Bayou Bliss; LSU triumphs, again

“From fake field goals to close calls to triple-overtime losses to coaching rumors to BCS shakeups, there’s never been a college football season like this one. From start to finish, each weekend felt like a no-one-could-have-scripted-it-this-way event. And at the forefront were our LSU Tigers. Sure, they started the season ranked at the top of the polls, but no one could predict how they would finish there. “

James Carville, an LSU alum and political consultant, shares his passion for LSU football writing the Foreword for The Times’ new book, “Bayou Bliss”.

The 176-page labor of love is available thanks to some of Louisiana’s greatest sports journalists. Five newspapers came together to create this one-of-a-kind coffee-table book of photos, stories and stats for each game. It is a document of an amazing football season for LSU. The 34-page championship chapter is complete.

“… And it sure feels good to win!”

Carville is an author, actor, producer, speaker, and restaurateur. Currently, Carville is hosting XM Satellite Radio's "60/20 Sports". He became America's best-known political consultant after he helped William Jefferson Clinton win the Presidency in 1992.

LSU photos posted are by Greg Pearson/The Times. These and more can be viewed in photo galleries posted at LSUbeat.com and shreveporttimes.com.

Off "The Island" ... New Orleans still hurts

"This city remains in shambles," says Times columnist.
Roy Lang III, assistant sports editor on assignment to the BCS National Championship in New Orleans, is struck by the contrast between the normalcy of life in the French Quarter and what lies a short drive away: "Many will assume New Orleans has recovered from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall 28 months ago. New Orleanians wouldn't want it any other way — the people of this city need folks to believe such a recovery has been made."
Journalists descending on New Orleans report inside and outside the Superdome. Lang's headline: " 'The Island' will shine tonight while rest of New Orleans cries for help"

Photos by Mike Silva/The Times: 1. After all this time a teddy bear still remains in a home that was flooded when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. 2. A group of pink tents sit in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. They are part of the Make it Right Project started by actor Brad Pitt in hopes of repopulating the ravaged area.
See the gallery of Katrina Damage.