THE RETURN OF THE OLD CURMUDGEON ...

An agreement has been reached by Saints owner Tom Benson (a.k.a. "The Old Curmudgeon") and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to return the Saints to New Orleans in 2006. The agreement was announced today. The team will play NO games in San Antonio - and even hopes to play all home games in the Superdome.

Rats!

Paul Tagliabue is obviously more astute when it comes to public relations than The Old Curmudgeon is. Tagliabue recognized the OBVIOUS negative PR affect of a team like the Saints abandoning its home city right after a biblical catastrophe like Katrina.

Personally, I wish he'd left well enough alone. I really don't care about the Saints - but the opportunity to purify this city of The Old Curmudgeon was one I was happy about. Now, thanks to Paul Tagliabue, the Old Curmudgeon will be returning.

And as soon as he gets back to NOLA - he'll start making demands. Demands for money, demands for new facilites ... you name it. You can't change a terrorist and when it comes to terrorism - the Old Curmudgeon wrote the handbook. If New Orleans has $2 left in the bank after Katrina - the Old Curmudgeon will demand that it's his and when he gets it - he'll go to Kathleen Blanco in Baton Rouge and demand more.

If you check the San Antonio newspapers today - you'll see that many of them feel like the Old Curmudgeon jilted them. San Antonio swung for the fence after the hurricane demolished the Big Easy in hopes that they would get the Saints - PERMANENTLY.

They really pulled out the stops - going to extreme lengths to prove to the NFL that they could sell tickets to the games. Businesses got involved, the mayor of San Antonio got involved - they really licked the Old Curmudgeon's boots. I have a point or two on this ...

First - what city would want to profit off of another city's disasterous fate? What kind of "prize" would make a city sell its soul to profit off a disaster?

The answer is ... of course ... NFL FOOTBALL! NFL Football is like a narcotic - you'll lie, cheat, steal - sell out your own family to get it. My question to San Antonio is ... "was it worth it?". Don't you feel like you need to take a shower now?

Second point is related to the first ... NFL is a NARCOTIC. And since it is a narcotic - the high feels wonderful at first - and then the cold reality of addiction sets in. San Antonio is going through withdrawal symptoms now.

However, I ENVY San Antonio. I envy San Antonio because the Old Curmudgeon will be getting on a plane soon and leaving that city. And he'll be returning here where we'll have to deal with his whining while we're trying to rebuild this city. The Old Curmudgeon is NOT a PIONEER. He has nary a bit of the spirit it takes to rebuild this city. Tom Benson is a leach - big fat cat welfare hog.