Written by Michael Killen

Pittsburghers are obliged to root for the Saints ... after all, they're family, says production company executive MICHAEL KILLEN
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Photo courtesy of Michael Killen.

Last Sunday my wife and I were in New Orleans visiting a friend who spends a lot of time in Pittsburgh shooting commercials with my advertising production company, Animal.

We were watching the Penguins-Redwings game at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street when two men in prom gowns strolled past us.

We didn't think much of it. This is Bourbon Street, you know. Then, three more gentlemen, showing plenty of leg, whooshed past on their way to the men's room.

A local explained that Bobby Hebert, a sportscaster and ex-quarterback for the Saints, planned a tribute to famed Saints personality Buddy D. (their version of Myron Cope) who once had said that if the Saints made it to the Super Bowl, he'd walk the streets in a dress. Buddy Dillberto died a few years back, so Bobby Hebert put together a tribute, asking men to join him and walk through the French Quarter. In a dress.

We thought, OK, cool, Bobby and a few dudes will be sauntering down the street in silk and taffeta.

Around noon, a woman whose breakfast clearly had involved nothing solid said, "Here they come!" A group of us rolled out to the street to witness them pass by.

I'll try my best to describe the next three hours.

News reports put the spontaneous crowd at 50,000. This was the most bizarre pre-game rally I'd ever seen. Imagine a St. Patrick's Day parade mixed with a Heinz Field AFC Championship game tailgate -- except most of the men were wearing dresses and Saints' black and gold. Instead of "Here we go Steelers, here we go," it was "Who dat, who dat say they gonna beat dem Saints?"

I was 10 when the Steelers went down to the Big Easy and won Super Bowl IX. I wasn't old enough to suffer the rotten rust-belt years the way my father had. I do remember the energy of our city on the brink of not being a punch line anymore.

The industrial make-up of our city was changing. It was hard economic times. If you've paid attention to the news, you understand that Hurricane Katrina, followed by the recession, has put New Orleans in a similar state. I've had many friends leave New Orleans for Texas and California, looking for work while their city recovers and rebuilds.

Now, the pot is boiling over in the bayou and somebody put a ton of spice in there.

Every time we told someone we were Steelers fans, we would get a slap on the shoulder or a "they're my second favorite team." Don't forget, the Steelers gave us Louisiana-boy-done-good Terry Bradshaw.

But there's also a warm spot for everyday Pittsburghers in New Orleans. Rumor has it that the Steelers fans of 1975 made a lasting impression on the city.

I know it's hard not to like the Colts' Peyton Manning. He's what's right about the NFL.

But the Saints fans ... they are us 35 years ago, full of possibility and hope, wondering what it would feel like to have the team that most symbolizes their city take a step above the rest.

So wear your black and gold for three hours today and support the people of New Orleans. It's not like befriending New England or New York fans. These delta lunatics are kin.

Michael Killen is a director for Animal, a Downtown production company that specializes in film and animation (www.animalspots.com).