SAINTS FREEZE HELL

“Snap, placement, kick by Hartley, and it is - AND IT'S GOOD! IT'S GOOD! IT'S GUH- HUH HOOD! Pigs have flown! Hell has frozen over! The Saints are on their way to the Super Bowl!”

Jim Henderson’s voice cracking announcement came after Garrett Hartley kicked a 40 yard field goal to put the New Orleans Saints over the Minnesota Vikings in OT. Since then, the Saints went on to Miami to defeat New Orleans’ native son, Peyton Manning, and his Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. World media has taken notice of this Saints team and has seen their championship season as something much more, as if perhaps Hell has actually frozen over. The New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory has taken on almost mythological proportions, a sort of Brothers Grimm fairy tale where the oft ridiculed, tragically abused underdog is finally fitted with the glass slipper (or as in this case a Muses Red Slipper float on the Lombardi Gras parade). The Saints, and specifically Drew Brees (Disneyland, Letterman, Oprah), has emerged as a newly crowned Cinderella *. Why has this story captured national, even world, attention**?

The underdog story in general resonates with most of humanity, but the Saints victory is something more than just that. The Saints and New Orleans have briefly captured the world stage because of the fact that just a few years earlier the city was a disaster zone and people were seriously considering whether the city was viable and even worth being rebuilt. The Saints organization received the same sort of questioning. In fact, the things that happened in her Superdome after the hurricane became equated with the devastation and subsequent mismanagement of that hellhound named Katrina. While it seemed to some to be foolishness to rebuild New Orleans, a city partially built below sea level and surrounded by water, the Saints were equally thrown aside as useless, perennial losers on the NFL stage (symbolically surrounded by water themselves from the tears of thousands of loyal fans). However, the city and the sports team refused to die or accept the disrespect they received and they both came back as viable and vibrant against all the odds and naysayers. While the New Orleans area was slowly regrouping and rebuilding, the 43 year old Ugly Duckling Saints also began to show signs that she was about to emerge as the beautiful swan she really always was. The fairy tale was unfolding, the temperature in Hell seemed to be dropping and the first real change of wind came in the form of a Drew Brees from the west.

Why Brees? Well, because Brees, like New Orleans, was himself a devastated cast off. For all intents and purposes he had been let go from the San Diego Chargers after suffering a career ending shoulder injury trying to recover a ball. There was only a 25% chance he would ever recover to play football again. However, Drew Brees refused to let his career die or accept the disrespect he received from other NFL teams (only the Dolphins and Saints offered him a starting QB contract).

Through his personal recovery and persistence he became a poster boy of what was also happening in the New Orleanian recovery around him. He saw himself in New Orleans and in turn New Orleans saw herself in him. It’s kind of a love story actually, and everyone knows that when two people are in love what happens to one happens to the other. So, when Brees and the Saints won the honor and glory afforded a Super Bowl champ the entire city of New Orleans felt that same honor and respect. When the world saw these two so madly in love and how they shared the glory freely with each other, all the jaded and jilted lovers the world over took notice. The world knew how New Orleans had been devastated and apparently cursed by forces beyond her control, but now they also knew she had still been loved through it all, not only by Brees and the Saints but by her people as well.

So while the forces of Hell had once been allowed by Almighty God to inflict injury and devastation, those fires now seem a little bit cooler as the Saints broadcast a worldwide message that it is possible to recover from whatever has brought you low and held you down. The essence of this message is bigger than football, it is bigger than New Orleans, it is even bigger than Hell itself; the truth is that God through His saints has a message of recovery for the world. This is just a mini-story that is a shadow of the big love story, His-Story, and it is no a fairy tale. When those forces of Hell are finally stopped cold and His saints do come marching in, there is a coming glory and a trophy that will never fade. Having been made a saint through Him I believe that one day, through the power of Jesus, we saints truly will freeze Hell. For all you doubters and skeptics out there… hey, the Saints just won the Super Bowl!!!
* By the way, calling Drew Brees a Cinderella seems appropriate in a city that celebrated her Saints’ NFC championship victory by having men parade through the streets in dresses (in honor of the late local sports announcer Buddy Diliberto who said he’d wear a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl). Wha??

** 1 in 3 Americans watched Super Bowl XLIV, breaking a 27 year old record for viewership previously held by the final episode of M*A*S*H.

WHO DAT NATION

Not being a very strong follower of the NFL or college football I found the community’s obsession with the pigskin rather striking. It verges on religion actually. There is a name for its followers and that name is “The Who Dat Nation.” From what I’ve heard this comes from the question asked of any visiting team coming into their Superdome, “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” I suppose the idea is, “who has the audacity to come into our place and humble us?” Apparently there are quite a few teams who have had this audacity in the past, but this season promises to be different (Saints are currently 7-0 and are 3 to 1 favorites to win it all according to Las Vegas odds makers).

All around Who Dat Nation (a term which also seems to include an actual physical territory ranging from Cajun country in the west to several panhandles in the East) black and gold flags are waving and the fleur-de-lis is defiantly representing this most masculine of sports (does anyone else think it strange that these guys are trying to intimidate other dudes while wearing flowers on their heads?) The worship is in full swing down here.

I found that in order to effectively communicate I would benefit by acquainting myself with the mythos and members of the Who Dat Pantheon. There are individuals to learn about like the “Cajun Cannon” Bobby Hebert, the likable but unlucky father of otherwise famous sons; Archie Manning, the half-footed kicker Tom “63 yard” Dempsey and the dark forces of the “Dirty Birds” that must be stopped by any means necessary (they just did this by preparing a dirty bird jambalaya simmered and served in the Superdome this past Monday night.) LSU also adds its own purple and gold ingredients to the gridiron gumbo with names like Les Miles, Glen Dorsey, and my favorite: Booger McFarland.

It may be easy to poke fun and do the psychological analysis thing but I suppose it much resembles my own St. Louis area and our love of Cardinal baseball. How does Cardinal Nation differ from Who Dat Nation? Well, from what I can tell the only difference is a winning history. :-) The following Cajun joke I recently heard should adequately illustrate:

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux both died and went to that other place. Satan turned up the heat and he heard Boudreaux and Thibodeaux hooting and a hollering in their cell. He went to investigate and to his horror he found them having a grand old time!
“What’s going on in here?” Satan asked.
“This weather is great! It reminds us of Louisiana!” Boudreaux replied.
Satan got mad and went out to crank up the heat even further. When he came back they were sweating a bit, but they seemed to be partying even harder.
“Why aren’t you burning up in pain?” Satan asked.
“Well before it was just regular Louisiana weather, but now its just like summertime in Louisiana! Laissez les bon temps rouler!” shouted Thibodeaux.
Satan was frustrated, but he left with an idea. He went out and turned the heat all the way down and cranked up the air.
“That’ll show up!” Satan cackled.
But to his surprise he heard even more whooping and hollering coming from their prison. Satan raced in to see what was going on.
“Now what are you so happy for?” Satan demanded.
“Yipeee! The Saints just won the Super Bowl!” they proclaimed.

This might be the year that the Who Dat Nation can put on their black and gold choir robes and open the hymnal to sing, “When Saints Go Marching In” over in Miami, FL. Also this weekend the Tigers play the Crimson Tide and try to secure a solid ranking until they face the #1 ranked Gators in the SEC championship game, and possibly become national champs as well. Why do I know this? You can’t live here and not know (or be related or married to someone who does know). It’s a way of life. It’s about men with flowers on their head asking you to answer that age old question, “Do you know who you are?” “Who dat say?” Do you have an answer to that question? It seems there are thousands here that do have an answer. They’ll tell you who they are. They’ll say, “We Who Dat Nation, baby! How you making?”

Huey, Louie Andouille

These are not the duckling triplets of Disney fame, rather they are the triumvirate of Southern Louisiana culture (at least from this Yankee's initial perspective). I'm referring to Huey Long, Louie Armstrong and that yummy Andouille sausage that tastes so nice in beans and rice. Politics, music and crazy good food. That about sums up my first impressions of Southern Louisiana (as I dive deeper into the culture we'll have to come back and take a look at religion, football (if there is a difference down here!) and the "laissez les bon temps roulet" lifestyle).


But first let's talk about Huey P. Long, La. governor and US Senator (concurrently mind you!) He was the Kingfish of "All The King's Men" fame. He practically rallied a Depression Era US into socialism with his motto: "Every Man A King, but No One Wears a Crown (except of course the one who makes everyone a king has to have the authority to do so, so he gets to wear a crown, but no one else... unless their family or close friends or...)" He waxed eloquently (read "Evangeline" speech excerpt below*), drank heavily and had his finger in every part of Louisiana government and culture, going so far as to fire LSU football coaches and dis-empower judges who didn't see things his way (this last ordeal was what motivated a judge's son to assassinate him at the capital in Baton Rouge). Huey P. Long hid an amazing intellect behind his backwoods buffoon facade (he passed the bar exam after one year of law school). You'll meet quit a few people here who prefer to first project this same simple bumpkin persona, but be fore-warned: Behind this mask may be hiding a biting wit to rival Voltaire and a political astuteness to cause Machiavelli to stand up and applaud! Because Louisiana is so fragmented culturally it seems that every group and subgroup and tribe has it's own personalities vying for and grasping at power. Cult of personality is strong down here and Huey Long was a master high priest of his own religion. Pragmatically, people seem to feel that at least the guy brought us roads, better schools and bridges (much needed in this swampy land). In fact, in New Orleans there is a bridge named after him and in Baton Rouge the largest capital building in the nation was built as a reflection of this man who was seemingly larger than life.


Huey P. Long Bridge, New Orleans, LA

Next we have Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong who took the culturally diverse and almost chaotic "gumbo" of the New Orleans sound and brought it up the river and into the ears of every A-merry-CAN. We call this sound jazz. Jazz first started simmering here. It's supposed birthplace, Congo Square, is a sort of Jazz mecca in New Orleans, (along with the home of Jelly Roll Morton) and comes complete with a Louie Armstrong statue to pay homage. New Orleans' Jazzfest practically rivals Mardi Gras as a must see festival here. Louie seems to be a sort of icon of jazz. He practically invented scat, he left the trumpet in a different dimension after he touched it and he has resonated with millions as that immediately recognizable voice rasps out, "What a Wonderful World!"** The International Airport in New Orleans is named after him and when you get off the plane you'll be immediately soothed with the sounds of jazz coming over the sound system (along with alcohol to geaux if that's your pleasure!). You can't help but be impressed with the sounds of the New Orleans area.


Louis Armstrong Statue, Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans, LA

Then of course there is the food here! Andouille sausage is but just one of many different treats you can experience in this area. Etoufees, muffalettas, beans and rice, coffee and chicory, the list just keeps going on and on. People don't seem to eat in order to live down here, they live in order to eat! There are so many different cultures sweating together in this heat that you will find the food to be a sort of mix of things you didn't ever think of putting together. Like their jazz music, the cuisine borrows from the best of the French, Cajuns, Creoles, African Americans, Italians, Germans, Irish and now there is a new wave of Middle Eastern, Oriental and Latino populations that are just begging to start tearing up every willing taste bud! There are five star restaurants seemingly everywhere and you can get just about any food you want made ways you never dreamed of preparing.

This is my first experience of Southern Louisiana culture. It is actually a hodge podge of cultures all meshing together in a way that seems to somehow work, if you don't believe me just look the socialist politician that stormed the imaginations of conservative politics or listen to the jazz musicians taking turns improvising or just sit back in the Big Easy and enjoy a dish of a little bit of this and little bit of that! Somehow it all comes together to make something better. It's the American dream in action! We can talk about the problems later, but for now I'm celebrating Louisiana culture! There seems to be no end of things to talk about down here so I look forward to sharing more outsider perspective soon!


Andouille Jambalaya Bon Appetit!

* Huey P. Long speech excerpt: "And it is here under this oak where Evangeline waited for her lover, Gabriel, who never came. This oak is an immortal spot, made so by Longfellow's poem, but Evangeline is not the only one who has waited here in disappointment. Where are the schools that you have waited for your children to have, that have never come? Where are the roads and the highways that you send your money to build, that are no nearer now than ever before? Where are the institutions to care for the sick and disabled? Evangeline wept bitter tears in her disappointment, but it lasted through only one lifetime. Your tears in this country, around this oak, have lasted for generations. Give me the chance to dry the eyes of those who still weep here!"

** Check out some "Satchmo" sound... http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search/?query=louis%20armstrong

*** Andouille recipe http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html