GOING OUT ON A HIGH NOTE

I had no fantasy of LSU winning its bowl game on New Year's Eve against the Rambling Wreck. In fact, I expected the Techsters to run all over LSU. Just huge chunks of yardage at a time. It made sense. The Tigers sucked against the run all year, and the Yellow Jackets thrived in the running game.

My plan was not to think about the game and try to have fun watching it. I was at Bob's house in the French Quarter for a big New Year's Eve party and watched it with him, Chuck, and Bob's friends from Georgia, Brent and Christie.

After the quick touchdown drive by LSU to start the festivities (remember, as the announcers kept saying before the game, these teams were playing for the final victory of 2008 as if that was some kind of trophy), I knew the Tigers were going to win big.

That's because I realized something. Les Miles (though with a small sampling) at LSU is the greatest bowl coach ever. You give that boy a month to prepare, and nobody can beat 'em. And I mean nobody. Either that or LSU just kills non-SEC schools in Dome bowl games. Theory being our fast athletes plus fast playing surface.

2008: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3 (Chick-fil-A bowl in Georgia Dome)
2007: LSU 38, Ohio State 24 (BCS title game in Superdome)
2006: LSU 41, Notre Dame 14 (Sugar Bowl in Superdome)
2005: LSU 40, Miami 3 (Peach bowl in Georgia Dome)

Our group also had a good time making fun of the announcers. For instance, someone forgot to tell Brad Nessler that the crew was wearing tuxedos. He showed up in a black tie. Must have felt like a dufus. In the second quarter, he also said that "Georgia Tech hasn't had the ball in 30 minutes of real time. ... If you look at your watch."

Chuck came up with the best description I've ever heard of Les Miles. After a sound byte was aired of Les talking about Charles Scott (I think), Chuck leaned back in his chair and said: "You know, Les Miles has this genteel intensity about him." So true, Chuckles. So true.

LSU notes

1) 8-5 is a hell of a lot better looking than 7-6.

2) I wonder what happens if Jordan Jefferson played from the beginning. Do we beat Alabama? Arkansas? Be more competitive against Georgia and Florida? Finish with 10 wins?

3) I think their triple-option offense didn't work against us because our defense has given up all kinds of big plays when teams pounded it up the middle. Georgia Tech tried to keep going to the outside. We're faster and were able to stuff it. Don't know why all the experts didn't mention this in their previews.

4) The blowout brought 2008 full circle. It started with LSU rolling over the Buckeyes and ended with them being destroyers again.

THE TINA CURSING CORNER

My mom passed by the Randazzo's that is opening around the corner from our house this king cake season. Very exciting. "You should have seen the fucking people going in out of the place. It was closed, though. All the signs around the area say open, but the door says open January 3."

Mom bought Season 4 of Two and 3/4 Men. She returns from the store. "Dammit. I should have checked those fucking discs." (Last time she bought a season, there weren't discs in it when she opened the package. They were there this time, though.)

Mom asks me what I'm going to do if the Apple store keeps my laptop for a few days. I tell her I don't know what I'll do. "I wonder if they give you a loaner. They should fucking give you a loaner. All those fucking people having problems with their fucking macs. That's awful."

There was a big accident around the corner Tuesday. We saw it from a distance on our way to the mall. Mom reads the story in the paper. "It was a beer truck all by itself. Fucking tried to make a turn, and it flipped over. Fucking beer all over the place."

Mom tries to cut the first piece of the pie she made. It doesn't cut right. "Fucking mess!" She then looks through the cabinet with the pots and pans. There's a lot of noise and then, "Fuck!"

Mom and I sit down to watch Sunday's episode of Password. But the football game ran long, which made 60 minutes run long. So, the first half of our tape is an Obama interview. "What the fuck is this?" We missed half the show. I tell her it's football's fault. "Fucking football."

Mom is impressed with the Password skills of Betty White. "She's good. The second one was hard, but she fucking got it anyway."

FOUR CORNERS

A closer look at The Gene Pool World

-- My first cousin (Tina's brother's daughter) got married. Did I go to the wedding? Um, no. I found out because her facebook status Tuesday was talking about the fun she was having on her honeymoon. I guess congratulations are in order. Weird thing, too. His last name is Guillot.

-- I'm taking an NBA break. Hard to believe, I know. My next Hornets game isn't until January 19. I'm not watching another game until then. I'll still look at the boxscores. The season, however, is just so freaking long that I need to recharge my pro hoops battery.

-- I met Paul and Minkus at Bud's after work Monday. Minkus loves going to Bud's whenever he's in town. Who could blame him? The funniest part of the evening was Paul pulling a Paul. He tells us that he's been offered a season ticket for the Saints next season and is thinking about buying it. Keep in mind he sat in this very seat for the Falcons game a few weeks back.

Paul: It's like the fourth or fifth row right in the corner of the end zone.

Me: The end zone where they come out or the other end zone?

Paul: I don't know. It's the right end zone.

(Minkus and I look at each other, shake our heads and laugh.)

-- I'm often at work past hours working on this blog. The phone rings an awful lot after midnight. At first, I was letting the phone ring and not picking up. Recently, I started answering. Apparently, people in the city think someone is here 24-7.

It's the same questions as we field at like 7 p.m. (who won this game? do you think the saints should do this? can you tell me who caught the fourth pass of the 1998 Super Bowl? Yada, yada, yada), but it got me to wondering the other day. When I'm not fielding these calls (don't worry, I take the time to answer all their questions), how many unanswered calls go to our department a night? I'm sure there's calls even after I leave.

PARTING SHOT

I'm driving to Chuck's house before Bob's party Wednesday night. Tina calls.

Tina: Do you have your driver's license?
Me: Yeah.
Tina: OK. Just making sure. I can see you left your wallet here.
Me: Yeah. I just took some cash and my license.
Tina: You got everything else? You have your phone?
Me: Yeah. I mean no. Shit. I forgot it.
Tina: Where?
Me: Uh.
Tina: Oh, shit. Jesus. OK. Goodbye.

THE DAILY TOP LIST

My top eight moments of 2008

8) Ashley and other rejections.

She had a gay boyfriend. Another said no. Others smoked. And there was that one time I couldn't understand what the girl was saying.

7) Hornets playoff run.

I went to five playoff games, including one in Dallas where Lopes almost got into a fight. I think this would be higher if the Wasps hadn't lost the game in Dallas and Game 7 to the Spurs.

6) Wrestlemania XXIV.

I went to five live events in 2008, including sitting a mere 20 feet from the ring in the Citrus Bowl for Mania. Plus, I spent two days at Universal Studios.

5) Breaking up with Megan.

Me: Let's go for a walk.

Megan: Is it a bad walk?

Me: Yes. Yes, it is.

That resulted in her breaking down and crying. It took me an hour to leave. She went through stages of crying, yelling and throwing shots at me like, "Good luck with your gambling problem." I also found out that I did this to her a day after her cat died. Oops.

4) Interviewing Ric Flair.

Wooooooooooooooooooo!

3) The Gustav saga.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I evacuated into the storm. Wanna fight about it?

2) LSU wins national championship.

First team to win two BCS championships. We had a great day.

1) The invention of The Gene Pool.

Me: I'm starting a blog. Do you think I should call it The Gene Pool?

Lopes: I think The Gene Pool is the perfect name for your blog.

The rest, as they say, is history. Now, let's hope 2009 isn't a sophomore slump for it.