By the time most of you read this, the race to fill Richard Baker’s Sixth Congressional District seat will be over. Thanks be to God.

Finally, the seemingly incessant barrage of TV commercials, radio ads, mailers, emails, blog entries, and phone calls are over…at least for a few weeks. Before you know it, we’ll be enduring it all over again this summer and fall.

I’ll admit it: I’m a cynic. I usually gripe and complain about something in this forum, but not this month. It’s April, which means it’s spring: a time of renewal, revitalization, and hope.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee called it “goofy.” CNN’s John King said it was more difficult to explain than nuclear physics. No, they weren’t talking about Amy Winehouse’s hair. They were describing the presidential delegate selection process employed by the Louisiana State Republican Party.

I knew 2008 would be an election year, but I had no idea it meant we’d have an election every month. On February 9, while Democrats and Republicans in Louisiana will vote in presidential preference primaries, East Baton Rouge voters will also get a chance to approve or reject Pinnacle’s new casino.

With yet another turn of the calendar, we usher in another new year. For me, that also means another impending birthday, since mine falls on the sixth day of the year. In the Roman Catholic Church, that day is known as the Epiphany, which seems befitting, since the last few times it’s rolled around, I’ve had an epiphany that I’m getting old.

For the longest time, LSU football fans had a chip on their shoulder. Many believed their beloved Fighting Tigers warranted more attention from the national sports media than they actually received. Even in 2003, when the Bayou Bengals won the BCS Championship, they felt jilted because they were forced to share the national spotlight with Southern California, who was declared equally deserving of the title “National Champion” by many in the national press.

Last November, I dedicated this column to things for which I gave thanks. Since no one told me that it sucked, I figured I’d do it again this year. Who knows, it might be the beginning of a tradition that’s just slightly less entertaining than the old Perry Como Christmas specials.

If you’ve followed recent international news, you likely heard about the civil unrest and governmental crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrations in the country of Myanmar. If you haven’t been following recent international news, I pray to God that you’re not depending on us to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening around the globe. Lord knows, we already have enough ill-informed people in this country. The last thing we need is for more Americans to get their news from a group of smartasses.

There are many signs of aging: wrinkles, memory loss, and the fear of new technology. Another sign involves offering unsolicited advice. Well, put some fresh tennis balls on my walker, and don’t stand in front of the TV while I watch my Matlock, because I’m about to dish out sage wisdom to some folks out there, whether they want it or not.

As I write this, Barry Bonds is only a single four-bagger shy of tying Hank Aaron’s sacred record of 755 career homeruns. The hoopla that would normally be present on the eve of matching, and subsequently breaking, such a revered milestone has been significantly tempered because of the perception that baseball fans and the general public have of the San Francisco Giants slugger.