I have great respect for the accomplishments of the Saints this season and was particularly impressed by Drew Brees throughout the year. Still, we Archie Manning era, Ole Miss fans think of his son, Peyton, as one of our own, and it’s hard for most of us to root for any opponent of Peyton, unless there’s a direct family member link with the opposing team. I really thought Baltimore had the best team in pro football this year, but as the race does not always go to the swift, neither does the best team always win the Super Bowl.
I confess to growing tired of all the pre-game buildup about how the Saints had given New Orleans residents hope, something allegedly lost when Hurricane Katrina submerged much of the Crescent City in aught five. How this renewed hope will translate into a rebuilding initiative or bring back the many who left New Orleans after the hurricane, never to return, wasn’t made clear. New Orleans will require much more than winning football team to elevate it to its former glory, though I use the term glory for the South’s Sin City loosely.
Yes, there was an element of craziness about it all; the hype, the game, the celebrations, and it wasn’t all bad. Anything that gets folks’ minds off their miserable existence, if but for a few hours, has its own merits. In some respects the Saints are for New Orleans what Obama is for America, an agent of hope and change. But, if the changes wrought for New Orleans are no better than the ones Obama has brought America, hope is all the Crescent City has left.
On a lighter side, it was a little crazy at my house on Super Bowl Sunday. I was expecting Rayanne’s family to be on hand to watch the game and eat, and I’ve learned to buy more and prepare more than we might possibly need simply to cover the unexpected.
Kickoff for the game coincided with grill time and prep time for all the food, so I missed seeing most of the first half of the Super Bowl. I enjoyed preparing and cooking some of the meats, and I must credit my wife and daughter for much of the other work that went into the various dishes comprising our dinner. To please everyone, simple one meat and two vegetable dinners won’t suffice for most occasions, and since this occasion was special, I didn’t mind overdoing the smorgasbord a bit.
There was enough food to feed our normal Christmas crowd and then some, but we ended up with only five adults and two children for our Super Bowl party. Sarah’s on a diet, and neither of her children were on hand for the soirée. Granddaughter Anna ate lunch with us but went back to Ole Miss to watch the game with her ‘feller.’ Suffice it to say, we had a lot of leftovers, leftovers that will spoil before we can eat them.
Next year, it may be even crazier at my house, but there’s no way to know a year in advance. I do know that I won’t go quite as crazy with the menu. What do y’all think? Pizza?
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