What’s up

That’s gotta hurt

When photographers become part of the football action

With the clock winding down, Mississippi State needed a big play to keep pace with LSU in Tiger Stadium. Bulldogs Quarterback Tyson Lee dashed downfield until the Tigers’ junior safety Danny McCray pushed him out of bounds.

It was just another play for some, but it made sideline photographer Meg Hall (pictured) part of the action as the two players tumbled into her. The incident, caught on national TV, spurred a flurry of Facebook posts, text messages from friends and even a YouTube video.

“I was looking through a long lens, and I didn’t have good depth perception at the time,” Hall says. “As I stood up, I didn’t have time to move out of the way.”

The Tiger Weekly photographer was sent crashing to the ground, which momentarily silenced the crowd. For the fifth-year photography senior, it was exciting. “I wasn’t embarrassed nor injured,” Hall says. “After the hit, I was more worried about the equipment.”

The same thing can’t be said for Advocate photographer Mark Saltz. Where Hall tumbled down, Saltz found himself hurtling through the air in a somersault earlier this season during a game between Southern and Mississippi Valley State.

“I got up (as though) nothing happened and pretended to start shooting again,” Saltz says. He admits the tumble felt shocking and a little embarrassing. “[The player] hit me like a mule.”

In 26 years of shooting professionally, it was only his second tackle, Saltz says. Like Hall, he took the incident in stride. “I’m just lucky I didn’t break anything.” —MATTHEW SIGUR

Hurricane help

Sales of these T-shirts from Advance Baton Rouge will help reimburse Glen Oaks, Prescott Middle and Pointe Coupee High schools for extra costs incurred after Gustav, including grief counseling, lost uniforms and vandalism to school computers. Designed by ABR’s Priscilla Wagoner, the T-shirts are available for $20 (tax included) at Vertigo Clothing Boutique and other stores. E-mail [email protected] for your order.

Pint-sized Palin

Saturday Night Live star Tina Fey isn’t the only one doing her best impression of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

In an effort to teach young students more about the election, Baton Rouge International School is staging a mock election complete with pint-sized candidates.

Adeline Roemer, the second-grade daughter of Chas and Tena, couldn’t be more excited to portray Palin. After being selected, “she came home, and she rummaged through her mother’s closet,” Tena says. “She’s trying to find a suit that looks the most like Palin. And we’re trying to find some glasses. She’s thrilled.”

At only 7 years old, Adeline’s been following the election closely. “After watching the [vice presidential] debate, [Adeline] said Palin seemed really nice, and she liked listening to her compared to Biden. I didn’t coach her one way or the other,” Tena says.

Best of luck to Adeline, who will go through a rigorous campaign before the Nov. 3 mock election. —M.S.

Dinner with Ralph

Ramy Mousa used Facebook, e-mails and the old-fashioned telephone to convince everyone he knew to sign up for Ralph Nader’s e-mail list. With 379 sign-ups, Mousa was named the winner of a national contest to have dinner with the four-time presidential candidate. “He’s my guy. He embodies the same ideals,” Mousa says. “Even if Nader isn’t running, I’d still vote third party.” Mousa experienced a “mini practice of democracy” when he helped to get Nader on the Nov. 4 ballot in Louisiana as an independent; Nader previously has appeared on the Green Party ticket. The long-time consumer advocate and environmentalist, who spoke at LSU in mid-September, most likely will schedule his dinner with Mousa after the election.

White shrimp Crocs?

Don’t think your waterborne neighbors in the coastal parishes aren’t fashion forward, even when it comes to those ubiquitous white “shrimp” boots so many wear on and around the water. These rather comfy cut-offs are both comfortable and functional for Chuckie Verdin, chief of the Pointe au Chien Indian tribe in South Terrebonne Parish, as he inspected damage in the days following Hurricane Gustav.

WINNERS: Students of Louisiana Culinary Institute

A tip of the chef’s cap to Louisiana Culinary Institute students for sweeping the student category at the Baton Rouge Annual Culinary Classic in September at the Holiday Inn Select in Baton Rouge. Sophomore Dustie Latiolais took the first place prize of $1,000 for his dish of duck forcemeat with red cabbage and roasted new potatoes. Sophomore Chris Ward won a $500 second place prize for his smoked duck breast with black and blue coulis with orange caviar and sweet potato hash. And Samantha Neal came in third, winning a cool $250 for her Appalachian Cajun chicken. Congrats to these chefs and to the school as well: no other culinary school has swept the student category in the competition’s history. —M.S.