Who Dat? It's Bobby Hebert

You might remember Bobby Hebert from when he played for the Saints and Falcons back in the 1980s following a stint as a USFL quarterback. Well, Hebert now hosts a radio show in New Orleans and yesterday made good on a promise by the late Buddy Diliberto to walk down Bourbon Street in drag if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl.

"Who Dat in Heaven - Buddy D.''
That's what the sign said outside the Oceana Grill on Conti Street.

On the stage, a Pierre Thomas jersey was hugging a Sam Mills jersey.

A Drew Brees jersey was playing the trombone. A Marques Colston jersey was playing the trumpet. A Will Smith jersey was sipping suds. A Heath Evans jersey was carrying a mini-Who Dat on his shoulders. A Feilkow sign was doing the boogie.

They were part of a jam-packed crowd waiting for Buddy's Brawds to show up. On the parade route, from the Superdome to the French Quarter, they represented the finish line of the parade of men-in-dresses, in this case, all the way from thrift-store skirts to an elegant $14,000 wedding outfit.

Think about it.

All this because of a throwaway line from a Big Easy-bred legend.

"If the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl,'' Buddy Diliberto once promised, "I'm going to wear a dress and dance through the streets.''

Well, there they were Sunday, thousands of men in dresses, dancing from the Dome into the Quarter, with thousands and thousands looking on.

A week before a Super Bowl, ask yourself: Was there anything like this, or close to it, in Cowboy Nation, in Patriot Nation, in 49er Nation, in Redskin Nation, in Dolphin Nation, in Viking Nation?

This was a tribute to the memory of an endearing Mr. Malaprop.

Throughout a career that began at The Times Picayune, and went on to television and radio, Buddy D could be a critic, but he was no mean-spirited critic, no critic eaten up with ego.

He was someone who refused to take himself seriously, who was quick to admit mistakes, never reluctant to join his legion of admirers in poking fun at himself, at his tongue-twisting, at those endless malaprops.

There was the day he introduced Joe Yenni, the mayor of Kenner, as "Joe Yenner, mayor of Kenni.''

Meaning to say "secondaries,'' he once announced "quarterback Dan Fouts retired today after 17 seasons of terrorizing NFL secretaries.''

And there were those throwaway lines:

"That's a mute point.''

"That's just the chip of the iceberg.''

"The Saints led in time of obsession.''

"If the Saints can make the trade, it will be a good one, like manana from heaven.''

"Old Dominion'' became "Old Dominican.''

When it came to injuries, a player was out with "a torn lee nigament.'' On another day, a shoulder operation might be called one to remedy "a torn rotary cup.''

A visit to Children's Hospital once prompted the observation about "those courageous boys and girls lying there, hooked up to their RVs.''

Looks like Saints fans are just getting warmed up. One can only imagine the scene down there next Sunday.