Mike Burke
What is the single most telling occurrence of how woeful and forlorned, how cursed, how inept and unfulfilling the history of the New Orleans Saints has been? Saints fans becoming the first fans in pro sports to wear bags over their heads with the word “AINTS” across the front? Nah.
Well how about the one about the Saints season-ticket holder who was so sick and tired of seeing the Saints lose every week on their way to that 0-14 season that he put two tickets to that afternoon’s Saints game under the windshield wipers of his car, and when he came back there were six? Not even close.
All you need to know about how absolutely down in the dumps this team’s history has been is that on the apocalyptic occasion of the New Orleans Saints reaching the Super Bowl for the first time, the best and most beloved player in the history of the franchise announces he’ll be rooting against them all day long.
Payback for all of the woeful offensive lines the Saints surrounded him with, which led to some of the most gruesome beatings of a quarterback ever witnessed in NFL history? No, of course not. Archie Manning is not that kind of a man. In fact, he still lives in New Orleans where he and his wife raised their children, one of whom is Peyton Manning, who will quarterback the Indianapolis Colts against the Saints in next week’s Super Bowl; and aside from being the best and the most beloved New Orleans Saints player ever, Archie Manning is likely the biggest New Orleans Saints fan ever.
It’s just, well ... “It's a game I’m going to pull for my son,” Archie told the Indianapolis Star. “(Saints coach) Sean Payton knows that. He’s a great friend of mine. (Saints quarterback) Drew Brees knows that. That’s just the way it is.
“Anybody who thinks it’s different must not have children.”
Thank goodness none of Brooks Robinson’s sons ever played for the New York Yankees. Thanks goodness Gary Williams has a daughter. Can you imagine if he had had a son who earned a scholarship to play basketball at Duke? Oh, can you picture that spontaneous combustion had something like that ever been allowed to take place? Oy!
It’s understandable, though (Archie, not Brooks or Gary). I mean, you gotta root for your son in the Super Bowl, right? Thing is, Archie Manning, the most beloved player in Saints history, the state of Indiana, Colts fans everywhere and folks who have Colts money riding this week will be in the minority of people in the world who will be rooting for the Colts. Come on, if your favorite team is not involved, and you’re not rooting for the Saints to win the Super Bowl, you likely tear wings off of butterflies, or smile when you accidentally run over a puppy on your way to work.
If you have no family, emotional, geographical and/or monetary interests in next week’s Super Bowl and you’re not rooting for the Saints, then you’re just a miserable human being. Flat out.
Look, nothing against the Colts ... Well, actually, plenty against the Colts, but that has nothing to do with this. I think we all agree the Colts seem to be, as the writer Art Hill might say, physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. Other than their Indianapolis existence there is absolutely nothing offensive about the Colts. It’s just everything that has happened to the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana — from Katrina to the government making things worse — goes so far beyond being offensive. There are no words to describe what those people have and are still going through. You can’t find it in your heart to root for their football team in the Super Bowl?
Look, other than Bob Knight, what horrible things have happened to Indiana? They had a swell high school basketball movie made about them. They were blessed with Larry Bird. They were given our football team, not to mention the second coming of our quarterback. These people have lived the charmed life. Plus they’ve won a Super Bowl to boot. They’ve had theirs, and are pretty much assured of getting more. Let New Orleans have this.
All rooting interests aside, this should be one whale of a Super Bowl. And though the Minnesota Vikings likely feel otherwise, it’s one of those rare times when the two best teams in football from the beginning meet in the end to decide it all.
This whole Archie Manning rooting against the Saints thing has me wondering, though. If the Chicago Cubs played, say, the Boston Red Sox in the World Series and Ernie Banks’ son played for the Red Sox, what would Mr. Cub do?
Sorry, nobody loves their son that much.
Mike Burke is sports editor of the Cumberland Times-News. Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.
