LSU Runs Away With No. 1 Ranking (again), Big 12 Making BCS Noise

SU got good news Saturday before they pummeled Louisiana Tech 58-10 at Tiger Stadium. No. 1 Ohio State's shocking 28-21 loss to Illinois earlier meant the Tigers (9-1) would be playing for the top rankings in both polls.
LSU owned the No. 1 spot in the rankings earlier this season before dropping a 43-37 triple-overtime decision at Kentucky on October 13.
More good news happened for the Tigers when they found out they clinched the SEC West after losses by Alabama and Auburn earlier in the day.
"I am told we're going to be the western representative in the SEC Title game," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I enjoy that. That's an accomplishment to this team and something we should certainly be grateful for as well as a job well done. We'll enjoy that for a moment and then look forward to playing our remaining two regular-season opponents."
But the big news of this football season is the noise the Big 12 is making in the BCS.
The Big 12, a conference that wasn't really supposed to return to the national stage until next season, had three teams in the top six. Oklahoma wis sandwiched between No. 3 Kansas and No. 5 Missouri.
For much of this decade, with the dropoffs at Nebraska and Kansas State, the North had been viewed nationally more as an anchor than an asset.
The Big 12's traditional powers, Texas and Oklahoma, are solid this year. So are Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. But the elite?
Kansas and Missouri.
Not only are the Jayhawks the elite of the Big 12, but they are BCS elite.
"It says that's it's a pretty strong conference, no question," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "The BCS is showing it right now, and that's proof of it right there."
So, the strongest football conference may not be in the Southeast after all, but in the Midwest.
They way the cards are falling, I'll go on record right now and say a Kansas-LSU BCS game is looming.

Foxy Brown big ups Jena 6

Foxy Brown was led off to prison this past weekend, sentenced by a New York judge to serve one year, for wildin' out a few times too many. Before being led away she made it a point to bring attention to a Louisiana case that is becoming a cause celebre. She said this: "This is just a temporary situation. I made my bed and have no problem lying in it. My will is steady. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. I think there are greater injustices in America that require our immediate attention, like what's going on in Jena, Louisiana. I will not surrender, I'm fine, free Jena Six!"
She recently completed this long-awaited album "Brooklyn's Don Diva," which will be released Nov. 20 by KOCH Records and Black Hand Entertainment.
Also, read here about the "White Tree" in the Jena 6 case.

Football families

Football families are in every state, every city, but there are a few households where the pigskin just happens to be not only in the genes, but at the dinner table. Here's a few football families of the modern era that have become household words (no pun intended).
THE BOOTY CLAN
This Shreveport, Louisiana family first hit radar screens across the South when as a junior, Josh Booty became LSU's primary quarterback in 1999. It marked the second Booty on the roster for LSU, Josh's brother Abram was a receiver. That year Abram only caught 26 for 374 yards and 2 touchdowns, second only to Jerel Myers' 854 yards. Booty's best game was LSU's 23-42 loss to #25 Ole Miss, catching 5 passes for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.The Shreveport area had known about the Bootys for some time.
Abram, at Evangel Christian Academy, had 5,867 receiving yards and 83 receiving touchdowns, setting the national high school record.
Brother Josh also excelled in baseball as a shortstop. He is currently a free agent after being waived by the Oakland Raiders. As quarterback in high school, he threw for 11,700 yards and 126 touchdowns, becoming the first high school player in history to throw for more than 10,000 yards (all this despite missing the last four games of his senior year due to a broken hand).
As a result of his performance Booty was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and was named the National High School Player of the Year by at least six associations, including Parade and the Football News.As a shortstop, he was a four-time All-State choice. As a senior, he batted .429 with 20 walks. He was also the starting shortstop for the U.S. Junior Olympic National Team that won the silver medal. He was the 5th pick overall in the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. Then there's kid brother and current USC quarterback John David Booty. He is believed to be the first player ever to leave high school a whole year early to play college football.


THE MANNING FAMILY
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Payton Manning and his younger brother Eli are both star in the NFL. But as kids, the Manning boys had oldest brother Cooper as a target. Cooper, a wide receiver, went to Mississippi but never played a game for the Rebels. A spinal cord disorder left him prone to serious injury. Before that misfortune, Cooper, then a senior at New Orleans Newman High, caught 80 passes from Peyton. Cooper was an all-state receiver twice.


The Faulk brood
Kevin Faulk was highly sought when he came out of Carencro High School in Carencro, Louisiana in 1993. At Carencro, Faulk rushed for 4,877 yards on 603 carries (8.1 yards per carry).
At LSU, Faulk rushed for 4,557 yards in 41 games, which was 2nd best in SEC history behind the legendary Herschel Walker of Georgia (5,259 yards in 33 games).
Although they can't discern immediate bloodlines the Kevin and Marshall Faulk are no doubt related somewhere down the line.
Marshall came to national prominence in one game where he ran all over the University of the Pacific in just his second collegiate start. In 37 carries, he racked up 386 yards and scored seven touchdowns, both NCAA records for a freshman, and built on this performance throughout the year. Faulk was drafted 2nd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, who were in desperate need of a running game. Faulk responded by rushing for 1,282 yards, 11 touchdowns, but was traded to the St. Louis Rams for two low draft picks after 4 years. In this offense he put up some of the best all-purpose numbers in the history of the NFL.

THE CLAUSEN BOYS
The Clausen boys of California are unique in that they all are quarterbacks. The eldest is Casey Clausen who in 2000 entered the collegiate world by played his first game for the Tennessee Volunteers, going 12-of-15 for 133 yards and three touchdowns in a 70-3 romp of Louisiana-Monroe.
As Casey went to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, brother Rick Clausen joined the LSU Tigers as a freshman and was on the squad when LSU upsets the Vols 31-20 in the SEC championship. Their younger brother Jimmy Clausen has caused the Clausen name to be uttered anew as the freshly miinted quarterback at Notre Dame. Jiimmy came to college football with several accolades, one of which is that he's never lost a game he's started (42-0 in high school).
He also holds the California state record for careeer touchdowns (144).

Louisiana declares state of emergency as Dean churns toward Gulf

Aug. 18, 8:30 a.m. update: CASTRIES, St. Lucia (AP) -- Hurricane Dean, responsible for 3 deaths already, whipped across the eastern Caribbean Saturday and churned toward Hispaniola, Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, with forecasters saying it could turn into a monster Category 5 storm within 72 hours. As winds hit 150 mph, the Gulf of Mexico braces for the worst. But at least one local government official is thinking ahead: In anticipation of potential impact to Louisiana, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Dean churns across the Caribbean Sea. She has also requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration to ensure Federal assets are available to Louisiana prior to the potential landfall of Dean. We all know what happened last time!!!!

HIV in Louisiana: Playing it safe

2007 should be the year of WIUOTWFO (Wrap It Up Or It Will Fall Off!). Louisiana HIV cases are increasing. Since we have a big French influence it shouldn't be a big shock to get the point of these ads in France, which shocked people into seeing what a big risk it is these days to "slip up (or down)" with somebody. The full statistics are scary, but below is just a breakout of what's going on in the Bayou. As a matter of fact, uh, and a matter of public health, I will take it upon myself to explain to you how a random conversation should go with a person you just meet at a bar, club, library or even your place of worship:
Me: Hello.
Attractive person: uh, hi.
Me: I saw you over here looking at the menu.
Attractive person: uh, yes, I'm just seeing what I'll order.
Me: Uh, I don't mean to be so straight forward. Uh, have you thought about condiments?
Attractive person: Condiments?
Me: Oh yes laud! Condiments, you see, make the meal.
Attractive person: You mean like, jelly, or ketchup?
Me: Well, the jelly seems to work, but i've never used it. Latex probably is your best bet. Ketchup? You may want to stay away from anything red ... if you know what I mean.

OR, you could try something like this:

ME: Hello, there.
Attractive person: Hello.
ME: you showl is pretty.
Attractive person: (wierd stare)
ME: Protect ya neck, BIIIIOTCH!

Or, probably this:
ME: What's up
Attractive person: Nothing
ME: Well, actually that's not true, BUT, I've got protection. And to be honest I've got this stuff that adds 15 minutes to my endurance.
Attractive person: What did you just say?
ME: Oh, um, I said, I just saved 15 percent on my insurance.
Attractive person: Oh, okay. Let's do it!

Seeeee? It works, and of course, I was "safe" about it.