12/23/24
January 16, 2007
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!: Don't hate them because they're beautiful. Even if they do win the NFC Championship, even if, wonder of wonders, they win the Super Bowl, you shouldn't hate the New Orleans Saints. Sportsfilter's own The_Black_Hand explains why he's giving some love to the Saints, and why you should, too.
Great article TBH. I know I am rooting for the Saints this year. As a Giants fan I wish that Fassell had kept Payton- the year before he was dubbed "the boy genius" for running an incredible offense. Maybe if the Giants had kept him he would now be leading us instead of Coughlin. Then again if that had happened I wouldn't have the chance to have read your article and see the Saints try to beat the odds during these playoffs. Geaux Saints!
posted by urall cloolis at 05:34 PM on January 16, 2007
I am positive that there are people for whom a grenade is not a sufficient deterrent to expressing disdain about the Yankees. Nice article, TBH. Well written, and I enjoyed the story about Master Chief Cooper. Great job.
posted by BullpenPro at 05:57 PM on January 16, 2007
TBH, thanks for the nice column. As a Bears fan, I am hopeful of a win against the Saints next Sunday. However, if the Bears lose the Saints, I won't be bothered by the loss as much as I would had they lost to the Packers or Vikings. I would love to see the Saints go to the Super Bowl, just not this year! By the way, I also hate. I hate Forrest Gregg and Charles Mann. I hate Brett Favre and Fran Tarkenton; I also respect them very much.
posted by danjel at 06:07 PM on January 16, 2007
I have to admit that I want the Bears to win, so that next time says 'Dan Marino didn't win a super bowl', I can say 'well, Rex Grossman did. So your point is?' [Also, I want the Patriots to lose to the Colts, on a last-second miss by their Vinatieri replacement. Letting him go was criminal; they should have built a statue of the man in front of Gillette Stadium, not sent him to their archrivals.]
posted by tieguy at 06:24 PM on January 16, 2007
And a great, great piece, TBH. Ditto the part about hating Kelly, but particularly about hating Thurman Thomas, and hating the way he used to cut through the Dolphins D like the proverbial knife and butter.
posted by tieguy at 06:27 PM on January 16, 2007
Awesome column. Thanks. I feel obligated to note I've always hated the Leicester Panthers. (tieguy, I don't want to detract from the thread, but there's more to the Vinatieri story than the Pats simply not paying up.)
posted by yerfatma at 06:30 PM on January 16, 2007
Nice job TBH. I'll keep my hated teams to myself....in fear of the grenade.
posted by louisville_slugger at 08:04 PM on January 16, 2007
Nice column TBH. A history of being bad combined with Katrina makes the Saints extremely hard to hate. I think the former though is not only true for the Saints, but other sports teams as well. I cannot see how one would hate the Lions or the modern day Kansas City Royals. It's hard to hate a team that doesn't give fans much of a reason to dislike them because of their terrible play.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:14 PM on January 16, 2007
Great column, terrific points and quite humourous, but I really don't think Katrina has much of anything to do with it. The Saints have always been loveable losers, and not much of a threat to anyone elses team. You could always secretly cheer for the Saints as your 'second' team, of if you are a fan of an AFC team, they could be your NFC boys. I tend not to hate opposing teams, with the notable exception of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I save my misguided hate for individuals, Rick Monday tops the list, and pick a Hab, any Hab (Jean Beliveau excepted). Al Leiter is right up there too.
posted by tommybiden at 08:40 PM on January 16, 2007
Loved the article TBH. I will be on the horns of a dilema when the Saints play "Da Bears" as both teams have had an excellent year. How could ANYONE hate Jim Kelly? The man was great on and off the field! He might have never won a Super Bowl, but he is still a class act. Definitley want the Colts to beat the Patriots! And will someone buy Bill Belicheck a new hoodie, he looks like a guy the day before going to the laundromat. (but I do respect him as a coach)
posted by steelergirl at 09:11 PM on January 16, 2007
steelergirl: because he beat the dolphins into the turf. Over and over and over again. With a big grin all over his face. Outweighs any affection I might have for him as a grad of QB U.
posted by tieguy at 09:52 PM on January 16, 2007
Lord, how I want to be in that number, When the Saints go marching in. Nicely done, TBH.
posted by mjkredliner at 11:06 PM on January 16, 2007
Groovy stuff, TBH. You never struck me as a Navy Man, but I can dig it. I'm definitely pro-Saints this weekend. And I hate. I hate over-cooked bacon, mayonnaise, shelfish, and Tim McCarver. Despite all my best efforts I don't actually hate the Yankees or the Red Sox. But I dislike them intensely.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:02 AM on January 17, 2007
Really enjoyed the article, TBH. My hates include, but are not limited to, every Missouri Tiger that ever existed, and the Denver Broncos and all associated fans.
posted by hawkguy at 08:47 AM on January 17, 2007
Good piece of writing for a sailor, TBH. I like your reasoning and the controlled emotion. You must be a decent guy to go to a Master Chief's retirement party. I appreciate the story that the Saints' rise from great adversity makes. I think they have more than enough to get by Chicago, regardless of any off-field stories. I am rooting for the Patriots to get by Indianapolis for two reasons. First, I am a homer, unashamed and unabashed, a homer since 1960. Second, the story line of the "out of nowhere with the odds against them" Saints versus the arrogant "we always win because we are better than you" Patriots is a sure-fire hype builder for the Super Bowl. Thanks for the article.
posted by Howard_T at 09:19 AM on January 17, 2007
Nice column, TBH. I've always kind of had a like for the Saints. Trouble is, back when I used to bet the full NFL schedule every week, they were a tough team to bet (for or against). The number of times I missed the Saints on what otherwise woulda been a winning ticket ... I started to get a bit of a hate on. Then, along comes SpoFi's confidence and pick 'em pools. No money down! But even then ... I'm suspicious of 'em. I gotta get our dark history dealt with before I can make my picks for this week. Damn those Saints! I kinda hate 'em 'cause I like 'em and vice versa.
posted by Spitztengle at 10:11 AM on January 17, 2007
Black Hand - nice story. I was stationed at the Naval Reserve headquarters in New Orleans from 1982-1986. The first year there, I won season tickets to the Saints in a welfare and recreation raffle the base had. It was GREAT. The people of New Orleans now how to party, and they do so every Sunday of football season at the Dome. Back then, they didn't really care if they won or not, they just came to party. Now, after Katrina, and with the Saints playing so well, they still party, but they are partying WITH the Saints. Like you said, you just can't hate the Saints. I will be pulling for them this weekend (and hopefully again in the SuperBowl).
posted by bobrolloff at 10:23 AM on January 17, 2007
Very well-written column, TBH. Louisiana born, I grew up as a Saints fan. Although I was raised in Michigan, I didn't get too much razzing about my support of the Saints because the local gridiron team did not exactly have a record of greatness either. My only complaint about this current iteration of the Saints is that the all-black uniform (pants + jersey) kind of makes them look like a high school or Conference USA team. But that's a trivial matter. And I'm all for the bandwagon jumping and the new America's team thing. I'm not much of a hater, but Claude Lemieux and Tommy Tuberville are definitely on my list.
posted by holden at 10:53 AM on January 17, 2007
Great article, TBH. For obvious reasons I can't say that I share your affinity with the Saints this weekend. Had it been any other year, or opponent for that matter, then hell yes I'd be pulling for them. I don' think there is anyone who can debate that the Saints haven't been a great story this year but it's been 21 years since I last saw my Bears in the Superbowl, and I was just a wee lad at the time. Oh, and I hate. I hate Charles Martin, I hate Mike Holmgren, Forrest Gregg (sp?), I HATE the Pistons. Bartman! Well, let's just say I have a lot of hate.
posted by willthrill72 at 11:09 AM on January 17, 2007
I live in New Orleans and the year the Saints are having has made everyone around here feel full of hope. When I watched them on Monday night and they blocked the punt I kept saying "Who is this team? This is not my Saints!" Well, they are my Saints and we expect to win now--this isn't some type of fluke. Coach Payton has changed the attitude of not just the team but the entire city. Hail the Saints and beat Da Bears!!
posted by govtdrone at 11:21 AM on January 17, 2007
Lifelong Saints and Gator fan here, thinking if Saints win Super Bowl I may give up sports, having climbed every mountain. I have followed the Saints season as you may expect in extraordinary detail, and TBH synopsis of season is pretty much the best journalism I have seen on the subject. I believe this team is more focused on the road, and will beat the Bears, good Lord willing. Having won one for the fans, this team can now win one for each other, before reassuming their role as Feel Good poster children for the Super Bowl.
posted by rastacamp at 11:49 AM on January 17, 2007
Being a New Orleans native, living in the Bay Area, I cut my cable company and paid through the arse to get DirecTV and NFL Sunday ticket so I could watch the team I've rooted for since the opening kickoff return for a touchdown in Tulane Stadium against the LA Rams. I was in that number when Tom Dempsey kicked a 63 yard field goal, and, being Catholic, I knelt to the shrine of his shoe at the Hall of Fame in Canton. That being said, I was skeptical all season, from the win over Atlanta on MNF to the stomping of the Giants in week 16, but having watched what they did to the Eagles twice, I believe they are more solid than the Bears and will beat them Sunday afternoon. Geaux Saints!!!!!!!!
posted by drtherc at 12:25 PM on January 17, 2007
Excellent column, by the way.
posted by drtherc at 12:32 PM on January 17, 2007
Nice column, TBH. I don't hate the Saints. In fact, I like them. What I do hate is the Patriots and Brady. I would pretty much be happy with anyone but the Patriots winning the thing. Who hates loveable, old men? TBH does. (I love Bowden.)
posted by bperk at 01:43 PM on January 17, 2007
I have been run out of Texas for being a Saints fan and Arkansas Razorback. I hope they can pull it off. Three joys in my life are the frown on a Cowboy's fans face when I mention the 70's Steelers, the fact that it took 7 teams from Texas to beat one from Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference, and the thrill of seeing the Saints(and Fans) not giving up. Great column. Did you figure out what I hate?
posted by twill9620 at 06:46 PM on January 17, 2007
I have been run out of Texas for being a Saints fan and Arkansas Razorback. You got off pretty easy actually, twill. Hadn't heard that old joke about Arkansas in a long while, thanks for the laugh.
posted by mjkredliner at 08:12 AM on January 18, 2007
Great article. I actually did hate the saints at one time. Growing up a cowboys fan cbs was the cowboys broadcasting station. They were always the national game. But since I was in the N.O. area I would get the saints game if they were playing at the same time. I loved watching them lose. Not anymore. New Orleans is my favorite american city, and if they make it to the super bowl I'll be making a visit. I've made that promise to myself for years. It'll bring the city down (in a good way). Three joys in my life are the frown on a Cowboy's fans face when I mention the 70's Steelers Bah, the 90's took the sting away. Nice try though.
posted by justgary at 01:41 AM on January 19, 2007
Terrific column, TBH. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I disagree with tommytrump's opinion that Katrina had nothing to do with the Saints getting a little extra love. Ever since Katrina hit, I've wished nothing but good for the folks in N'Awlins. The people I've met there are decent, fun-loving and gracious. After Katrina hit, the only non-Texas team's scores I followed were the Saints....my wife is the same. Last season we felt empathy for the team and their fans 13 times, just wishing those folks could have something to smile about. This season, I wasn't even that uspet when the Saints whipped the Cowboys, knowing we were outclassed and completely out-coached. Also, I knew as soon as the Cowboys crashed this post-season, I would support the Saints. I've never felt that way about another team. Ever. If they win in Chicago, and I firmly believe they will, we're considering hosting a Saint For A Day Super Bowl party. I imagine we could get creative and have more fun than we deserve. If only we can figure out how to morph the living room into Bourbon Street... Master Chief Cooper has given Cowboy fans too much credit in saying we may be smarter than he thought. There's no question if I had been a Navy man instead of an Airman and knew about his grenade, I would have marched right into his office wearing my old Bob Lilly jersey. And then I would have done an about face and run like hell. Of course. How could ANYONE hate Jim Kelly? steelergirl, have you ever actually had a conversation with Jim Kelly? In my only encounter with him, he was nothing short of a dick, or maybe he has a short dick, I can't be sure. And he didn't even know I was a Cowboy fan!
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 05:49 PM on January 19, 2007
Nice article. I wish I had that grenade. As a Lions fan, I'm very jealous of the year the Saints are having.