purple to see her alma mater play.

Ortega wasn't clad in purple mid-day Sunday at the Erwin Center -- for good reason. Much like the vanity license plates making the rounds, Ortega, in her third season as the assistant athletic director for basketball operations at Texas, was in a divided mood before the game.

"Somebody asked me this morning how I felt about it," said Ortega, who helped lead the Lady Demons to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 1989. "Today is a heart divided ay for me. Obviously, I'm with Texas, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Northwestern, for the opportunity I was given there. I'm so proud of Scott and Brooke (Stoehr) and everything they've done. Seeing them a year ago and then following them throughout the year and watching them win the Southland Conference Tournament, I couldn't be more proud."

A shooting guard in her career with the Lady Demons, Ortega gave the Stoehrs an assist, helping them to identify current assistant coach Kasondra Foreman, who played for Ortega during her time at North Texas.

Ortega joked about not having a lot of purple left in her closet these days. However, she sees a lot of the same characteristics in the Stoehrs' Lady Demons as there were in she and her teammates, despite a fair share of differences.

"Northwestern doesn't run as much as they used to, but you have to play according to your personnel," Ortega said. "I think (Janelle) Perez is a fantastic point guard. The first time I saw her play, even last year, she stunned us. She came in here and hit the backdoor cuts and was getting to the rim. She's a big key to their success."

Ortega and her teammates used their play on the court to leave a lasting legacy on the Lady Demons program.

Another part of Ortega lives on every summer. Although she deferred credit -- and the origins of the statement are debated -- Ortega has been credited with offering the statement that defines the Lady Demons' summer golf fund-raiser, the Don't Die Wondering Classic.

The scramble golf tournament turns 27 in August and has become synonymous with the Lady Demons program.

"I'm excited," Ortega said. "I'm glad they're able to take something and turn it into something that raises money for the program. Anything that's going to give back to Northwestern and help them, I'm all for it."

From Natchitoches to Cooperstown?

Welcome back to the Daily Demon blog. We are resurrecting our quaint little corner of the Internet after a too-long absence.

And we will do so with a post that initially may seem not too timely. Then again, neither were Lee Smith's sojourns from Major League Baseball bullpens to the mound.

Those here in Natchitoches remember Smith as a member of the Demons basketball team. The rest of the American sporting populace likely recall Smith as a leisurely strolling, hard-throwing closer for the Chicago Cubs and a number of other teams.

So why with baseball season a good four-plus months away from starting in earnest are we restarting this blog with a baseball-themed post?

It is because Smith is still on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, the 2015 version of which was released Monday by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Last year, Smith earned 29.9 percent of the vote. A minimum of 75 percent is required for election to the Hall.

In my former career as a sports writer, I had the chance to write a few stories detailing Smith's potential for election.

One national baseball writer compared Smith's current Hall track to that of Bert Blyleven, who made it into the Hall in his last year of eligibility on the writers' ballot.

Although it appears Smith's chances at reaching the quaint upstate New York hamlet of Cooperstown may seem slight, his numbers scream worthiness in my eyes.

Smith retired as the all-time saves leader -- a mark now held by Mariano Rivera. Anyone doubt Rivera's Cooperstown credentials?

The release of Michael Lewis' Moneyball made analytics a popular tool of the baseball trade more then a decade ago.

Four closers are in the Hall of Fame. Exactly one posted a better strikeout-to-walk ratio than Smith's 2.57-to-1 -- Rollie Fingers.

Smith is not likely to be invited to Cooperstown this July, but he already resides in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame here in Natchitoches.

Time spent listening to Smith's tales of the interactions between members of the 1980s Cubs would fill the 1,494-mile drive from Natchitoches to Cooperstown. Those I was privileged enough to hear would fill a reporter's notebook and a baseball fan's soul.

There may not be a Hall of Fame for such storytellers, but, if there were, Lee Arthur Smith would be in there on the first ballot.