I grew up in New Orleans and remember driving down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter  with my mom, aunt and cousins, looking into the strip joints through the doors and then getting coffee and beignets at Morning Call on Friday nights and all of the Mardi Gras I attended.

Here is a report from Coach Mac down in the Crescent City about the parade they had in honor of a wonderful character who was a loyal Saints fan and sports caster.

This could only happen in New Orleans where a parade is something everyone partakes to celebrate whatever.

Coach Mac reports:

Once upon a time there was a sportswriter for the Times-Pic-Ya-Nose named Buddy Dilaberto. I read his column regularly when I was a kid.

He eventually moved on to radio and TV where he was terrible because of some severe speech problems, kinda mumble mouth.

But he worked at it with voice lessons and since he usually had something good to say he survived and became the top sports personalty in the Big Sleazey.

He covered the Saints and never sugar coated their faults which constantly drew the ire of Saints management which eventually lead to him being banned from Saints charter flights.

But he was the epitome of a die heart Saints fan. He started the Aints bag-heads and he started the ball rolling for the Saints to get Dikta as their coach. He always said if the Saints made it to the Super Bowel he would show up in a dress.

That sort of prompted the SI cover with Mike Dikta and Ricky Williams in a wedding dress. Buddy died a few years back but his spirit lingers on.

Yesterday there was a tribute parade from the Super Dome to the French Quarter with thousands of Saints fans in dresses.

The parade was lead by former Saint QB Bobby Hebert who now handles the Saints call-in shows started by Buddy D. He was drunk on his a** admitting to having nothing in his belly but 5-hour Energy drink and Glenlivet.

I understand it was picked up by ESPN and will be part of their pre-game. This is a strange town. Who Dat!!

Love it       Good Stuff

remember a time when you could pass out on a bench in jackson square on saturday night and wake up to that great smell coming from morning call on sunday morning.

and live to tell about it.

You can see the parade on www.youtube.com and go to Bobby Hebert Parade.

Worth the time.  ;D

From a friend in New Orleans on the Saints Dress Parade this past Sunday:

I was driving this evening and listening to WWL. 

They were talking about this (the parade). 

One caller said he attended and that many of the guys in drag were dressed up with all the accessories, "and the more I drank the better they looked....."

He did not say if the caller was male or female!  ;D   ;D   ;D