i soooooo needed this today ...

Today was a super crappy day until I saw this. Unbelievable! As my eyes scroll through the list, my voice gets higher and higher with excitement.

we looked totally nuts

I finally sent in my "What the SAINTS' season means to me" submission to the Times-Picayune newspaper in the New Orleans. Hopefully, it will be posted on NOLA.com soon.

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One of my favorite memories of my childhood is going to the airport after Morten Andersen kicked a winning field goal in the last seconds of a game against the Falcons. It was probably 1983 or ’84. My whole family went, and I can remember my cousin Jennifer and I making signs with two paper plates, some tape and a couple of badminton racquets.

We watched ourselves on the local news the next day, and I remember thinking we looked totally nuts. People were chanting “Superbowl SAINTS,” and yet we still had a losing record. But that’s what made it fun and what makes the SAINTS so special to this city.

No matter how badly the 49ers could kick our butts, there was always excitement, hope and sincere love and admiration for the team. I truly loved watching people like Archie, Morten, George Rogers, Hokie Gajan, Dalton Hilliard, Ruben Mayes, Dave Waymer, Brian Hansen, John Fourcade and, of course, that amazing defensive line of the late ’80s and early '90s.

I like to think that the high we experienced that evening at the airport is what made my parents decide to start buying season tickets for the family. We had them for about 10 years, and I couldn’t think of a better way to bond with my family. It was like our Sunday religious experience. We yelled, danced, did the wave, prayed and cried – all as a family in Section 621. We listened to Jim Henderson and Buddy Diliberto on the ride back to Metairie, honking and waving our fists out the windows when we won, and listening in miserable silence to the interviews and replays when we lost.

It’s definitely more than just a game. It’s:

• Grabbing a pre-game lunch at the food court at the New Orleans Centre
• Muting the game on TV and turning up Jim & Archie on the radio
• Waiting for the jazz band to make it over to our section in the third quarter
• Reciting the omnipresent Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse ads on the jumbo screen
• Listening to my mom giggling like someone my own age about her time spent sitting next to Morten at Champion’s restaurant
• Watching fan after fan trip on the staircase on their way to the very top of the Superdome
• Seth Green performing enthusiastic “Cha Chings” on the field back in the heyday of those Rally’s commercials
• Watching strangers high-five and hug each other in the excitement of a great play
• Seeing my dad’s proud face when I spouted off football stats and my teen-age expert opinion

It’s New Orleans, and it’s everything I love about calling it my hometown.

the saints are coming ...

we did it!!!!!

SAINTS 27 - - - Eagles 24


DEUUUUUUUCCCCCE!!!

After 40 years of being the underdogs, the SAINTS are headed to the NFC championship game, and I don't think it has hit me yet.

The games this year have such a different feel, (I guess it's called consistency!) and yet, when the camera tonight panned through the Superdome audience in the final minutes of the game, everyone looked like I did. Hands in prayer position, butterflies in tummy, shirt collar in mouth, we couldn't celebrate like fans of other teams. If there's even a second left on the clock, we know our fortune can still change. It's not until you see the double zero that you can exhale, let your shoulders fall from your ears and relax your butt muscles.

Good God, how am I even going to make it until next weekend!!?? For now, I'm going to enjoy the win, remember how much fun I had growing up in Section 621, Row 8, and feeling thankful that these wins couldn't have come at a better time. BLESS YOU BOYS!

How is Drew Brees the best QB in the NFL? The dude has four arms!