Well, Tiger Fans....it's been a rough week. Not only did we lose (badly) to the Duck from Oregon, but also we gave up our undefeated football season to Cam Newton...errr, I mean the Auburn Tigers. As always, Mike and the LSU football team will bounce back, but still, it's tough to lose on both accounts in the same weekend. We've got a bye weekend coming up, so hopefully our football team gets some extra time to recover and practice for the upcoming 'Bama game, and we get some extra time to cast a few more votes for our favorite mascot!!
This week, Mike faces Joe Vandal from the University of Idaho. Joe is ranked #6, and currently has a 4-4 record. 4-4 may not sound that impressive, but don't underestimate this mascot from the WAC. Last week, he totaled 121,758 votes....almost as much as Mike has racked up in all 8 weeks!!! What do you think motivates Joe Vandal to tally up so many votes in the Mascot Challenge???? My guess is that Joe Vandal has a bit of a Napoleon Complex. I bet he is sick and tired of constantly being in Boise State's shadow. Week in and week out, Joe Vandal and the University of Idaho (along with all of the other teams in the WAC) are indirectly insulted every single time someone discusses Boise State's strength of schedule, or rather lack thereof. It has to be aggravating for them to hear "But Boise St. doesn't play anybody!!" over and over again, and my guess is Joe Vandal is looking for validation in any event he can....and the mascot challenge is just such an event. I mean, after all, this is a contest that the Bronco is not involved in, so fortunately for them, they're not in BSU's shadow here. Unfortunately for them....Mike is a tough opponent, and casts a pretty expansive shadow himself. Let's help Mike overshadow Joe Vandal this week!!!
Hi, Tiger Fans!!! Congrats AGAIN to Mike for his win agains Joe Bruin last week!! Mike is movin' on up in the rankings..... currently sitting at #10. He's got some tough weeks coming up, and it is time to take it up a notch if we want to see him in the playoffs, especially this week. Mike is going up against the Duck from Oregon. If Mike stands any chance against the Duck, we have got to vote like we've never voted before!!!!
I gotta tell ya, Tiger Fans....while I am glad that we've helped Mike earn 3 wins in the Mascot Challenge, I'm disappointed in our performance thus far. This is NOT your best work!! We can do better than this!! LSU has one of the most passionate fan bases in the country. We have the loudest and scariest football stadium in college football. Why? Crowd participation. When we travel to away games, we take over. Why? Crowd Participation. We put on the absolute best tailgate party in the country. Why? Crowd Participation (oh....and our superb cooking abilities, but that's off topic). So how is it that supporting our mascot in the Capital One Mascot Challenge, which relies solely on CROWD PARTICIPATION....Mike is only ranked 10???!!!! TEN??!! Seriously?
Those Ducks from Oregon have put up some serious voting numbers over the past few weeks. On 2 different occasions, they have had weekly vote tallies that outnumber our entire cumulative vote tally over an 8 week time period. Are you kidding me??? This is LSU we're talking about. What I'm asking for here is something that y'all are good at.....CROWD PARTICIPATION!!!! If we put half as much effort into voting as we do planning the menu for the tailgate party on Saturday, Mike would easily be in first place. LSU fans have literally moved the earth* in support of our team. C'mon, Tiger Fans.....DO YOUR BEST WORK!!!!
VOTE!!!
Text "Mike" to 69866. You can vote up to 250 times per hour (text messaging rates apply). If you go over the limit of 250 times per hour, you are locked out of voting for 12 hours.
Hey, Tiger Fans!!! Congrats to Mike on his win in last week's matchup against the Air Force Bird!!! We fought a good fight, and because of our efforts, Mike has recently won 2 of his matchups, putting him in the #11 spot in this week's standings!!!! Way to GEAUX Tiger Fans!!!!
Don't let Mike's #11 ranking get you down. The last thing Mike needs is any of his loyal followers thinking "What's the point? He'll never catch up." It may seem hopeless that Mike is almost halfway down the 2nd half of the list, but if you take a closer look at all of the upcoming matchups, you'll see that a very interesting mascot season could be in store for us. Stranger things have happened...Remember 2007, LSU football fans?? Missouri, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and an idle Ohio State?? Ring a bell?? BCS chaos due to upsets during championship weekend. And in the end, WE WON THE WHOLE SHEBANG!!! I'm off topic again, but my point is that sometimes you can be catapulted to the top by upsets elsewhere.
Up until now, I've been pushing text voting as often as possible in order to just simply rack up some votes, and hopefully get Mike some wins. While the "text like crazy" plan has worked pretty well, it's time to start putting a little more thought into our votes. It's time get on the computer and vote for some mascots in other matchups. It's time for some STRATEGERY. Let's open the LOCKBOX that holds the key to putting Mike closer to the top of the standings.
This week is where it gets interesting. All of those mascots at the bottom of the rankings are about to start matching up against each other, meaning some of them are about to rack up a few wins. And all of the heavy hitters at the top of the rankings....they too are about to be matched up against each other, leaving some of them with more losses. For now, Mike is sitting pretty right near the middle. I expect that he can pull out a win against Joe Bruin this week, and move up in the rankings because this week, at least 4 of the mascots ranked ahead of him WILL inevitably suffer a loss. The true problem right now is that #1 Old Dominion, and #2 Paydirt Pete don't meet in the regular season, probably leaving them as the #1 and #2 seeds in the playoffs....but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Here are my picks for this week. Hopefully, this voting method will maximize Mike's movement up the rankings:
Monte and the Duck - Don't vote on this one, Tiger Fans. They are both ahead of Mike, and one of them will fall. They both have a boatload of cumulative votes, and neither needs any voting help from us. Leave this one alone.
Brutus and Paydirt Pete - same as above.
Smokey and Goldy - VOTE GOLDY ONLY IF HE'S LOSING TO SMOKEY. This one is risky, but we need Smokey to lose. Goldy has a tough schedule ahead of him, and this recommendation comes with the assumption that he will lose a few in the upcoming weeks. Although his win - loss record beats Mike's right now, Goldy has less cumulative votes than Mike. Just don't vote too often for him.
Mr. C and Big Red - VOTE BIG RED ONLY IF HE'S LOSING TO MR. C AND ONLY IF HIS TALLY FOR THIS WEEK IS NOT OVER 4000 VOTES GREATER THAN MIKE'S - we need Mr. C to lose, but Big Red has the same win - loss record as Mike, just a few less votes. Again, don't vote too often for him.
Big Blue and Bearcat - Don't vote. See 1 & 2 above.
Joe Vandal and Sebastian - Vote Sebastian. He is behind Mike in both win - loss record and total votes. We need Joe Vandal to lose.
Mike and Joe Bruin - VOTE FOR MIKE!!!!! No further explanation necessary.
Testudio and The Bird - The Bird is too close to Mike for comfort. Plus, I like any school that has the gumption to use a turtle as their mascot. Kudos to you, U of Maryland.
So, to sum things up, here is what your votes should look like:
Continue your text voting for Mike!!! Text "Mike" to 69866. It is the fastest way to rack up votes....but if you're sitting at your computer late at night feeling helpless because of the other mascots' standings, cast a few votes for other matchups. Just not too many!!!! Think of it as similar to how you rooted for South Carolina to beat 'Bama last weekend.
*For all you critics who don't watch SNL, and are thinking that LSU must not have given me a very good education due to my choice in the use of the word "strategery," you're wrong. I just have a sense of humor.
Over the weekend, I had the special honor of spending a little time with Mike the Tiger just before the game against the University of Florida's Gators (what a game....but that's a whole 'nother post!!!). It was an extra special privilege because Mike hasn't granted an interview since the Barbara Walters debacle when she asked him one of her famously strange questions: "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?" Hellooooo.....Barbara.......Have you forgotten rule #1 of celebrity interviewing??? Do your research!!!! Sheesh!!!
When we arrived at the hotel that was hosting Mike and the rest of the LSU gang, Mike was waiting for us in the lobby at the front desk. After entertaining hotel guests by playing the piano ("Hey, Fightin' Tigers" of course) he spent some time playing with my children, getting them pumped up for the game that night. Then, it was time for the interview.
I found Mike to be an amazingly charming Tiger, but that may have been because, unlike Barbara Walters, I did my research. I showed up wearing an LSU t shirt, so immediately he knew we had something in common and felt comfortable. In fact, I'm pretty sure he proposed to me. Unfortunately for Mike, I'm already taken, but even though I had to turn down his proposal, he was very open to answering all of my questions.
Mike, how did you get into the mascot business? And why did you choose LSU as the place to call home?
It all started about 74 years ago. I was living in the Little Rock Zoo. I didn't really have a favorite school or team at the time, but I did know that I hated all that "Woooooo. Pig. Sooie!" stuff. I heard that LSU was looking for a mascot. They were already called the Tigers, and I am a tiger, so that was a fit. I have always loved the combination of the colors purple and gold, so that seemed to be a match. Plus, I had always heard that those cajuns can cook, and us Tigers.....well, we love a good meal. So, I applied for the job, and got it!! As soon as I arrived in Baton Rouge, I knew that it was the place I'd call my home forever. The people there are amazing, the campus is beautiful, and the fans are the best you'll ever meet. Nowadays, there's no other way I'd like to spend a Saturday than cheering on my LSU football team, win or lose. For me, there's no question....it's FOREVER LSU!!!
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what question would you like to ask them?
I've been very lucky in my life and have met some really amazing people....Y. A. Tittle, Bert Jones, Tommy Hodson, and my personal favorite, Billy Cannon. There's really no one else I feel like I need to meet. But, if I must answer your question, I guess I'd like to meet Albert Einstein. I've been wondering if he thinks that a new theory of light and matter is needed to explain what happens at very high energies and temperatures. For example, in the case of gamma ray bursts, photons of radiation can crash into each other and create new matter. In such cases, the distinction between matter and energy grows blurry. Throw in magnetism, and physicists can only make rough guesses about what happens in these hellish settings. What about that, Einstein?
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three items would you take with you?
1. A fishing pole....gotta pass the time somehow. Even though I'm well equipped to catch fish without a rod and reel, I enjoy traditional fishing as well. 2. A can of Tony Chachere's and a bottle of Tabasco....gotta season the fish I catch. 3. Les Miles.... He seems to be able to get out of just about any sticky situation lately. Surely he'd have a trick play up his sleeve to get us off the island....just before the clock runs out, no doubt.
Boxers or Briefs?
Depends on the day....but regardless, they're always purple and gold.
I'd like to thank all of the staff at LSU that made our meeting in Florida possible: Pauline Zernott, LSU Cheerleading Coach; Craig Pintens, LSU Assistant A. D.; and of course, the AMAZING Mike the Tiger. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mike. The whole day, from beginning (pics with Mike) to end (VICTORY FOR LSU in the Swamp) was one our family will never forget!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
Not only do LSU fans adore Mike the Tiger, but also Mike the Tiger adores them....some more than others.
I've been an LSU fan for a long while, and I've spent a decent amount of time over the years admiring both Mike V and Mike VI in their habitats. I'd love to say that every time I visit Mike, he recognizes me, gives me a wink and a smile, and strikes a pose for my ever ready camera, but that just isn't the case. Most of the time, I can catch him sunning himself or relaxing in the shade. Sometimes he is even pacing around showing off his graceful, fluid movement. On a few very lucky occasions I was able to watch him playing and splashing around in his pool. Of course there are also the disappointing times when I've made the special trip over to campus and couldn't even catch the slightest glimpse of those beautiful stripes.
I've heard stories about a few folks (outside of his caretakers/doctors/etc.) to whom Mike really responds, but I have never witnessed it for myself. I even have a personal friend who tells me he has developed somewhat of a friendship with the Tiger, and I've seen some great still photos of him with Mike. But there is one fellow, Darrell Bezet, who has become somewhat of a local celebrity for the special way that Mike reacts to him. Before I moved to Gator country (ughhhh!!!), I kept telling myself that I needed to make a trip over to the LSU campus around the 9 am hour to watch the latest so-called "Tiger Whisperer" work his magic. I regret that I never made more of an effort to get over there before I left Baton Rouge, because after seeing video, I imagine that in person it is quite a sight to see.
The relationship between Bezet and Mike VI cannot be explained by anyone or with any words....you just have to see it for yourself. In case you aren't lucky enough to be on N. Stadium Road in Baton Rouge on just about any given morning, the followingYouTube video posted by an LSU student is an amazing video documentation of just one of many interactions between the tiger and "The Tiger Whisperer." (it starts to get really good at 2:11 for all you impatient people...)
To find out more about Bezet and his relationship with Mike VI, read this article published by LSU's student magazine, Legacy, in April of this year.
To vote for Mike the Tiger in the Capital One Mascot Challenge, please text "Mike" to 69866 or visit www.capitalonebowl.com/vote/main
All I have ever wanted in life was to be a mommy. While my ideas of mommyhood have changed since having children (it's way more work than I ever thought possible!), mommyhood continues to be the single most fulfilling, wonderful part of my life!
I am priveleged enough to be the mommy of the 2 greatest kids ever....Dillon and Maggie. They seriously keep me busy (and entertained) as I try to "keep up" with their busy lives!!
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