CrabAppleLane Sunday - August 23, 2009 Issue

I wish Congress would enact a cash-for-clunkers program on furniture. Just saying ...

Any older fan of the Saints remembers the gondola in the Superdome. It was a structure of large TV screens suspended from the ceiling. It was at eye level for those who sat in the Terrace (The nosebleed section). It was thought that it would not interfere with play and would provide better views and instant replays for the fans watching the ants players down on the turf. The broadcast was awful. With every light in the Superdome on, you could only barely make out what was being shown on the screens and only if you had a seat directly opposite one of them. A year after the Superdome opened, Raider punter Ray Guy hit it with one of his sky-scraping punts during a game.

To this day, that's the thing I get asked about most. More than the Super Bowls, more than the Pro Bowls, more than anything I did in football. People want to talk about the time I hit the scoreboard at the Superdome.

Later, during the miserable 1-15 1980 season, Saints punter Russell Erxleben hit it during a Monday night game. It was the highlight of the evening and the only worthwhile thing that bum ever did while he was here. That was the end of the gondola. It was decommissioned and was raised as high as it could go. Might even still be there ... waiting to fall but I do think it's out of the play area. It was a colossal failure and waste of money. Didn't take that long for the same thing to happen in The House That Jerry Built. If you're wondering why the NFL didn't step in during construction and say, "We've done this before. It's a problem.", well, so am I ... but I'm also neck-deep in schadenfreude. Update: Jerry the Jackass now contends that the video board need not be raised. I'll offer the following ground rule: If a Cowboy punter hits the screen, the visiting team gets the ball on the Cowboy 40. If the visiting team's punter hits it, it's a first down.

I have two main concerns about the Saints after last night's game with the Texans. The defense is not generating much of a pass rush and the offensive line is allowing too many hits on the quarterbacks. I like what I'm seeing on defense otherwise. The corners are all over the receivers and Darren Sharper is playing much better at free safety than those two bums they had last year. They're also getting/creating turnovers. Mark Brunell and Joey Harrington are both playing well in their backup roles but we need Drew Brees to stay healthy for this team to get to play in January. He's not going to stay healthy if they don't protect him better.

The QOTD is comparing the Saints-Texans game experience last night to a Jonas Brothers Concert experience. She's doing it from a Texans fan's point of view.

I offer two images from the CrabAppleLane Yard today. Quite unseasonably cool outside here. Might have to get on the bike.

CrabAppleLane Bottle Brush Bush - August 23, 2009

CrabAppleLane Front Yard - August 23, 2009

18 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

GAHHHHHHHH!!!!! The extended boy band version of Sweet Caroline, no less. A certain violation of the Geneva Convention. And how OLD do the Jonas Brothers and their producers think we are? I didn't know whether to be more horrified at how awful that cover was or that they thought that this was something that parents enjoy. Even my parents wouldn't think that's cool to "rock out" to.

Stephanie Stradley, Houston Chronicle

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The Saints scored on a 14-yard touchdown run by sixth-string running back Herb Donaldson, putting them up 31-14 with 7:41 left and sending many fans to the exit aisles."