Tiger roars rocked Atlanta Wednesday evening, jump-starting Big Daddy’s New Year’s Eve festivities long before midnight. LSU’s dominance helped Louisiana forget the pain of a dreadful ’08 as we rolled into 2009. This week, Big Daddy’s Saints Beat blog expresses residents’ sentiment concerning the watered down Mid-City bonfire, applauds Charles Barkley’s antics, recaps the Chick-fil-A Bowl, thanks the Sugar Bowl, evaluates the New Orleans Hornets’ season, and releases his World Famous Pregame Information.
New Orleans Fire Department officials imposed harsh guidelines on Mid-City residents to light their annual Orleans Avenue bonfire. New safety measures included: barricades to hold revelers back, excessive flashing lights from enforcement vehicles, firemen controlling the blaze’s size, and a ban on discharging fireworks. One brave young lady kept a great tradition alive by running around the fire nude; however, cops quickly tackled and arrested her. What a shame no one filmed that? Most participants felt that intrusive “Big Brother” demands stripped away more civil liberties, a small minority agreed with beefing-up police presence because it created a safer atmosphere. Comparing this year’s Mid-City bonfire to previous events is like saying Disneyworld’s lame Mardi Gras activities rival Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. If star and crescent badges give you a false sense of security at parties, Florida has an endless supply of gated community properties available.
