Who dat?

by Toni McGee Causey

edited to add:

NFC CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!

WHO DAT, BABY, WHO DAT!!!

 

 

 

 

WHO DAT SAY DEY GON BEAT DEM SAINTS?

HUH? WHO DAT? WHO DAT?

 

I have a lot of great friends and fans in Minnesota. But today, there’s this lil ol’ football game where our beloved   

 

are going to take on the no good, no ‘count, wretched, terrible honorable Vikings, [a team I would otherwise cheer for], a team with that guy who keeps coming out of retirement (he keeps saying that word, I do not think it means what he thinks it means…). 

Meanwhile, those of us here in the  

 

are gonna pray (and probably do a little voodoo) that Farve has a really off night and Brees, aka Breesus, as in

 

 

well… we just hope that Brees keeps on keeping on ’til the Saints come marching on into a victory.

We’ve been Saints fans since way back before they were called the ‘aints, and let me tell you, it was hard, some years, admitting to fandom for a football team who routinely seemed to shoot themselves in the foot whenever they got anywhere close to a winning season. There’s nothing quite like having an amazing winning season–especially for a city so hard hit like New Orleans, who really needed the economic and morale boost like this season has given it. Mostly, it’s just really nice to see perpetual underdogs finally have their year.

It’s a great story.

And I’m going to be glued to the TV, nervous and excited and probably yelling like a damn fool.

If I had any actual working brain cells left, I’d make some sort of parallel to the story arc of an underdog season to that of a good novel, or a parallel to shitty first drafts and crappy seasons, then editing and drafting the right players, and then the final polish and a Superbowl, but really, I just moved my entire house’s contents back into place in three days and then hosted a party for 62 people over here today (because we are crazy, we don’t have a better excuse) and in the middle of all of that, wrote a bunch on the new book that I am freaking loving (which is scary the bejesus out of me). So I’m going to yell at the TV, envy the hell out of friends of mine who have seats inside one of the suites in the Superdome, and, hopefully, be singing Who Dat? all damned night long.

So how about you? Do you root for a team? Any sports you love? Or if not sports, what inspires your fandom? 

I’m holding a contest–all commenters for today’s blog through midnight (central US time) Monday night are eligible to win a $25 gift certificate to celebrate Allison’s newest release: ORIGINAL SIN. (Go check it out–it’s a supernatural thriller.) I just saw an amazing review for it, which should be up soon, and I’ll link as soon as I see it go live.

73 thoughts on “Who dat?

  1. Zoรซ Sharp

    Hi Toni

    I say, American Football, what? Isn’t that like rugby but where the chaps all wear extra padding and there are lots of ad breaks?

    OK, OK, I’m only KIDDING! Sheesh, don’t throw things … ;-]

    Sports, hm? Motorsport and three-day-eventing are the kind of things I’d watch on telly – if we had telly. Went to see the Red Bull X-Fighters live at Battersea Power Station last year, doing freestyle motorcross, which was stunning.

    Used to take part in various horse riding events, and dinghy racing, and target shooting, and bits of motorsport and competitive car stereo events (don’t ask) but I’m really not a team sports follower. On the other hand, watching Valantino Rossi in MotoGP, or Ben Spies dominate World SuperBike last year was amazing. And I know they have a team behind them, but once they’re out on the track, they’re on their own.

    I can’t imagine having more than 60 people round to scream at a game on TV, but can completely understand the pride New Orleans must be feeling after so many fallow years.

    But you’ve taken on all that work, and still cracking on with the new book as well? I’m in awe!

    Reply
  2. Peter Salomon

    I’m here in Who Dat nation, waiting (impatiently) for the game! Thanks for the great post (it’s my personal favorite)!

    Reply
  3. Karen in Ohio

    When we go to Super Bowl parties it’s usually for the company, the food, and the crazy ads that debut during the game. Neither my husband nor I are sports fans. If our local teams are in some kind of playoff (Reds and Bengals), then we might park in front of the tube and watch, but just to watch sports because there is something playing, no. Both of us would rather read.

    Reply
  4. Melanie

    I’m a HUGE Detroit Redwings fan, and I was before they started winning all the Cups. Of course it helps that they keep winning now, but I stand by them no matter the record.

    Reply
  5. Barbie

    I can’t understand American Football to save my life. I’ve tried once, but it stops so often…

    I don’t like sports — except once every four years during the World Cup. Then I get really excited. I’m Brazilian, after all. Can’t wait till June! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth

    I’ve always liked sports, especially NFL, but where I grew up didn’t have any pro teams so I never really had a strong rooting interest for any specific team. I married into a Houston Rockets, Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers), SC Gamecocks family, so now those are ‘my teams’. And I love them. Even if they bring me constant heartache and ‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride’ results. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Today? Geaux Saints! and Go Colts!

    Reply
  7. Pete

    I’m not a sports fan and I change the channel when a game is on. I was invited to watch the super bowl a few years back, and paid more attention to the snacks than the game. However, in a few weeks I will be parked in front of the TV watching athletes compete for gold. I’m a sucker for the Olympics and will probably even watch the curling matches!

    Reply
  8. Sylvia

    I used to watch and be a big NFL fan. Then I became tired of the overpaid, whining, bad-boy behavior. Dude, put on a nice suit, lose the tattoos and use proper grammar. I miss Joe Montana.

    However, I do love college football and the PAC-10. ๐Ÿ™‚ Go Stanford! Go Cal!

    I’m a fairweather fan when it comes to baseball (Go Giants) but have the same tiredness of overpaid fat guy bad boys in baggy pants throwing balls and claiming they never did anything wrong.

    NBA – miss the days of Jordan. College Basketball – yay! Women’s collegiate basketball is a thrill to watch and underappreciated by the nation. Great athletes playing without the attitude and in-your-face-look-at-me-I’m-too-cool.

    I’ll likely hit the gym this afternoon and watch the ladies figure skating to see who was selected for the US team rather than watch football.

    Alas, I will watch the SuperBowl because it’s the only day of the year I make my famous smoked beef stew with blue cheese ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  9. PK the Bookeemonster

    I am, unfortunately, a Cowboys fan. Have been since I was a kid. In the past few years I’ve gotten to the point of *expecting* losses therefore I am pleasantly surprised when they win. It takes the edge off. I do have to cheer for the Steelers when they play as I inherited them when I got married and for peace in the house …
    Hockey: Avalanche (boo Red Wings!)
    Baseball: hmm, a tough one. I grew up indoctrinated with the Reds – Johnny Bench and the crew. My BIL worked for the Rockies so I guess it’s still tthem though they haven’t been terrific for a long time. I can’t watch much baseball on tv, much better in person
    Basketball: no, never, uh uh
    Olympics: winter preferred
    I love politics but whenever I get overwhelmed by the whole mess of it, I turn to sports to keep things in perspective. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  10. Fran

    I’m more the Olympics type of fan, summer or winter makes no nevermind. Ice skating or equestrian, I’m there. But then my brother-in-law was fast-tracking to be an Olympic equestiran rider, so that makes it more intriguing for me.

    I don’t like baseball at all, like basketball live and don’t mind football. I lived in Minnesota for a few years, so this might be an interesting game, I must say. I haven’t found Seahawk fandom while living here in Seattle, and I have an unexplainable fondness for the Philadelphia Eagles even though I never lived there. No accounting for me, I guess.

    But. . .a party for 62! THAT’S a sporting event right there! Now I’m definitely impressed!

    Reply
  11. toni mcgee causey

    Zoรซ, I’ve watched rugby, and ow. Ow. That’s all I usually can think during a game is ‘Ow’ and then I flinch a lot. That’s a fiercely rugged (crazy) game. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    The book was the only thing keeping me sane throughout all the to-ing and fro-ing of prep this last week. But the party turned out to be a lot of fun–everyone was supposed to leave about 3 and they were here ’til well into the evening, so a resounding success.

    Aw, Dusty, hon, I’m so sorry. (ducking, running)

    Thanks, Peter! And DL — oh, HELL yes, GEAUX SAINTS. I’m a huge LSU fan, too. (In fact, a much bigger LSU fan than Saints, because these are kids who are playing every week while having to maintain a good grade point average, and not making millions per game. And sure, they get a lot of pampering to help them, but still–I bleed purple and gold. Always will, no matter who’s coaching.)

    Karen, that’s how I’ve generally felt most years about the Superbowl because the Saints weren’t anywhere near competing for a chance to even play in it, much less win. And the ads are generally a lot more fun than the game, unless you really have a team to root for.

    Reply
  12. JT Ellison

    I’ve always said I don’t trust men who don’t like sports of some kind. There’s something intrinsically wrong with that.

    I’m a big football fan, and baseball, hockey, college hoops, NASCAR, PGA Golf… yeah, I was raised on sports. Hate soccer with a passion, and pro basketball. Don’t ask…

    I can’t wait for the Olympics – individual sports are so fascinaitng – I did some minor competitive skiing, and used to be a decent ice skater, so I enjoy seeing people who excelled in thse sports.

    I’m definitely rooting for New Orleans today, but my teams are the Broncos and the Titans. Who Dat???

    Reply
  13. Stephen Jay Schwartz

    I so wish I had a sports cell in my brain. I’m completely clueless and feel like Rudolph at the reindeer party, before Santa made him number one. What’s worse is that I have a big signing today smack in the middle of all the action, so I expect to see two or three people in attendance, and even they will have the game on their iPods.

    Reply
  14. BCB

    Toni, Toni, Toni. [shakes head sadly] This post is seriously lacking in the colour purple. We’re on opposite sides of this one, girl.

    "…let me tell you, it was hard, some years, admitting to fandom for a football team who routinely seemed to shoot themselves in the foot whenever they got anywhere close to a winning season."

    You realize you just described what it’s like to be a Vikings fan, right? Sorry, I can’t see your Saints as the underdog in this game. The Vikings have a very long history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. And then to have such a terrific season and it’s largely due to a guy who used to head up one of your biggest rivals? The irony is painful.

    I’ll be glued to the set too, though I bet I don’t yell as much as you do. We Minnesotans are a bit more stoic than you proper polite Southern Belles. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    I’m just hoping for an exciting game with a close score and both teams in it until the end . . . when the VIKINGS WIN IT!

    GO VIKINGS!!

    Reply
  15. toni mcgee causey

    Melanie, yay, and congrats on the Redwings winning season!

    Barbie… well, I completely empathize. I feel the same way about golf. If that doesn’t get JT in here, nuthin will… ๐Ÿ™‚ I just do not see the fascination with the game of golf, even when I understand that you’re trying to improve upon your own score.

    sb, I had to go look up Pรฉtanque — and I cracked up over the steel balls reference. That looks interesting. I’d definitely have to see a game played out though to fully understand.

    Elizabeth, does it ever make you crazy with all the name changing some of these professional teams have done? I think there ought to be a rule that they have to stick with a name once they have it, whether they move or not. But I am cranky like that. And thanks for the cheer!

    Pete, I completely empathize. If it weren’t for my home team having the potential to be there, I wouldn’t care, either. I am also a complete sucker for the Olympics–the amount of sacrifice and effort that every single one of those athletes have endured to achieve that level of competition is inspiring and truly awesome.

    Sylvia said: "Dude, put on a nice suit, lose the tattoos and use proper grammar."

    LOL… so true, so much of the time. I try to ignore the whole salary issue, but it’s a bit insane that athletes make what they do, when real heroes like nurses and teachers and cops and firemen and our military foot soldiers all struggle. If I think about that too much, it takes the fun out of it. I agree about televised baseball.

    oooh, smoked beef stew with blue cheese? I am so wanting that recipe.

    Reply
  16. toni mcgee causey

    Thanks, Louise!

    PK, I am so sorry. (ducking, running again)… I know there’s some sort of cure for being a Dallas fan. I’ve heard rumors. [sorry, I have to kid]

    Fran, I like baseball live, but not on TV–that’s sort of like watching paint dry. Even when LSU is winning the National Championship (again), it’s kinda boring on TV. And I’m definitely with you on the Olympics!

    You’re right, the party was a sporting event in and of itself, especially since we did the annual ‘tater launch. I am happy to report that this year, no one burned off any eyebrows or singed any significantly necessary parts of their body. A successful year.

    Reply
  17. TerriMolina

    I come from a long line of football rivals…I mean, fans. As a kid my whole family would get together on Sundays to watch football. Being devoted Texans, half of us were on team Cowboy the other half team Oilers. I have family in Pennsylvania so when the Oilers and Steelers played it got ugly…lol

    Despite losing the Oiler team (traitors), I never became a Cowboy fan–thank all the men in my family, especially my brother Vic and cousin Mike who were all Cowboy-all-the-time bragging! In fact, long before the Oilers left Houston I became a Minnesota Viking fan!! Okay, I’ll admit it was the uniform….I really liked the uniform…then of course I fell in love with Fran Tarkenton. lol

    So, although I won’t sit and watch today’s game (because I get too into it and can get very unsportsmanlike when my team isn’t winning :D) I’m going to have to put our friendship in the closet for three hours and root for the Vikings!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Of course I will say Good Luck to your team, Toni (and even, somewhat, kinda, sorta, mean it) heh

    Go Vikes!

    Reply
  18. Jim Winter

    You do know they stole that from the Bengals’ "Who Dey Nation", right?

    ‘Sokay. They earned it. Saints over Colts by 3 in two weeks.

    Go ahead. Point out the egg on my face when the Jets win. I’m used to it by now.

    Reply
  19. toni mcgee causey

    Thanks for the Saints shout out JT! I’m with you on the pro basketball–just could not care one iota. I still don’t get golf, pro or otherwise, but I agree with you on the hockey and definitely on the Olympics. I’m not sure what my favorite is to watch each Olympics.

    Aw, Stephen! Think of a book signing as counter-programming… all of the people who are sick to death of the football on everyone’s brain will flee to the bookstores for some relief. It might be a huge turnout! [But I think we need to work on that sports cell for you. Maybe an all day intensive football argument with me and BCB would help.]

    BCB said, "We Minnesotans are a bit more stoic than you proper polite Southern Belles. ;)"

    *snort* Ha. I don’t think I have ever been called polite and proper in the same sentence without the world coming to a screeching halt. Everyone tighten your seat belts.

    That *has* got to be painful, that it’s Farve that’s helped the team get so far, but I’m really hoping that he’s just not feeling it today. I plan on shouting there at the end, though, when the SAINTS win it. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  20. toni mcgee causey

    et tu, Terri? I am heartbroken. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    But Jim, thank you. I think you’re gonna be right, or we’ll both have egg on our face. (You’re probably right about the origins of the Who Dat?–there’s some interesting dispute as to where that started.)

    Reply
  21. BCB

    Someone go check on Stephen — the thought of being anywhere near Toni and me in an argument might have just sent him into cardiac arrest. There’s only so much polite proper stoicism a guy can take.

    *off to figure out how to use that tweet silencing thing*

    Reply
  22. Penny

    I’m a fan of many sports but my two favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys (I bleed silver and blue, regardless of what our record is) and the Syracuse Orange, because that’s where I went to school. I’m also a Dale Jr fan in NASCAR, a Mets fan in baseball and an Olympics junkie, though I slightly prefer summer to winter. I don’t really have an NBA team anymore; I just root for certain players. My default channel is ESPN, if nothing else I’m interested in seeing is on; I was just watching Andy Roddick in the Australian Open this morning because nothing else was on. As for today, I’m rooting for the Jets and the Saints. The Saints because Minnesota beat my Cowboys and I just can’t forgive that and the Jets becasue my dad passed away earlier this month on the 3rd and he was the biggest Jets fan around so I gotta cheer for him. Good luck to everyone’s teams today!

    Reply
  23. Eika

    I’m not a devoted fan of anything because I generally prefer ‘doing’ more than ‘watching’, but I will say this: I cannot get enough of game tournaments.

    Video game. Card game. Whether it’s me just watching friends instead of playing or seeing professionals, it’s a serious sight to behold. See, football, softball, soccer, they all require coordination, muscles, inborn talent. You can want to be one of the bigs, but there’s a chance your own body is against you. Video games, all you need is your thumbs; card games and board games, you can have someone else move your piece if need be. Video games it’s still somewhat reflexes, but you can see the strategies, and you can implement them yourself; you can see what mistakes they make, and learn from them. With card games and board games, it’s an even bigger thing. I can’t watch chess- too long between moves- but others are great.

    Take Dominion- a game you’ve probably never heard of, because most non-gamers haven’t. I don’t own it largely because it’s on back order 90% of the time. The idea is simple: you start with a ‘deck’ of ten cards, and five are your hand each turn. The cards are ‘action cards’, used to screw your opponents or help you in other ways; ‘money cards’, used to buy better money cards, action cards, and the third type, and ‘province cards’, which have absolutely no use but are the only cards that give you points at the end of the game. So the first strategy involves what you buy, because whatever’s in your deck is what goes in your hand, and you win by having killer combinations of cards; too many province cards and you’ll be hard pressed to get any useful hands, too few and you won’t win. The other strategy is, there are 25 types of action cards, but only ten are used in any game. The witch card lets you give others cards worth negative points, but is useless if they can use a card to trade any card in ‘for one worth two gold higher’. And, because it’s all in the mind, anything you can see you can figure out and use yourself.

    That’s fun. Because then I can actually put my own strategy into a game, mentally, and figure out if it’d hold up, or pick up pointers.

    Reply
  24. CJ Lyons

    Okay, okay, if my Steelers (pronounced correctly as "Stillers") can’t be there, it might as well be the Saints, lol!

    But I just have two words for you, Ms. Causey: Nittany Lions!!!!

    And at least I still have my Penguins!

    Have a great day of football!!!
    CJ

    Reply
  25. Lesa Holstine

    Diehard sports fan here. Born and bred to be an Ohio State Buckeye fan – generations graduated from Ohio State, and my grandfather even gave money to build the stadium. My mother would even bring the radio to work for me on Saturdays when I was in high school, so I could listen to the football games. We fly a Buckeye flag proudly at my place on football Satrudays.

    But, I also love college basketball (go Duke!), NASCAR, baseball. I was a Mike Piazza fan until his retirement, so cheered for him with the Dodgers and then Mets. My mother’s second cousin in manager of the Detroit Tigers, so we cheer for them. We even pay for sports networks on satellite so we can see almost everything.

    Cheering for the Saints today, Toni, and the Colts. We love Peyton Manning. Now, that’s the Super Bowl I want to see – Saints and Colts.

    Reply
  26. Marcia Carter

    Hey, Toni, I have never understood (nor had any desire to) football. I however am married to a sports fan that played football in high school. It is also the only time he and our teenage daughter get along so I encourage their bonding. They both root wholeheartedly for the Colts, which makes sense since we live in Indiana. Funnily enough, they got me to watch last week. I found even though I don’t care for football, I DO love to trash talk. It was the stupid announcer putting down an Indiana institution. His bias, like only rednecks and idiots could possibly come from Indiana that aroused my ire. I only have a limited understanding of the game, but an unlimited vocabulary and found that I could enjoy football if only for the trash talking!

    Reply
  27. Stacy McKitrick

    Married a Steeler fan and became one (but I still like the LA, I mean, St. Louis Rams).
    My daughter introduced me to Hockey and now I’m a Penguin fan.
    Moved to Ohio in 1991 and became a Ohio State Buckeye fan (go Bucks!), but I still have a soft spot for the USC Trojans.
    I’ve been a Cincinnati Reds fan since Johnny Bench (I think I had a small crush on him!), but I also root for the LA Dodgers (when you’re born and raised in Southern California, it sticks with you).

    I love most sports. Soccer & Baskeball not so much, though.

    But I’m not rooting for the Saints (Sorry!). I never cared for the team, EVER. I’ll be rooting for Minnesota and Indianapolis to headline the Super Bowl. That’ll be a game worth watching!

    Reply
  28. Tori Lennox

    I’m not much into sports EXCEPT for the Olympics. Then it’s Team USA all the way. Well, unless I’m rooting for the Canadians, the Brits or the Aussies. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  29. Annemarie

    We are rooting for both the Saints and the Colts up here in Michigan. Glad to see both are still in it.

    Annemarie

    Reply
  30. Chris Hamilton

    I was a Jets fan in the 70s, where the Jets were typically followed by 3-11-0. I was a Jets fan in the Richie Kotite days.

    I figured this year for 5-11-0. They’re in the AFC Championship game. The Colts will probably win. But what a year!

    Reply
  31. Viva

    I’m a born and bred Californian, raised from the cradle on the ‘Niners and spoon fed the Pac-10 (formerly Pac-8: Go Bears!). But I can honestly say, if this game was between the ‘Niners and the Saints, I’d still be rooting for the Saints. Go Saints! I believe!

    Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?
    The Vikings? Ha! Not bloody likely.

    Reply
  32. Woodstock

    I’m a baseball fan. Have been for as long as I remember. I endured some 50 years as a Cubs fan, which was excellent training to be a Colorado Rockies fan, which is where my loyalties are directed now. I even work for the team on a part time basis during baseball season. I enjoy baseball in just about any form, Little League, high school, minor league, major league. One of my proudest accomplishments is that my daughter is also a baseball fan. She married a guy who knew nothing about the sport, and has turned him and their four kids into Seattle Mariners fans. They attend games regularly. Even the youngest kid, just five years old, pays attention to the action on the field and asks intelligent questions as the game unfolds.

    Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to real life beginning yet again.

    I do kind of, sort of, keep an eye on the NFL season as it goes along. I would really enjoy seeing the Saints in the Super Bowl. Even leaving aside the trials of New Orleans citizens during the past few years, the Saints have never had their time in the sun. They deserve a turn in the limelight.

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  33. Julie Kramer

    I am from Minnesota. And we Vikings would also like a Superbowl. The most interesting pairing would be Vikings vs. Jets because of the Brett Favre quarterback situation. That makes the best story. And we all love stories.

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  34. toni mcgee causey

    BCB, hon, you can run but you can’t hide. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Penny — thank you! We’ll take all the cheering we can get.

    Eika, I love card games, too, though I’m more partial to the poker or bourrรฉ type of games. But what you’re describing sounds like fun.

    CJ, thanks! (Who are the ‘Nittany Lions’ again?)

    Julie, I think rodeo’s one of the toughest sports. It’s one you have to see live to truly appreciate. I briefly wanted to run barrels as a young teen, and found myself flying off my horse on that third barrel more times than I care to remember. It was funny–she’d cooperate for two barrels, but never the third. We had a very short career. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Lesa, thank you! I meant to mention NASCAR earlier–that’s one of those sports that I love to watch near the finish, but can read a book during the beginning. But the finish is amazing, and I’d really seriously pay big money (if I had it) to get to drive. A friend of ours is a sprint car racer and one of these days, when he’s senile or drunk, I might be able to talk him into letting me get behind the wheel of his car. (Really really drunk.)

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  35. Double T

    I’m a big Boise State Fan. Have been for the last 15 or 20 years. It was hard for a while because nobody knew where they were from. (Iowa right?) ๐Ÿ™‚ There losing seasons, having 4 different head coaches in 4 years. Then it was, "oh thats the team that plays on the blue field."
    Now it’s "The team that defeated Oklahoma in the Feista Bowl 3 years ago". And they did it again against TCU this year. Go Broncos!!!!
    Will be watching and cheering on the Saints.

    Reply
  36. toni mcgee causey

    Marcia, LOL — it’s funny how a little trash talking can bring out the inner hometown protective streak, isn’t it?

    Stacy! You break my heart! But since you’re a fellow Reds lover (I always liked Bench, too, before the gambling scandal–but damn, he was a great player)… we’ll cal it even. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Tori, yay, another Olympics fan. And I cheer pretty much the same as you.

    It’s kinda amazing how many bookworms here also love sports. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Yay, Annemarie, that’s the lineup I’d like to see, too.

    (er, oops. Sorry, Chris. But it’s really close as I write this, so who knows!)

    Viva, YES! Thank you! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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  37. toni mcgee causey

    Funniest damned line of the day, Woodstock. I loved playing baseball, grew up pitching softball (before they’d let girls play baseball because we might bruise) (seriously). We did well, and I miss it. I wish I could find a woman’s league here.

    Alafair, yes, that would be a great game. But who would you root for, because you’d have conflicting alliances, yes?

    Julie, LOL. Well, you have a point, it’d be a great story, but I hope you don’t get your wish. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Yay, Double T — thank you. (Also, owe you email, will do so soon.)

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  38. kit

    Truthfully….I don’t give a damn which team wins….because I think both deserve to.
    Tonight, hopefully, you will see a game that will show 2 teams playing like football is supposed to be played….both teams have heart and soul….good players that can pull plays outa their ass, if they have a mind to…and hopefully tonights match-up will show this.

    Reply
  39. sb

    Toni. I don’t think that watching pรฉtanque will give you a better understanding of the game. I have been playing it for years and I STILL don’t get it. I just let the old French guys tell me where to put the ball and I do my damnedest. Rules of the game are: Drinking a lot of wine or pastis and chain smoking Gauloises or Gitanes. Tossing out as many "Merde!"s throughout the play, as balls. Taking out your little ruler and stubbornly measuring "les boules" after EVERY shot, just to prove it is a French game. Standing around forever arguing the measurement until all team players throw up their arms and stomp away shaking their heads……just to prove it is a French game.

    An amusing pรฉtanque scene is played out in the made-for-TV series, A Year In Provence (1993) starring John Thaw (who also played Chief Inspector Morse in the BBC detective series) based on John Mayle’s book.

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  40. toni mcgee causey

    kit, true dat. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Terri, you’re right! duh, I cannot believe I got them confused. I should know better.

    sb… LOL. Well, okay, I’m glad I have a good reason to be confused! And those rules crack me up. It’s easy to see where a lot of my Cajun heritage came from. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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  41. kit

    to make you grin: this was a friend’s status on FB…she’s a die hard Saints fan.

    Dear G*d, Last year you took away my favorite dancer, Michael Jackson… favorite actor, Patrick Swayze… favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett… favorite comedian, Dom DeLuise… favorite pitchman, Billy Mays… and favorite sidekick, Ed McMahon… Just so you know, my favorite NFL team is the Vikings. Thank you and … Geaux Saints!!! *\O/* WHO DAT? LET’S DO THIS THANG BOYZ!! WHO DAT?*\O/*

    Reply
  42. Kaz

    Heh… I’m just laffing! I’ve lost boyfriends cuz of sports… seems I’m way to into them *smirk*

    My NFL team sucks, (da raiduhs), but my other fav NFL team is the Saints, even when dey were da ‘aints!

    College sports, is & has ALWAYS been, my alma mater, the USC TROJANS!

    International sports, any team that is playin’ against England, (soft spot in my heart for Irish rugby, especially County Wicklow & Leinster)

    NBA, I’m a homer & they’re the LAKERS.

    In books, I tend to root for the underdog, cuz it’s uually more interesting.

    My fandom is sometimes inspired from my homerdome *g* or just an obstacle that seems insurmountable AFTER the fact ๐Ÿ˜‰

    And, DAYUMMMM Toni! I wanna read more from YOU!

    GEAUX SAINTS! (can a Yankee say that without insulting a Cajun?)

    Reply
  43. QLady48

    We’re not sports fans at our house, except for when we’re going for Stanley. We have the Lions for football so that says it all, they have just a few die hard fans. We are Olympic followers and we’re getting excited!! If I didn’t watch the news I prob wouldn’t know what teams will play in the Super Bowl. Thanks, Sue

    Reply
  44. Jim Winter

    I was working in my office during most of the game, so I only caught the last minute field goal. Talk about timing.

    "Who Dey" was the Bengals shout during the 1988 Superbowl season and used for the next two years.

    Like the Saints (and the Cardinals), decades of fallow seasons made it pretty much an embarrassment until about 2005. This year, I so wanted Bill Cowher’s so I could scream it into his voicemail after the Steelers lost TWICE to the Bengals. (And again when the hapless Browns stomped all over them.) Revenge for his "We dey!" chant.

    Now they’re not "We dey," let alone "We dat."

    Schaudenfreude goes down well with football.

    Reply
  45. Allison Brennan

    What, you mean it’s still football season? But the Raiders aren’t playing anymore . . . (okay, no comments from the peanut gallery on that one!) . . . guess I’ll have to stick with the AFC and say Go Saints!

    Thanks Toni for helping me celebrate my pending release, in like what? 25 hours? Oh, wait, it’s not Twilight–no one is going to be lining up at midnight Tuesday Bawahahaha . . . but maybe at 10 am when the stores open! Ha.

    Okay, back to writing . . . oh, vey, deadlines. :/

    Reply
  46. Julia Carter

    "Blue and white ’til we die, now throw one in the sky, I-N-D-Y" is probably the most overused sentence in my house right now. My father and I are rabid Colts fans (while my mother – the football hater – secretly cheers for our hometeam). I didn’t get into football until I started school, I’m a hoosier and basketball is in our blood.

    My earliest sports memory is sitting on my father’s lap watching the Indiana vs Purdue game and rooting for Big Red. The way my dad taught me to scream down the hall to my mother (the Purdue fan) "PURDUE SUCKS, IU ROCKS!". I was supposed to grow up and play ball for IU; dad would take me to the park and make me shoot the ball for hours. I loved it – the feel of the hot blacktop underneath my feet, finding my sweet spot and sinking the ball in without any rim. Those were good days.

    Good days between me and my dad are rare so when he asks me to watch the Colts game or the IU game (or even a Nascar race), I’m the first to agree.

    That’s my sports story.

    Reply
  47. Allison Davis

    Having a home in New Orleans since 9/11, I am a dedicated saints fan. I am still stunned by our fabulous victory. i don’t feel badly for Farve, he wanted to play football and he got to, all year long and had a great year.

    After 43, time to dance in the streets — in the French Quarter. Tom Benson, the owner of the Saints, second-lined passed the cheerleaders, the nuns and the cops (see today’s NYT), with his little umbrella, leading the parade all the way to Miami. WHO DAT!

    Been reading the posts lately but no time to comment (trying to edit book #2) but I couldnt’ resist this.

    Now, it’s all about New Orleans. I feel for Archie Manning, really torn between two worlds. But his kid has a superbowl ring, and his team doesn’t. GEAUX SAINTS.

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