Wednesday, December 14, 2005

I Invoke the Gods on Behalf of the Saints

O, Muses, born of Zeus’ love with Memory,
Sing of the glorious deeds of our great heroes of lore!
So your daughters and sons may rejoice
And our warriors may taste victory once more.

(UPDATE 12/15: I don't think my invocation worked. Brooks was benched for the season and doesn't think he will be back next year and Darren Howard, our franchise player, says he doesn't plan on re-signing with the Saints.)

I invoke the Muses of the Lower Garden District to inspire the authors of the epic poem that is the tale of the Saints. As the Fates spin what may be the last yarns, I await to see the destiny of our heroes.

But, where is our Achilles? Where is our Heracles? All we have to celebrate are the exploits of our heroes of old.

And that’s all the Saints faithful really want: heroes to praise. Archie Manning. Bobby Hebert. Eric Martin. George Rogers. Rueben Mayes. Dalton Hilliard. Ricky Jackson. Pat Swilling. Vaughan Johnson. Sam Mills. Frank Warren. Wayne Martin. Bruce Clark. Morten Anderson. Hoby Brenner. John Tice. Jim Dombrowski. Stan Brock. Jack Del Rio. Hokie Gajan. Ironhead. Mel Gray. Kenny Stabler. Dave Wilson. Bum Phillips. Jim Mora. John Fourcade. Dave Waymer. Brian Hansen.

As we tell our stories, these names come up time and again. Some were the good guys. Some were the bad guys. Some were both. They certainly weren’t always the best. In fact, they usually weren’t even any good. But they were our heroes because they were characters in our myths – the mythology of the Saints fan.

Notice my pantheon of football gods comes from the 1980s. That’s when this Saints fan’s mythology was written. But, we all have our own - unique to our experience.

Who of today’s Saints will become the heroes of tomorrow’s mythology? Are any of them worthy? Will they be in some other city’s pantheon? Will they be the first heroes of the San Antonio Santos?

I will consult the Oracle and hope the Muses hear my plea, and the plea of this fan, dillyberto, who inspired this post.

1 comment:

dillyberto said...

Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso,
quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

That other story was about a good guy in a really bad spot.

With Our New Orleans Saints, what good guys do we have in such a bad spot?

Could your Muses tell us that?

Not mullet-boy Bouman

maybe Deuce?

perhaps Will Smith?

Mitch Berger?
I know...
Anthony the guy who used to sell me beer in section 635 of the terrace?

Who are the good guys left with the team?