Category Archive : Sports

Oranjestad (or Orangetown) is the magnificent Dutch colonial capital of the stunning Caribbean island of Aruba. Like many of the major cities in the Caribbean, Oranjestad sits on a huge natural deep-water harbor that is protected from all kinds of extreme weather. For Caribbean cruisers, this makes Oranjestad a great port of call, while for its passengers there are plenty of things to see and do in Old Town.

You can’t miss Fort Zoutman, the original Dutch settlement that later grew into the city we see today. Built in 1796, the battlements are now the focal point of the city’s historical and cultural activities, housing the informative Aruba Historical Museum, containing the iconic William III Tower, and hosting the weekly Bon Bini folk festival. The old colonial buildings around the city are particularly notable for their bright orange color, making them highly photogenic. Orange was the color used to commemorate and symbolize William of Orange, one of the most famous figures in Dutch history.

The Old Harbor area is where most people do their shopping in Oranjestad, as the entire area is a duty-free zone. Local specialties include jewelry, arts and crafts, and of course an impressive array of Dutch cheeses! In this area you will also find other museums such as the charming Numismatic Museum of Oranjestad. There are plenty of other attractions in and around the city, including the Aruba Ostrich Farm and Butterfly Farm, while Palm Beach and Eagle Beach are great for swimming and sunbathing. Offshore there are loads of magical dive sites and as always there are plenty of sailing and powerboat options to choose from. Golf, horse riding and kitesurfing are some of the outdoor activities to enjoy.

Oranjestad has dozens of quality restaurants serving a wide variety of local and international cuisine. Dining options range from casual dining to fairly expensive but excellent full-service restaurants. For those who possibly want the best dining experience on the island, try Gasparito Restaurant and Gallery, which not only has the best local cuisine on the island, but also has an excellent art gallery with many of the pieces for sale. After dinner, head to the city center to enjoy its amazing variety of bars, clubs and discos. Themes here range from chilled-out Latin bar terraces to thriving Top 40 dance bars. For a more romantic scene, try one of the hotel’s many laid-back, moody bars near the boardwalk.

As one of the most historic and lively cities in the Caribbean, Oranjestad offers visitors a fun time filled with great attractions, activities, dining, shopping and relaxation. Another great positive aspect of the city is the kindness and friendliness of the local people, who are extremely kind and attentive to tourists, on whom much of their livelihood depends. You will always remember your Oranjestad port of call!

Thanks to a brilliant streak, the St. Louis Cardinals finished atop the NL Central in 2009 and have all the pieces to repeat this year. They have been the most consistently strong club in the division for the last five years and this year should be no different.

Cy Young finalist Chris Carpenter intimidates the other teams in the division and Adam Wainwright backs him up with another upper arm, giving the Cardinals the two most powerful starting pitchers in baseball. Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny fill spots three and four, while Rich Hill and Jaime Garcia battle it out for the last spot in the rotation.

Adam Ottavino had an impressive spring and it looks like he could eat a lot of innings out of the bullpen while waiting for his chance to start, but with Mitchell Boggs struggling, they may be on the hunt for a veteran right-handed reliever. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday will do most of the damage on offense, but the Cardinals’ main strength is their depth, which will help offset a lackluster defense.

The NL Central isn’t one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, but the St. Louis Cardinals could prove they have the best team in baseball this year. The team should win around 92 games this season and take the NL Central. They were eliminated from the playoffs early last year and have every reason to believe they can go further this year.

What is Limescale?

Scale forms when hard water is heated above 140°F (61°C) or when it is allowed to evaporate on surfaces such as faucets and shower heads. Hard water is water that contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium ions. These hardness minerals, in the form of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, are what precipitate out of hard water to form lime. Therefore, to clean or remove limescale, we need something that dissolves or softens calcium carbonate and/or magnesium carbonate.

Acids are generally very good at dissolving things, and in particular the following list of acids will dissolve limescale.

Warning: Some of these acids are extremely dangerous and their use as a descaler is best left to professionals. Also, some acids, particularly hydrochloric acid, will discolor (blacken) chrome faucets and fixtures.

1) acetic acid

Vinegar is just diluted acetic acid, so it’s readily available in the home.

Mix half a cup of water and half a cup of white vinegar (not malt vinegar) to descale an electric kettle. Bring the mixture to a boil and leave overnight. Rinse the next day.

Clean shower heads by soaking them overnight in a tub of undiluted white vinegar. Mix with borax (50:50) to make your own inexpensive anti-scale cleaner for faucets, tiles, bathtubs and sinks.

2) citric acid

Citric acid is present to some degree in all citrus fruits, but lemons generally have the highest concentration. Lemon juice generally works better than vinegar and leaves a more pleasant scent.

To clean dishwashers and washing machines, use a cup of lemon juice instead of regular detergent. Run a normal wash cycle without clothes or dishes. For washing machines, put the lemon juice in the soap powder dispenser. Dishwasher safe, only to fit directly into the bottom of the machine.

To clean electric kettles, follow the directions for vinegar, but replace the vinegar with lemon juice. Same for shower heads.

When it comes to cleaning the taps, the problem comes when trying to keep the lemon juice in contact with the lime long enough for it to dissolve or soften. One way to overcome this problem is to soak a cloth in lemon juice, wrap it around the faucet, and leave it overnight.

Citric acid is also the main component of Limelite sprays, gels, descaler and wipes.

3) formic acid

Formic acid, naturally produced by ants and contained in bee stings, will dissolve limescale. It can be purchased as Kilrock K or in diluted form as Techno Swan. It is also one of two acids used in Cillit Bang Grime and Lime (the other being sulfamic acid).

4) glycolic acid

Although primarily used in cosmetics, glycolic acid is a secondary ingredient in several commercial limescale removers, including R8 Kettle Descaler. DuPont markets glycolic acid to remove hard water scale deposits in boiler and industrial water systems.

5) hydrochloric acid

Sold in Spain as agua fuerte (strong water). Be careful, hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and will burn the skin; Please read all safety data carefully. It bubbles on contact with lime and the vapor it gives off (hydrogen chloride) is toxic, so it’s probably best left to the experts.

If you still want to give it a try, then a safer alternative, which contains hydrochloric acid as its main active ingredient, is No Nonsense Path Patio & Driveway Cleaner. Other kitchen and bathroom cleaners that contain hydrochloric acid include Harpic Duraguard Descaler and Lifeguard Descaler.

6) lactic acid

Sometimes known as milk acid, lactic acid is also a good limescale remover. Lactic acid is formed when lactose, which is found in milk, is broken down by bacteria and is therefore found in sour milk. However, we do not recommend trying to remove limescale with sour milk. Instead, buy some Oust. Oust All Purpose Descaler contains 30 to 50 percent lactic acid and can be used to clean kettles, coffee pots and irons.

7) oxalic acid

Oxalic acid is 3,000 times stronger than acetic acid and is used primarily as a bleaching agent or rust remover. It will remove limescale but is rarely used in household cleaning products. It is used in Oxal Wash to remove limescale (among other things) from the exteriors of trains.

8) phosphoric acid

The primary use of phosphoric acid is as a rust remover, but it is also used in many commercial limescale cleaners and is found in some soft drinks, especially colas.

In the movie Limescale, the main character stops drinking water and only drinks cola because he thinks limescale is building up in his body and the cola will dissolve the hardened deposits. Urban Myth according to the synopsis of the film, but the two main brands of cola contain phosphoric acid (E338).

Phosphoric acid is sold raw as a descaler on eBay and is used in many commercial limescale cleaners. Proprietary cleaners containing phosphoric acid include HG Professional Limescale Remover or Hagesan Blue.

9) sulfamic acid

Sulfamic acid is widely used in commercial limescale cleaners and is a less hazardous alternative to hydrochloric acid. For professional use it is an active ingredient in Fernox DS3 scale remover and at home it is one of the components of Cillit Bang Grime and Lime.

10) sulfuric acid

Knock Out Drain Cleaner is almost pure sulfuric acid, but it is not marketed as a limescale cleaner (although it will do the job). Sulfuric acid is extremely dangerous and is best left to the experts. Even then, few if any descaling products on the market contain sulfuric acid. Avoid!

The Detroit Lions don’t have any expectations for the 2009 season, they just don’t go 0-16 and it looks like that will be good enough. The Lions already improved in 09′ by winning in Week 3 against the Washington Redskins 14-19 — the team’s first win since 07′ against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16. The Lions celebrated their first win in years by colliding the five fans in the crowd.

The Detroit Lions have an uphill climb in every sense of the word. The Lions are basically starting from scratch and at 0-16, the entire roster, aside from Calvin Johnson, needed an overhaul. The most important position in football is quarterback, the Lions are hoping QB Matthew Stafford will help the Lions to an 8-8 or 7-9 record, which by Lions standards would be a great season. .

The Lions’ offense ranks in the middle of teams in the leagues, defense ranks in the bottom half in all major categories. The division the Lions play in, the NFC North, isn’t doing them any good: The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears all improved from last season.

The Lions’ offense shouldn’t give away games and give opposing teams a lot of turnovers. Rookie QBs often turn the ball over throwing interceptions, Matthew Stafford needs to stay calm and make smart decisions, easier said obviously. Hopefully in 2009 the Lions can hit the .500 mark and maybe make the playoffs one year. If any city deserves a winning football team for once it’s Detroit, they have been more than patient with their team.

Matthew Stafford may be the only one to lead the team, Calvin Johnson should play one of the best wide receivers in the game and help Stafford look good. The Detroit Lions may not win many games, but better days are surely ahead.

I like it when people start criticizing and complaining. He tells me that the fear of change
it is in the air and so they are forced to face it. It means to me
that someone is doing something right. Of course, there are those who charge for
utter a derogatory word to keep any exaggeration at bay, especially in sports where
the business of hype often generates more revenue than the business of sports
itself. American football is the most popular sport in the world, so the hype is something that
don’t really need But something is happening now that the league doesn’t
ask: A major overhaul of the entire look and feel of the game.

Soccer is a team sport, much more so than any other major sport. that in itself
makes this phenomenon even more significant than it would otherwise be. In sports,
there are few legendary talents. Athletes who possess intangibles that football players
similar talent no. Then there are those who elevate the status of their sport to
heights never before seen or imagined. But there is another level of athletics
aptitude defined by players who possess so much athletic genius that the game can
it no longer contains them. They can’t help it, it just happens. They not only play the
play. They change the game.

We saw it in basketball with Michael Jordan. We are witnessing it now in golf with
Tiger Woods. Baseball had Babe Ruth. Wayne Gretzky did it in hockey. football can
thanks to Lawrence Taylor for changing the way defense is played. Now you can point to
MVProdigy as the One who will raise the bar for the future of professional soccer.

Mike Vick is the most exciting player in football, if not the most exciting athlete in
Sports. He has lifted a perennial underdog to elite status in the National Football League.
His team, the Atlanta Falcons, is a legitimate contender to win the Super Bowl. Hears
He is the most feared player in the league. Period. While in college at Virginia Tech, he
was promoted as ‘The Future’. His movements with the ball cause a future hall of fame
defensive backs seem to belong in Sunday school. It is fitting that it be a
Falcon because once it takes off, you’re not going to catch it.

If You Didn’t Know Mike Vick Is A Quarterback, You Wouldn’t Guess From This
description of him.

Vick isn’t just a quarterback. He is a game breaker. An MVPlaymaker. He is he
Experience. He makes it happen. Without him, the Falcons have little chance of even
making the playoffs, let alone contending for a Super Bowl. The Falcons have quality
players who can win games, but without Vick they could beat USC.

Anyway, I don’t like what I hear about MVPeriod. people who think that
I know football says it’s too one-dimensional. and will have to learn to pass first
if he’s going to take his team to championships. Why does it matter if you can collect 40
yards with your legs after the line protection is broken? Or if he is able to fight for
Another 15 yards after he picks up the blitz on 3 and 8? But wait. it’s not alone
running for positive yards adds value to this player. His legs have the ability to
avoid defensive pressure and eliminate a quick 7-yard pass play in 1st or 2nd
down. Those are patios created by instincts created by the situation. This is the way
MV plays it. Other QBs can lose 7 yards on the same play or throw an interception.
Vick throws picks or gets fired like any other QB, but most of the time he
will create something out of nothing. That is the MVexPerience. The NFL doesn’t
realize yet, but the days of the prototypical 6’5″ QB receded being a commodity
are passing quickly. That player won’t completely disappear – look at Peyton
Manning and Tom Brady, but in the next 10 years, as football produces more
and more MVPretenders at QB, NFL teams will need to adjust their offense
philosophy to take advantage of these immensely talented players.

Strong winds of change are reshaping the landscape of American football. Some
are having a hard time accepting that superior players will rule the future, not
only of football, goal of all sports. It’s no longer about 300 yards, 2TD afternoons
but about the inevitability of the MVPrototype becoming the future of the NFL QB.
Eventually the critics will have to sing MV Praises.

©2005 warmCHiL(TM)/MJ Style

1968 was a horrible year

Horses are big business in Kentucky, and even schoolchildren were aware of the controversy in Louisville 50 years ago. It started with the horse race on the first Saturday in May, as far as we knew.

with Kentucky Governor Louie Nunn and presidential candidate Richard Nixon watching from the stands, Dancer’s Image came from last place, 14 lengths back, to overtake 13 horses and cross the fence a length and a half ahead of Forward Pass. Nunn chuckled as Nixon dramatically tore his losing ticket in half.

But Nixon may have been a bit hasty, depending on which horse he chose. Three days after the race, stewards at Churchill Downs ordered Boston car dealer Peter Fuller to return the trophy and winning bag, and named Forward Pass the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby. race revealed that Dancer’s Image had phenylbutazone in his blood sample.

It is an anti-inflammatory analgesic, commonly used today when horses suffer from inflammation in the joints. But in 1968 it was illegal on Kentucky racetracks. Fuller’s vet prescribed it during training, but allowed it to wash out of the horse’s bloodstream for six days before the race. Fuller, his veterinarian and the horse’s trainer could not explain why Dancer’s Image still had phenylbutazone in his system on race day.

I was an odd eighth grader who fluently read previous Racing Form performance charts and had memorized a lot of racing trivia. But we were also a politically aware family. My father ran for the House of Representatives on “Clean Gene” McCarthy’s anti-war ticket in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District. Bobby Kennedy was campaigning for the presidential nomination across the river in Indiana.

Martin Luther King was brought down exactly one month before the 1968 Derby, but he was in Louisville a year earlier to help local blacks, led by his brother, AD King, protest housing discrimination.

Locals had disrupted a race at Churchill Downs the previous year and wanted to disrupt the 1967 Derby, but King convinced them to hold the protests downtown, due to the potential chaos at the track.

In April 1968, Fuller entered Dancer’s Image in a tryout for the Derby, the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City.

When his horse won, Fuller donated the bag to Coretta Scott King, who had just been widowed. I have seen two different numbers: $62,000 and $77,415. Either way, it was a lot of money in 1968 dollars. He didn’t advertise it, but it was common knowledge at the track, and a race announcer mentioned it on TV.

The gift made friends and enemies for Fuller. There was hate mail. There were anonymous death threats. There was a mysterious fire in one of his stables. So he asked Churchill Downs management to put up additional security. They refused.

Fuller was a pretty demanding guy. He was a former Marine and the son of a former Republican Governor. His father was one of the richest men in America, and Fuller was not far behind.

After growing up in a household with 11 maids, Fuller was accused of getting away with murder. It was customary to provide Derby horse owners with four tickets. He asked for 50.

The brash, aggressive Yankee may have alienated the southern courtiers he should have been trying to charm. Instead, he made condescending comments about “rednecks.”

The bottom line is that he didn’t get the extra security from Churchill Downs, and he didn’t hire his own. Security at his racing stable, he recalled, was “an older guy in a chair and asleep.”

Fuller later said that he believed he had been “tricked”, that an unknown intruder entered his horse’s stable to inject the disqualifying phenylbutazone. Either that or the blood sample was tampered with.

Fuller appealed the track marshals’ decision to the Kentucky Racing Commission and lost. He took his case to court and won in 1970. Dancer’s Image was once again the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby.

But then the state of Kentucky took that decision to a federal appeals court and won the case against Fuller and Dancer’s Image. That was definitive. Fuller said he spent $250,000 on his pointless lawsuits.

A billboard on his horse farm in New Hampshire stubbornly boasts that it is the home of Dancer’s Image, winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby. But that sign is false.

Forward Pass is the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby. The colt was no fluke, either: he won the Preakness and barely missed a Triple Crown sweep on June 1 after leading the Belmont to the final 16th pole.

Three days later, as the 13-year-olds began their summer vacation, there was another real-world tragedy, the second in two months. that made horse racing seem terribly frivolous.

“Give me your weary, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your crowded shore,” wrote the poet Emma Lazarus, addressing the Old World. Send me these, storm-tossed. I raise my lamp by the golden gate.

And so Palestinian immigrant Bishara Sirhan brought his family to the United States. The poet also asked the Old World to “maintain, ancient lands, their historic pomp.” But when Bishara brought his 12-year-old son Sirhan Sirhan to California, he imported a monstrous ego and many centuries of ancient hatreds into his American sanctuary.

Young Sirhan looked westernized in his teens, with a tufted hair style, and even in old age today he looks like a kind gentleman. But he testified in court that he murdered Bobby Kennedy “with 20 years of premeditation.” His diary confirmed that he was full of resentment against the Jews and against the senator from New York who was in favor of selling warplanes to Israel.

He checked out the Los Angeles hotel where Kennedy would watch the primary election results with his supporters. Kennedy won the California and South Dakota presidential primaries on June 4. Incumbent President Lyndon Johnson had long since withdrawn from the race. There was great hope among Americans who had supported the late President John F. Kennedy eight years earlier.

As Bobby Kennedy was leaving the celebration through a hotel kitchen, Sirhan intercepted him and shot him three times, one in the head and two in the back. Like phenylbutazone, Sirhan nullified the victory. And in my mind, I see Richard Nixon putting together the pieces of his Derby ticket.

Of course, no one knows how the world might have been different if Bobby Kennedy had been elected president that November instead of Richard Nixon. Like his older brother, he had a penchant for adultery. But he was a practicing Catholic, under the influence of Cardinal Spellman. Unlike his younger brother, Teddy, he did not try to harmonize public policy with his personal immorality.

If older brother John’s sole appointment to the Supreme Court is any indication. a Court populated by three Bobby Kennedy nominations could have decided Roe v. Wade differently.

Byron White, JFK’s appointment to the Court, not only dissented from Roe, but from all subsequent decisions that applied him as binding precedent. Nixon, unlike JFK, nominated pro-abortion Justices Lewis Powell and Harry Blackmun, and pro-abortion Chief Justice Warren Burger to the Court.

If Bobby Kennedy, instead of Richard Nixon, had filled those Supreme Court vacancies with the same kind of justices as Byron White, they could have combined with William Rehnquist and White to form a 5-4 majority for child protection. unborn. Tens of millions of American children could have been spared the post-Roe v. Wade, and continues today. Thanks to Sirhan Sirhan and the people who welcomed him to our country, we will never know for sure.

“1968,” Fuller said, “was a horrible year.”

by Bart Stinson

You marry at the level of your self-esteem. – Mary Osmond

It’s not uncommon for single women to be told that they need to lower their expectations or standards to meet an eligible man. Women are told to be more realistic. However, I have often found that the greatest danger is that many women are willing to settle for much less than they deserve.

A friend of mine recently told me that she once had a long list of what she expected from a man, but now she had decided that a suitable man would only need to have two qualifications. He would have to be employed and breathe. We laughed a lot, but it was actually a bit depressing to hear this from my beautiful and accomplished friend.

In her book “Women and Money,” financial guru Suze Orman passionately tells women, “Don’t put yourself up for sale.”

He is talking about women who “put themselves up for sale” in their professional or financial lives. However, how could you do this in relationships?

Here are some examples:

* Not placing a high enough value on yourself.

* Do not have strong limits on what is and is not acceptable.

* Do not express their true feelings.

* Do not ask for what you want and need.

* Not being able to receive compliments, attention or gifts from others.

* Being too focused on meeting the needs of others.

* Allowing someone to speak to you in a hurtful or disrespectful manner.

* Discount your own needs or feelings.

* Not letting someone know when they hurt you.

*Hide your preferences.

* Not making time to feed.

* Sacrifice what you really want or need.

* Settling for less than you deserve.

* Thinking that a suboptimal relationship is the best you can hope for.

* Leave everything to be available for a man.

* Being the pursuer or doing all the work in a relationship.

* Staying in a relationship that leaves you feeling drained, insecure, or frequently disappointed.

* Feeling that you are struggling to justify or explain your partner’s actions to convince yourself to stay in a relationship.

* Not knowing when to walk away from a suboptimal or painful relationship.

* Not believing that you deserve to be loved and appreciated by someone wonderful.

Now, I realize that commitment and giving is also part of any relationship. However, many women are willing to give to the point where it can actually be detrimental to them and deplete them of their natural feminine attributes.

It is important in a relationship with a man for a woman to be in a receptive place a good deal of the time. Men like to please women they care about and adore women who can enjoy and appreciate their “gifts.”

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has been a staple every year since 1924. Although it started as a way to get people excited about the store and the first parade was actually at Christmas instead of Thanksgiving, everything What they did worked, as today more than 3.5 million attend annually and another 50 million watch from the comfort of their living rooms.

Over the years, a few things about the parade have changed; the route, the participants and of course the balloons. In 1927, Felix the Cat became the first balloon to join the fun. The following year, they decided to fill it with helium, but they had no way to deflate it, so they just let it go. exploded. In the following years they also released balloons, still without having a way to deflate them. They made their way to all of them and if you find one you can take it back to Macy’s for a prize, however not many people did.

The parade has always been very well attended. The first had 250,000 people on the six-mile route that took store employees from Herald Square to Harlem. It has been something that Americans look forward to every year and of course over the years it has grown. There were only a few years when there wasn’t a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and that was while World War II was being fought and the rubber used to make the balloons was donated to the war effort. However, in 1945, there were two million people on the route, grateful that the war was over and things could return to normal.

Today some eight thousand people travel the route and another four thousand volunteers are needed to organize the route, the floats and the balloons.

If you’ve never been to the Macy’s Thanksgiving festivities, why not go but do it in style by chartering a plane? You won’t have to fight the crowds at a commercial airport or suffer through long lines at security checkpoints. You’ll have plenty of legroom, headroom and shoulder room, and best of all, you’ll be able to choose when and what time to fly. Your schedule, not theirs!

If you choose to charter, you can land at an airport closer to the action and get to your destination much faster than on a commercial flight, and you can even watch the balloons being inflated, which happens overnight. before the big day.

When you think of air travel, you have two options. You can fly commercially or charter a plane to get where you want to be. They both take you to your destination, but have very different opinions about air travel. If he’s going on a business trip, chartering a jet can allow him to hold meetings and work on the road. But, how about for a family vacation or a weekend? Yes, you can sign him, and what if he signs the biggest game in football, the Super Bowl? If you don’t live near the stadium where the match will be played, why not?

The Super Bowl is an annual event, played on the first Sunday in February and featuring the AFC winners against the NFC winners. In the past, the AFC and the NFL were rival leagues, but they merged in 1970 to form what we know today as the NFL. As the merger took shape, it was agreed that the winners of both leagues would play a championship game, and the Super Bowl was born. The first edition of the ‘big game’ was played in 1967. To be stylish and stand out, every subsequent game was known by the roman numeral for its number, all except Super Bowl 50 which used the number in its logo. Another interesting fact about football’s biggest game is that in odd-numbered games, the NFC winners receive the home team, while in even-numbered games, that recognition goes to the AFC winners.

It is also a clear fact that no team has ever played a Super Bowl in its home stadium. In fact, there are four teams that have never played that game. Detroit, Cleveland, Jacksonville and the Houston Texans have never made it to that exciting final game of the season. However, teams that have been successful include Pittsburgh with 6 wins and both Dallas and San Francisco who have 4 wins each.

So if you don’t live in the designated city for the Super Bowl, rent your way there. You’ll be glad you did, as you can design a schedule, you’ll have plenty of leg, shoulder, head and elbow room, and you can configure the cabin any way you like. Add in the lack of long security lines and we have a winner!

The New Orleans Saints have a very talented offense that can take them through January without question. Quarterback Drew Brees is playing the best he has ever played and will be one of the favorites for MVP once the season is over. The 2009 season should be a good one for the Saints franchise as a whole, with many expecting the Saints to play in late January.

Drew Brees has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, with all-around offensive threats like WR Marques Colston, RB Mike Bell, BB Reggie Bush and WR Jeremy Shockey. All the pieces are in place for the Saints to win a lot of games this season. Will they be a good regular season team? Will they use all their offensive weapons in January when there is also pressure? Offenses this good don’t happen that often, so the Saints need to make the most of the great players they have now.

The NFC South is not as good as it has been in years past. The Saints should win the division, if everyone, especially Drew Brees, stays healthy throughout the season. The Saints should have a lot of easy games on their schedule to rack up wins and get a high seed for the playoffs, not the No. 1 seed. Defense is what the Saints need to keep opponents on relatively low score – we know the Saints can score in groups and quickly.

New Orleans has struggled financially in recent years and a good Saints football team is what the New Orleans community needs. We know what happened to the 2007 New England Patriots: They were on the verge of the best NFL season of all time, but they were beaten in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants. It’s not clear the Saints can be as good an offense as the Patriots were in 2007, but it’s how they execute in the playoffs that will matter.