AT HOME IN THE DOME AND WE READY TO PLAY

Last Tuesday was a bad ticket day for me. Not only did I find out the 3 Doors Down concert was postponed after driving two and a half hours to Lafayette, but I also learned that Paul had bought two tickets to the Saints game and had no intention of inviting me. His first option was Michelle (which would make it their fifth date), and his second option was Jacob, whose birthday is Monday. I don't think the fourth date (which was Wednesday) ended well, so Jacob got the nod.

My being upset about not getting invited caused a heated argument in Baton Rouge. (No lovers' quarrels jokes, please.) He said something about he had planned to take me to the Vikings game on Monday night. Well, I'm working for that. Besides, taking Michelle or Jacob means having to eat the money he paid for the ticket. I would have paid for it.

I think the ticketmaster gods felt bad and decided to make it up to me. On Saturday afternoon at 12:30, I was half-awake when the phone rang. It was JRap.

JRap: Hey, Gene. How would you like to go to the Saints' game tomorrow? 

Me: Of course. You can't say no to that. 

The tickets belong to JRap's father, Mike, who was Rex in 2005. So I went to the Saints-49ers game with JRap, his father and his mother, Kay, and sat in the 500 section. Take that, Paul. Hope you enjoyed your lousy 600 section seats.

Before I left to meet the Rapiers at the TP, I told my mom I was heading off to the Saints game. I had not told her I was going yet. Big mistake. "Why'd you make me take out all this shit to cook?"

I arrived about 15 minutes ahead of the Rapiers. To pass the time, I called my dad to chat. I also played a long-standing TP game when there is an event at the Dome. We count the cars that pass our building thinking they are taking a short cut around the interstate only to find that it is a dead end. On Sunday, I counted 13 cars. In this shot, you can see I caught three at the same time (not counting my car, which is that pretty one in the front). If you're looking for the third car, it is a blue truck behind the tree.

Hanging out with the Rapiers on Sunday afternoon made me feel like the Fonz, sans a leather jacket and the ability to start a jukebox with my fist. JRap is a journalist, and Richie Cunningham went off to college to study journalism. Plus, Happy Days is his favorite show. I fought back the urge to call his mom Mrs. R.

We got to our seats just in time to see the 49ers enter Saints territory on their first drive. The fine people in our section informed us that Deuce had been in on one play in the Saints' first series but didn't touch the ball. That's a start, I thought. Before I sat down, I located Deuce on the sideline. There he was stretching with his helmet in his left hand touching the ground. That is the way Deuce always looks on the sideline, especially early in the game. I saw him doing that about three or four times during the Bucs game. 

When Deuce trotted on the field for the second series, took the handoff and pushed the pile for 5 yards, all felt right with the world. Look out NFL, the Deuce is loose again.

After Porter sacked John Thomas O'Sullivan for an 8-yard loss with 2:50 remaining in the first half, Payton challenged that it was a fumble. It was actually a pretty brilliant move. He knew the play would probably be upheld, but he figured why not take a shot. He wanted to use a timeout anyway to give the offense another chance to score. 

Watching the replay at home, it seemed like a fumble, but the 49ers recovered. Oh well. (Note: The Saints did score at the end of the half.) The color commentator's response after the play was upheld: "That one's confusing to me. I don't know why Sean Payton would challenge it if San Francisco recovered it anyway. ... That one surprises me." I should send him an e-mail.

You can see the ref making a note as he leaves the replay booth. I think he wrote: "What a waste of my time. That wasn't even close. Just for that, if the Saints make another challenge, I'm upholding the ruling on the field no matter what."

This guy, we'll call him First-Down Man, is the clear section leader in 545. Every time the Saints make a first down, he stands up and points the way, as you can see. For bigger first downs, he added more theatrics. I feel like I should sit in every section of the Superdome and compile a list of all the section leaders. Two sections down, how many more to go?

You can't ask for much more on a Sunday than a Saints win. It was also nice to meet the Rapiers, who I've heard a good deal about over the years at dinner from JRap. My favorite part was when the couple, in the 48th year of marriage, was arguing about whether or not they've attended a Tulane game at Air Force Academy. Mike said no. Kay said yes. They went back and forth until Mike said: "Oh dear. The young man (that's me) in the back is going to think we need a marriage counselor."

THE TINA CURSING CORNER

My mom is worried about her name being out there on the Internet. "They say you can google anybody's fucking name. My name better not be in that fucking computer." (If she only knew.)

Mom is in the kitchen as I'm waking up and getting ready for the Saints game. "Got to fucking (something) sometime."

SEAN PAYTON OWNS THE 49ERS

Notes on the Saints in Week 4.

1) The winning play.

The momentum was shifting to the 49ers. They were in an almost six-minute drive and in the red zone. They had trimmed their deficit to 21-9 and then got a punt from the Saints to start the third quarter. That's when Kaesviharn made a hell of an interception in the end zone. If the 49ers score on that drive, the score is 21-16, and they have all the momentum. It was a bad throw. John Thomas O'Sullivan should have thrown it away and gone to third down. Thanks, guy. 

2) More praise for the defense.

-- Grant was a menace all game. Bout time he started earning that money.

-- Porter is the real deal.

-- When was the last time the defense created three turnovers in a game? I don't know. But the announcer did tell me that the Saints have 11 games in a row with at least one takeaway. I wouldn't have guessed that. Also, it's the fifth longest current streak in the league.

-- The D-line had John Thomas O'Sullivan shaking in his little space boots. 

-- One beef: The unit can't stop the run to the left. The D got carved up by it against Washington. Tampa and San Fran did it too but just not enough. I see Peterson with 200 yards Monday night. 

 

3) This comes from Lopes: Devery has to be the NFL career leader in one catch, 80-yard games. I'd have to agree with that. Speaking of Devery, I noticed another flaw in his game while watching the replay. He can't block. He's horrible. Twice Red Meat ran to the outside, and Devery's man just went right around him to make the play. 

4) Red Meat didn't do much Sunday. Hey, I didn't say he'd be the bomb every week. I'll give you two positives, anyway.

-- He made a nice 10-yard run on third-and-10. Later on the drive, Moore caught his second TD pass to give the Saints a 14-3 lead.

-- After Deuce scored, who was the first to congratulate him? Red Meat. And in a feel-good moment, he slapped Deuce on the helmet three times. 

5) All hail Moore and Meachem. 

-- Meachem knows how to use his body to make catches. And clearly, he can just run by the defense. He's really starting to make the Saints look good on using a first-round pick on him. I always thought he would come around. I remember watching him torch LSU. 

-- Moore is doing a heck of a job replacing Colston. He catches everything thrown his way. He just needs to work on that touchdown dance. Ugh.

-- I think we need to give more credit to these two guys. We give an awful lot of credit to Brees. Sure, he's making the throws (plenty are underthrown). But these guys are getting the great separation. 

MY WEEKLY CUBS THOUGHTS

-- I took the week off watching the Cubs. I'm saving all my energy for October. 

-- I agreed with Lou's playoff rotation. That's how (Dumpster, Big Z, Harden, Lilly) I would have set it up. I like the idea of Big Z not starting Game 1 to avoid him being too hyped up. 

-- I switched my Cubs bracelet to my right hand Sunday afternoon.

-- Did I care if they played the Mets or Dodgers first? No. I wasn't worried about who they play in the first round. If they are the best team, they'll beat whoever they play. Plus, Santana twice in a five-game series is super scary.

-- In my TP predictions in April, I was one of the only predictors in the country not to pick Arizona to make the playoffs or the Mets to make the playoffs. I might have been the only one to have neither team make it. I picked the Phillies to win the NL.

-- There are two possible starting lineups the Cubs can go with in terms of the fielders. There are about 131 possible batting orders. Here's what I like for Game 1: Soriano (LF), Theriot (SS), Lee (1B), Ramirez (3B), Edmonds (CF), Soto (C), DeRosa (2B), Fukudome (RF). I like Fuku's defense for the playoffs. Plus, he's patient in that eight-hole. My other option: Soriano, DeRosa (RF), Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Fontenot (2B), Johnson/Edmonds (CF), Theriot. (The Dodgers don't have a left-handed starter.)

-- For shits and giggles, my NL awards.

Rookie of the Year: Soto. 

Manager of the Year: Cecil Cooper.

Cy Young: Tim Lincecum. 

MVP: CC Sabathia. 

Argument for CC: To me, the definition of the award is the player that is the most valuable to his team being successful, which means a playoff team. That is CC. He had a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts (11-2). He led the NL in shutouts. He won three consecutive games at the end of the season, the latter two on three days' rest. He's the reason the Brewers made the playoffs. 

PARTING SHOTS

After the game and before work, JRap and I went to Bud's on Calhoun. I figure now is a good time to clear up that the No. 7 at Bud's can be considered my top fast food order, but I don't count Bud's as fast food. I think of Bud's as an experience. That clear it up, Max? Anyway, we're in line behind a group of six Saints fans. They are all wearing jerseys. I have a hat on and my Brees jersey. A clueless guy enters the building and stands in line behind us.

Captain Clueless: Is the Saints game over?

JRap: Yes. We just came from it.

Capt. Clueless: Oh. Did they win?

JRap: Yes. 31-17.

CC: Oh, man. I should have turned the game on at the shop. What time they start? 11?

JRap: Noon.

CC: Oh, OK. Yeah. That's right. Home games are at noon. Road games are at 3.

Retro quote: September 28, 2004 (a Tuesday)

We're eating lunch in the cafeteria.

Brian: When does King of Queens come on?

Me: It starts tomorrow night.

Brian: What night is that?

THE DAILY TOP LIST

My top five Adam Sandler movies.

5) I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. 2007.

Yeah. We're both big, uh, fruits.

4) Anger Management. 2003.

That Sixers fan was hilarious.

3) Billy Madison. 1995.

R u going to the mall after school?

2) The Waterboy. 1998.

You better not be playing the foosball.

1) Big Daddy. 1999.

A comedic classic with a big heart. Excuse me. I have to go call my dad.