Feb

The Saints Superbowl Spell aka the Tale of the Candle

By Tess

New Orleans has been all Saints, all the time for weeks now. It didn’t matter that looking at ESPN or SI just told us how outmatched we were, and the question wasn’t whether we’d win, but only how much we’d lose by.

Spirits remained high anyway. A parade was scheduled for the Tuesday afterward and we were going to show up and have a great time, regardless. The boys fought hard and we loved ‘em no matter what.

Still, it would be nice, wouldn’t it?

So when I saw this prayer candle I had to pick it up (click to read the full text):

I showed it around, everybody got a kick out of it, and I forgot it.

For our viewing party we’d booked a lane at the Rock n’ Bowl, packed up far too much food and headed out to watch the game with several hundred of our compatriots. We were at a bar, ready to steady our nerves or drown our sorrows as needed and (very inexpertly) roll a bowling ball when we just had to look away. At the last minute I tossed the candle into the bag as a joke. There was no way they’d let us fire it up at the lane, but it’d be a laugh anyway.

And things were tense. We’d fought our way back to being only one point behind- 16 Saints/17 Colts. But going into the 4th Quarter things were kinda quiet at the rowdy RnB. With only six minutes left to go, a chick at the next table asked if we might light the candle. People had been coming over to look at it there amongst the Popeye’s chicken boxes and say how funny it was…while still stroking it hopefully. “Sure,” I said, “Can’t hurt, and if they come tell us no we can just put it out.” A lighter was immediately produced and it flared to life:

And everything changed. Just like that. Less than minute after it was lit Shockey got his touchdown, and it was allll over. Things were so crazed that I somehow thought the play being reviewed was the original touchdown, not the 2 point conversion. Momentum was on our side, and when Tracey Porter caught that interception and ran it all the way it was bedlam.

Here’s a highlight reel of the game- skip to 3:40 for what I’m talking about. How funny that of the entire highlight film almost half is footage from the last few minutes of the game:

(By the way, Shockey’s face when they replayed it? The man’s a beast. A glorious, primal, asskicking beast. He’s a treat to watch for sure, and I was wearing my “Hey Shockey Way” tee. )

Now, do I think it’s all thanks to the candle? No, of course not.