This is the End

So, I've been blogging on here for over 4 years. Wow! Had some good posts and some I've already forgotten. Been wearing down with work and the house, that I haven't had much time to devote back to my blog.

I really enjoyed the freedom of writing my thoughts and feelings into this space. It's provided me an avenue to channel some of the things I've been going through. Especially after Hurricane Katrina. Just check any posts dated right after Sept. 1, 2005. That's when my life did a complete 180.

This has definitely been a learning experience. And I hope to come back some day to writing more on this platform. Just right now it seems that my time and attention is needed elsewhere. So for now, I bid farewell until we meet again my friend.

My Blog, My Blog, Where For Ought Thou??

Been here, been there. Still it seems as if I can't recall the last few months.

Work is not an excuse. My house could be a big reason. Mrs. Sainthero got the HGTV bug and decided that we are redoing parts of the house this upcoming year.

I swear I thought it would be easy to redo a bathroom, but one month later I'm still slaving away between re-texturing the walls and taking down light fixtures. It's all good, almost like therapy.

That's what I need right now anyways. Life has been throwing me some curveballs lately, and I'm strictly a fastball hitter. There are times that I wish I could hit the restart button, just like I used to on my Nintendo back in the day. That way I could change some of my decisions and do some things totally different. You and I both know that ain't happening. Instead my life is spinning around like the cast of Lost, I don't know where I'm at in my life I just want it to move forward to the part where things are easier.

That leaves me at my blog. I've been debating on keeping this thing up and running. It might be time for a reboot. Now with all the social networking sites begging for my attention I've got to figure out what's more important. Where am I gonna point my efforts. I've enjoyed the blog, but it keeps evading my line of sight.

I don't think I'm gonna given quickly. It might be a 12-step process. Don't worry the withdrawls have already begun. This is not the end, just the beginning of something new. Which I need, just like we all need something new every now and then to give us a chance at life. Time to learn how to hit that curveball.

Deuce is set Loose

One of my favorite Saints players of all time was released today by my beloved team, Deuce McAllister. A casualty of the salary cap and an coach infatuated with speed instead of old fashion football.

Hey, I understand the business of football. They're trying to win football games. Still it hurts to lose a true Saint. I mean that in every word. They guy gave back to the community without being asked. Most players are required or told by team officials to do community work in order to boost their image and fulfill requirements by NFL for community involvement. Deuce was always out there giving to kids and helping others without a camera in his face or a microphone nearby to publicize his charity work.

The guy was a beast on the field. He was the guy you wanted to have the ball on 4th and one. The last few years have been difficult to watch. Even watching him break the Saints all-time rushing TD record was tearful. I wish he could remain a Saint forever, and he will in most Saints fan's hearts. I can tell you this, there was no one and I mean no one, who could get the Superdome rockin' than Deuce busting loose for a big run. That sweet sound of DEEEEEUUUUUUCCCCEEEE!!!

Deuce has more important work to do in his life. So best of luck with your new team. I'm gonna miss you running out of the tunnel with that black and gold #26 on your back and me screaming Deuce. Keep on rumbling and falling head first for that extra yard. And I can't wait for the day to say "it's about time", when they retire his jersey among Manning's in the Dome.

Christmas, The Saints and Those Darn Yankees

So, I'm getting ready for the holidays. I've got the family in town, mother-in-law and brother-in-law staying with us, plus mom and pops coming over for a big Christmas dinner. It's nice having family in town for the holidays, and I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with them and make some new holiday memories.

That being said, I'm ready for the new year. It's been a long and tough year. I'm not gonna go into detail about all of my troubles and woes, let's just say next to Katrina this year ranks a close second. So, when I think of all the cool presents and gifts that are under my tree this year, all I really want is some positive things to happen for me and my family in 2009.

So, bring on the New Year's Baby "Joba Chamberlain" down from that pole in New York, and let's kick off 2009 with some upbeat positive news and outlook.

I'm planning on bury all my harsh negativism for my beloved Saints. Yeah, they built me up and stomped on my heart like a high school girl on prom night. Still, I love them. They're my team through thick and thin. And the last 30-something years have been really thin. I feel like a Cubs fan on a slim-fast diet. I've been given the keys to a franchise that I want to win a championship more than anything else, only to be driven into mediocrity by bone-headed moves that a common fan (like myself and my brothers) could obviously fix. Sometimes, I sit around and play general manager like George Castanza, planning trades and draft picks as if I really have a say in the matter, but in reality what I say has little impact on the Saints although they have major impact on my life. There are numerous Mondays I can recall where it seems as my girlfriend broke up with me or my dog died, I call this letdown Mondays. No more, that all ends in 2009.

As for my second beloved team, the Boston Red Sox. I love the fact that Yanks have gone on a spending spree, like Donald Trump after a divorce settlement. This is just a phase. They will spend and spend some more to make headlines and fans come to their new ungodly stadium, but the product won't be much better. Too much pressure and no chemistry. The Yanks have to get rid of A-rod if they ever want to win, but that won't happen. My Red Sox are building up their rotation, their lineup still has some holes, but that's nothing we can't work out through our minor league system. Even our owner, John Henry, said it best when he said we've tried to close the spending gap between the Yankees, but with a new stadium generating tons of new revenue. They have widen the gap and now we must use our resources to make us a better team. Don't worry, we have Theo and I know he will make some moves that will bolster our lineup.

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone and a joyous and positive New Years.

Things Can't Get Much Worse?

As if things couldn't get any worse for my Saints, reading their injury report is like reading the starting lineups for baseball all-star game. With each and ever passing week, I as many other fans do get tired of hearing excuses.

If ever there was a time for the team to unite and fight, this is it. We're banged up, we're down on our luck (Lord knows we got screwed out of a dozen calls against the Broncos) and we're heading for a tough stretch.

I've always been one to clamour on coaches and players for decisions they've made; good or bad. I'm holding off this week. We don't need any more negativity spreading around about the Saints. Many experts have already castigated my team to the lower echelons of the league. Not me. I still believe. Maybe not as fully as I did after beating Tampa, but I do have faith that we can turn this season around and it all starts with #26.

Duece is either healthy or hurt. No way should you embarrass a player of his stature by relegating him to the sidelines in full gear watching his beloved team struggle to gain 1 yard. That's right I said 1 yard. If Payton is holding him off for the better part of the season, well here's a news flash; there may not be a better part than the present. Let's see old number #26, even if it's only short yardage situations. Just appease us.

It's okay to have some doubt from time to time, but it's impossible for us to lose our faith in the team that is given us so much more. Let's go Saints!! Who Dat!

Let the Games Begin

So, it all begins. The Saints officially kick off the 2008 season, Sunday vs. the Bucs and I will be sitting in a bar in Madison, Wisconsin eating fried cheese curds and swearing up and down that Jason David shouldn't be in the game.

Gustav threw a wrench into my football fix this past week. My brother and my grandmother evacuated and stayed with us, while the rest of New Orleans watched and waited from other areas. My other brother was stuck in the city as a first respondeer for the New Orleans Fire Department. We kept in touch through text most of the time, just because everyone was calling anyone to see what was going on.

It seems wierd to watch a hurricane from a far. I notice there is much less anxiety, except for worrying about family and friends still there. I no longer have to worry about losing my job, or my house or even my beloved Super Dome.

Well, I am amped up for the game. I hope the team doesn't come out flat like they did last year against the Bucs. The game was over by half and most of the fans I was with had that look that I've seen since I was about 7 years old. All Saints fans know that look; "It's-gonna-be-a-long-year" look.

Not this year. I've got a feeling this year will be different. We've got some guys who can shake things up on offense. As for our defense, I will make a beat that by the end of the season we will all be pleasantly surprised. So, Keep the Faith. Be a Saint. And Who Dat Say They Gonna Beat Dem Saints! Who Dat!!

A Rock in the Backfield

I have to say that I love the NFL network. I was able to catch the Saints/Bengals game on replay about an hour after the game was over and dissect it to pieces all before midnight.

After catching Anthony Munoz butcher the Bengals broadcast and mistake Aaron Stecker for Duece three times, I was so ready to hear Tim Brando call the game. Plus, I love the beloved Saintsation cutaways going to break.

So here's some quick observations from the game.

Positives:

1. Saints once again moved the ball on offense, even though it was mostly through the air. I think they may be holding back on running the ball until the season starts or they are just working on their timing with receivers. I think that Brees had only one bad pass and that was the missed touchdown to David Patten. He was wide open, but that will be 6 points in two weeks.



2. The defensive line looked much more aggressive. They stuffed the run and got after Palmer. He was so bloodied up and bruised that he must have thought this was a playoff game. Granted the Saints defense looked stout against a Bengals offense that is inept and disastrously banged up, they still held them down for a mighty goose egg. How bad is to not even score a point in a preseason game?

3. Pierre Thomas. What's there not to like about this young man? His name in French means "A Rock", and that's what he will be for the Saints. He runs so low to ground and always falls forward when tackled. Most importantly he reminds me of a previous running back that ran, spun and made defenders miss named Dalton Hillard. Here's what I'm going to predict. This kid will see plenty of playing time this year. Duece has been running very tentatively, and Reggie is banged up already. He'll be in the mix with Stecker in week 1.


4. Tracy Porter is our new starting cornerback. Sorry Jason David and Jason Craft. This kid hasn't been on the field to long, but shows promise. He's got some skills and has the speed to play man-to-man. McKenzie will work with him to show him how to bump and run, it's only a matter of time before we'll see him performing up to task. I also thought Kendrick Clancy was a beast. He was all over the field making plays. He needs more rotations and will get them with Ellis and Thomas on the bench.

5. Robert Meachem is the speed burner we need on the outside. This guy is faster than Devry with a bigger frame, plus he can catch the ball. No offense Devry, but I've seen enough of you dropping passes to keep me praying that Drew overlooks your coverage everytime.

Negatives (There aren't too many this week)

1. Defense, because there's always need to improve in this area. We did a real good job mixing up our coverages to rattle Palmer, but once again the tight-end was killing us down the field. For the second week in a row the offense exposed the fact that our linebackers have a difficult time covering the tight-end.

2. Duece doesn't look like himself. I'm sorry, but he wasn't hitting the holes hard or cutting back to find that crease. He looked a bit timid. May be we're rushing him to quick. Let's let him pace himself. We've got some good running backs. No need to push it and have him out the entire season.

3. Offensive line run blocking. I'm sorry this week we looked extremely week upfront running the ball. The only time we got some positive yards were on delayed hand-offs and screens. We need to be able to pound the ball sometimes and chew up the clock. The Saints offense has to eat up as much clock as possible because we can ill-afford to have our defense on the field for 30 minutes each half. I like it when we score, but I like it even more when it's 7-9 minute drives that keeps the opposing offense off the field.


All in all it was a good showing for our beloved Black and Gold. I must say that I'm so ready for Tampa. I want to kick the crap out of them so badly after they torched us last year twice. Most of all, I want Jeff Garcia to feel what Carson Palmer felt all Saturday. The Dome Patrol in his face every time he snapped the ball.