The Bulls had to go through the Pistons, the Colts had to go through the Patriots and the Red Sox had to go through the Yankees.
In every sport, there are teams that spend years paying their dues before getting over the hump against a perennial powerhouse.
When No. 8 LSU (29-4, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) comes to town for a three-game series against the No. 3 Gators (37-2, 9-1 SEC), it will be the Tigers playing the role of daddy and UF playing the role of son - or in this case, mother and daughter.
"We haven't beaten them in three years, but we are ready for LSU," said ace Stacey Nelson, who holds an 0-5 career record against the Tigers.
The last time the Gators defeated the Bayou Bengals was in 2004, when UF escaped Baton Rouge with a 3-1 victory, avoiding a sweep.
It was so long ago that not a single current Gators player was on the roster to experience the win.
Since that 2004 game, LSU has won 11 in a row against UF, including a perfect 4-0 record just last season - the fourth contest being a 1-0, nine-inning decision in the championship game of the SEC Tournament.
The tournament title was the fifth for LSU matching its five regular season SEC titles. By contrast, the Gators have never won an SEC tournament and earned their lone regular-season SEC title in 1998.
"We have talented players," said Nelson when asked if this year's team is the best that the Gators have had going into a game with the Tigers. "I mean, we have girls sitting the bench that are great players."
Needless to say, LSU hasn't become one of the SEC's powerhouses without trotting out a few thoroughbreds of its own.
Senior catcher Killian Roessner made the NFCA first team after hitting .354 and throwing out an SEC-high 19 runners a season ago.
The Tigers also boast a superstar junior hurler of their own. Dani Hofer earned 2007 All-SEC first-team honors after going 24-3 with a 1.36 ERA in her sophomore season.
Despite the history between the two teams and a number of impressive players on the LSU roster, UF has already shown it is more than capable of handling top-notch competition.
In six games against teams currently in the Top 25, the Gators have posted a 4-2 record, with both of their loses coming by a single run.
UF comes into the showdown with a 10-game winning streak, the second-longest winning streak in the matchup - LSU has won 17 straight.
The Gators have also made it apparent that they're not a team that rolls over and dies, as they have consistently staged late-game rallies throughout the season.
When they take the field on Saturday, the team will be hungry to reverse their fortunes against the SEC team with the best all-time winning percentage against the Orange and Blue, 79.4 percent in 34 games.
"Excited is an understatement," Nelson said.
