LIKE IT IS

Saints on the brain after New Orleans stop

NEW ORLEANS - Getting out of town in front of the ice and snow was the first objective, so a quick decision was made to leave a week ago Thursday night instead of Saturday morning.

The Carnival cruise out of this port city - incredibly affordable this time of year - didn’t leave until Monday. But when you anticipate a vacation through a mostly dismal Arkansas Razorbacks football season, getting on the boat is important.

Getting here early also presented the opportunity to watch the New Orleans Christmas parade and then the New Orleans Saints from Manning’s, a huge sports cafe in the warehouse district a block off Canal Street. A last shot at tickets had fallen through, but it wasn’t surprising since the Saints were playing their main rival this season in the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers, who feature quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton was the Heisman Trophy winner for the Auburn Tigers when they won the BCS Championship in 2010.

Now, the Tigers are back in the big game after a crazy season, one in which they used a healthy dose of luck and great coaching to upset No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl and then beat Missouri in the SEC Championship Game. They might need more of both to beat Florida State.

People wearing Auburn T-shirts roamed the streets of the French Quarter and there were plenty on the ship, although any cry of “War Eagle” was drowned out by “Roll Tide.”

The atmosphere at Manning’s was great, almost like being at the game, and a stop there is a recommended part of any New Orleans visit. This city has bounced back strong, witnessed by what seemed to be millions of conventioneers hurrying to and from meetings and seminars.

What helped this city bounce back more than anything may have been the Saints.

There was talk of the team moving after the flood, but instead quarterback Drew Brees became the unofficial spokesman for everything good about the Big Easy.

Sports can be a common denominator for conversation, and while there are heated rivalries and passionate fans, it is always something to be talked about with anyone, from a friend to a total stranger on a cruise ship.

Having forgotten to bring a hat, I bought a baseball cap with a fleur-de-lis, the Saints logo.

From Royal Street to Progresso to Cozumel to a men’s room off the main lobby, I heard dozens of “Who dat?”

The guy in the men’s room wanted to discuss in detail today’s game with the St. Louis Rams and the rematch with the Panthers.

I just wanted to dry my hands.

It was nice that not one person at our 10-person dinner table brought up sports, but if you sit in the same place for more than 10 minutes it seemed like someone wanted to discuss the Saints, LSU, Auburn and even Florida State.

It was really nice that no one knew I vote in the Heisman Trophy poll, as that was a favorite subject on the cruise, too.

Several people from Arkansas were encountered on the cruise and not one brought up any sports. All things considered, there isn’t much to talk about with the football Hogs until national signing day.

Almost everyone had a story about driving to this city through the bad weather 10 days ago.

A woman from Oklahoma and her brother, who were meeting their mom on the cruise, took 17 hours to get from just outside Tulsa to the port city.

A real-estate agent from Hot Springs (Jessieville, actually) and her daughter left two days early and without hotel reservations. They finally found something about 25 miles outside this city because of the huge conventions.

A couple from Batesville got out a little early, but not quite early enough as they averaged 20 mph for a very long time.

It took all of about one day and night for everyone to tell their travel stories, and when we got off the boat Saturday morning everywhere I turned I heard, “Who dat ?”

Sports, Pages 21 on 12/15/2013