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SAINTSMANIA . . .

Folks around here – and all across the state – are just going bananas over the Saints and the Super Bowl.

Of course, lots of die-hard Saints fans have been waiting a long time for this – some old-timers like me have been waiting since 1967. But, as is so often the case, there are lots of “fans” who are just jumping on the bandwagon because they want to be associated with a winner. Many of those types of fans most likely never even watched a Saints game until this year, or maybe the last couple of years.

You see the same behavior on the local level. You have a small core of “thick and thin” fans who support their local high school teams year in and year out, no matter what. But let a local team hit a winning streak, and all of a sudden the bleachers start filling up with the fair weather followers who will just as quickly sit at home if and when the team loses a few.

People who never owned a piece of Saints gear before are suddenly lining up to buy just about anything they can get their hands on.

The Rytek T-shirt store here in St. Martinville was overwhelmed with patrons through most of last week. Ryan Landry and his crew just couldn’t keep up with the demand as rabid fans just kept coming for his very reasonably priced products.

And Sunday I stopped at Academy in Lafayette to pick up some jogging pants and the place was mobbed with people lining up to buy souvenir Saints hats, car pennants and decals, T-shirts, jerseys, license plate borders, mugs and even special footballs. It was amazing.

And, of course, the “Who Dat?!” controversy has waxed and waned, with the NFL pretty much giving up on trying to claim ownership of that long used phrase.

I don’t think there will be too many people outdoors during the Super Bowl telecast Sunday evening.

THIS & THAT . . .

PAY TV – Of course, the Super Bowl will be telecast on CBS and everyone with a TV set will be able to watch. But revenues from commercials during the game will not match last year’s take, from what I gather, and I have an uneasy feeling that lots of sports coverage may eventually move to cable or pay TV channels.

The print media (newspapers, magazines) have been hit hard by the recession and growing competition from the Internet, and now the TV networks are also beginning to feel the pinch.

That could end up meaning that you’ll almost have to have cable or dish TV service to follow sports (and perhaps, some shows). And you can almost bet that the cable and dish services will continue to jack up their subscriber prices, with some premium events moving to pay-on-demand, like TigerVision.

We’ve all become accustomed to watching all these sports events and TV shows at no cost, while putting up with the often obnoxious commercials that foot the bill. But that may be changing in the not-too-distant future.

Mardi Gras – Mardi Gras is less than two weeks off and the first of the local events took place this past Sunday when the New Comers held their ball. Their big parade, which attracts thousands of people to St. Martinville, is set for Sunday, Feb. 14.

The Rotary Club will stage its 64th annual Mardi Gras Ball this Saturday in the Cade Community Center. A dress rehearsal will take place Friday night and is also open to the public.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Magnolia Park will be the site of the popular Grande Boucherie des Cajuns. And that night the Creole Farmers Market will stage its Cornucopia Ball for the younger crowd.

So St. Martinville will certainly have its share of Mardi Gras revelry.

No Geese – I’ve pretty much given up hunting ducks and geese, but I still kinda keep up with the seasons through son-in-law Shane Bennett and his neighbor/my cousin Fred Bienvenu.

But a couple of weeks ago I drove to and from Houston to visit my daughter Monique Domino and her family and was really surprised at the absence of geese in the Crowley-Jennings area. I don’t ever recall driving I-10 through that area at this time of the year and not seeing flights and flights of geese moving about. But I looked hard both going and coming, and never spotted a one.

Anniversaries – Friends and subscribers who celebrated wedding anniversaries during the past week included:

Jan. 27 – The 59th anniversary for Mr. and Mrs. Harry Huval of Breaux Bridge; the 42nd for Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Savoie of Arnaudville; the 32nd for Lennet and Doris Bijeaux of Catahoula; the 2nd for Ian and Misty Legrand of Breaux Bridge; and the ?? for Paul and Alice Toby of Arnaudville.

Jan. 28 – The 32nd for Lynn and Wanda Laperouse of St. Martinville; also the 32nd for Burt and Arlene (Judice) Oubre of St. Martinville; and the 17th for Danny and Cynthia Babb of Breaux Bridge.

Jan. 29 – The 61st for Septieme and Edmonia (Dugas) Borel of Catahoula; and the 48th for Richard and Doris Lasseigne of Groves, Texas.

Jan. 30 – The 45th for Fred and Lynnie (Weimer) Bienvenu of St. Martinville; also the 45th for Stanley and Clara Wiltz of St. Martinville; the 44th for E.J. and Veda Quebedeaux of Arnaudville; and the 43rd for Dale and Brenda (Walker) Vincent of Seguin, Texas.

Jan. 31 – The 51st for Carl and Melba (Melancon) Dugas of Catahoula; and the 23rd for Bryan and Annette Landry of St. Martinville.

Feb. 1 – The 56th for Lawrence and Maydell Dupuis of Parks; and the 7th for Teddy and Brandy (Dore) Thibodeaux of St. Martinville.