Good morning, WHO DAT Nation. As I am here in Tampa supporting our New Orleans Saints at the conclusion of a disappointing season, I thought I would share a gift from happier times to lift our spirits. And, as always: Geaux New Orleans Saints!!! WHO DAT, Stanton Dear Miami, The Saints are coming. And so are we, their loyal, long-suffering and slightly discombobulated Super Bowl-bound fans. While theres still time to prepare -- although a few hard-core Who Dats will begin trickling in Monday, most of us wont arrive until Thursday or Friday -- we thought wed give you a heads-up about what you should expect. First things first: You need more beer. Yeah, we know. You ordered extra. You think you have more than any group of humans could possibly consume in one week. Trust us. You dont. New Orleans was a drinking town long before the Saints drove us to drink. But it turns out beer tastes better when youre winning. (Who knew?) So lets just say were thirsty for more than a championship; adjust your stockpiles accordingly. And look. When we ask you for a go-cup, be nice to us. We dont even know what open container law means. Is that anything like last call? Its Carnival season in New Orleans (thats Mardi Gras to you), and well be taking the celebration on the road. So dont be startled if you walk past us and we throw stuff at you; thats just our way of saying hello. Oh, and sorry in advance about those beads we leave dangling from your palm trees. We just cant help ourselves. February is also crawfish season, and you can be sure that more than one enterprising tailgater will figure out a way to transport a couple sacks of live mudbugs and a boiling pot to Miami. When the dude in the Who Dat T-shirt asks if you want to suck da head and pinch da tail, resist the urge to punch him. Hes not propositioning you. Hes inviting you to dinner. And if you see a big Cajun guy who looks exactly like an old Saints quarterback walking around town in a dress ... dont ask. Its a long story. We know that crowd control is a major concern for any Super Bowl host city. Our advice? Put away the riot gear. Reason No. 1: Indianapolis is going to lose, and their fans are way too dull to start a riot. Reason No. 2: New Orleans showed the world on Sunday that we know how to throw a victory party. We dont burn cars. We dance on them. Reason No. 3: Even if we did lose, which we wont, leaving the stadium would be like leaving a funeral, and our typical response to that is to have a parade. Speaking of which: If you happen to see a brass band roll by, followed by a line of folks waving their handkerchiefs, youre not supposed to just stand there and watch. As our own Irma Thomas would say, get your backfield in motion. And hey, Mister DJ! Yes, we know youve already played that stupid Ying Yang Twins song 10 times tonight, but indulge us just one more time. To us, Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk) isnt just a song; its 576 points of good memories. Its the sound of a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, a Pierre Thomas dive for first down on 4th-and-1, a Garrett Hartley field goal sailing through the uprights in overtime. Its what a championship sounds like. You may get sick of hearing it. We wont. Encore, dammit. Inside Sun Life Stadium, you may find your ears ringing more than usual. Were louder than other fans. Seven thousand of ours sound like 70,000 of theirs. Dont believe us? Ask the 12th man in the Vikings huddle. Some people think its just the Dome that heightens our volume. But youre about to discover a little secret: We can scream loud enough to make your head explode, indoors or out. Its not the roof. Its the heart. Well, OK, and the beer. Dont be surprised if there are more Saints fans outside the stadium than inside. A lot of us are coming just to say we were part of history, even if we cant witness it up close. The Saints are family to us, and you know how it is with family: We want to be there for them, whether they really need us or not. Because we know our presence will mean something to them, whether they can see us or not. Come to think of it, seeing as how youre taking us in for the week, we pretty much regard you as family, too. So were warning you now: If youre within hugging distance, youre fair game. Hugging strangers is a proud Who Dat tradition, right up there with crying when we win. Most sports fans cry when their teams lose. Not us. Weve been losing gracefully and with good humor for 43 years. Tragedy and disappointment dont faze us. Its success that makes us go to pieces. Hurricane Katrina? We got that under control. The Saints in the Super Bowl? SOMEBODY CALL A PARAMEDIC!!! So anyway, dont let the tears of joy freak you out. Were just ... disoriented. OK. Lets review: Order more beer. Throw me something, mister. Suck da heads. Wear da dress. Stand up. Get crunk. Hug it out. Protect your eardrums. Pass the Kleenex. Hoist the trophy. See you at the victory party. Faithfully yours, The Who Dat Nation Thanks to The Times-Picayune
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 13:17:52 +0000
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