Let's Go all the Way. Let's Go all the Way...I Believe.

Many of people have deeply rooted faith in some religious higher power. Some may even have it in an all knowing deity that represents all that is good on this Earth. Well as for me I won't be getting into my religious beliefs on this post, but I will share something that I do have faith in...New Orleans Saints.

Yup, like a confused puppy dog searching for a new owner at the pound I look around so hopelessly at the beginning of every season for something to good to happen for my team (Playoffs? SuperBowl?). With the causitory signing of Drew Brees in the off-season and the cataclasmic drafting of R-E-G-G-I-E Bush there has been a new allure to my team. One of that brings optimism, but can also bring futility within a moment's notice. You see I am lifer. No there is no other term for a guy like me. I'll spend my entire life rooting for this team. When I die they will place on my headstone: "Here lies sainthero...Beloved Father, Husband, Brother, Son, Friend, and Lifer. His life was one that always had the promise of brighter days if only he hadn't grown up a Saints fan."

I'm not trying to be harsh. It's just the facts. I can't stop loving this team, no matter how bad they play. That's what kills me more than anything else. The emotional prison that this team has over me has embedded itself into the nuances of my everyday life. Yeah, I love my Red Sox. I love Notre Dame football. I even love my New Orleans Hornets, from a distance. But nothing surplants my devotion to the Saints. This hold over me is inexplicable. The need to have my team win is similar to that of Cole Trickle and his need for rubbing. Sorry for that, just got finished watching Talladega Nights. The best possible explanation I have for my undetermined faith is what I tell my wife everytime I get upset after a lost.

"I have invested too much time, energy, and emotion into this team to cast them freely into the wind. It's like that woman on COPS who keeps going back to the bad guy and refuses to press charges because she loves him. O.K. bad analogy. It's like wanting the ultimate Christmas present every year only you end up with a pair of tube socks and paper weights."

Alright, I can't explain it. Like faith in some many ways, it's hard to flesh out to those who don't understand your devotion. I'm just a lifer.