January 26, 1986: The Super Bowl Shuffle

January 26, 1986, 40 years ago: Super Bowl XX is played at the Superdome in New Orleans. It was meant to be a coronation for the Chicago Bears, who had put together one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. All they had to do was outscore the New England Patriots for 60 minutes.

Just 1 minute and 19 seconds into the game, the Patriots took the lead. That wasn't in the script.

*

Let's go back to early 1982. George Halas, the 86-year-old founding owner of the Bears, fired head coach Neill Armstrong, no relation to the similarly-named first man on the Moon. The Bears' defensive players all signed a letter to Halas, asking that he keep Armstrong's defensive coordinator, James "Buddy" Ryan.

So when Halas made his last hire -- "Papa Bear" died on October 31, 1983 -- Ryan was the only holdover on the coaching staff. And he and the man Halas hired as head coach never got along.

That man was Mike Ditka. One of the earliest great tight ends in football history, the native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, a small steel-mill city outside Pittsburgh, had starred with the Bears, making 5 Pro Bowls and helping them win the 1963 NFL Championship -- or, if you prefer, "Super Bowl -III." He later played for the Dallas Cowboys, helping them win Super Bowl VI. Head coach Tom Landry made him assistant head coach, and the Cowboys, with both Landry and Ditka, won Super Bowl XII.

Ditka inherited a team with an already legendary running back, Walter Payton, but not much else. He and general manager Jerry Vainisi began to build a champion. In 1984, his 3rd season in charge, the Bears went 10-6, winning the NFC Central Division, their 1st 1st-place finish since 1963, and their 1st Playoff berth in 7 years.

They beat the Washington Redskins in the Divisional Playoff. But in the NFC Championship Game, not only did the San Francisco 49ers beat them 23-0, but they rubbed it in: Head coach Bill Walsh had guard Guy McIntyre play as a blocking running back. Ditka remembered that.

So the Bears began the 1985 season with this lineup:

* Offense. Quarterback: Jim McMahon. Running backs: Walter Payton and Matt Suhey. Receivers: Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon. Line: Center Jay Hilgenberg, guards Mark Bortz and Tom Thayer, tackles Jim Covert and Keith Van Horne, and tight end Emery Moorehead.

* Defense. Line: Ends Dan Hampton and Richard Dent, and tackles Steve McMichael and William Perry. Linebackers: Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall. Secondary: Cornerbacks Mike Richardson and Leslie Frazier, and safeties Gary Fencik and Dave Duerson.

* Special Teams: Placekicker Kevin Butler, punter Maury Buford, and whatever players had most impressed Ditka in practice. Ditka had been a great special teams player himself once, and had coached it in Dallas. He liked to say, "A man without fear belongs in an insane asylum. Or on special teams."

The Bears lost their 1st 3 preseason games, before winning the last. It didn't show during the regular season. The 1st 5 games were a home-and-home sweep of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a home win over the Patriots (20-7, which gave no indication as to how the season would end), a win away to the Minnesota Vikings, and a home win over the Redskins.

The next game was against the 49ers, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on October 13. The 49ers were 3-2, having already lost 1 more game than in all of the previous season. Joe Montana may have been the greatest quarterback who ever lived, but the Bears sacked him 7 times. The Bears won, 26-10. 

Late in the game, Ditka sent the rookie Perry in -- as a running back. With McIntyre the year before in mind, he even let Perry -- so fat and seemingly full of food, his nickname was "The Refrigerator" -- carry the ball twice, and he rushed for 4 yards. This had no real effect on the game, but Ditka had sent a message. (This would be the Bears' last win away to the 49ers for 29 years.)

The Perry experiment probably should have ended there: Ditka had made his point to Walsh. But Ditka wanted to make a point to Ryan as well: Contrary to what Ryan believed, Perry could play. And the next game, on October 21, on ABC's Monday Night Football, against the Green Bay Packers, the oldest arch-rivalry in the NFL, would have the entire country watching. (Theoretically, the oldest rivalry is between the Bears and the Arizona Cardinals, who played in Chicago from 1920 to 1959, but since the Cards left Chicago, the teams have cared little about each other.)

During what turned out to be a 23-7 victory, the Bears had a 1st and goal on the Packer 1-yard line. Ditka sent out a formation with Perry looking as though he was going to block for Payton, already the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Instead, McMahon handed the ball to Perry, and he broke through the Packer line to get into the end zone.

At 335 pounds, he became the heaviest player ever to score an offensive touchdown in the NFL. That is, there had been heavier defensive players who picked up a fumble and returned it, or recovered a fumble in the end zone. But Perry was the heaviest player who had been sent in for an offensive play to score a touchdown on said play.

The next week, the Bears beat the Vikings. Perry played, but did not appear on offense. The next week, on November 3, the Bears went to Lambeau Field for a rematch against the Packers. Perry was sent in for 1st and goal on the Packer 4, and moved out to become an eligible receiver. McMahon threw him the ball, and Perry took it in for a touchdown. It gave the Bears a 7-3 lead in a game they would win 16-10.

Now, the Bears were 9-0, and Perry had become a folk hero. He starred in a commercial for McDonald's, ordering 4 McDLTs, 2 large fries, and a Diet Coke. Yes, a Diet Coke, as if that would have made a difference. The tagline, over Perry's huge smile with one missing front tooth, was, "McDonald's: Where The Refrigerator stocks up."

The Bears beat the Detroit Lions at home, to go 10-0. The next week, with McMahon injured and Steve Fuller quarterbacking, the Bears went to Texas and beat the Dallas Cowboys 44-0. Perry rushed for 1 yard, but not a touchdown. The next week, they hosted the Atlanta Falcons, and Perry rushed for another 1-yard touchdown.

The 12-0 Bears' bid for an undefeated season was ruined the following week at the Orange Bowl, losing 38-24 to the Miami Dolphins, who in 1972 became the only undefeated Super Bowl Champions to this day. This remains the most-watched game in Monday Night Football history. Perry did not appear on offense.

Timing is everything: That game was played on December 2, the day before the scheduled release of a song and video the Bears, including Perry, Payton and McMahon, had recorded: "The Super Bowl Shuffle." It made the Bears, including "Fridge" (until the video, most people hadn't heard the shortened version of his nickname), bigger stars than any NFL team had ever been.

Their complacency shattered, the Bears went to work, winning their last 3 games to finish 15-1: Wins over the Indianapolis Colts at home, the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, and the Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Perry was not sent in on offense again, but was proving to his critics, including Ryan, that he was a capable defensive lineman. He ended up starting 9 of the 16 regular-season games. He even recovered 2 fumbles and returned them for a total of 66 yards.

Having gone 15-1, the Bears had matched the previous year's 49ers for most wins in an NFL regular season. When the Dolphins went undefeated in 1972, it was a 14-game season. But there was still that 1 loss on their record. It wouldn't matter much, though, if they won the Super Bowl.

In the Divisional Round, their opponents were the NFC East Champions, the Giants. Bill Parcells' G-Men had their own devastating defense, led by Lawrence Taylor. But the game would be at Soldier Field, right on Lake Michigan, with a Winter wind blasting in. No problem for the Giants, right? Giants Stadium had a wind that swirled around, and they were used to cold and wind.

They were not used to the '85 Bears, or to their wind. Early in the game, Sean Landeta dropped the ball to punt, and the wind blew it so that it just sort of glanced off the side of his foot. It was a 5-yard punt, and Shaun Gayle was right there to pick it up and take it into the end zone. That touchdown, and Butler's point-after, were the only scoring in the 1st half, but the Giants were already dead. Two touchdown passes from McMahon to McKinnon made it 21-0, with the Giants having only 32 rushing yards. Phil Simms had been sacked 6 times for 60 yards.

Next was the NFC Championship Game, at home, against the NFC West Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. As a Southern California team (by this point, they were playing home games in Anaheim), the Rams were not used to cold weather. They had Eric Dickerson, who, the season before, had set a new NFL record for rushing yards in a season. The Bears limited him to 46 yards, and the Rams' offense as a whole to 130 yards. The Bears won, 24-0. For the 1st time since the NFL Championship Game became known as the Super Bowl, they were in it.

There was controversy. Ditka and Ryan were still feuding. At age 45 and 54, respectively, they should have been well past the need for the verbal equivalent of a dick-waving contest. Rumors were swirling that Ryan would get one of the inevitable head coaching vacancies in the NFL. McMahon was feuding with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, over advertising on the headbands he wore under his helmet. And he was feuding with the media, over remarks he allegedly made over the personal lives of the women of New Orleans, site of the game.

But on Super Sunday, January 26, the Bears seemed to be set to be all business, against a Patriots team coached by Raymond Berry, the Hall of Fame receiver for the Baltimore Colts of the 1950s and '60s. The Pats had done something no other team had done in a single postseason: Win 3 Playoff games on the road. The Bears were favored by 10 points, an unusually high point spread, but the Pats looked like, at the least, they belonged on the same field as the franchise once, and again, known as "The Monsters of the Midway."

*

This game should have been the Bears' crowning achievement. It should have been Payton's crowning achievement, finally playing in the big game after 11 seasons. But he fumbled in the 1st minute of the game, and the Patriots shocked the football world by taking a 3-0 lead on a field goal by Tony Franklin. Remember: The Bears hadn't allowed so much as a point in their 1st 2 postseason games.

The Bears tied it on a Butler field goal. Figuring he was going to win the game anyway, Ditka went against his tough-guy "Iron Mike" image, and decided to get cute. At the Patriot 3-yard line, he sent Perry in. McMahon tossed the ball back to him, and Perry raised his arm for an option pass. NBC announcer Dick Enberg spoke for all of us when he said, with shock in his voice, "It's Perry, he's gonna throw the ball!"

But, never having done this in an actual game, the Fridge hesitated, couldn't find an open receiver, and had to run it himself, and was tackled for a 1-yard loss. The man who had become the biggest name on a defense that included future Hall-of-Famers Singletary, Hampton, Dent and McMichael, and All-Pros Marshall, Wilson, Duerson and Fencik, had become, for all intents and purposes, a sack victim. And the game was still tied, 3-3.

But, as with after the loss in Miami, the Bears woke up. They punished the Patriots. They humiliated them. (Keep in mind, Bill Belichick was then an assistant coach for the Giants, and Tom Brady was 8 years old. Neither of them could cheat to help the Pats.) Butler kicked a field goal, and, in the last minute of the 1st quarter, Suhey ran 11 yards for a touchdown. Chicago 13, New England 3.

Midway through the 2nd quarter, McMahon ran the ball himself, got flipped, and landed on his head. He was not immediately injured. A few plays later, with the ball on the Patriot 2-yard line, he lowered his head, got clobbered, and still took the ball in for a touchdown. On the last play of the 1st half, Butler kicked another field goal. Chicago 23, New England 3.

Midway through the 3rd quarter, McMahon got the ball to the Patriot 1. Instead of giving Payton the ball to give him his Super Bowl touchdown, McMahon took it in himself. A little over a minute later, with Berry having replaced starting quarterback Tony Eason -- who thus became the 1st starting quarterback in a Super Bowl to fail to complete a pass -- with the team's longtime former starter, Steve Grogan, Reggie Phillips intercepted a Grogan pass, returning it 28 yards for a touchdown.

It was 37-3 when Ditka sent Perry in again with the ball at the 1. Ditka could have had Perry block for Payton, to give "Sweetness" his Super Bowl touchdown. Instead, Ditka had McMahon hand the ball to Perry, who jumped over the line, and fell into the end zone. Touchdown. The Bears led, 44-3. With 3:48 left in the 3rd quarter.

With 13 minutes left, Grogan found some consolation, with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Irving Fryar. With 5:36 left, and the "46 Defense" replaced by their reserves, Henry Waechter sacked Grogan in the end zone, for a safety. The Patriots were limited to just 123 yards from scrimmage. 

The game ended 46-10, and, for the 1st time in 22 seasons, the Chicago Bears were NFL Champions. Dent was named the game's Most Valuable Player. They could have given it to McMahon. At least they didn't give it to Perry: For the most part, he did his job, but giving him the MVP would have been a terrible example of pandering.

*

At the end of the game, before the Patriots' body was even cold, the resentments in the team began to show. The offensive players picked Ditka up and carried him off the field. They did so quickly, because they saw that the defensive players were running over to do the same for Ryan. And some players were bitter that Ditka chose to give Perry, not Payton, the greatest player in the Bears' proud history, the chance to score the last touchdown, or any touchdown. Payton carried the ball 22 times for 61 yards, but didn't get his touchdown.

The next day, the Bears got a championship parade in Chicago. They were also set to go to the White House, to be honored by President Ronald Reagan. But the day after the parade, the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after launch, killing all 7 astronauts aboard. The Bears' White House celebration was canceled.

Between the message the defense sent by carrying Ryan off the field, the complaints about Perry and Payton, and the inability to be honored by the President, the 1985 Chicago Bears, one of the greatest teams in football history, foreshadowed a scene from the 1988 baseball-themed movie Bull Durham: A kid is pitching well, and his veteran catcher criticizes him anyway. The pitcher asks, "Can't you just let me enjoy the moment?" And the catcher says, "Moment's over."

Sure enough, just 3 days after the Super Bowl, Ryan quit, and accepted an offer to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he failed to understand that he had Randall Cunningham, a man known as "the Ultimate Weapon," as his quarterback. He never saw another Super Bowl except on television.

Not having to deal with Ryan should have been the best thing that could have happened to both Ditka and Perry. It wasn't: The Bears were still one of the best teams in the NFL, but never again were they the best team.

They lost in the Divisional Playoffs in the 1986 and 1987 seasons, after which Payton retired. They lost in the NFC Championship Game (at home, to the 49ers) in 1988, missed the Playoffs in 1989, lost in the Divisional Round in 1990, lost in the Wild Card Round in 1991, and missed the Playoffs in 1992, at which point Ditka was fired. He had won 106 regular-season games, 6 Division titles, and 6 postseason games, but only 1 NFC Championship Game and 1 Super Bowl.

The Bears became the NFL equivalent of the New York Mets: All that talent in the 1980s, all those memorable characters, and all that hype, from both local and national media machines; and they ended up only going to their sport's final once, winning just the once. The Mets won their World Series 9 months after the Bears won their Super Bowl, and didn't learn the right lessons.

Not only did both franchises fail to win another title and eventually get broken up, but neither one has ever won another title. The Bears have only been to 1 more Super Bowl, the Mets to only 2 more World Series, all lost.

Still, the '85 Bears became not just a historic team, but an iconic one. They were mentioned in the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. From 1991 to 1997, "The Chicago Superfans" was a sketch on Saturday Night Live, with beefy men copying Ditka's look -- caps with the Bears' "Wishbone C" logo, aviator sunglasses, and big bushy mustaches -- and raising their mugs of beer to toast "Da Bearssss!" (Once Michael Jordan started winning titles, "Da Bullssss!" was added to the sketch.) And Chicago native Michael Wilbon frequently drops mentions of the team as co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption.

Singletary later served as head coach of the 49ers, Frazier of the Vikings, backup safety Jeff Fisher took the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, and backup linebacker Ron Rivera took the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

In 2011, on the 25th Anniversary of their win, President Barack Obama, who's lived his adult life in Chicago (but was in the opposing metropolitan area, attending Harvard Law School, when that Super Bowl was played), decided to give the '85 Bears the White House visit they never got from Illinois native and former small-college football player Reagan.

But not all was well. Those Bears suffered for their profession, suffered for their art. Payton, who was both one of the most graceful, and one of the toughest, players of his generation, died of liver disease in 1999. Duerson killed himself in 2011, a few months before the White House visit. He wanted his brain donated to science, to see if his struggles in retirement were caused by brain damage, caused by football. It was determined that they were. McMahon has reported memory issues, and believes he also has CTE. Given some of Ditka's statements the last few years, people have wondered about him, too. And McMichael developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the paralytic condition known as Lou Gehrig's disease. (He lived just long enough to see himself elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

Yes, this Bears team was a lot of fun. But beneath the level of fun was trouble that we never saw coming. And, unlike a lot of troublesome football teams of that era and since, it had little to do with steroids, stickum, or (despite having Ryan as defensive coordinator) "bounties."

There's one other thing to note: The Bears' cheerleaders, the Honey Bears, had their contract run out after that Super Bowl. Team owner Virginia Halas McCaskey, who inherited the team from her father, chose not to negotiate a new one. She didn't like the idea of cheerleaders. The Bears haven't had them since. The Bears have been to just one Super Bowl since, and lost it.

In 2026, not having won the title in 40 years, just once in 64 years, the Bears are 1 of the last 8 teams standing. We shall see.

 

August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina

August 29, 2005, 20 years ago: Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, Louisiana, resulting in a broken levee that flooded the city, which was already below sea level. By nightfall, 80 percent of the Crescent City, and parts of neighboring areas, were flooded. Over 1,800 people were killed, and thousands were left homeless.

The Louisiana Superdome, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, was used as a shelter, topping out at 26,000 people. But because of the nature of the emergency, getting relief supplies into the city was incredibly difficult.

Although there had been devastating fires in Chicago and Boston in the 19th Century, and Baltimore and San Francisco in the early 20th Century, an earthquake in San Francisco in 1989 and Miami clobbered by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Katrina was the first natural disaster that made Americans think that a great American city might actually be lost, ruined to the point where there would be no choice but to abandon it.

President George W. Bush was at his ranch outside Crawford, Texas, on vacation. He should have immediately flown back to Washington and coordinated the federal government's response. Instead, he stayed at his ranch for 5 days, doing nothing -- except for 1 trip to San Diego for a Republican Party fundraiser.

As a result, most of the goodwill he'd generated with his response to the 9/11 attacks and the early part of the Iraq War was gone. One political magazine showed a cover with a cartoon of Bush being poked with a fork, with the headline, "HE'S DONE," and a caption that he might have still been in office, "but the 9/11 Presidency is over."

Indeed, he had roughly 4 full years in which even Democrats who didn't like him, and thought he had cheated to win in 2000 (and maybe even in 2004), still accepted him as President: September 11, 2001 to September 12, 2005.

That was the day that Michael D. Brown resigned as Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is in charge of responding to natural disasters. Bush was caught on camera telling him, "Heck of a job, Brownie." It wasn't sarcastic: Bush really believed that Brown was doing a good job.

"Brownie" and "Dubya"

At his best, Bush was a genial idiot. At his worst, he was a nasty right-winger. He was never competent enough to be President, and he appointed people he liked to posts for which they were not qualified and ill-suited, and Brown was one of them.

As late as 1950, New Orleans' population was 660,000, putting it in America's top 20 cities. White flight led to a drop to about 484,000 people within the city limits in the 2000 Census. After Hurricane Katrina, it dropped to 230,000, losing over half its people in one fell swoop. According to a recent estimate, it's back up to about 362,000, making it larger than such NFL cities as Tampa, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Buffalo (and, of course, Green Bay).

But the metropolitan area has just a shade over 1 million people, making it the smallest metro area in the NFL, ahead of only Buffalo (if Green Bay is included with Milwaukee and Niagara Falls is included with Buffalo). And the poverty issue, so pervasive before the hurricane, is worse. And crime is definitely an issue.

In 1940, the city was 70 percent white. As late as 1970, it was 51 percent white. By 1990, it was 62 percent black, and the proportions are roughly the same today: 61 percent black, 31 percent white, 5 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian. The further east you go, the greater the black percentage; the further west, the more white.

Both the dome and the arena were nearly ruined by Hurricane Katrina. Whatever had gone wrong on the inside of the Superdome, more noticeable was the outside, as the hurricane's winds had stripped the top of the dome, making it look like it had been sandblasted.

The Saints played their entire 2005 season on the road while the dome was refurbished. Next door, the Smoothie King Center, home of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets (since rebranded as the Pelicans), needed work, so the Hornets played most of the 2005-06 season in Oklahoma City, thus opening the door to a team for that city: In 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A relief concert was held at Madison Square Garden, "The Big Apple to the Big Easy," featuring performers from New Orleans, and others whose work was inspired by them. In 2012, the favor was returned after Hurricane Sandy became the 2nd-most-damaging storm in American history, behind Katrina.

The Superdome reopened for the 2006 season, and the Saints provided a lift to the devastated city. On February 7, 2010, the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 at Sun Life Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in the Miami suburbs, for their 1st NFL Championship. It had been a little over 4 years since the hurricane, and it resulted in the biggest party in the history of America's greatest party city.

The Superdome was restored. But the city still needs help. Having lost so many former residents, whose houses could not be rebuilt, hurt its tax base. It's the same with businesses that never came back. In New Orleans, "back" is a relative term.

August 3, 1975: The Superdome Opens

August 3, 1975, 50 years ago: The Louisiana Superdome opens in downtown New Orleans. Trumpeter Al Hirt and clarinetist Pete Fountain, both based in that city known as the birthplace of jazz, perform at the opening concert.

The "Big Mushroom" was designed to take the place of Tulane Stadium, on the campus of Tulane University, as the home of the school's football team, and of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, and of 2 of college football's most popular games, the Sugar Bowl and the historically black schools' Bayou Classic. On the very day of the Superdome's dedication, Tulane Stadium was condemned. It was demolished in 1979.

Between August 28 and September 14, 1975, the Superdome continued to celebrate its grand opening, with appearances by Bob Hope, Telly Savalas, Dorothy Lamour, Karen Valentine, and Raquel Welch. The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, The Charlie Daniels Band, The O'Jays, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds, and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus also performed. On October 3, Johnny Cash led a concert that included his wife June Carter, Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter, and Merle Haggard.

The 1st football game in the Superdome was on August 6, an exhibition game in which the Saints lost to the Houston Oilers, 13-7. Their 1st regular-season game in the building was on September 28, a 21-0 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Tulane's dome debut was better, a 14-3 win over the University of Mississippi.

On November 29, the Bayou Classic was played there for the 1st time. The Grambling State University Tigers defeated the Southern University Jaguars, 33-20. And on December 31, New Year's Eve, the Sugar Bowl was first held there. Alabama beat Penn State, 13-6. 'Bama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was not wearing his famous houndstooth hat. When asked why, he said, "My mama told me never to wear a hat indoors." He had never coached a game under a dome before.

With the closing (but not, as of this writing, the demolition) of the Astrodome in Houston, the Superdome is the oldest actively used domed stadium in the United States. It has hosted the Super Bowl more times than any other venue:

1. 1978, Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10.

2. 1981, Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10.

3. 1986, Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10.

4. 1990, Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10.

5. 1997, Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21.

6. 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17.

7. 2013, Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31.

8. 2025, Super Bowl LIX: Philadelphia Eagles 40, Kansas City Chiefs 22.

It has hosted 6 NCAA Final Fours:

1. 1982, North Carolina over Georgetown.

2. 1987, Indiana over Syracuse.

3. 1993, North Carolina over Michigan.

4. 2003, Syracuse over Kansas.

5. 2012, Kentucky over Kansas.

6. 2022, Kansas over North Carolina.

The NBA's New Orleans Jazz played there from 1975 until their 1979 move to Salt Lake City, as the Utah Jazz. Muhammad Ali regained the Heavyweight Championship of the World from Leon Spinks there in 1978, and Sugar Ray Leonard regained the Welterweight Championship from Roberto Duran there in 1980.

It also hosted some preseason baseball games: Minnesota vs. Houston in 1976; the New York Yankees vs. Baltimore in 1980; the Yankees vs. the New York Mets, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in 1981; the Yankees vs. Montreal and Texas in 1982; the Yankees vs. Montreal and Toronto in 1983; Philadelphia vs. St. Louis in 1984; San Francisco vs. Oakland in 1989; Los Angeles vs. Oakland in 1991; the Mets vs. Oakland in 1993; the Yankees vs. Boston in 1994; and the Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota in 1999.

Baseball doesn't look right in the Superdome, does it?

The Class AAA New Orleans Pelicans played their home games there in 1977. New Orleans tried to get the Oakland Athletics to move there in 1979, and the Pittsburgh Pirates for 1982, but were unsuccessful.

It has also hosted a Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1987, and the 1988 Republican National Convention, which nominated George H.W. Bush for President.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina nearly ruined New Orleans, including causing serious damage to the Superdome. It was used as a shelter for those who had lost their homes, with disastrous results. The Saints split their home games that season between Tiger Stadium on the Louisiana State campus in Baton Rouge and the Alamodome in San Antonio; Tulane used 5 different smaller college stadiums in Louisiana; the Bayou Classic was moved to what's now named NRG Stadium in Houston; and the Sugar Bowl to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Superdome reopened the following September 25.

Current seating capacity is 73,208. The post-Katrina renovation of 2005-06 was designed solely to make it usable again. Another renovation was undertaken in 2011, to do some modernization -- which also ended the building's baseball capability. There has been talk of a new domed stadium to replace it, but no plans are underway.

Naming rights were sold in 2011, making it the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 2017 move of the Saints' arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium confused matters, and Mercedes-Benz allowed their naming rights on the Superdome to lapse. In 2021, it became the Caesars Superdome, with the rights bought by the Caesars casino company.

The Superdome (left) and the Smoothie King Center

The New Orleans Arena opened next-door in 1999. Since 2014, it has been named the Smoothie King Center. Since 2002, it has been home to the NBA team known as the New Orleans Hornets until 2013, and the New Orleans Pelicans ever since.

January 1, 1935: The 1st Orange Bowl & the 1st Sugar Bowl

January 1, 1935, 90 years ago: The 1st Orange Bowl is played, at Miami Field in Miami. Unlike in a few later appearances, having the home-field advantage did not help the University of Miami, as they lost to Bucknell University, 26-0.

The Bison defense held the Hurricanes to just 4 1st downs and 28 yards total offense en route to the victory. The Bucknell offense gained 278 yards, and earned its 6th shutout of the season.

The Orange Bowl was pattered after the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with its pregame Tournament of Roses Parade. The Fiesta of the American Tropics parade was held in 1926, but there was no game. Then came the Florida land bust that year, and then the Great Depression in 1929, killing Florida tourism.

In 1932, trying to revive Florida tourism, Miami was ready to try again. A parade was held on January 1, 1933, and a Festival of Palms Bowl was played at Moore Park on January 2, with the University of Miami beating Manhattan College, 7-0. In 1934, again at Moore Park, Miami lost to Duquesne University of Pittsburgh. For the following season, the organizing committee received official sanction from the NCAA, and, for that reason, the 1935 edition was not only the 1st to carry the Orange Bowl name, but is recognized as the 1st Orange Bowl, rather than the 3 earlier Festival of Palms Bowls.

And so, every year, from 1936-37 to 2001-02, the King Orange Jamboree Parade would be held in downtown Miami on New Year's Eve, and the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day, except when January 1 fell on a Sunday, moving the game back to January 2. Traditionally, NBC televised both. The Parade's attendance dropped, and it was canceled in 2002.

Bucknell, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, downgraded its football program in 1948. In 1973, with the NCAA reclassifying, they were put in Division II. In 1978, they were promoted to Division I-AA, which was renamed the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2006. They have played at the same stadium since 1924. In 1989, it was renamed Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, in honor of the school's most famous graduate, the New York Giants pitcher who was 1 of the 1st 5 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Clarke Hinkle, star running back for the Green Bay Packers in the 1930s, before this Orange Bowl, remains Bucknell's greatest football player. They have never again appeared in a bowl game, and have never won a conference championship.

Miami, on the other hand, would have a decent football history until the 1980s, when they became a bit indecent, but also one of the best programs in the game. In 1937, they moved into Burdine Stadium, built on the site of Miami Field, named for the late Roddy Burdine, department store owner and major booster of the City of Miami. The stadium was renamed the Miami Orange Bowl in 1959, and would host 5 Super Bowls, including the New York Jets' famed upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

The Miami Dolphins played at the Orange Bowl from 1966 to 1986, then moved into Joe Robbie Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens in 1987. The Orange Bowl game was first played there in 1997 and 1998, moved back to its namesake stadium in 1999, and has been played at the Miami Gardens facility, now named Hard Rock Stadium, from 2000 onward. The University of Miami last played at the Orange Bowl in 2007, and moved to Miami Gardens. The stadium was demolished in 2008, and the new home of the Miami Marlins, now named LoanDepot Park, opened on the site in 2012.

From 1968 to 1996, the Champion of the Big Eight Conference was officially awarded a berth in the Orange Bowl, something that had unofficially been done since 1954. It was accepted all but twice, by Nebraska in 1974 and 1975, in favor of a better shot at the National Championship. They paid dearly for this, losing both times. Since the 2014 season, the Champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference has been guaranteed a berth in the Orange Bowl, unless it qualifies for the National Championship Playoff.

The Orange Bowl has featured 16 teams that won the National Championship for the preceding calendar year: Miami in 1988 and 1992; Oklahoma in 1954, 1987 and 2001; Nebraska in 19871, 1972, 1995 and 1997; Georgia Tech in 1952; Alabama in 1965; Clemson in 1982;  Notre Dame in 1990; Colorado in 1991; and Florida State in 1994.

*

January 1, 1935 was a Tuesday. This was also the day the 1st Sugar Bowl was played, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane University beat Temple University, 20-14.

The most notable play of the game came in the 2nd quarter, when Tulane's quarterback, John McDaniel, caught a Temple kickoff, ran to the right to draw tacklers, then threw a lateral pass to his teammate Monk Simons, who ran 75 yards for the touchdown. Two more Tulane touchdowns in the second half outweighed Temple's early lead.

Tulane had been built on a sugar plantation, and sugar was long the leading crop in the State of Louisiana. Hence, the game was named for a local crop. New Orleans civic leaders wanted to copy Pasadena, California's Rose Bowl for a few years, and finally got it set up for 1934-35. There was no pregame parade, however.

Tulane had been one of the South's leading football schools, winning titles in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1920, and the Southern Conference in 1925, 1929, 1930 and 1931. That league was the forefather of both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

In 1933, Tulane was a founding member of the SEC, and won the title in 1934, giving them the credibility to host the bowl game. They would win the SEC again in 1939 and 1949, but went into decline, and left the league after the 1965 season, surpassed in football importance in their State by Louisiana State University (LSU), and even by the black college rivalry between Grambling State and Southern University. They would later win the title in Conference USA in 1998, and are now members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), having won the AAC title in 2022.

The game was held at Tulane Stadium from 1935 until 1975. In 1975, the Louisiana Superdome opened, and the game has been held there every year since, with the exception of 2006, when it was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, due to repairs on the Superdome from Hurricane Katrina.

Tulane Stadium

Temple have also never again reached the football heights they reached in the 1930s. They devalued their program in 1958, but began moving back up in 1991, becoming members of the Big East Conference. In 2013, they joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC), winning it in 2016.

After the inaugural Sugar Bowl, they didn't go to another bowl game until the 1979 season, and then not again until 2009. They won the Garden State Bowl in 1979, the New Mexico Bowl in 2011, and the Gasparilla Bowl in 2017. But they've never been to another traditional New Year's Day bowl game.

Tulane Stadium hosted Super Bowls IV, VI and IX, and was home to the NFL's New Orleans Saints from 1967 to 1974, before they and the Green Wave moved into the Superdome for the 1975 season. Tulane Stadium was demolished in 1979, the 1st of the 4 classic New Year's Day bowl game facilities to go. (The Orange Bowl followed in 2008, while the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl stadiums still stand.) In 2014, Yulman Stadium was opened on the site of Tulane Stadium.

The Superdome

The Sugar Bowl has usually invited the SEC Champion, although this was not made official until the 1976 season. With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in the 1998 season, hosting the SEC Champion was no longer a given. Given the success of the SEC since the start of the National Championship Playoff in 2014, it's been almost impossible.

The Sugar Bowl has featured the National Champions of the preceding calendar year 23 times: Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1959 and 2007; the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1960, 1961 and 1963; Alabama in 1962, 1979, 1980 and 1993; the University of Miami in 1990 and 2001; Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1939; Texas A&M in 1940; Oklahoma in 1950; Maryland in 1952; Georgia Tech in 1953; Notre Dame in 1974; the University of Pittsburgh in 1977; Georgia in 1981; Penn State in 1983; Florida in 1997; Florida State in 2000; and Ohio State in 2021.

Also on this day, the Rose Bowl was played at the stadium of the same name, outside Los Angeles in Pasadena, California. Alabama completed an undefeated season, ruining Stanford's, 29-13. The Cotton Bowl debuted on New Year's Day 1937.

April 5, 1993: The Timeout That Chris Webber Didn't Have

April 5, 1993, 30 years ago: The most famous timeout in the history of sports is one that didn't even exist. But then, officially, neither did the team that called it.

In 1989, the University of Michigan won college basketball's National Championship, under new head coach Steve Fisher. Two years later, the school had its greatest recruiting class ever. From Detroit came forward Chris Webber and guard Jalen Rose. From Chicago came forward Juwan Howard. From the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas came guard Jimmy King. And from Austin, Texas came forward Ray Jackson. (I thought they had a couple of players from Flint, Michigan, known as "The Flintstones." I had that confused with the Michigan State National Champions of 2000.)

Webber, Rose, Howard, King and Jackson became known as the Fab Five, and the question that was being asked wasn't if they would win a National Championship, but how many.

Such questions had been asked of professional would-be superstars, but this was the first time that ESPN had allowed such a thing to be a nationwide discussion in college sports.

In their freshman year, 1991-92, the Michigan Wolverines went 25-9, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Final Four, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. They reached the Final, and, with the 1st all-freshman starting five in the event's history, lost to Duke University, the defending National Champions, 71-51.

It was a bad way to end a really good season, but everything up to that point -- including beating arch-rival (in football, anyway) Ohio State in the Reginal Final, and a very good University of Cincinnati team in the National Semifinal -- had been very encouraging. Few people expected them to go all the way the 1st year, but getting that close raised the expectations even higher.

In 1992-93, they got back to the Final with a 31-4 record and the Number 3 pre-Tournament ranking, taking the floor at the Superdome in New Orleans against the University of North Carolina. Coached by Dean Smith, the Tar Heels came in at 33-4 and ranked Number 4, so this was going to be a battle. Furthermore, Smith had won his previous National Championship in 1982, on the same floor, against Georgetown University, when, with Carolina leading by one point as the clock ticked down, a Georgetown player made a key mistake to seal the Carolina victory.

And the game was tight the whole way. With 46 seconds left, Jackson hit a jumper to close the Wolverines to within 72-69. At this point, Michigan called its last timeout.

Carolina blew the inbounds pass, giving Michigan the ball. But Rose missed a would-be tying 3-pointer. Webber got the rebound, and made it 72-71 with 36 seconds left. Carolina's Pat Sullivan was fouled, and made his 1st of 2 free throws, to make it 73-71 Carolina.

He missed the 2nd, and Webber got the rebound. He traveled -- and the officials didn't see it. He got surrounded by sky blue jerseys, and, nervous, he called timeout -- a timeout the Wolverines didn't have. This gave the Heels 2 free throws and the subsequent possession.

Donald Williams made both free throws, to make it 75-71 Carolina. With 8 seconds left, Williams was fouled, and his shots made the final score North Carolina 77, Michigan 71.

For the 3rd time, North Carolina had won the NCAA Tournament. For the 2nd time, it was under Smith's leadership. (The 1st time was in 1957, under Frank McGuire.) For the 2nd time, it was because of a mistake that wasn't as big as people made it out to be, since, in each case, Carolina were already ahead at the time. And both games were at the Superdome. And the locations of the mistakes in question were within a few feet of each other.

In spite of this, Webber took the brunt of the criticism. It wasn't fair. In hindsight, Coach Fisher probably should have reminded his players in their last timeout that it was their last timeout, and that none were left. But he didn't, and Webber operated on instinct.

Still, the Fab Five had 2 more years of eligibility left. Except they didn't use it. Here's what happened to the Five after the '93 Final:

* Webber declared for the NBA Draft, and the Orlando Magic selected him as the 1st pick. Imagine a team with, all at the same time, a young Shaquille O'Neal, a young Scott Skiles, a young Dennis Scott, and a young Chris Webber. You'll have to imagine it: The Magic immediately traded Webber to the Golden State Warriors for Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, but, partly due to Hardaway's injuries and Shaq's skedaddling to Los Angeles after only 4 seasons, only got 1 NBA Finals berth out of it.

And the Warriors only had Webber for 1 year. Despite his winning Rookie of the Year, they traded him to the Washington Bullets, who traded him to the Sacramento Kings. Twice, he got the Kings to the Western Conference Finals; twice, the Kings were robbed by the referees in favor of Shaq and the Lakers. Webber made 5 All-Star Games, and has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

* Rose played 1 more year for Michigan, and bounced around the league for 13 seasons, making the 2000 NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers, losing to Shaq and the Lakers. It could have been Rose's Pacers (actually, Reggie Miller's Pacers with Rose) against Webber's Kings, but it was not to be. Rose is now a basketball analyst for ESPN.

* Howard also played 1 more year for Michigan, and, for a time, was a teammate of Webber on the Bullets. Both were still with them when they changed their name to the Washington Wizards in 1997. Howard played 19 seasons, including 1 All-Star season, and closed his career in 2012 and 2013, winning NBA Championships with the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. 

* King played all 4 years for Michigan, and in 1995 became an original member of the Toronto Raptors. He also played in 1997 with the Denver Nuggets, and played several seasons in the minor leagues, including 2 seasons in Venezuela. He became a high school coach in the Detroit area.

* Jackson played all 4 years for Michigan, and is the only one of the Fab Five who never played in the NBA. He played in the minor leagues, and in the pro leagues of France, Argentina and Venezuela (though not as a teammate of King). He now runs a moving company in his native Austin.

There were 2 weird postscripts to the Fab Five. In 2002, Webber was charged with lying to a grand jury, as part of a larger investigation into Ed Martin, a Michigan booster. As it turned out, Martin had been giving money to Webber since the 8th grade. Not only did Michigan have to forfeit its Final Four appearances -- meaning that, officially, his college basketball career, the Fab Five, the Final Four trips, and the timeout gaffe itself, never existed -- but even his high school, Detroit Country Day School, had to forfeit the 3 State Championships he led them to.

This one may be even weirder. In 1999, the new NBC drama The West Wing showed a pickup basketball game near the White House. On one side was President Jed Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) and 4 Secret Service Agents. Talk about a good defense. On the other side were some of the President's staff, led by White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), wearing a City College of New York (CCNY) sweatshirt.

The President's team is losing, so he makes a substitution. It's a ringer, a man newly hired by the President's Council on Physical Fitness. Toby thinks he looks familiar, and the new player admits he played basketball for Duke. Toby yells out, "Duke? This guy was in the Final Four!" Ironically, he was played by Juwan Howard, who had played against Duke in the Final Four, for Michigan, and lost in the 1992 Final.

In 2019, Howard was named head coach of Michigan. He guided them to a Big Ten Conference regular-season Championship and the NCAA Elite Eight in 2021, and the Sweet Sixteen in 2022. 

February 3, 2002: The New England Patriots' Underdog Win

February 3, 2002, 20 years ago: Super Bowl XXXVI is played at the Superdome in New Orleans. Remember when the New England Patriots were considered plucky underdogs, and their opponents were arrogant swellheads? Never again.

The Patriots were founded as the Boston Patriots in 1960, with the American Football League. In 1963, they won the AFL Eastern Division title, but got clobbered by the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship Game. They bounced around from stadium to stadium, playing at Boston University's Nickerson Field, Boston College's Alumni Stadium, Harvard Stadium and Fenway Park.

In 1971, their 2nd season after the NFL merged with the AFL, they moved to suburban Foxborough, Massachusetts, a little closer to downtown Providence, Rhode Island than to downtown Boston. To tap into a regional identity -- something the Red Sox, the Celtics and the Bruins never found it necessary to do -- they changed their name to the New England Patriots.

In 1976, after 9 seasons seasons finishing .500 or less, they went 11-3, and won the AFC's Wild Card Playoff berth. But they lost the Divisional Playoff to the Oakland Raiders, in controversial fashion. In 1978, they won the AFC East, but lost the Divisional Playoff to the Houston Oilers. In 1982, they made the Playoffs, but lost to the Miami Dolphins in the 1st Round.

In the 1985 season, they did something no other NFL team had done: They won 3 Playoff games on the road to advance to the Super Bowl. (Only 1 team has done it since: The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers.) They beat the New York Jets at the Meadowlands, the now-moved Raiders at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl. But they got slaughtered by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.

 

After a Division title and a Divisional Playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the 1986 season, the Pats collapsed, falling into mediocrity on the field and disgrace off it. New ownership hired Bill Parcells to rebuild the team. He got them into the Playoffs in 1994, losing to the Cleveland Browns. In 1996, he got them to an AFC East title, and into Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers. This was followed by another Division title in 1997, and another Playoff berth in 1998.

In 2000, Bill Belichick was named head coach. He had been Parcells' defensive coordinator with the Patriots, and with both New York teams, the Giants and the Jets. But as a head coach, he had already failed with the Browns. But in just his 2nd season at the helm, he got them to 11-5 and the AFC East title.

The key game was the 2nd of the year. Mo Lewis of the Jets injured quarterback Drew Bledsoe on a tackle. In came Tom Brady, drafted in the 6th round, and not hyped much. After a 5-5 start, the Pats won their last 6 regular season games.

The Divisional Playoff was the last game played at Foxboro Stadium, as what became Gillette Stadium was being built next-door. In a blizzard, the "Tuck Rule" helped the Patriots beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-13, on an overtime field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The following week, they won away to the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning them a berth in Super Bowl XXXVI.

They would play the St. Louis Rams, whose passing attack, led by Kurt Warner, was known as "The Greatest Show On Turf." They had won the Super Bowl just 2 years earlier. They were 14-2, their only losses being by 3 at home to the New Orleans Saints, and by 7 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They had beaten the Packers in the Divisional Round and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

They were talking big. They were talking dynasty. They were favored by 14 points, and they were talking like a team that deserved to be.

Boston had won 6 World Series, although none since 1918; 5 Stanley Cups, although none since 1972; and a record 16 NBA Championships, although none since 1986. The city had never won one in football. This was their chance to do so. Since the Celtics' 1986 title, Boston teams had gone 0-7 in finals, including the Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XXXI. New England needed a win.

*

This is what the world was like on February 3, 2002, 20 years ago:

America was still shaken from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many people thought it was good that a team called the Patriots was in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots had Ty Law. The Rams had Kurt Warner, Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace and Aeneas Williams. The New York Giants had Michael Strahan and, for that one season, Morten Andersen. The New York Jets had Curtis Martin and Kevin Mawae.

The Baltimore Ravens had Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe. The Chicago Bears had Brian Urlacher. The Dallas Cowboys had Emmitt Smith and Larry Allen. The Denver Broncos had Terrell Davis. The Green Bay Packers had Brett Favre. The Indianapolis Colts had Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison. The Kansas City Chiefs had Tony Gonzalez and Will Shields.

The Miami Dolphins had Jason Taylor. The Minnesota Vikings had Cris Carter and Randy Moss. The New Orleans Saints had Willie Roaf. The Oakland Raiders had Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Charles Woodson. The Philadelphia Eagles had Brian Dawkins. The Pittsburgh Steelers had Jerome Bettis and Alan Faneca.

The San Diego Chargers had LaDainian Tomlinson and Junior Seau. The San Francisco 49ers had Terrell Owens. The Seattle Seahawks had John Randle, Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Randall McDaniel and John Lynch. The Tennessee Titans had Bruce Matthews. And the Washington Redskins had Bruce Smith.

All of those players are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Drew Brees was a rookie with the Chargers. Eli Manning, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers were in college. Matt Ryan, Clay Matthews, Ndamukong Suh, Colin Kaepernick, Matthew Stafford and Richard Sherman were in high school.

 

Russell Wilson and Nick Foles were 13 years old; Cam Newton and Rob Gronkowski were 12; Jimmy Garoppolo was 10; Odell Beckham Jr. and Johnny Manziel were 9; Michael Thomas and Dak Prescott were 8; Baker Mayfield, Joey Bosa and Patrick Mahomes were 6; Juju Smith-Schuster, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson were 5; Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray were 4; Tua Tagovailoa was 3; and Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith were 2.

The Houston Texans have begun play. The Oakland Raiders have moved again, to Las Vegas. The Rams and the Chargers have both moved back to Los Angeles. Those teams, the Patriots, both New York teams, the Seahawks, the Bears, the Eagles, the Colts, the Cowboys, the 49ers, the Vikings, the Detroit Lions, the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons have all opened new stadiums.

The Patriots had not yet won a Super Bowl. Nor had the Buccaneers, the Saints, the Seahawks, the Eagles, or the Colts since moving to Indianapolis. The Buccaneers, the Seahawks, the Saints, the Carolina Panthers, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Colts since moving to Indianapolis had never even been in one. The Eagles had won an NFL Championship, but not since 1960.

All of those facts are no longer true.

Bill Belichick is still the head coach of the Patriots. The new head coach of the New York Giants, Brian Daboll, was one of Belichick's assistants on the Patriots' staff. Robert Saleh of the Jets was playing at Northern Michigan University.

Lindy Ruff of the Devils was the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Barry Trotz of the Islanders was the head coach of the Nashville Predators. Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks was an assistant coach for them. Gerard Gallant of the Rangers was an assistant coach for the minor-league Louisville Panthers. Buck Showalter of the Mets was a studio analyst for ESPN.

Aaron Boone of the Yankees was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Steve Nash of the Nets was playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Sandy Brondello of the Liberty was playing for the WNBA's Miami Sol. And the managers of the New York Tri-State Area's MLS teams were playing in their native countries: Ronny Deila of NYCFC for Odds BK in Norway, and Gerhard Struber of the Red Bulls for LASK in Austria.

The defending World Champions were the Baltimore Ravens, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Colorado Avalanche. The Heavyweight Champion of the World was Lennox Lewis.

The Olympic Games have since been held in America, Greece, Italy, Canada, Britain, Russia, Brazil, Korea, Japan, and now, twice, in China. The World Cup has now been held in Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

The idea that two people of the same gender could get married, and have all the legal benefits of marriage, was absurd. But then, so was the idea that corporations were "people" and entitled to the rights thereof.

The President of the United States was George W. Bush. His father George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, their wives, and the widow of Lyndon Johnson were still alive. Barack Obama was in the Illinois State Senate. Joe Biden was running for his 6th term in the U.S. Senate from Delaware. Kamala Harris was an Assistant District Attorney in Alameda County, California. And Donald Trump was a laughingstock, in both professional and private life.

The Governor of the State of New York was George Pataki, the Mayor of the City of New York was Michael Bloomberg, and the Governor of New Jersey was Jim McGreevey. The Mayor of Boston was Tom Menino, and the Mayor of St. Louis was Francis Slay.

The current holders of those offices? Kathy Hochul was a member of the Town Board in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg, New York; Eric Adams was a New York police detective; Phil Murphy was head of Goldman Sachs' Investments Management Division; Michelle Wu was in high school in the Chicago suburb of Barrington, Illinois; and Tishaura Jones was an executive trainee at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

There were still living veterans of World War I, the Mexican Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the Baltic and Irish Wars of Independence. There were still living survivors of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the General Slocum fire of 1904, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and the sinkings of the Titanic in 1912 and the Lusitania in 1915.

The Pope was John Paul II. The current Pope, Francis, had just been named Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The Prime Minister of Canada was Jean Chretien. The Prime Minister of Britain was Tony Blair. The British monarch was Queen Elizabeth II. (That hasn't changed.) The holder of the Nobel Peace Prize was Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. There have since been 4 Presidents of the United States, 5 Prime Ministers of Britain, and 3 Popes.

Major novels of 2002 included The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg. "Prosperity gospel" televangelist Rick Warren published The Purpose Driven Life. Apparently, the purpose driving his life is to con people into believing that God wants them to give him money. There had been 4 Harry Potter books, and 3 A Song of Ice and Fire books. But no one had yet heard of Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.

Major films of the Winter of 2002 included Snow Dogs, A Walk to Remember, Big Fat Liar, Collateral Damage, Monster's Ball, Britney Spears' film debut Crossroads, Aaliyah's last film Queen of the Damned, John Q for which Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar that year, the remake of Rollerball, and the James Caviezel version of The Count of Monte Cristo. "U Got It Bad" by Usher was the Number 1 song in the country.

Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.55 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 34 cents, and a New York Subway ride $1.50. The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.36, a cup of coffee $2.05, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $6.47, a movie ticket $5.81, a new car $21,866, and a new house $227,600. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the preceding Friday at 9,907.26.

There were cell phones, but "smart" phones were not yet widely known, let alone owned. The top home video game system was the Xbox. There was, as yet, no iPhone, no iPad, no Skype, no Facebook, no YouTube, no Twitter, no Tumblr, no Pinterest, no Instagram, and no TikTok.

In the Winter of 2002, the Euro is officially introduced as paper and coin currency, after having been in use as credit since 1999. The civil wars in Sierra Leone and Angola ended. Juanita Jordan filed for divorce from Michael.

President Bush delivered the State of the Union Address, in which he said that Iran, Iraq and North Korea have formed "an axis of evil." This is later revealed to be a lie. He also signed a national security council directive, establishing the goals and objectives for going to war with Iraq. Meanwhile, 5 months after 9/11, Osama bin Laden was still at large. And American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by al-Qaeda -- in Pakistan.

Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, and Peggy Lee, and Brazilian soccer legend Edvaldo Izidio Neto, a.k.a. Vavá, died. Asher Angel, and Jalen Green, and Jordan Addison were born.

That's what the world was like on February 3, 2002, 20 years ago, when the New England Patriots' dynasty began.

*

The Rams' offensive starters were introduced first. Then the Patriots were introduced, collectively rather than individually. Trying to show that they were a team, rather than a collection of stars. Little did we know that one of them would become the biggest football star of their generation.

The Rams scored first, a 50-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins. But in the 2nd quarter, the Patriots were really pressuring Kurt Warner. And after a 3rd-down incompletion, I saw a look in Warner's eyes. I'd previously seen that look in the eyes of Dan Marino, Tony Eason, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Neil O'Donnell and Kerry Collins. It was the look of a quarterback who knew he was going to lose the Super Bowl. And the Rams were still winning at this point. They were forced to try another long field goal attempt by Wilkins, this time from 52 yards out. It was long enough, but wide left.

On their next drive, Warner was intercepted by Ty Law, who took it in 47 yards to give the Pats a 7-3 lead. A Warner pass to Ricky Proehl was turned into a fumble by Antwan Harris, and Terrell Buckley recovered it. Brady took over, and in the last minute of the half, threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to David Patten. It was 14-3 New England.

After an emotional halftime show by U2, the 3rd quarter was comparatively dull. But Otis Smith intercepted Warner to set up a 37-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

This was before social media: We had Internet chat rooms and message boards, but no Facebook or Twitter. Still, there seemed to be a feeling around the country that, the longer the Patriots held the lead over the heavily favored Rams, the more surprised they got. Not me: I was getting less and less surprised. The Patriots had dominated the game. Even while they were down 3-0, they looked like the better team.

Then came the kind of comeback that would, over the next 20 years, come to be expected from the Patriots and (and, later, or) Brady. The kind that, if it was the Patriots (and/or Brady), would make you wonder if they were cheating again. At this point, we had no reason to suspect the Patriots (and/or Brady) of cheating. In hindsight, maybe they were, but it stopped working.

The Rams got to the Patriots' 3-yard line. On 4th & goal, needing 2 touchdowns in the last 10 minutes, they decided to go for it. Warner couldn't find anyone open, and was hit by Roman Phifer, and fumbled. Tebucky Jones picked it up, and took it back 97 yards for a touchdown. But the main reason no one was open was that Willie McGinest had committed a holding penalty on Marshall Faulk, preventing him from becoming an eligible receiver. The Rams got a new set of downs, and Warner scored on a quarterback sneak. The Rams were within 17-10 with 9:31.

With 1:51 left, the Rams had one more drive, starting on their own 45. Warner threw 18 yards to Az-Zahir Hakim, 11 to Yo Murphy, and 26 yards to Proehl for a touchdown. With 1:30 left in regulation, it was 17-17.

The question now was, How would the less experience Patriots respond to blowing a 2-touchdown 4th quarter lead, with no timeouts left? The answer turned out to be, "Very well." Brady got the Patriots a little closer, a little closer, and a little closer. The key play was a 23-yard pass to Troy Brown. With 7 seconds left, they were in position for Vinatieri to kick a 48-yard field goal.

Three weeks earlier, in the cold, snow and wind of Foxboro Stadium, Vinatieri had made a game-winning field goal in overtime. This time, he was inside the Superdome, with no weather at all. If he failed, it was overtime. If he succeeded, he was a New England hero forever.

The kick was perfect. Final score: New England 20, St. Louis 17. The Patriots were World Champions for the 1st time. And, except in the St. Louis area, hardly anybody begrudged them this. They were the plucky underdogs that everybody could like.

Just like the University of Miami football team was in the 1984 Orange Bowl. Just like the Duke basketball team was in the 1991 Final Four. Just like the Atlanta Braves were in the 1991 baseball postseason. Just like Manchester United was in the 1992-93 Premier League season. Just like the Yankees were in the 1996 baseball postseason. Just like the Boston Red Sox were in the 2004 baseball postseason. Things change.

Brady was named the game's Most Valuable Player. As had been custom since Super Bowl XXI, the Super Bowl MVP was invited to do an "I'm going to Disney World!" commercial and participate in a parade at Walt Disney World. First, Brady had to get Belichick's permission to miss the team flight back home, and instead fly from New Orleans to Orlando.

Belichick looked at Brady as if he'd just heard the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. As if he was going to tell Brady, "No, practice is tomorrow in Foxborough, at 9 AM." Finally, he said, "Of course, you can go. How many times do you win the Super Bowl?"

If they only knew.

When the Patriots got back to Boston, there was a celebration at City Hall. And Larry Izzo, a backup linebacker who didn't have much more to do with the win than Mayor Tom Menino did, picked up the Vince Lombardi Trophy, held it up, and started a chant, which the crowd picked up: "Yankees suck! Yankees suck! Yankees suck!"

Seeing this, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote, "I guarantee you: If the Giants win the Super Bowl, nobody is going to be saying, 'Boston sucks!'"

Six years later, when the New York Giants took on an 18-0 Patriots team in Super Bowl XLII, and won, Shaughnessy was proven wrong.

How to Be a Giant Fan In New Orleans -- 2021 Edition

This coming Sunday, the New York Giants will be in what has been called "America's only foreign city," to play the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome, in a 1:00 PM Eastern Time start -- 12 noon local time.

Before You Go. The game will be played indoors, but that doesn't mean the weather won't be a factor before or after the game. New Orleans is a semi-tropical city. Fortunately, this game is being played in early Autumn, so heat and humidity won't be as much of factor. Check Nola.com, the website for the city's newspaper, The Times-Picayune, before you leave.

Indeed, the current weather forecast for New Orleans for next Sunday suggests, by our standards, unseasonable warmth for mid-December: Low 80s for daylight, low 70s for night. But they're not predicting rain, and Louisiana hardly ever gets snow. Besides, the game, if not the entire trip, will be indoors.

New Orleans is in the Central Time Zone, so set your timepieces back an hour. However, in spite of that "foreign city" stuff, and the Confederate chapter of its past, you won't need a passport. You might think you'll need it, especially while there, but you won't. You won't need to change your money, either. But the ability to speak fluent French, while hardly required, might help.

Tickets. The Saints averaged 73,082 fans per home game in the 2019 season, the last pre-COVID season -- a sellout. They are easily the most popular sports team in Louisiana, ahead of the NBA's Pelicans, LSU football, or anybody else. So getting tickets might be an issue. And, with New Orleans' reputation as a city of, among other things, con men, I wouldn't trust a scalper any further than I could throw him. (I know, I know: "Well, with your bad knee, Mike, you shouldn't be throwing anybody.")

Bunker level (100 sections) seats go for $298 on the sidelines and $160 in the end zones. The 200, 300 and 400 level seats are Club seats, and will be even more expensive. Upper level (500 sections) seats go for $223 and $150. And Terrace level (600 sections) seats go for $74 and $53.

Getting There. It's 1,340 miles from Times Square in New York to downtown New Orleans, and 1,336 miles from MetLife Stadium to the Superdome. Unless you really, really like driving, you're probably going to fly.

Google Maps says the fastest way from New York to New Orleans by road is to take the Holland Tunnel to Interstate 78 to Harrisburg, then I-81 through the Appalachian Mountains, and then it gets complicated from there.

No, the best way to go, if you must drive, is to take the New Jersey Turnpike/I-95 all the way from New Jersey to Petersburg, Virginia. Exit 51 will put you on I-85 South, and that will take you right through Charlotte and Atlanta, to Montgomery, Alabama. There, you'll switch to I-65 South, and take that into Mobile, where you'll switch to I-10 West, which, under the name of the Pontchartrain Expressway, will take you into New Orleans.

You'll be in New Jersey for about an hour and a half, Delaware for 20 minutes, Maryland for 2 hours, inside the Capital Beltway (Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia) for half an hour if you're lucky (and don't make a rest stop anywhere near D.C.), Virginia for 3 hours, North Carolina for 4 hours, South Carolina for about an hour and 45 minutes, Georgia for 3 hours, Alabama for 4 hours and 45 minutes, Mississippi for an hour and 15 minutes, and Louisiana for 45 minutes before reaching downtown New Orleans. Use Exit 235B for downtown and the Superdome.

So we're talking about 23 hours. Throw in traffic in and around New York at one end, Washington and Atlanta in the middle, and New Orleans at the other end, plus rest stops, preferably in Delaware, and then one each State in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, and it'll be closer to 28 hours. Still wanna drive? Didn't think so.

Flying? You could get a round-trip nonstop fare from Newark to Louis Armstrong International Airport for $863. But you'd have to fly down on Saturday and return on Monday. Otherwise, the schedule just doesn't work. The airport is west of downtown, in Kenner, and the E-2 bus will get you to downtown in 45 minutes for $2.00.

The bus doesn't sound much better. You'd have to leave Port Authority at 11:00 PM on Friday to make it to New Orleans by 5:35 AM on Sunday (that's 31 1/2 hours, counting the time change), changing buses in Atlanta, in order to make it by kickoff. Greyhound charges $750 round-trip, almost as much flying, but it drops to $515 with advanced purchase.

The train may be the best option. Certainly, it's the least complicated and the least annoying. Amtrak's Crescent leaves Penn Station at 2:15 PM every afternoon, and arrives at Union Station in New Orleans the following evening at 9:02 PM (31 hours and 47 minutes). So you could leave on Friday, arrive on Saturday, and have a Saturday night in Party Town U.S.A. before the game on Sunday.

But you'd have to spend a 2nd night in New Orleans, and then get up really early (never an easy thing to do there -- "Big Easy," yeah, surrrre!) to catch the Crescent back at 9:15 AM on Monday, arriving back in New York at 6:00 PM on Tuesday. Round-trip fare is $348, and this is one of the exceptions to the rule that Greyhound is cheaper than Amtrak. It's considerably faster, too, and might even be faster than driving.

Union Station, now the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, handles both bus and train traffic. It is at 1001 Loyola Avenue, at Howard Avenue, a 5-minute walk from the Superdome.

The Terminal is not especially old, only going back to 1954. It may just be the least interesting major building in the city, even if, in the pre-Amtrak days, it was the southern terminus for the Illinois Central Railroad's morning-launching train to and from Chicago, made famous in Steve Goodman's 1970 folk song "The City of New Orleans"; and its Panama Limited, made famous in Jimmy Forrest's 1951 rhythm & blues instrumental "Night Train." (The former is best known by Arlo Guthrie; the latter, James Brown, and it gave legendary football defensive back Dick Lane his nickname.) The City of New Orleans ran from 1947 to 1972. Amtrak kept the night-launching Panama Limited going, but in 1981 renamed it the City of New Orleans.

Once In the City. Founded in 1718, the French named the settlement after Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, nephew of King Louis XIV and Regent for the child King Louis XV, governing with considerably more liberality than his uncle until the King's majority, at which point the King named the Duke Prime Minister, but he died shortly thereafter.

Known as the Crescent City for its shape, in a bend of the Mississippi River, New Orleans would be governed by the French from 1718 until the settlement of the French and Indian War in 1763, Spain from 1763 to 1802, France again from 1802 to 1803, the U.S. from the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 to 1861, the brief Republic of Louisiana after secession in 1861, the Confederate States of America in 1861 and 1862, and the U.S. again from 1862 onward.

The city's port status has long made it, though no longer the largest, easily the most important city in the American South. But it was also, if you think about it, one of America's earliest "Wild West" cities. As a result, it was a major battle area of both the War of 1812, elevating Andrew Jackson to hero status, and the American Civil War, which ended its status as the largest slave market in North America. But it also had more free black and mixed-race people than any other American city to that point -- indeed, there were some light-skinned black people wealthy enough to own other, darker-skinned, black people as slaves.

By 1820, the French had become a minority in the city. As late as the dawn of the 20th Century, 3/4ers of the population could speak French, and 1/4er spoke it first or even exclusively. Today, the main legacy of the French is in not just the many street names, but in the Creole patois of black New Orleanians.

New Orleans' status as the birthplace of jazz led to the naming of its 1st 2 major league sports teams: The NFL's Saints in 1967, after the unofficial anthem of New Orleans, "When the Saints Go Marching In"; and the NBA's Jazz in 1974, although they moved to Utah in 1979. The ABA's New Orleans Buccaneers were named for Jean Laffite, a privateer who aided Jackson during the 1814-15 Battle of New Orleans.

As late as 1950, New Orleans' population was 660,000, putting it in America's top 20 cities. White flight led to a drop to about 484,000 people within the city limits in the 2000 Census. After Hurricane Katrina, it dropped to 230,000, losing over half its people in one fell swoop. According to a recent estimate, it's back up to about 391,000, making it larger than such NFL cities as Tampa, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Buffalo (and, of course, Green Bay).

But the metropolitan area has just 1.45 million people, making it the smallest metro area in the NFL, ahead of only Buffalo (if Green Bay is included with Milwaukee and Niagara Falls is included with Buffalo). And the poverty issue, so pervasive before the hurricane, is worse. And crime is definitely an issue.

In 1940, the city was 70 percent white. As late as 1970, 51 percent white. By 1990, it was 62 percent black, and the proportions are roughly the same today: 61 percent black, 31 percent white, 5 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian. The further east you go, the greater the black percentage; the further west, the more white.

Most of the racial disturbances in the city, and in Louisiana, happened in the years immediately after the American Civil War: The New Orleans Massacre in 1866, the St. Bernard Parish Massacre and the Opelousas Massacre of 1868, the Colfax Massacre of 1873, the Battle of Liberty Place and the Coshatta Massacre of 1874, and the Robert Charles Riot in 1900.

About 36 percent of the people are Catholic, a holdover from both French and Spanish times, which led to the tradition of Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday": Several days of carnival ending precisely at midnight, because it becomes Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, 40 days of penitence until Easter. As if New Orleans is ever truly penitent.

The sales tax in the State of Louisiana is 4 percent. Orleans Parish (Louisiana calls its Counties "Parishes") adds a 5 percent sales tax, so the total sales tax is 9 percent, even higher than New York City's rate of 8.875 percent.

Because the Mississippi River bends so much, the city doesn't have a North Side, East Side, South Side or West Side. Canal Street traditionally divides Uptown from Downtown. It, and the river, are essentially the "zero points" for street addresses. The city doesn't have a freeway "beltway," but Interstate 12 acts as a "bypass" for Interstate 10, which does go through the city.

ZIP Codes for the New Orleans area start with the digits 700, 701, 703 and 704. The Area Codes are 504 and 985. Entergy New Orleans runs the electricity. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) runs buses and historic (or at least historic-style) streetcars. The fare is just $1.25.

The streetcars once included the Desire Line, running to Desire Street in the Bywater District, in use from 1920 to 1948. In 1947, Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire was first staged, and filmed in 1951, after the real-life line stopped. Both the original play's cast and the film featured Marlon Brando, and launched him to stardom.

Going In. The address for the Louisiana Superdome is at 1500 Sugar Bowl Drive, bounded by Poydras Street, LaSalle Street, Howard Avenue and Claiborne Avenue, in the Central Business District.

Shortly after its 1975 opening

It opened in 1975. In 2011, it was rebranded as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, after the German automaker bought the naming rights. Once they also bought the naming rights to the new home of the Saints' arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, this became problematic. In 2021, the naming rights were sold to Caesars Entertainment, so it's now the Caesars Superdome. Everybody still calls it just the Superdome, or the Dome.

The Smoothie King Center arena, home of the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, is adjacent. Founded as the original Charlotte Hornets, the new Hornets (formerly the Bobcats) have been assigned this franchise's 1988-2002 records, so the NBA counts them as starting in 2002, as the New Orleans Hornets. Having to play their 2005-06 season in Oklahoma City led the NBA to decide to let a team move there (the Seattle SuperSonics, as it turned out). The old Hornets became the Pelicans in 2013, taking the name of the city's former minor-league baseball team, itself taken from the State bird.

Some people have suggested that the Saints are cursed because the Superdome was built on top of a graveyard. But it's also been pointed out that the Saints played 8 seasons at Tulane Stadium before moving into the Superdome, and were awful then, so any curse on "The Big Mushroom on Poydras Street" doesn't explain that.

Both the dome and the arena were nearly ruined by Hurricane Katrina. Whatever had gone wrong on the inside of the Superdome, more noticeable was the outside, as the hurricane's winds had stripped the top of the dome, making it look like it had been sandblasted.

Repairing the stadium ended up costing, even with inflation factored in, much more than the initial construction did. It was worth it, though: The most famous building in Louisiana, maybe the most famous building in the entire Southeastern U.S., and its accompanying arena, are better than ever, even if they did sell naming rights to Mercedes-Benz.

One of several forms the Superdome's light show takes.

Like the now-demolished Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the Superdome was built with a parking deck underneath. Parking costs $11. But if you don't get a space in the deck, you're screwed, because, otherwise, parking in downtown New Orleans is insanely expensive. Parking at the deck will make tailgating next to impossible.

But if you're willing to spend the dough, you can tailgate in a nearby outside lot. Said tailgating takes on a "N'Awlins" flavor: Lots of seafood, including shrimp, crawfish (a.k.a. crayfish, freshwater lobsters or mudbugs), oysters, all kinds of fish. Also, lots of rice & beans. And gumbo. And, of course, the usual tailgate party staples: Hot dogs and other sausages, burgers, chicken, ribs.

Having celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2015, the Superdome has hosted a little bit of everything. The Saints from September 1975 onward. The Sugar Bowl since New Year's Day 1976. Tulane University football from 1975 to 2013. The Bayou Classic (nearly) every Thanksgiving Saturday between the traditionally black schools Grambling State (in Grambling in Northern Louisiana) and Southern University (in Baton Rouge in Southern Louisiana). The Louisiana high school football Playoffs.

It's hosted Sugar Bowls that were de facto National Championship games: For the 1976-77 season, the University of Pittsburgh over Georgia; 1978-79, Alabama over Penn State; 1979-80, Alabama over Arkansas; 1980-81, Georgia over Notre Dame; 1982-83, Penn State over Georgia; 1989-90, Miami over Alabama; 1992-93, Alabama over Miami; and 1996-97, Florida over Florida State in the "God Wants a Rematch" game.

It's hosted actual National Championship games: 1999-2000, Florida State over Virginia Tech; 2007-08, Louisiana State over Ohio State; 2011-12, Alabama over LSU; and 2019-20, LSU over Clemson.

Seven Super Bowls, more than any other stadium. Sun Life Stadium outside Miami is next-best among existing stadiums with 5. The Rose Bowl has also hosted 5, but won't be considered for another due to the lack of skyboxes.

It's hosted Super Bowl XII, the 1st indoor Super Bowl, Dallas over Denver; XV, Oakland over Philadelphia; XX, Chicago over New England; XXIV, San Francisco over Denver; XXXI, Green Bay over New England; XXXVI, New England over St. Louis; and XLVII, Baltimore over San Francisco. It is currently scheduled to host Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. (It was supposed to host Super Bowl LVIII, but that would have conflicted with Mardi Gras, and led to a tourist overload that a city that size simply can't handle.)

And that's just football. There's also been boxing, such as Muhammad Ali's successful September 15, 1978 rematch against Leon Spinks, and Sugar Ray Leonard's 1980 rematch against Roberto Duran. Exhibition baseball, including a couple of Yankees-Red Sox preseason games in 1994.

Prior to its post-hurricane renovation, baseball was possible at the Superdome,

but not really recommended, due to the dome and the turf.

Five NCAA Final Fours, including both of Dean Smith's National Championships, leading North Carolina over Georgetown in 1982 and Michigan in 1993. The others were Bob Knight's 3rd and last title for Indiana, over Syracuse in 1987; 2003, Syracuse over Kansas; and 2012, Kentucky over Kansas. It will host the Final Four again in 2022.

Concerts, including the largest indoor concert ever, with 87,500 watching the Rolling Stones on their "last tour" in 1981. A Papal Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1987. The 1988 Republican Convention, where George H.W. Bush told the delegates, "Read my lips: No new taxes!"

Even though the dome makes the sun a nonfactor, the field is still laid out the way most football fields are: More or less, north to south. The field, of course, is artificial. Aside from the 4 games they were forced to play at LSU due to Katrina having damaged the Dome, the Saints haven't played a home game on real grass since 1970, after which Tulane Stadium switched to artificial turf. The Saints have the west sideline, the visitors the east sideline.

On September 12, 2017 Thrillist had an article ranking all 31 NFL stadiums. The Superdome came in 28th, 4th from the bottom:  

Though the stadium has undergone several renovations and upgraded some facilities -- especially after Katrina -- the concourses are still small, the restrooms cramped, and the upper-level seats a painful distance from the field. It’s big and modern enough and for an indoor venue, still a great place to watch a game. But nothing here is all that memorable other than the drumline, the halftime marching bands, and the perpetual echoes of “Who Dat.”

Food. There are many great food cities in America. New Orleans considers itself special in this regard. If you like spicy food, you will enjoy yourself. If not, you might still enjoy yourself.

Parish Grill, at Sections 111, 117, 139 and 145, has PoBoys (a contraction of "poor boy," what the South calls submarine sandwiches) in roast beef, shrimp, and "Black & Gold" (Saints colors, made from "home made roast beef debris topped with fried shrimp"). They also have Dome Dogs, chicken tenders, shrimp baskets and fries with chili and/or cheese.

Other Parish Grill stands, at Sections 113, 116, 140 and 144, have roast beef poboys, burgers, hot dogs, fries and nachos. Poboys are also available at Poydras Street Poboy at 124. Royal Feast at 104 and Kings Table at 132 specialize in smoked sausage and nachos. Saint Jack's Barbecue at 152 includes a Pigskin Poboy (pork), barbecue nachos, and barbecue-style baked potatoes. Nola Slice at 153 has pizza. And the Pantheon Dome Cafe is in the southeastern corner of the stadium.

Each sideline on the 600 level has a Royal Feast stand and a Kings Table stand. You would think that, if any NFL team was going to have a team alumnus barbecue stand, a la Boog Powell with the Baltimore Orioles or Greg Luzinski with the Philadelphia Phillies, it would be the Saints. But this is not the case.

Team History Displays. The Saints played their 1st 20 seasons without having so much as a winning season, going 8-8 in 1979 and 1983, before they finally made the Playoffs in 1987, and making it 3 straight years starting in 1990, including their 1st Division title, in the NFC West, in 1991. But they never won a Playoff game until 2000, their 34th season, when, as NFC West Champions, they beat the defending World Champion St. Louis Rams.

They have banners honoring their 1991 and 2000 NFC West titles; their 2006, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 NFC South titles; their 2009 NFC title; and their win in Super Bowl XLIV. When you have so few titles, of any kind, it's okay to double-up, or in this case even triple-up. The Giants don't hang such banners, and wouldn't do it this way. The Jets don't, but could.

There are 12 men in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who have been employed by the Saints. But 1980s linebacker Rickey Jackson, 1980s and '90s kicker Morten Andersen, and 1990s offensive tackle Willie Roaf are the only ones thus far elected based on what they did as Saints players.

Jim Finks, who was a front-office man for several teams, was inducted in part based on his 1986-93 tenure with the Saints. Otherwise, coaches Tom Fears, Hank Stram, Dick Stanfel and Mike Ditka; quarterback Ken Stabler; running backs Jim Taylor and Earl Campbell; and defensive end Doug Atkins were elected for what they did elsewhere.

The Saints have retired 3 numbers. Taylor's 31 and Atkins' 81 are from their founding days, even though their numbers haven't been retired by their main teams (the Green Bay Packers for Taylor, the Chicago Bears for Atkins). They've also retired the 8 of 1970s quarterback Archie Manning (Peyton and Eli's father).

The Saints have a Ring of Honor, around the rim of the upper deck, and a Saints Hall of Fame, in the northeastern corner of the stadium, on the lower level. Only established in 2013, the Ring of Honor includes Manning, Jackson, Andersen (Number 7), Roaf (77), defensive end Will Smith (91), and longtime owner Tom Benson.

The Saints Hall of Fame includes:

* Management: Owner Benson, GM Finks, head coach Jim Mora Sr. and assistant coach Steve Sidwell.

* Offense: Quarterbacks Manning, Billy Kilmer, Bobby Hebert and Aaron Brooks; running backs Tony Galbreath, George Rogers, Dalton Hilliard, Rueben Mayes, Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush; receivers Danny Abramowicz (1 of the 1st 2 inducted, in 1988, along with Manning), Eric Martin, Joe Horn, Michael Lewis, Lance Moore and Marcus Colston; tight ends Henry Childs and Hoby Brenner; centers John Hill and Joel Hilgenberg, guards Jake Kupp, Jim Dombrowski, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, offensive tackles Roaf and Stan Brock.

* Defense: Tackles Derland Moore and La'Roi Glover, ends Atkins, Bob Pollard, Jim Wilkes, Frank Warren, Wayne Martin, Joe Johnson and Will Smith (not the rapper-actor); linebackers Jackson, Joe Federspiel, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, Pat Swilling and Jonathan Vilma (who had previously played for the Jets); cornerbacks Dave Whitsell, Dave Waymer and Tyrone Hughes; safeties Tommy Myers, Sammy Knight and Roman Harper.

* Special Teams: Kickers Andersen, Tom Dempsey and John Carney, plus Hughes was also a kick return specialist.

The retired numbers are not shown on banners, but there are banners for a Superdome Hall of Fame, including Manning, Jackson, Finks, LSU basketball and New Orleans Jazz star Pete Maravich, Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson (for his Bayou Classic appearances), and Dave Dixon, a businessman, Tulane graduate, and lobbyist for New Orleans football who was, essentially, the father of both the Saints and the Superdome. He tried to buy the Oakland Raiders and move them to New Orleans in 1962, but failed. He was also a backer of the USFL in the early 1980s.

No Saints were named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team in 1994, The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, or the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players in 2010.

On the east side of the Superdome, on the former site of the hurricane-ruined New Orleans Centre mall, is Champions Square. It is used as a site for pregame rallies, and if the Saints win another Super Bowl, that's where they'll hold the official celebration.

The Square includes a statue of Tom Benson, the auto-dealership and banking mogul who owned them from 1985 until his death in 2018, and the Pelicans from 2012 to 2018. Both teams are now owned by his widow, Gayle Benson. (This is one of the exceptions the NFL has made to its rule against cross-ownership in other sports.)

The statue shows him holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy from Super Bowl XLIV, and stands in front of a mural, depiciting him, his controversial 3rd wife Gayle, the Vince Lombardi and George Halas (NFC title) Trophies, Saints fans, and the Saints and Pelicans logos.

The Square also includes Rebirth, a statue depicting one of the most famous plays in Saints history: Steve Gleason's block of a Michael Koenen punt that the Saints recovered for a touchdown early in the 1st quarter of the team's first post-Katrina home game in the Superdome, a 23-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football on September 25, 2006. The ravaged season before, the Saints had played 3 "home" games at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, 4 at the Alamodome in San Antonio (where Benson has some business interests), and 1 at the Meadowlands. 

The Saints have had 6 Heisman Trophy winners in just over half a century of play. Danny Wuerffel (1996 Florida, with the Saints from 1997 to 1999) was a quarterback. The rest were running backs: George Rogers (1980 South Carolina, 1981-84), Earl Campbell (1977 Texas, 1984-85), Ricky Williams (1998 Texas, 1999-2001), Reggie Bush (2005 Southern California, 2006-10), and Mark Ingram (2009 Alabama, drafted by the Saints in 2011 and still with them). (UPDATE: In 2020, the Saints obtained quarterback Jameis Winston, 2013 Florida State, as a successor to Drew Brees.)

The Saints' biggest rivals are the Atlanta Falcons. They entered the NFL a season apart (Falcons in 1966, Saints in 1967), and have both struggled for most of their histories. The Falcons have been to more Super Bowls, 2; but the Saints have won 1, the Falcons none. The Falcons lead the all-time rivalry 53-51, including the only Playoff game between them, in 1991.

Stuff. The Saints Team Store and the Saints Women's & Kids' Team Shop are in the northeastern corner of the stadium, on the lower level. Whether these stores sell Saint "halos," I don't know.

The Saints haven't had a lot of success, but, from an awful start to Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal, from 1-15 seasons to Super Bowl glory, from being homeless to being one of the most beloved home teams in the NFL, they certainly have stories to tell.

In 2007, Alan Donnes and Chris Myers published Patron Saints: How the Saints Gave New Orleans a Reason to Believe. In 2010, just after their greatest triumph, Dan Fathow published the more comprehensive history The New Orleans Saints Story: The 43-Year Road to the Super Bowl XLIV Championship.

The NFL released official highlight videos for both the Saints' 2009 title season and Super Bowl XLIV itself. In 2013, they released a Saints version of NFL's Greatest Moments. 

During the Game. A recent Thrillist article on "The Most Obnoxious Fans in the NFL" ranked the Saints 16th, right in the middle. That sounds about right. Saints fans are Louisianans -- and a few Mississippians, and even a few residents of the Alabama and Florida Panhandles. But, due to the multiracial and multiethnic nature of New Orleans, they have to get along, and, with the Saints' help, they do.

The fans themselves may not be saintly, but they have no interest in starting violence. Their motto is the city's unofficial motto: "Laissez les bons temps rouler." That's French for, "Let the good times roll." Respect them as home fans, and they'll respect you as visiting fans.

The Thrillist article said:

Obviously, after Hurricane Katrina, everybody in America fell in love with the Saints. You couldn't say a bad thing about 'em, even in Atlanta! But as a result, you now have two groups of fans: pre- and post-Katrina. One spent almost 30 years suffering with a team that rarely broke .500 (the “Aints!”) and was helmed by the likes of Aaron Brooks and Billy Joe Tolliver, while the other only knows the Super Bowl success of the Sean Payton era. You're both "all in" when it comes fandom -- which is great for jersey and ticket sales -- but it’s clear which group can handle a 1-4 start and which one keeps annoying everybody at the bar by yelling “Who Dat?” every two minutes. Throw in the massive “Bounty Gate” chip on your collective shoulder and a 16 ranking feels about right. Either way, you’re pretty much one Drew Brees retirement away from a return to fan normalcy and a drop waaaay back down this list.

Brees has now retired. We shall see.

From September 1 to 7, 2017, during the NFL National Anthem protest controversy,

FiveThirtyEight.com polled fans of the 32 NFL teams, to see where they leaned politically. As you might expect from a minority-heavy, multicultural fan base, Saints fans were in the top quarter of most liberal NFL fan bases, 12.2 percent more liberal than conservative.

The Saints do not have a regular National Anthem singer, instead holding auditions. They have had cheerleaders since their 1967 inception, but only since 1987 have they had an official name: The Saintsations. They had 2 mascots: A huge-chinned guy named Sir Saint and a dog named Gumbo.

And they both look like they've spent a little too much time

partying in the French Quarter.

The Saints' theme song is, naturally, the song for which they were named, the "National Anthem of Jazz": "When the Saints Go Marching In." They also have songs incorporating the phrase "Who dat?" (meaning, "Who is that?") Quite a few of them, in fact.

The phrase dates back to 19th Century minstrel shows, and in the late 1960s, fans at Southern University started to chant, "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat talkin' 'bout beatin' dem Jags?" Saints fans picked it up in the 1970s: "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?"

In 1981, on the way to their 1st Super Bowl, Cincinnati Bengals fans started chanting, "Who dey? Who dey? Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?" Bengal fans say that they inspired the Saints to make their "Who dat?" chant an official part of their organization, which happened in 1983. But there's no question that Saints fans did it before any other NFL team's fans, and it's far better known for them than for the Bengals. An individual Saints fan is often called a Who Dat, and they call their fan base Who Dat Nation.

One of the weird things about the Superdome is the reflection of the roof's ring of lights on a football helmet, making the players look like they have halos, as if they were, if not actual saints, then certainly angels.

As seen here on Drew Brees.

After the Game. New Orleans has had a crime problem for almost 300 years. Jean Laffite wasn't the only pirate there, and, at times, the city has seemed ungovernable -- especially since it's also got white-collar crime, both in business and in municipal government.

This is rampant throughout Louisiana, where Edwin Edwards ran to get back to the Governorship against former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke with the slogan, "Vote for the crook. It's important." Edwards won. He also publicly bragged, "The only way they're going to get rid of me is to catch me with a dead girl or a live boy." He served from 1972 to 1980, 1984 to 1988, and 1992 to 1996. He was finally nailed on racketeering charges in 2001, and served 9 years in prison. He's now out, 88 years old, just a few days younger than Tom Benson.

But the Superdome is probably the best-policed place in the entire South. The only crime you're likely to get besieged by is drunk and disorderly conduct, nothing violent. As long as you don't start anything, neither will anyone else.

Nola.com posted a list of 7 New Orleans restaurants to try before or after a Saints game. These include Emeril Lagasse's home base of Emeril's, at 800 Tchoupitoulas Street at Julia Street. (Temporarily closed due to COVID.) Mike Serio's Po-Boys & Deli, at 133 St. Charles Avenue at Tulane Avenue, is festooned (love that word) with Saints and LSU memorabilia, and as the owner's name suggests, they are serious about New Orleans-style sandwiches. (Opens at 11:00 AM.) Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar, a Baton Rouge and LSU institution, recently opened a Superdome affiliate at 1009 Poydras Street at Rampart Street. (Also temporarily closed.) All of these are within a mile of the Superdome.

Cooter Brown's Tavern & Oyster Bar has been hailed as the best sports bar in the State of Louisiana. 509 S. Carrollton Avenue, off Leake Avenue, near the Tulane and University of New Orleans campuses. (Campii?) St. Charles Streetcar to S. Carrollton. (Opens at 11:00 AM.)

Perhaps the most famous of all New Orleans drinking establishments is Pat O'Brien's Bar, in its current location since 1942. The name was in place well before the actor Pat O'Brien, famed for playing the title football coach in the film Knute Rockne, All-American, became famous. Due to wartime difficulties in importing scotch, they experimented with easier-to-obtain rum, coming up with a recipe that they poured in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp, and the hurricane cocktail was born.

718 St. Peter Street off Royal Street, in the heart of the French Quarter, just 2 blocks from iconic St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, home to the statue of Andrew Jackson, a copy of the one in Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington.

There doesn't appear to be a New Orleans bar that caters to New York sports fans. I looked up "New York Giants fan bar in New Orleans," then plugged in the Jets, the Yankees and the Mets, but got nothing concrete, other than to read postings that some of the bars around Tulane University show games, due to a contingent of students from our Tri-State Area. There has been an official New Orleans Jets Fans club since 2011, but they don't yet have a regular gameday meeting place.

If your visit to New Orleans is during the European soccer season, which we are now in, there is only one place in town that is sure to show your game: Finn McCool's Irish Pub, at 3701 Banks Street, in the Mid-City neighborhood, about 3 miles northwest of downtown. Streetcar 47 or 48 to Canal and Telemachus.

Sidelights. History? Atmosphere? Sports? Music? Debauchery? N'Awlins has got it all. To paraphrase John Dos Passos talking about New York, If you can get bored in New Orleans, you're a sad case.

On February 3, 2017, Thrillist made a list ranking the 30 NFL cities (New York and Los Angeles each having 2 teams), and New Orleans came in at Number 1. They said: 

On the one hand, it feels trite to laud the nonstop party vibe here, on the other hand, any city that so thoroughly champions legally imbibing outdoors without restrictions and flouts the notion of "last call" deserves as much praise as possible. Without minimizing the seriousness of the havoc Mother Nature has wreaked on it, New Orleans is so much bigger than the obstacles that've fallen in its path. Quite simply, if you haven't been there, you haven't had a complete American experience, and few cities can say that. If people from New Orleans say that to you, it'll be hard to understand, but at least their tone will be real friendly-like.

On November 30, 2018, Thrillist published a list of "America's 25 Most Fun Cities," and New Orleans came in a surprisingly low 15th. 

* Yulman Stadium and site of Tulane Stadium. Tulane University's football team, the Green Wave, played at the 81,000-seat Tulane Stadium, "the Queen of Southern Stadiums," from 1926 to 1974. The stadium was built on the site of a sugar plantation, hence the name of the game, and the stadium itself was nicknamed the Sugar Bowl.

The Saints played there from their 1967 founding to 1974, and it was the site of Tom Dempsey's record-setting 63-yard field goal in 1970. The Sugar Bowl was played there on (or close to) every New Year's Day from January 1, 1935 to December 31, 1974. In 1975, the Sugar Bowl, the Green Wave and the Saints all moved to the Superdome.

Sugar Bowls played there that were de facto National Championship games were in the seasons of 1938-39, Texas Christian (TCU) over Carnegie Tech (of Pittsburgh, now Carnegie-Mellon); 1939-40, Texas A&M over Tulane; 1952-53, Georgia Tech over Mississippi; 1958-59, Louisiana State (LSU) over Clemson; 1961-62, Alabama over Arkansas; and 1973-74, Notre Dame over Alabama.

Tulane Stadium hosted Super Bowl IV in 1970 (Kansas City over Minnesota), Super Bowl VI in 1972 (Dallas over Miami), and Super Bowl IX in 1975 (Pittsburgh over Minnesota), which was its last major event. It continued to host high school football before being demolished in 1979. Willow Street and Ben Weiner Drive.

In 2014, the Green Wave moved into Benson Field at Yulman Stadium. The field was named after the Saints' owner, and the stadium for Richard Yulman, the former chairman of bed manufacturers Serta. Both are major donors to the University, and Richard and his wife Janet (for whom a nearby on-campus street is named) donated $15 million toward the stadium's construction.

The opener, a loss to Georgia Tech, had a listed attendance of 30,000 (roughly capacity), making it the best-attended Tulane sporting event since they abandoned the old stadium for the Superdome. A block up Ben Weiner Drive from the old stadium site, at Barrett Street. Turchin Stadium, Tulane's baseball facility, is just to the north. Number 16 bus, or Number 12 St. Charles streetcar.

* Municipal Auditorium. Built in 1930, this old music hall was home to the New Orleans Buccaneers of the ABA, before they moved to Memphis in 1970. The NBA's New Orleans Jazz played their 1st season here, 1974-75, before moving to the Superdome, and then to Utah in 1979.

Elvis Presley sang at the Municipal Auditorium on May 1, 1955 and August 12, 1956. It was seriously damaged by the hurricane, and its future is still in doubt. 1201 St. Peter Street at Essence Way, in what is now Louis Armstrong Park, just off the French Quarter.

Elvis sang in Louisiana many times in his early days, particularly as part of tours with established country singers like Hank Snow (who had Colonel Tom Parker as manager before Elvis did). He also sang in New Orleans at Jesuit High School (4133 Banks Street) on February 4, 1955; and on Ponchartrain Beach on September 1, 1955. In his return to the stage, 1969 to 1977, Elvis would sing at Louisiana venues, but never again in New Orleans.

He sang in Shreveport at the Municipal Auditorium as part of the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1954 on October 16 and 23; November 6, 13 and 20; and December 4, 11 and 18; and in 1955 on January 8, 15, 22 and 29; February 5 and 19; March 5, 12 and 26; April 9; May 21 and 28; June 4, 11 and 25; July 2, 16 and 23; August 13, 20 and 27; September 10 and 24; October 1 and 29; November 5, 12 and 26; and December 10, 17 and 31; and in 1956 on January 7 and 21; February 25; and March 3, 10 and 31. Because his fame exploded in 1956, the show had to be moved to the larger (9,000-seat) Fair Grounds Youth Center for his show on December 15.

He also sang in Louisiana at the Lake Cliff Club in Lake Cliff on November 19, 1954; at West Monroe High School on February 18, 1955; at South Side Elementary School in Bastrop on February 24, 1955; at the Jimmie Thompson Arena in Alexandria on March 11, 1955; at Baton Rouge High School on May 2, 1955; and at the Plaquemine Casino Club in Baton Rouge on July 1, 1955.

And at the Monroe Civic Center on March 4, 7 and 8, 1974; and May 3, 1975; at the Lake Charles Civic Center on May 4, 1975; at the Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport on June 7, 1975 and July 1, 1976; at the Rapidas Parish Coliseum in Alexandria on March 29 and 30, 1977; and at the Louisiana State University Assembly Center, now named for Pete Maravich, on June 17 and 18, 1974; July 2, 1976; and May 31, 1977.

The Doors played what turned out to be their last concert in New Orleans, at The Warehouse on December 12, 1970. It was generally agreed, even by his bandmates, that Jim Morrison's sloppy performance had made it a disaster. Seven months later, Morrison was dead.

The place had opened the preceding January 30, with The Flock and a pre-Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac opening for The Grateful Dead. That night, the Dead's hotel room got busted, which they referenced in the song "Truckin'." On February 1, the Dead and Fleetwood Mac returned to The Warehouse for a "Bread for the Dead" concert, raising money for legal fees.

The last concert there was by Talking Heads on September 10, 1982, and it was demolished in 1989. 1820 Tchoupitoulas Street, on the River, about 2 miles south of downtown. Bus 10 to Religious & Celeste, then a 5-minute walk -- which better be done in daylight, if at all.

* Baseball. The baseball version of the New Orleans Pelicans played from 1887 to 1959. After that, there was no professional baseball team in New Orleans, at any level, except for a brief revival of the Pelicans at the Superdome for the 1977 season, until the Colorado Rockies were expanded into existence, forcing the Denver Zephyrs to move for the 1993 season.

For most of their existence, the Pelicans played in the Southern Association, and on the same site, in a series of ballparks culminating in Heinemann Stadium, a.k.a. Pelican Park, built in 1915. They won 12 Pennants: 1887, 1889, 1896, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1918, 1923, 1926, 1927 and 1934. Their star players included Shoeless Joe Jackson, Joe Sewell, Dazzy Vance and Bob Lemon.

Pelican Park's alignment gave it Polo Grounds-like dimensions: Short foul poles and a distant center field. It was demolished in 1957, and a Burger King now stands on the site of its infield. 4068 Tulane Avenue at S. Carrollton Avenue. Number 39 bus.

The Zephyrs played at Privateer Park, on the campus of the University of New Orleans, on Lake Pontchartrain, from 1993 to 1996. It is now known as Maestri Field at NBC Park.But, at 2,900 seats, it was too small for Triple-A ball. 6801 Franklin Avenue. Number 55 bus.

In 1997, the Zephyrs moved to 10,000-seat Zephyr Field. They won Pennants there in 1998 and 2001. The ballpark was used to film some scenes in the baseball-themed film Mr. 3000.

But the names have been changed. The New Orleans Zephyrs, formerly the Denver Zephyrs and the Denver Bears, play in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (geography is no longer the league's strong point), and in 2017, they changed their name to... I swear, I am not making this up, I wouldn't make this up... the New Orleans Baby Cakes. Both their regular logo and their cap logo show the King Cake Baby wearing a crown. And the ballpark's name now reflects its address: The Shrine On Airline. 6000 Airline Drive, in suburban Metairie. E-2 bus, the same bus that goes between downtown and the airport. The ride to the ballpark takes about an hour.

They were a Mets farm team in 2007 and '08. But after the post-COVID reorganization of the minor leagues, 2019, as a Miami Marlins farm team, was their last season. So the franchise that began as the Denver Grizzlies in the Western League in 1901 is dead. And there appears to be no movement to re-establish professional baseball in New Orleans. 

Also in Metairie is the grave of New York Giants Hall-of-Famer Mel Ott, a native of Gretna, near New Orleans. Metairie Cemetery, 5100 Ponchartrain Blvd. Canal-Cemeteries Streetcar to Canal Blvd. at City Park Avenue.

According to an April 2014 article in The New York Times, the Yankees are the most popular baseball team in New Orleans, with about 23 percent of locals calling them their favorite team. The Red Sox are 2nd, with around 14 percent. The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves are 3rd and 4th, each getting around 10 percent. This is despite the closest MLB team to New Orleans being the Houston Astros, 347 miles away.

The closest MLS team is Atlanta United, 469 miles away, but the Saints-Falcons rivalry makes rooting for them difficult. The highest-ranking professional soccer team in town is the New Orleans Jesters, in the National Premier Soccer League, America's 4th division. They play at the 5,000-seat Pan American Stadium, in City Park, about 4 miles northwest of downtown. 194 Zachary Taylor Drive. Bus 51.

The closest NHL team is the Dallas Stars, 508 miles away. And since the city's population would still rank its metro area dead last among MLB markets, you can forget about the Crescent City getting a team anytime soon.

* Maestri Field at NBC Park. On the campus of the University of New Orleans, on Lake Pontchartrain, the Zephyrs played here from 1993 to 1996, when it was known as Privateer Park. But, at 2,900 seats, it was too small for Triple-A ball. 6801 Franklin Avenue. Number 55 bus.

* Tad Gormley Stadium. Originally City Park Stadium, this 26,500-seat stadium was built by the Works Project Administration in 1937, and is New Orleans' premier high school football venue. It hosted the old baseball Pelicans in their last 2 seasons, 1958 and 1959. It's also a major concert venue, having started by hosting the Beatles on September 16, 1964. Other bands playing there include Journey, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.

5400 Stadium Drive, in New Orleans City Park, across from the New Orleans Museum of Art and the aforementioned Pan American Stadium. Number 48 Streetcar.

* Olympic Club site. On September 7, 1892, the 1st fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World under the gloves-mandating, properly-timed-rounds-mandating Marquis of Queensbury Rules took place at the Olympic Club in the Bywater section of New Orleans. John L. Sullivan, last of the bare-knuckle champions but a proponent of gloves, defended his title against Jim Corbett. Gentleman Jim, a college-educated bank clerk from San Francisco, knocked out the lowbrow Boston Strong Boy in the 21st round, to become the 1st gloved Heavyweight Champion.

The Olympic Club, seating 3,500 but expanded for the occasion to 10,000, was located on Royal Street in a block bordered by Clouet, Chartres and Montegut streets, about a mile and a half east of the French Quarter. Number 5 Bus.

Harrah's Casino and Hotel was built on the site of the other Heavyweight Championship fight to be held in New Orleans. On January 15, 1972, Joe Frazier successfully defended the title by beating Terry Daniels at the Rivergate Auditorium. The Rivergate didn't last long, from 1968 to 1995. Harrah's has a restaurant named Manning's, named for the quarterbacking family. 228 Poydras Street at Peters Street. Streetcar 2.

* Museums. I've already mentioned the New Orleans Museum of Art, the city's version of our Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their answer to the Museum of Natural History is the Tulane Museum of Natural History, not on the Tulane campus but at 3705 Main Street in Belle Chase, 12 miles south of downtown. Not easily reachable by car.

Confederate Memorial Hall bills itself as Louisiana's Civil War Museum. 929 Camp Street at Andrew Higgins Street. It's next-door to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, at 925 Camp.

A better museum, because it's to a war was fought by a united America, is the National World War II Museum. It's in New Orleans because the city built a lot of the landing craft used on D-Day, June 6, 1944, which, as you might guess, is one of the central exhibits of the museum.

Admission is $29.50, plus $5 additional for each for the films Beyond All Boundaries, narrated by Saving Private Ryan star Tom Hanks; and Final Mission: The USS Tang Experience, about the most successful submarine of the war. 945 Magazine Street at Andrew Higgins Street.

The WWII Museum, Confederate Memorial Hall and the Ogden Museum are all a mile away from the Superdome, a 20-or-so-minute walk. From the French Quarter, Number 10 or 11 bus, or the Number 12 St. Charles Streetcar.

The French Quarter is centered on the corner of Orleans and Bourbon Streets. The French Quarter Visitor Center is on the riverfront, at 419 Decatur Street at St. Peter Street, 3 blocks from Pat O'Brien's. Preservation Hall, at 726 St. Peter Street off Bourbon Street, doesn't look like much from the outside, but it serves as the unofficial capital of jazz. The Cabildo was the seat of New Orleans' government, and the Louisiana Purchase was signed there. It is now the Louisiana State Museum. 701 Chartres Street off Jackson Square.

The Audubon Zoo, names for naturalist John James Audubon, who lived in New Orleans for much of his life, is at 6500 Magazine Street in Audubon Park. Number 11 bus. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is closer to downtown, on the riverfront at 1 Canal Street. Number 2 Riverfront Streetcar.

Louisiana has never produced a President. As a young man, Zachary Taylor lived in St. Francisville, 32 miles north of Baton Rouge and 112 miles northwest of New Orleans. But he's much more identified with Virginia, where he was born; and Kentucky, where he lived the last few years of his life and is buried.

* Plessy v. Ferguson. Homer Plessy, a shoemaker who was 7/8ths white, bought a railroad ticket on June 7, 1892, and sat in the whites-only car. He was arrested at the Press Street Railroad Yards for not sitting in the "colored only" car. Judge John H. Ferguson ruled against him. Plessy was fined, and only spent the night of his arrest in jail.

Plessy sued Ferguson, arguing that the segregation law violated his rights under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The case was taken all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where, on May 18, 1896, Plessy's claim was rejected, as the segregated cars were "separate but equal."

Ferguson lived until 1915, Plessy until 1925. On May 17, 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the Court "changed its mind" -- going from 8-1 for one side to 9-0 for the other in a span of 58 years -- and ruled that separate accommodations based on race was inherently unequal, striking down all such laws, anywhere in America, as unconstitutional.

On February 12, 2009 -- the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln -- a historical marker was erected at the site of the Press Street Yards, unveiled by Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson,
descendants of the named participants. They have continued to work together on matters of reconciliation. The marker is at 2899 Royal Street at Press Street, about 3 miles northeast of downtown, and 2 blocks west of the Olympic Club site. Streetcar 2.

* Baton Rouge. The State capitol is 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, and can be reached by Greyhound, but not by Amtrak. It's home to Louisiana State University, home of the LSU Tigers, and the historically-black Southern University, home of the Jaguars.

The tallest building in the State of Louisiana isn't much to look at, typical of 1960s and '70s urban architecture. One Shell Square, opened in 1972 at 701 Poydras Street, 8 blocks from the Superdome, is 697 feet tall.

Films set and/or filmed at least partly in New Orleans include the Jean Lafitte biopic The Buccaneer (made twice, in 1938 with Frederic March and Hugh Southern as Andrew Jackson, and 1958 with Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston in those roles), The Flame of New Orleans, the Elvis movie King Creole, The Cincinnati Kid, Easy Rider, the football-themed film Number One (starring Heston as an aging quarterback), Live and Let Die (Roger Moore's 1973 debut as James Bond), Pretty Baby, Cat People, Tightrope (in which Clint Eastwood played a different kind of cop, admitting, "Dirty Harry might not even like this guy"), The Big Easy, Blaze, JFK, New Orleans native Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, Double Jeopardy, RED; the John Grisham-based legal thrillers The Pelican Brief, The Client and Runaway Jury; and, as previously mentioned, and perhaps most iconically, A Streetcar Named Desire.

TV shows that have been set in New Orleans include Bourbon Street Beat, Longstreet, Frank's Place, Treme, and, currently, NCIS: New Orleans and the Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals. While True Blood was set in Louisiana, it was set in a fictional town in the north of the State, Bon Temps.

*

New Orleans is a city that celebrates the spiritual and the surreal. Certainly, the New Orleans Saints have seen a bit of both. A visit to the Giants-Saints game at the Superdome next Sunday could be fun, and you won't meet up with any ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves, or any other supernatural creatures.

Probably.