Who Dat say dis idn’t de Saints year?

With Super Bowl Sunday only three days away, everyone’s getting on the bandwagon.

Saints fever has hit an all-time high pitch.

Men dressed in… well, dresses are taking to the street in New Orleans and even right here in Houma. (Kudos to Dr. A.J. de la Houssaye and Mike Kliebert for being in touch with their feminine side last week at Copeland’s Restaurant.)

Thanks to former Saints quarterback and the Tri-parishes’ own Bobby Hebert, who orchestrated the Buddy’s & Bobby’s Brawds weekend display around the Superdome, even the most manly fans have proven that football and chiffon can mix. The parade made good on a promise the late Buddy Diliberto made on air to an ardent supporter who years ago predicted the Saints were Super Bowl bound. “If the Saints ever go to the Super Bowl, I’ll wear a dress,” the radio icon was heard proclaiming.

Football in the South, it turns out, can be a drag. And that’s a fun thing.

Tattoo shops report record business as die-hard fans of our Bless You Boys have the occasion permanently embedded on their bodies.

Saints memorabilia – including those bearing the phrase “Who Dat?” (thank you very much, NFL) – are flying off the store shelves. New Orleans Saints’ flags are flying high across south Louisiana, and America is catching on. We know how to party and they don’t want to be left out of the fun!

The ride to Sunday’s Super Bowl has been a long time coming. Forty-three years, to be exact.

And during that time, we’ve had our share of highs and lows. We saw Tom Dempsey kick a stellar boot through the uprights, Archie Manning find Danny Abramowicz in the flat and coaches come and go. We endured losing seasons, poor attendance and brown paper bags marked “Aints.”

But this is a new year and an incredible season. Our team – with Sean Payton at the helm – has delivered time and again during the regular- and post-seasons. And fresh off a breath-taking nail-biting win against longtime playoff foe Minnesota, the Saints have finally delivered their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

For the first time, fans are able to say the words “Saints” and “Super Bowl” in the same sentence without being laughed out of the room.

Win, lose or draw, this has been a year to remember. As we race home from the parades Sunday to cheer our team on against the Indianapolis Colts, this promises to be a day we’ll all remember. It’s been a long time coming. Bless you, boys. Thanks for giving us something to cheer about.