Merci Beaucoup

Unlike the Dallas Cowboys, the management of The Onside Kick (moi) has an automatic renewal clause for our domain name so there was no interruption of service when the anniversary of this site passed last week.

It’s been an interesting year for the Saints- actually every year is interesting for the Black and Gold though sometimes fitting the purported Chinese connotation of the word.

And while there was no “Two Dat” the past year has not been dull.

The seemingly never-ending celebration of Saints Super Bowl championship, the opening of Champions Square outside of the Louisiana Superdome, the 2010 draft class, the mowing down of our running back committee, the emergence of undrafted rookie Chris Ivory and the ignominy of being ejected from the postseason by the NFL’s first playoff team with a losing record are some of the stories that defined the season.

And then there were Willie Roaf’s near election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the release of tight end Jeremy Shockey.

If there was such a thing as a Who Dat force, Obe Wan Kenobi would have sensed tens of thousands of female Saints fans crying out in heartbreak after that bit of news was delivered.

Hell even Super Bowl Sunday was exciting for Saints fans, though not for good reason.

The Black and Gold faithful got a lesson in geography when the posh north Texas town of Westlake splashed into the news.

With the prospect/likelihood of an NFL lockout on the horizon, Saints fans might also learn something about antitrust law and collective bargaining before the first coin is tossed midfield…whenever that may be.

For those of you who have honored me with your visitation (and return reads), please accept my most sincere thanks.

Covering the Saints as a fan-journalist is a labor of love and I’d probably do it even if nobody clicked on the site. For me, it’s part reporting, part catharsis.

I’d also like to extend special thanks to www.TheDeadPelican.com, the New Orleans Saints organization and NFL draft guru Mike Detillier for their access and cooperation.

In the case of the latter, the most knowledgeable man on college football not employed by an SEC school is one of the best individuals in sports journalism and is a total class act.

Next week I’ll post an extensive interview I conducted with Mr. Detillier. Also there are a few other new angles I intend to include in my coverage. Stay tuned.

Once again, merci beaucoup.