R.I.P.

Eye of the Tiger!

Sad days in Tiger Town. Yesterday, Mike V went to the big pep rally in the sky. I have no doubt the thunder we heard was the cheers of departed LSU fans giving Mike a welcoming roar -- his reward for the chills he gave us when he'd grace us with his mighty roar before football games.



Fightin' Tigers....L-S-U!

Quotes from Mike the Tiger: The Roar of LSU by David G. Baker and W. Sheldon Bivin:

"Mike the Tiger has symbolized the spirit and resolve of Louisiana State University for nearly seventy years. Fiercely confident, keenly competitive, and marvelously clever, the only live Bengal tiger to reside on a college campus reigns nobly from his home just outside of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. LSU fans proudly vaunt the superiority of their mascot over the dog, bird, reptile, and pig emblems of other college teams...."

"The authors begin by explaining the Civil War origins of LSU’s fighting tiger tradition...."

They continue to say that Mike V had the best personality of all the Mikes and was easiest to handle. (Mike V never escaped from his habitat, like a couple of other Mikes [that we won't embarrass by mentioning] did....) !!



Mike's Root Canal which, of course, made nightly local news. And my dentist says he hates root canals....



Mike's entrance to LSU football games (he's really in that cage.) The cheerleaders no longer can beat on his cage to make him roar. Nowadays -- if he roars, he roars.

One of my favorite Mike stories was told by the pastor of a church I used to attend. The pastor, when in college, was one of Mike's caretakers. Being a caretaker used to include taking Mike on late night joyrides around Baton Rouge. (I say used to include because when Mike's cage overturned on one of our major highways one day while on the way to an event -- that all came to an end. Mike pretty much stayed put from then on.

Moving right along.... Back in the day, when Mike could still go sight-seeing, this pastor told about pulling Mike's cage through neighborhoods, slowing down to allow crowds to gather and oogle the tiger. Then....the pastor would take Mike back to his cage, unload the tiger, and proceed to drive back through the same neighborhoods (pulling an empty tiger cage), stick his head out the window and yell, "Has anybody seen a tiger?"

Anyway, Mike V is gone. A search in underway for Mike VI. When he arrives I'll be sure and post his pic. ....Bet 'cha can't wait, huh? ;)

It's a beautiful day out today, so if you want to join us for a toast to Mike, just meet us by the tiger cage (LSU fans will know what I mean) at sunset.