Ellerbusch.Net

These are just a few of my trip… I’m working on getting the rest of my video uploaded. If you didn’t know I have one on NOLA of Mike Bell and Reggie Bush jumping into the stands after the win, you can see it by clicking here.

This is now a few weeks old but just in case you missed it, it’s a video shot by Times-Picayune photographer Rusty Costanza moments after the Garrett Hartley kick propelled the Saints to their first Superbowl.  Only in New Orleans can an impromptu parade start after a football game!

Before the ball left the foot of Saints kicker Garrett Hartley this past Sunday, noone much cared about who was selling black & gold apparel and what the phrase said.  But suddenly after the prayers of many a New Orleanian were answered the NFL was ready and waiting to cash in on all of the hooplah of the Saints victory.  If they are not careful, pretty soon NFL will stand for Not Fun League instead of National Football League. 

NFL spokesman Dan Masonson “Any unauthorized use of the Saints colors and other [marks] designed to create the illusion of an affiliation with the Saints is equally a violation of the Saints trademark rights because it allows a third party to ‘free ride’ by profiting from confusion of the team’s fans, who want to show support for the Saints.”

This has outraged many a Saints fan, but more importantly this announcement has outraged local New Orleanian merchants.  I personally feel this decision is bullshit.  The NFL could have cared less before the Saints were super bowl bound, but now that they have the chance to cash in on Saints merchandise, they suddenly want to get involved.  What is even better is that they are going after the reknowned ‘WhoDat’ saying, which was invented by the South and has nothing to do with the NFL.  Just look at Facebook for example, where there have been WhoDat groups popping up ten fold since this announcement.  I’ve even seen friends putting WhoDat as their middle name trying to egg on others to follow suit. 

Maybe the NFL doesn’t realize who they are dealing with?  For 43 years the citizens of New Orleans have been waiting for this moment to shine in the super bowl.  Not too much is going to derail that, not the Colts trying their subterfuge methodolgy by working out x-Saints cornerbacks, not lawsuits on southern sayings, nothing.  They need to just sit back and let everyone enjoy what they have waited for. 

Now the vatican has followed suit and plans to sue the Arizona ‘Cardinals’, and the Eagle Nature Foundation has left some voicemails for Donovan McNabb in Philidelphia.  Seriously people?  Don’t we have bigger things to worry about??

I say keep selling your t-shirts, your mugs, your bumper stickers, because we all know the Who Dat Nation is strong and up for the fight!  Go ahead and search the NFL store and let me know when you come up with a search result on WhoDat…

Saints Pregame NFC Championship, originally uploaded by Ryan Ellerbusch.

I still cannot believe that the Saints are headed to the Super Bowl. It was a great night inside the dome, and I’m so happy for the city of New Orleans and what this victory has done for all of us who live here. Maybe this will make our city stand together and put violence and hardship behind us, hopefully for just a while.

Being on the field last night was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I’m so happy that I was able to take place is such an event. After Hartley’s field goal was good the dome turned into a place full of sensory overload, as people did not know where to look and what to do other than hug everyone around them as quite a few fans burst into tears. It was a great night and I’m looking forward to the Super Bowl.

Geaux Saints!!

I’ve been getting a few of these ‘Motivational Poster’ ripoffs about the Saints vs Cardinals game and thought I would share.  Geaux Saints!

Turns out Sammy Sosa isn’t suffering with Vitiligo.

Looks like former MLB star Sammy Sosa who last appeared September 29, 2007 for the Texas Rangers,  is having a battle with Vitiligo.  Vitligo is a skin disease which affects the pigmentation of the extremities.  You might remember Michael Jackson having this disease, forcing him to begin to wear the white sequin glove.

Vitiligo is a chronic disorder that causes depigmentation in patches of skin. It occurs when the melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation which are derived from the neural crest, die or are unable to function. The precise pathogenesis, or cause, of vitiligo is complex and not yet fully understood. There is some evidence suggesting it is caused by a combination of autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors. It is also common in people with thyroid disorders.

I know I’m not the only person thinking this… Steroids?

So apparently while headed home after winning the World Series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi saved a 27 year old girl who was in a car accident.  It was sometime after 2:00am when the woman’s car veered off the road and into a wall, then Girardi sprinted across three lanes of traffic to make sure she was ok and get her out of the car.  It would have been really easy to keep on driving, seeing as to how he had a long night, but his decision was to stop and make sure that Marie Henry, 27, of Stratford, Connecticut was safe after her accident.  Just another example of Girardi putting people first.

But still, keep on hating  the Yankees…

I think I’m in love… 8 Games at once, my fantasy player alerts on the screen…

Once again, the NFL never ceases to amaze…