Friday, January 18, 2008
Tiger picture of the day!
Regular reader "Indispensable Destiny" sent along this preserved tiger with the following note:
I was in Baton Rouge this week and had dinner at a place called Ralph and Kacoos. They had this mounted tiger on diplay. I'm sure not sure if it is one of LSU's expired mascots.
An LSU tiger is still a tiger, but can anybody out there verify ID's theory?
8 Comments:
By 
, at
Fri Jan 18, 11:20:00 AM:
"but can anybody out there verify ID's theory?"
Actually, he said "I'm not sure...", so this could be regarded as proof of an anti-theory. :)
My first thought was, is it even real? With PETA running amok, I wouldn't be surprised to hear the whole thing was acrylic fibers, glass eyes and plastic teeth.
The next question is, how old do they let their mascots get before retiring them? The tiger in the pic doesn't look very old. There doesn't appear to be a lot of gray around the muzzle, nor folds of fat around his body.
And is stuffing them a proper way to reward a mascot after years of devoted service?
Is that what we'll be doing with you after you quit blogging?
Just spitballing. :)
By , at
Fri Jan 18, 04:00:00 PM:
"but can anybody out there verify ID's theory?"
Like you, TH, these deep, burning questions of our time give me no rest until they're answered.
So I called 'em.
- It was originally purchased by LSU alumni from the Museum of Natural History and kept on display for a few years, then (possibly due to renovation) the restaurant acquired it.
- The restaurant has been leasing it from LSU for 24 years. It's in a room devoted to LSU alumni stuff.
- It's name is 'Mike', simply because that's the name of the official LSU mascot.
- The Museum of Natural History actually does have an ex-LSU mascot on display, but Mike was never a mascot.
And there ya have it.
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Fri Jan 18, 04:36:00 PM:
Thank you, Dr. Mercury. I like a person with initiative.
By , at
Fri Jan 18, 06:19:00 PM:
"Thank you, Dr. Mercury."
(tipping hat)
"I like a person with initiative."
When a respected B-Lister like TH beckons, we Z-Listers jump. :)
Unquestionably, the most fun of the phone call was listening to the manager's Louisiana drawl. Sounded like a real homegrown bayou boy. It's always amusing to hear real Southern accents while living in Florida, because they really don't have Southern accents down here, per se. There's just a soft lilt in the background. Having lived all over the U.S. (and being a musician), I have a pretty good ear for accents, but the Florida accent really surprised me. Even in the rural areas (where I lived for 3 years), it wasn't very heavy. It's really more 'country' than Southern.
I thought the most interesting fact from the phone call was that it's been there for 24 years. That's not an exhibit -- that's an institution. But it is the South, and things do move a little slower down here.
On a personal note, DEC, that's quite an interesting blogsite you have. Kind of a "Wild Kingdom meets Pajamas Media" thing going on. If any of you guys like strange exotic stories about strange exotic animals in strange exotic lands, give it a shot.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Fri Jan 18, 06:42:00 PM:
Thanks for the favorable publicity, Dr. Mercury.
By , at
Fri Jan 18, 07:43:00 PM:
It looks stuffed. I wonder what it's been eating....
By , at
Fri Jan 18, 11:44:00 PM:
This is where
Mike V lived and where Mike VI resides.
This is Mike's home page:
http://www.mikethetiger.com/index.php
Enough of LSU for now.
By , at
Sun Jan 20, 05:30:00 AM:
I haven't been to Ralph and Kacoos for quite a bit.
If anyone is stopping by to eat and verify this story, be sure to try the alligator tail. It is wonderful. No it doesn't taste like chicken.
