Tuesday News Gumbo

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file gumbo
'cause tonight I'm gonna meet ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o
Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou

          

That's right, it's Fat Tuesday, so Happy Mardi Gras, y'all! While I have no desire to ever go to Mardi Gras (the crowds would be too much for me), it makes me think happy thoughts of New Orleans. It's a city that still has many problems and much healing to do, but there really is no place like it on earth. Today I've been thinking about some of the great people we encountered there, from "Hollywood" the oyster shucker at Acme Oyster House, to Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers rockin' the joint, to Big Al Carson singing the blues at the Funky Pirate. Oh, it's just magic, and I fell in love with the place from the first second I was there. It still makes me cry to think about what they've been through...Dwayne Dopsie has left town and no longer plays in New Orleans...I don't know what's happened to Big Al...the guys at the Clover Grill are all safe...so many stories, so much history. Here's to the Big Easy and all those who make it a magical place! I'll be making jambalaya today, with turkey thighs and andouille sausage, and while my body may be in Indiana, my heart is in New Orleans.

                                                       

Not only is it Fat Tuesday, it's Super Tuesday! I've got CNN on, but it's mostly just talking heads at the moment, with no real results in yet. Will Republicans let bygones be bygones and embrace John McCain? Will Democrats split evenly between Clinton and Obama, with no decision made? Will Romney still be a factor in the race? Will Huckabee survive to campaign another day? Answers to all these questions, and more, will be revealed later tonight!

                                                          

Finally, news of a surprise retirement yesterday.

                                            

That's right, the winningest coach in college basketball history, Bob Knight, has hung it up and left the locker room. I could be wrong, but I suspect most people despise the guy. I have mixed feelings about him. He spent so many years at Indiana University, and brought national championships and winning seasons to our state. He's a brilliant coach, probably the most knowledgeable about the game, ever. But his coaching tactics are outmoded in this day and age, and his rage and antics eventually overshadowed his brilliance. Case in point: I had to search quite a while to find a picture of him where he wasn't bellowing at an official, screaming at a player, or generally apoplectic. When he was fired from IU, I think most of us in the state thought the same thing: "It really is time for you to go, Bobby." I suspect he was just tired of the whole thing. I will always respect him as an authority on the game (and we do love our hoops here in Indiana, if you hadn't heard), and have a little spot in my heart for what he did for Indiana and for the game, but like I said when he left Indiana, I think it's his time to go. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Tags: New Orleans, Mardi Gras, jambalaya, Fat Tuesday, SuperTuesday, Bobby Knight