October 2, 2007

Chris Rose Freaking Nails It

One of our favorite columnists, Chris Rose, of the New Orleans Times Picayune, just hit the nail on the head with a recent article about the Who Dats. You can read the whole thing here, but here are a few select quotes that we liked:
And none of it is working. Something drastic is needed. Something really big and really bold.
Somebody needs to rob the grave.
Truthfully, the grave that I thought needed digging up was Buddy D's, so he could get back on the radio and call out this team for the bunch of squirrels they have become, maybe put the fear of the Point After in their hearts.
But that would not only be illegal, but messy.

And:
So, until someone comes up with a better idea, an exhumation and a visit to St. Roch's may be the Who Dats' last hope.
Until then, the 2006 season still lies dormant under the turf at Saints Camp, resting in uneasy peace.

Also, coming closer to nailing it:
Now it's just more about preserving the bond that was made last year, and the year before that, preserving that intangible gridiron chakra that led to a nearly rapturous love affair between a city and a team.

Then:
"When the Saints used to lose, I felt I had a better sense of community. We were never really football fans around here. We were Saints fans. And those are two completely different things."


Finally, he closes with a quote from Deuce McAllister, who we have to think is one of the greatest guys in the NFL right now:
"Throughout our tenure together, the bond we have established is one that can never be broken and I find solace in knowing that win, lose, or draw, we all bleed 'Black & Gold,' " Deuce wrote.
He had me at hello.
Deuce signed his letter with one word: BELIEVE.

So, to all the national media attacking the Saints, remember: they may suck, but they're our suck.

2 comments:

JBRATER said...

The Lions will happily accept the mantle of "normally crappy team that gets one shot at glory only to return to sucky" this year. Not sure if they're getting it from the Saints or the Tigers, though.

Oh, and what is the relationship between the "Who Dat" thing in New Orleans and the "Who Dey" thing in Cincinatti? Which came first? Did one of you copy the other? Unbiased explanation please.

JMA said...

The unbiased answer: Cincinatti fans copied Saints fans because they were jealous of our spirit.

A real answer can be found here: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/who-dey-vs-who-dat/ which I believe partly answers the question that the 'Who Dat' phrase was in Louisiana for many decades before Saints fans started using it, but I don't believe Saints fans started using it until after Bengals fans used it. High Schools in Louisiana (and I believe Mississippi) were using it in the 70s. In the end, it doesn't matter. Who Dat is a great expression of our cajun heritage and unique culture...Who Dey is dumb.