By JOSH MINER
PLATTSBURGH — New Orleans has waited patiently for 42 years.
Today, the Saints, led by quarterback Drew Brees, aim to bring the Lombardi Trophy home to the city that never gave up.
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts would love nothing better than to make them wait for another year.
Although New Orleans is nearly 1,600 miles away, there are fans here in the North Country who are glad the wait may be over.
"For a long time people would make jokes," said Channing Joseph, a native of New Orleans who now teaches at Plattsburgh State.
The Saints, who were founded in 1967 but didn't finish a season with a winning record until 1987, acquired the moniker the "Aints" due to their lack of success.
But following the acquisition of coach Sean Payton in 2006, the team was able to win the NFC South Division, an amazing turnaround from their dismal 3-13 season the previous year. Then, there were two more years of same-old Saints.
"I think I lost faith," Joseph said.
However, with his team on the verge of its first NFL title, Joseph said that faith was restored.
He said his family couldn't be more excited.
The night the Saints became NFC champions to earn their first Super Bowl berth, his grandmother called — so enthusiastic she could barely speak — just yelling "They won! They won!"
"She had to hang up the phone, which is unusual," he said.
The Colts, though, are after their second Super Bowl victory in the last four years and are favored to ruin the dream.
"I think Manning is just too much," said Jerry Larche of North Bangor.
A Colts fan for nearly 50 years, Larche sees Manning as the unstoppable force that will ensure an Indianapolis win tonight.
Obie Dupree became a Colts fan during the days of Johnny Unitas. Unitas brought the passing game to the NFL, he said, transforming football as we know it. Dupree said he believes Manning is another quarterback of a similar caliber.
"You're probably looking at the best quarterback," he said. "He's already made his mark, just with his stats."
Winning another Super Bowl wouldn't mean a whole lot for Manning, it would just be further confirmation of something everyone knows, Dupree said.
"He just loves to play football, period. He puts his life into it."
Jeremy Sherman of Plattsburgh will be spending tonight at Peabody's, setting up a Colts fan zone just to let everyone know whose side he's on, he said.
While he would have been watching the game regardless of who played, the appearance of his favorite team makes it that much more interesting.
"It's fun to watch," he said. "It makes it more fun (to watch my team)."
In 1977, Sandy Tolosky was stationed at an Air Force base in Buloxi, Miss. Traveling constantly in the service, the area became his adopted home, and the Saints his adopted team. His wife, Michelle, has seen the effects being a Saints fan has had on her husband.
"He's taken a lot of ribbing over the years, believe me," she said.
Now, the tables have turned.
"It's a whole new feeling," he said.
Staying in Florida for Super Bowl weekend, they will be watching the game in Disney's ESPN Club, staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort — a great place to be when the Saints come marching in, they said.
The Saints are ready to claim their first Super Bowl win; the Colts hope to stomp those dreams. Some fans, however, just look forward to an exciting Super Bowl Sunday.
"I just hope for a good game," Dupree said. "I would prefer that even to seeing the Colts win."
