New Orleans ex-patriate feels Saints

Know any New Orleans Saints fans?

No?

Meet Fred Sullivan.

The wonderful publican at Sully's Bar at Sean Murphy's Beach Bistro on Holmes Beach has been a Saints fan for as long as he can remember. He had a home and a restaurant in the Big Easy before Hurricane Katrina changed his life forever in 2005 and he moved to Holmes Beach.

"Thirty years of suffering," as Sullivan jokingly puts it his Saints allegiance.

That includes stretches of last Sunday's overtime NFC Championship victory over Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.

When No. 4 got the football back with about 2:37 to left in regulation, Sullivan couldn't watch.

It was like deja vu, as Favre drove the Vikings toward what looked like a classic set up for the game-winning field goal and a ticket to the Super Bowl that went with it.

"I'm thinking, here we go again," Sullivan said. "No matter how good a season the Saints had this year, it all seemed about to go down the drain."

Aah, but then Favre through that interception, the Saints won the coin flip in overtime and punched their ticket to Miami.

Sullivan was getting calls Sunday night and all day Monday from friends in New Orleans.

"I can just imagine the celebrating that went on," Sullivan said. "It's amazing to think how a silly game like football can give a city such a good feeling."

After what New Orleans went through, its people deserve it.

Fred Sullivan, too.