Though Fred Falkenheiner was not a contemporary of mine but was a close friend of my brother Chick, I considered Fred a friend.

His service as a member of the Concordia Parish Police Jury overlapped my time as an Alderman in Natchez. His occasional comments led me to believe that he was a regular reader of this column.

I knew I had to be careful when writing about baseball, especially because of Fred’s knowledge of that sport.

Fred was the ultimate LSU fan. He pitched for the LSU baseball team back in the days when the pitching staff consisted of a righty and a lefty.

Fred had to be good to play in that era. Fred’s dedication to his family, his church and his community was widely known. I offer my sincere condolences to Phyllis and their children and grandchildren.

I was really sorry to see that Charlie Montgomery had passed away. Though we were never close, I had known Charlie for many years.

His and Miriam’s son, Kirk, was the only one I knew, as he graduated from Cathedral with one of my children. I knew Charlie was an Ole Miss supporter, but never knew he was a member of the Ole Miss M Club. Charlie will be missed by the whole community.

While both of those deaths were people who had lived a full and active life, the latest was a young man only 24 years old. I have three grandchildren that age.

Jacob Marks died in a tragic accident. I did not know the youngster, but know his parents and have known his grandfather, Bobby, for many years. Jacob’s great uncle, Tony Byrne, and I served the City of Natchez for many years.

I can’t imagine the horror of losing a child, but the survivors have to know the support and love for them in the community.

Though I do not normally favor a particular team or college in this column, I am proud of Ole Miss for upsetting Florida Saturday.

Florida Coach Urban Myer successfully challenged an on-field official’s ruling and prevent Ole Miss from gaining a first down on a pass completion and thereby forcing a punt.

The Rebels were later able to block an extra point and win the game by that single point. The announcers found themselves calling for a review to see if the Ole Miss player who blocked the kick had illegally used a teammate’s leverage to get to that kick.

It was obvious that he had not done that and equally obvious that the offense, even had it happened, was not among the reviewable plays.

I saw no obvious missed officiating calls in either the Ole Miss win over Florida or the LSU win over Mississippi State. Contrary to what some State fans might think, the Bulldogs played better against the Tigers than they had in earlier games. LSU is simply loaded with great athletes.

I try hard to show no favoritism when SEC schools play each other. Having grown up in Knoxville and having gone to school with both of General Bob Neyland’s sons, it is sad to see the current state of Tennessee football.

The combination of an inexperienced quarterback and a great running back who has a habit of fumbling in bad situations makes for a difficult coaching job.

The hardest time is when State and Ole Miss play each other. I went to Ole Miss, but three of my children, both stepchildren and their spouses, plus three grandchildren, went to State and are big fans. I just keep my mouth shut.

And, That’s Official.

Al Graning writes a weekly column for The Democrat.