Who Dat? Community | January 25th, 2010
by Scott Zeitzer
I’ve been a Saints season ticket holder for quite some time. I’ve been to a World Series game; I’ve seen a lot of last minute wins. Without a doubt I’m an avid sports fan. But this game last night was the best game I have ever seen and been a part of. I honestly thought with 11 seconds to go we were all going to go home heartbroken until Tracey Porter pulled off the biggest interception in his very young career.
The Saints mean a lot to our city for so many different reasons. Here’s what last night meant to some of the Mudbug faithful.
Vasu Tummala, Interactive Media Specialist
I watched the game at Ryan’s Irish Pub on Decatur and Iberville. My hair became something of a celebratory thing. There was this one rabid, vocal fan who’d run over to me and give my hair a good tussle every time the Saints did anything positive…at all. By the end of the game, my hair had doubled in size.
Since I was already in the Quarter, as soon as the hugging and high-fiving with strangers was over with at Ryan’s, we ran down Iberville to Bourbon and hopped into the second line.
Vanessa Hebert, Graphic Designer
I was in the warehouse district at the Rusty Nail, started at about 1:00 in the afternoon and went to bed at about 12:15 a.m. My throat hurts from screaming and my hand is sore from all the high-fiving complete strangers. One thing that stood out to me is that, during the game, no matter what neighborhood you are from, everyone got along. Very cool.
Clovis Mello, Programming Manager
Watched it from home. When Brett Favre threw his first interception, I said a few things I’m not proud of, and I was glad my 3 year old was in bed asleep. I figured earlier in the game if we won, I was going to go running out in the street yelling and screaming. When Hartley hit the field goal, however, all I could do was to kind of flop down and stay there for a minute or two in stunned silence. Been a fan since ‘88 and never really thought we’d get there. Just soaking it in right now.
Chris Cook, Media Strategist
After the game I went outside and listened to all the horns honking down North Broad. I might have called a few people. Then I cried like a baby. In the end, I think it all frightened my dog.
Theresa Fischbach, Graphic Designer
I am a Saints season ticket holder and I have known the ups and downs (mostly downs) of being a Saints fan. I have NEVER heard the dome as loud as it was last night. There were no petty squabbles between fans. No one was upset that people were standing up and yelling and cursing and crying and taking shots, every reaction was accepted. There was a sense of camaraderie that I really can’t explain or put into words.
My section is a tight section. We know and love each other. We have our group cheers and chants. For the four hours we are inside the dome, these people are my family. That is my favorite part of being a Saints fan, along with the electric feeling in the city when we win. Even the days before the games, the excitement is tangible. I am just glad that I can say I was there, that I saw it, felt it, heard it, tasted it. I will never forget that feeling.
Ashley Segari, Senior Designer
I was at my Dad’s house in Kenner and everyone was huddled around the TV. When the kick was good everyone screamed in disbelief that the Saints actually did it after all of these years. I immediately went outside and heard people celebrating in the streets, fireworks and car horn honking.
I was happy for my Dad and my uncle for finally witnessing the Saints on their way to the Super Bowl for the first time. My dad went to the first ever Saints game at Tulane stadium in 1967 when he was 15 years old. He took the bus by himself and paid $5 to see the Saints play the Los Angeles Rams. He was very excited to finally see this happen.
Valerie Boulmay, Senior Designer
I was at my house watching the game with family. Towards the end I was on my knees praying. I knew that the City of New Orleans needed this win – that it was for all the people who needed some hope. My husband had given up hope and I kept saying, “have a little faith,” while my 2 year old sang, “Farve’s on the ground, Farve’s on the ground!” Sure enough they won and seeing and hearing the crowd and all the confetti was the most memorable moment for me.
What a game. It’s crazy to say, but that game will go down as one of the happiest moments of my life. I was at my local bar, Clancy’s, in NYC with a giant group of friends (most of them from NYC). Some of them are Saints fans, some of them just like football and some just came to be a part of the excitement.
I was so tense all game. All I could do was pace and bite by nails. When Vikings were marching down the field on that last possession, it looked like that was it. But we never lost faith. Sure enough, the tide started to turn our way with the interception, coin toss and 4th down conversion. But when Heartly sent that ball sailing through the uprights, that was it. A combination of yelling, screaming, crying and cheering erupted throughout the bar. Half the place thought we were insane and the other half was probably scared. I know I hugged a few strangers that night, but they didn’t seem to mind and I think they understood why.
It’s difficult to describe that feeling to people that don’t follow the Saints or haven’t been to New Orleans before. When you pull for the Saints, you pull for New Orleans as a city.
WHO DAT, BABY?!