Who: Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
What: National Football League regular season
When: November 18, 2001
Where: Superdome, New Orleans
Seating: Section 423S, Row 4, Seat 2 (Suite)
Ticket Price: N/A
A couple of months before this game, on a lark, I shot an email to an old family friend, Kim Crozier, and asked what the chances were of him getting a couple of tickets. It was a tall order, but I knew that if anyone could pull off the feat it was my pal the petrophysicist whose ties to the Gulf Coast oil industry date back to the '70s. In less than two hours, Kim replied with assurances that he had two tickets for me and a guest and that we'd be joining him and his wife Barb in a suite owned by one of the oil services companies he conducted business with. My response was reminiscent of one of those "sweeeeets" that Peyton Manning now throws off with aplomb in his MasterCard spots.
With tickets secured, I contacted Dad to see if he wanted in on some overdue father/son bonding. We hadn't been to a Saints game together since a fateful Monday Night affair versus the Jets in November, 1983. The Saints were up 28-17 late in the game, but ended up losing in heartbreaking fashion (I must've been so upset I threw the stub away), a calling card that any true Saints fan wearily understands the franchise has carried since the day it was born. Eighteen years removed, our wounds from the Bum Phillips era were healed and we were ready to join in the chants of "Who Dat!" once again.
While both teams were in a dogfight for a play-off birth, most of the buzz surrounding the contest involved the homecoming of Archie Manning's son. Since breaking into the league in 1998, Peyton had justified his status as a #1 draft pick, resuscitating a Colts franchise that was almost as moribund as the Saints. While there was a certain amount of respect the Saints faithful were willing to afford Peyton, there was also little doubt that his "welcome home" would not last beyond the coin flip.
Once we arrived to the suite, it took about ten seconds for Dad and I to figure out that it was our lucky day. First, we noticed the stylish gentleman tending bar, equipped to round up any libation we could imagine. With drinks in hand, we sauntered over to food stations serving up classic Cajun cuisine like jambalaya and etouffee. We mingled with Barb and Kim, placed a friendly wager on the host's game of squares, refilled our glasses and a few minutes before kick-off took our seats. The view was panoramic.
On the first play from scrimmage, Peyton wiped away our pre-game buzz. He hit his tight end, Marcus Pollard, in stride and 70 yards and 20 seconds later, the Colts were up by a touchdown. I looked at Dad and visions of Saints games gone awry quickly began flashing through our minds. Was this another painful Saints memory in the making?
Nope! The Saints quickly recovered and ended up whipping Peyton and the Colts, 34-20. We left the suite euphoric and enjoyed a celebatory dinner with Barb and Kim near their home in Slidell. Dad and I drove to Memphis the next day where we'd celebrate Thanksgiving with family later in the week. Kim the Petrophysicist and his friends in the oil industry helped us get a jump on the festivities.
Recent Comments