Toodle-oo

Gary Roberts, Tulane Law School sports law specialist, is leaving Tulane to become a dean at IUPUI (pronounced oo-ee-poo-ee).  While Cowen can't be blamed for this, as Tulane Law is completely independent of Cowen's iron hand, one would think that Cowen's stench has rubbed off on and tarnished the rep of the law school.

While Roberts nails Tom Benson (The one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that he is a public relations disaster. He knows how to do everything to alienate the public, and he does it with great skill), Roberts must follow in the footsteps of Harry Anderson. In other words, he can't just leave without bitch-slapping the city and her denizens: The reality is that unless New Orleans pulls off an absolute miracle and comes back a richer, stronger city than before, the Saints and Hornets will eventually leave. I can't imagine the Hornets being here five years from now. The Saints could last a little longer because the economics of pro football give them more of a cushion, and this is football country.

The deal is, he's right about the Hornets.  He's wrong about George Shinn (George has done all of the right things after Katrina. )  Enjoy them while you can.   As I wrote last year, Shinn got out-mooked by his OKC pals, and expect the Hornets to move to Seattle, while the Sonics move to OKC.

However, I think that Roberts underestimates the will of the people of New Orleans.  Who would have thought we'd sell out the dome?  Who would have thought we would sell out the suites?  When the Saints move, a little bit of the heart and soul city will die, never to be replaced.  Many of us realize this, and that's why we fight.

Comments

[KamaAina]

Somehow I just knew you'd be right on top of this one. It's like the "Perfesser's Combo Plate": the mook disses the Saints *in the process of* scuttling away from Tulane!

Time to start a "Fuckmook Hall of Fame"... but where? Crawford, TX? Mooklahoma City? That town in Mass. with the dunce newspaper columnist?

[Richard P.]

I agree with you in that if the Saints do leave then that would be an awful tragedy, a bad black eye for the city and state and part of our soul would have died.

I strongly disagree with those in the Tulane contingent and indeed there are some who wish that the Saints would be gone and have been campaigning for their departure constantly over the years.

The Saints have hardly the main problem for Tulane athletics but if New Orleans is less of a city, as it would be without the Saints, then Tulane the university would hardly be better off.

Nevertheless, let's realize some things: the recovery needs to proceed and really pick up a lot of steam for everyone's sake, period, and, as specifically regards the Saints, if that doesn't happen it's not hard at all to see the NFL scouting other locales.

What's helping the Saints' local fans' cause right now, as Roberts points out, is the current wave of enthusiasm. Saints fans have to have been the most loyal ever, any team any sport.

Still, the league, no doubt, has got to be looking carefully at corporate support simply b/c that's the NFL is all about. We all know how much the league covets those luxury suites, etc.(BTW if indeed ALL of the suites have sold out that's great news. I don't remember seeing that).

Maybe even more important is that right now there's really nowhere that the Saints can go. 1.) The league, of course, will want the cutting-edge facility wherever the destination and neither Los Angeles nor San Antonio have that (it need not be discussed here that San Antonio is not high right now on the league's list of places where they might like to expand).

If and when Los Angeles has a facility and also a prospective owner (and I'm pretty sure that neither Tom nor Rita would continue to be owner of a "Los Angeles Saints" team; the league would prefer someone local and, no doubt, there are plenty of big-money people available then that's when to be concerned.

Of course, Los Angeles doesn't deserve squat, having been not-so-loyal to not only one but two different franchises and then the loser of a competition against Houston for the expansion team (it was a great stroke of luck for N.O. that Houston won that competition. If it had been Los Angeles the winner, the availability of Houston whom the Oilers clearly screwed over for a franchise today would be a monster reason for N.O. to be sweating).

[Richard P.]

Ashley, are you in the contingent who feels like there must absolutely be a new stadium in order for 1.) more Super Bowls in N.O. and 2.) the Saints to be able to make it financially?

For my part, I question the no. 2 assertion. The NFL has long been all about a sort of socialistic approach, as opposed to baseball, especially, and also college football, wherein strictly local revenues aren't the be-all end-all, with their whole tv broadcast revenue set-up and also the draft.

Another thing I question is that even if there's a new stadium, is there really the super big money around in the area to buy the ever costlier suites, etc.? AND we can all rest easily assured that most of the rest of the state will fight any state expenditure for a new NFL stadium in N.O. down to the very last drop of blood. How the rest of the state hates N.O.!! Very sad but very true.

[Adrastos]

The Roberts departure is strictly inside Tulane Law politics. He's been passed over for Dean several times, which was a big mistake. He's a great teacher and fine administrator.

[Aaron]

The OKC Hornets aren't staying? Huh.

[Laura]

Dude, I can't believe you're a fan of the D.H.! I love wacntihg pitchers hit because it adds comedy to the game, and it makes the managers work harder. Okay, I know that was in your about me so on to the real article, which was great, by the way. A diehard baseball fan, I do cringe at the phrase World Series. It's actually the United States Series or the American Series or the N.L. vs. A.L. Series or Let's Wrap This Up Winter's Coming Series and there's soooooo much great baseball played in other countries. I don't do other sports so I guess I'll stop there. Loved it!