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NFL Notebook: Father would love son's dress
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How long have the Saints been waiting to get to the Super Bowl?
Long-time New Orleans radio personality Buddy Diliberto promised to wear a dress if they ever did. The wait went on so long -- 42 years -- that Diliberto died before seeing it.
So, Chris Diliberto will honor his late father's promise to Saints fans today.
Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert and Abdul D. Tentmakur of Vancleave, Miss., who both work for WWL-AM (870), will also wear dresses. WWL Radio is promoting the dress-wearing event.
• What: AFC/NFC Pro Bowl, Sun Life Stadium, Miami.
• When: 7:20 p.m.
• TV: ESPN.
• Of note: The Steelers are represented by Casey Hampton, LaMarr Woodley, Heath Miller and James Harrison.
• The skinny: First time game will be played before the Super Bowl. ... Also first time not played in Honolulu since 1980.
"Bobby [Hebert] was going to do this alone, but I told Bobby that I wanted to do this for my father," Chris Diliberto said. "It was something my dad wanted to do in 1994 just after [coach] Jim Mora quit."
The elder Diliberto died of a heart attack in 2005. He was best known for campaigning to get Mike Ditka hired as coach and for getting fans to wear paper bags over their head during the Saints' lean years.
The Indianapolis Colts are favored by oddsmakers. But in some respects, the Colts are also underdogs. With the Saints making their first Super Bowl appearance, memories of Hurricane Katrina still lingering and close ties between the team and the city's rebuilding effort, Colts players understand why the Saints are this year's sentimental favorite.
"There's a reason America is pulling for New Orleans, and why wouldn't they? They've been through a lot," Colts safety Antoine Bethea said. "Sports tends to pull people together, so it's commendable for New Orleans to be, as I guess you'd say, America's team right now."
Damon Weaver, the 11-year-old journalist who became an Internet sensation during the 2008 presidential campaign, was working the Pro Bowl beat yesterday. Among his catches: an interview with commissioner Roger Goodell. Weaver, who lives in Pahokee, Fla., said he enjoyed the Pro Bowl atmosphere. "It's awesome -- very exciting and filled with joy," he said. See what Ben Roethlisberger's missing.
Tom Brookshier, an All-Pro defensive back who played on the Philadelphia Eagles' 1960 championship team and later became a partner in the CBS broadcast booth with Pat Summerall, died Friday from cancer. He was 78. Eagles Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik called him a leader on the field and in the locker room, and said Brookshier "might have been the toughest defensive back of our era."
Fired Redskins coach Jim Zorn wasn't out of work long. The Baltimore Ravens hired him as their quarterbacks coach. ... The NFL team of the past decade, as selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, will be announced today during the Pro Bowl (7:20 p.m., ESPN). ... Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie has been dismissed from the NFC Pro Bowl team for unexcused absences. ... For tonight's Pro Bowl, ESPN is expected to place microphones on 14 players and coaches, with comments airing on 10-second delay.
First Published January 31, 2010 12:35 am
