The Saints Came Marching In

Everyone loves an underdog and many Port Washington residents, even those who don't especially enjoy or follow football, cheered for the New Orleans Saints during Sunday's Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts. And those residents got the result they were hoping for as Drew Brees and the Saints took down Peyton Manning's Colts, 31-17, to be named Super Bowl XLIV champions.

"It's nice to see a team that has never been in the Super Bowl beat a team that was favored," said Paul Hone, a Harbor Deli employee. "It's a great spirit lifter for New Orleans." Hone's co-worker Petra Ericsson agreed. "New Orleans needed a good win," he said.

Port resident and school district employee Trish Quirk normally roots for the Jets, but had a soft spot in her heart for New Orleans. "I wanted the Saints to win because they wanted a victory, not only for themselves, but for the city of New Orleans," she said.

Other Jets fans supported the Saints because they said they felt some sort of karmic justice was served. "The Colts took out my favorite team, the Jets, a few weeks ago," said Schreiber junior Robert Wands. "That's enough reason that I wanted them to lose."

The Saints' victory was celebrated by the Schulmiller household along with several other local families. Sarah Schumiller said that all 20 people in attendance rooted for the Saints. "I rooted for New Orleans because it's a great city that could use the boost," she said. "We've visited it, both pre- and post-Katrina and we've only scratched the surface of its rich history and unique culture."

Some households were split. Schreiber seniors Jack Vigilis, Kevin Brown and Cody White all supported the Colts in the big game, while Benny Gonzalez rooted for the Saints. "We had a small party at Cody's and most of us cheered the Colts," Vigilis said. "Although our friend, Benny, who has family in New Orleans, liked the Saints. I'm happy for him."

Others attended local parties for something other than the game. They went for the grub. "The food was great," said local realtor Phyllis Realmuto, who attended a party at her brother's home in Port. She said the quality of the cooking virtually matched New Orleans cuisine with a food sampling that included shrimp scampi, risotto, pulled pork, barbecue wings and several salads. "But more importantly, I'm glad the Saints won because New Orleans needs to have hope. The Saints' win was a delicious extra."

Hy Livingston, who has lived in Port for close to 30 years, said he was happy the Saints won and that he thinks a win like this could help to further turn around the city struck by disaster just a few years ago. "It was a team galvanized by many free agents," he said. "That, coupled with the fact that New Orleans is still in need, made my choice. It's great for them and it's great for the city."