New blog. Why not?

So I was posting all my columns from my newspaper in Louisiana to MySpace when someone who is signifigantly smarter than I am advised me to start one of these blogs. Since I do what i'm told under any circumstance, I followed his advice. Anyway, I've been a community sportswriter with a small newspaper for about three years now. I'm sure one day I'll have the urge to tackle a big newspaper in a city that doeosn't smell of cows of burnt paper product, but right now, i'm happy. The first two columns that I'll post are a few weeks old, but here they are anyway.

Saints column
Here we are.
What seemed impossible just six months ago now sits at the doorstep. What seemed to be a pipe dream beyond belief could be days away from glorious reality.
We all know the story of this year's Saints, who are completing the turnaround from 3-13 just a year ago to one of the best teams in the NFL.
Over the next few days, joyous Saints fans will be deluged with stories on their favorite team. In the days leading up to the NFC title game at Chicago, we will be treated to story after story that focuses on the city of New Orleans, a city that shares its team's grit and determination. But focusing on the city's rebound from Hurricane Katrina might be a bit of a disservice to this incredible football team. With all of the human interest stories that will pour forth this week in newspapers and on television, focus should be given to the men at the heart of the matter who turned everything around on the football field.After all, at its heart, this is a football story.
This is a story of a football team that has experienced a transformation like few have ever seen in sports. A story of a downtrodden franchise turned inspirational story in the span of a few short, sweet months.
It is a story of opportunity, in which a young, brash assistant coach just needed a chance to break through. He needed a team of his own to lead. Once that opportunity was bestowed upon Sean Payton, he never looked back. Refusing to dwell on his new teams past, both recent and ancient, Payton instead began to install a new culture, a winning attitude brimming with confidence and self-assurance, two attributes that may have seemed out of place within the city mere months ago. Now, they are as synonymous with these Saints as the very fleur de lis that adorns the team's gold helmets.It is a story of taking chances. This year's New Orleans team boasts 28 new faces, an unheard of number in today's NFL. Despite the obvious trials and tribulations facing the franchise, the city, and the region itself, these men, such as Drew Brees and Scott Fujita, chose to come to New Orleans. In a league with 31 cities that might have seemed more inviting at the time, the lure of being able to help, in any way, the rebuilding of a fragile city proved to be just right for some.
It is a story of perseverance, for long-time Saints like Joe Horn, Deuce McAllister, and John Carney. These are men who have been with this franchise and this city through highs that weren't quite high enough and lows that seemingly couldn't get any lower. In the aftermath last season, these were the men who were uprooted from their homes just like so many, who experienced the wrath of Katrina, who stuck it out.
They floated around like nomads in a league where home is of the utmost importance. They trudged through a season dealing with off-the-field issues unlike any that a professional sports team has ever dealt with. Despite having to try to focus on something as trivial as football while being shipped hundreds of miles from the city they call home, these men were professional.
They understood that the inconveniences thrust upon them did not compare to the atrocities back home. They did not complain. They deserve this moment in the sun.It is a story of excitement. The whole nation was watching, way back in September, when the Saints shocked the favored Atlanta Falcons in the first game in the rejuvenated Superdome.
On one electric night, the city of New Orleans turned the Superdome into the loudest welcome home party of all time. From bell to bell, Saints fans ripped the decibel meter in half, turning an otherwise mundane Monday night broadcast into a showcase for a city announcing its emphatic return.
Who would have thought that four months later, that excitement would have persisted throughout an unbelievable season, rising to unheard of levels with Saturday's playoff win over Philadelphia.It is a story of vindication. For some, including players like Brees and Reggie Bush, it was a chance to prove something to those who might have passed on them.
For Brees, that meant proving to the San Diego Chargers, his former team, and every other team who passed on signing the free agent, that his injured shoulder was a thing of the past. With every laser-like pass Brees launched down the field this season, that point was driven home.
The same type of point was delivered by Bush, whose breathtaking moves and linebacker-bending touchdown runs seemed to be directed straight at the Houston Texans, who passed on Bush with the top pick in last year's draft.
It is a story of redemption. For New Orleans fans, who despite 40 years of bumbling teams, bad decisions, and losing football, remain some of the most loyal supporters in all of sports.
Through the years, regardless of the Saints' fortunes, New Orleans supporters have remained fervent, as likely to chant the ever prescient "Who dat?" during a 6-10 season as they did during this, a 10-6 season. Now, on the brink of the team's first championship in four decades of existence, Saints fans are enjoying at long last the feeling of success.
And it couldn't have come at a better time. With the city climbing out of the rubble left behind by Katrina, it is appropriate that the Saints are climbing out of the darkness alongside its loyal fan base, each embarking on the road to redemption.On Sunday, this story could come to an end, but that wouldn't make it any less riveting. Or, this story could begin its greatest chapter.
Either way, the story, which seemed unbelievable just a matter of months ago, is an incredible football story.
Perseverance.
Opportunity.
Redemption. Maybe it is the story of the Crescent City after all.