My Sunday The Apocalypse Is Upon Us Now Feeling

There old eyes have seen some amazing things over the years. Many of these things I have chronicled in this space. But Sunday will be the damndest thing that I will have ever witnessed because the New Orleans Saints, long the laughing stock of the National Football League, will be playing the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.

The Colts are favored by 4 or 5 points. And that is probably about right. But to me, the mere fact that the Saints, the Saints that were beyond inept when I was in school down there, the same ones that damn near lost every game despite being picked to win the Division that pre-season, are in the Super Bowl is nothing short of astounding.

Oh, they have flirted with decency during the Bum Phillips and Jim Mora regimes. But they always figured out some way to shoot themselves in the foot to either miss the playoffs or lose in the first round.

Sure 3 years ago they made it to the NFC Championship. But they went out and got drilled by the Bears. They followed that up with 2 mediocre seasons and Saints fans everywhere, myself included, just shrugged and thought that the rightful equilibrium in the known universe had been restored. The Saints are back to sucking. All is right with this world.

Now this.

There is a part of me that doesn't want to watch. Not for any reason owing to the apocalyptic nature of their appearance in a game that they haven't gotten within sniffing distance in the history of the franchise. No.

Heart disease runs in my family. I simply don't know if I can actually watch the typical Saints "blow a lead and then come from behind" or "get cuffed around for 3 quarters and then blow 'em out in the 4th quarter" performance they tend to specialize in during the Super Bowl. I may keel over.

Please guys. Get a lead. Hold it. Win in regulation. Or get whacked. But I don't know if my ticker can handle the usual Saints dramafest in this, the ultimate game in franchise history.

I've seen lots of incredible things in my 54 years. If the Saints pull this off, I will have seen it all.

Go Saints! 911 is on Speed Dial at my house.