We begin the week with two stories out of New Orleans. It’s a very Catholic town so locals are jazzed that Pope Leo XIV has roots in the 7th Ward’s Creole community. It’s a football crazy town so locals are jazzed that unpopular Saints QB Derek Carr is retiring from the NFL.

The last thing I expected to write about before the conclave was the new Pope. I didn’t have a horse in that race even though I dug the movie Conclave. The Popetentials didn’t seem particularly interesting until I heard the name Robert Prevost. I recognized it as a New Orleans Creole name immediately. I was not alone:

“Within two hours of the announcement, a genealogist at the Historic New Orleans Collection, Jari Honora, changed the narrative, at least in south Louisiana, with his revelation that a quick search of ancestral records turned up Pope Leo’s deep local roots.

“Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has Creole of color roots from New Orleans on his mother’s side,” wrote Honora, a Black, Catholic New Orleanian.

Honora’s review of census and marriage records showed that the new pope’s grandparents — Joseph and Louise Martinez — were married in 1887 on Annette Street in the 7th Ward. In 1900, they owned and lived in the home on North Prieur, a few blocks away.”

Upon seeing these reports, I wondered if the Prevost family was aware that they had Black Creole roots. Comments from the papal brother indicate that they know. That means that the family was NOT passe blanc according to the definition used by 7th Ward Creole maven Megan Braden-Perry:

Would I ever act crazy in anyone’s mentions? Hell no.

Would I ever call anyone a heaux? No, but it’s charming when Megan does it.

One more papal point. Folks in Chicago are ecstatic that the new pontiff is from that toddling town. It was unclear at first whether Pope Bob was a White Sox or Cubs fan. Mystery solved:

The Chicago Sun-Times published a photo of Pope Leo XIV at the 2005 World Series.

— Republicans Against Trumpism (@rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social) 2025-05-09T04:53:00.805Z

I dig this headline as well:

Today's front page.

— Chicago Sun-Times (@chicago.suntimes.com) 2025-05-09T13:18:24.283Z

For the uninitiated, that evokes memories of these classic SNL characters whose refrain was DA BEARS.

In addition to Pope Bob, Chicago and New Orleans have something else in common: former Bears and Saints head coach, Mike Ditka. The SNL Bears Super Fans worshipped Ditka as a demigod. He was reviled in New Orleans after a disastrous run as Saints head coach from 1997-1999.

That concludes the papal portion of the post. Does this mean I’ll get papal dispensation? Discuss amongst yourselves.

In other New Orleans news, Saints QB Derek Carr has announced his retirement. This story was the source of considerable celebration as Carr was the most unpopular Saints player in recent memory. He never connected with the fan base and they, in turn, grew to loathe him. They booed him as if they were Philadelphia sports fans. That’s some serious shit, y’all.

Carr’s first mistake was announcing that his first meal in cuisine rich New Orleans was at Chipotle. Some Saints fans interpreted this as a slap in the culinary face. I am not making this up. Carr was off to a bad start, and it was all downhill from there.

He could have redeemed himself by playing well but he was mediocre on the field and obnoxious off of it. Carr had the unenviable task of following the best player in franchise history, Drew Brees as the Saints QB. Brees once said that if you love New Orleans, New Orleans will love you back; a lesson that Derek Carr never learned.

I have some good news for Derek Carr; he’s heard his last boos at the Superdome. It’s unclear who will be the Saints QB next season: new coach Kellen Moore is high on former Louisville Cardinal Tyler Shough. His last name is pronounced Shuck, which evokes oysters, not fast food. He hasn’t played a down and he’s already off to a better start than Derek Carr.

The last word goes to Frank Sinatra followed by Dr. John: