Smiley Anders for Oct. 30, 2012

I know it’s time for the LSU-Alabama football game when:

1. My Spanish Town neighbor Derek White, a ’Bama grad, puts up a photo of Bear Bryant on his Facebook page.

2. I get a call from Anniston, Ala., from my buddy, fellow columnist and Crimson Tide fan George Smith.

George, who sounds a lot like Bobby Bowden, started the conversation by telling me how much he admires Les Miles and the LSU team.

I should have known something was up …

He didn’t say much about Alabama, except that it was so efficient it was boring to watch and that Nick Saban didn’t seem to enjoy games as much as Les.

“So, how do you think the game is going to go?” I asked.

Then he dropped the hammer:

“Oh, I’d say Alabama by 17.”

“WHAT?” I cried, and before I knew it, I was involved in a bet, involving a nice dinner for the winner and his spouse.

That’s when George gently reminded me that I still owed him and wife, Aggie, a dinner from the BCS championship.

We agreed to go double or nothing — so if things don’t go well for the Tigers, I will be obligated to feed the Smiths at fine dining establishments of their choosing — no doubt places with impressive wine lists — on two occasions.

To make things worse, after I hung up, I realized I hadn’t asked him for those 17 points.

A lot of people are going to be yelling “Geaux Tigers!” on Saturday night — but few will mean it as fervently as I will …

Last word in fashion

Harry Clark, of Lafayette, addresses a recent column topic:

“The discussion concerning ugly football uniforms has ended. Nobody could out-ugly the throwback uniforms the Pittsburgh Steelers wore Sunday.”

About McLobster

Matt Ackel, of Berwick, addresses a recent column item:

“Miss Jacki and I have just returned from Halifax and St. John, Nova Scotia.

“McDonald’s does serves lobster rolls, starting in August, but they go away in October. The golden arches have a red Canadian maple leaf in the middle.”

Message to Mike

Michael Caruso says, “Through happenstance, I received a call from a Mrs. Kennedy from Kentucky vacationing in Watercolor, Fla., who found a balloon while on a hike.

“Attached was a note from ‘Mike’ saying the balloon was launched from Airline Highway in Baton Rouge.

“Mrs. Kennedy just wants ‘Mike’ to know that the balloon’s journey ended near Destin. Amazing for a fragile little balloon.”

Candy money

If your little demons bring in more candy on Halloween night than you think they should consume, here’s help:

Take surplus candy to the dental office of Dr. John Portwood, 9069 Siegen Lane, in Baton Rouge to get $1 for each pound of candy, up to 5 pounds.

Unopened candy will be collected Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and, through the Operation Gratitude program, will be sent to troops overseas.

Dr. Portwood says, “Bring the kids to collect their money and gift bags and meet the Tooth Fairy. They will also have the opportunity to draw a picture to send to the troops along with their candy.”

Visit http://www.portwooddental.com or http://www.operationgratitude.com.

Bin leaving

Pat Hoth issues this alert:

“The purple bins will be leaving Kean’s locations Wednesday. If you have books to donate to the Friends of the LSU Libraries’ Book Bazaar, get them to Kean’s ASAP.”

Worthy causes

Trianon’s annual luncheon to benefit Arc of Baton Rouge will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Renaissance Hotel. There will be fashions from Chata Box, a bazaar with handmade items, a silent auction and more. Tickets are $50. Call Mara Malone at [phone].

Special People Dept.

• On Sunday Lena Machost Miller celebrated her 99th birthday.
• Charles Toerner celebrated his 93rd birthday Thursday; Charles and his wife, Lorraine, celebrated their 64th anniversary Oct. 18.
• June Bookter Boucher celebrates her 91st birthday Tuesday.
• Dr. J. Norman Heard, a retired University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor, celebrated his 90th birthday Sunday.
• Ruby and the Rev. J.T. Halley, of Baker, celebrated their 73rd anniversary Monday.
• Hazel and Huey “Chuck” Simms, of Plaquemine, celebrate their 52nd anniversary Tuesday.

Thought for the Day

From Shirley Fleniken: “Practice courtesy. You never know when it might become popular again.”

Ill Wind Dept.

Tom Toddy offers this bit of “Cajun hurricane wisdom” to the folks on the East Coast dealing with Hurricane Sandy:

“The closer your freezer is to being full, the more likely a hurricane will hit your area.”

Write Smiley at Smiley@the
advocate.com. He can also be reached by fax at [phone] or mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.