There's no denying the Saints are the story in Super Bowl XLIV.

There's always a grousing about how the national media doesn't pay enough attention to the Saints. But until the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 at Miami, the Saints are the story, not the Colts.

The Saints are a team for a city rebuilding from Katrina. From the Aints to the Saints. First-time Super Bowl participants;  So many new faces;. So many stories that have yet to be told;

The Saints, not the Cowboys, are going to be America's team. The Saints will get most of the attention next week.

"I think the Saints are a great story," said Colts coach Jim Caldwell, who used to recruit New Orleans heavily as a coach at Southern Illinois. "That region was absolutely devastated, and the Saints brought a lot of pride back, a lot of civic pride. The enthusiasm that you could see surrounding that team is incredible. You saw the pictures of Bourbon Street and Canal Street after that win over the Vikings and it was absolutely unbelievable."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be the centerpiece of Mardi Gras.  Peyton Manning has a very good chance to be the grand marshal at an annual pork festival.

After the Colts' win over the Jets to take the AFC championship, CBS' Jim Nantz said Manning was "smooth and sweet as custard."

Which got me to thinking: What did they do on that commercial shoot together?

Cooper Manning, Peyton's older brother, likes to tell Peyton stories. He tells this one about how Peyton cracked under pressure.

"One time, he was playing high school basketball (Newman), there was about 1:08 left on the clock, and the other team is counting, 'Eight, seven, six. . .but it was 1:08," said Cooper. "Peyton threw the ball the length of the court and hit the top of the shot clock.

"So inside of two minutes, I've always felt he panics."

Manning and Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, both who grew up in New Orleans, have many memories/span of he Saints.

"At the time I was growing up, there were a lot of brown paper bags, a lot of television blackouts," said Wayne, who attended John Ehret High on the West Bank. "Had to listen to the games on the radio. But those times are gone."

The Saints have reached their first Super Bowl. The days of fans wearing paper bags to the Superdome -- local sportscaster Buddy Diliberto implored fans to wear them over their heads after the team lost its first 14 games in 1980 -- are a dismal memory.

Manning's New Orleans ties are well-documented and deep. He attended Newman. His father, Archie, was the Saints quarterback for 12 years and has been associated with the organization for nearly four decades.

"We definitely have strong ties," said Manning. "The Saints have had a great year. They deserve it, and I know the city is excited."

HOTELS LIKE WHO DATS: The dominant colors for this year's Super Bowl are black and gold.

Fans of the Saints appear to be dominating the Super Bowl market for hotel rooms and tickets this week, easily outpacing an anemic demand from Indiana. The early reports confirm doubts that Indianapolis wouldn't show much interest in traveling to the Colts' second South Florida Super Bowl in36 months.

Hotel owners blame the teams for still having rooms available. The Colts didn't draw a huge number of fans when replied in the 2007 Super Bowl while New Orleans is too small a city to generate waves of hotel bookings at sky-high prices.

For sure, Super Bowl promises to pack rooms throughout South Florida,\, with some new hotels in Fort Lauded expecting their best weekend in history. For the first time, the NFL placed its headquarters and media center in Fort Lauderdale, a decision that generated thousands of hotel-room bookings.

The W Forth Lauderdale, which opened last summer, has rented 90 per cent of its 466 rooms available  Super Bowl. Of the 30 left, the nightly rate starts at $699. The nearby competitor the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale, has only suites left for Super Bowl weekend The cheapest cost $2,500 a night.

Southwest's low-cost low flights quickly sold out on its New Orleans-to-Fort Lauderdale routes.

GRANGER CAN'T LOSE: Indianapolis forward Danny Granger, who went to high school in Metairie at Grace King,doesn't know e\whom to root for the the Super Bowl. He said he's pulling for both teams'

"I was born and raised in New Orleans so I'm definitely pulling for the Saints," said Granger, "but if the Colts win, I'm not going to be upset because  I play in Indianapolis.

Granger played against Eli Manning  (Newman( in high school with brother Peyton and father Archie  in attendance.

"It;s basically a win-win for me," said Granger. "I grew up in New Orleans and had season tickets to the Saints game when I was a youngster. My dad and I were at the top of the Dome, but we were still there. To see the Saints go to the Super Bowl, my family's ecstatic about it.

"The whole city of New Orleans is happy about it. On the other hand, I play for the Pacers and it's the Saints and the Colts, So whoever wins, I'll be happy."

SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: WWL, the Saints' flagship radio station, will parade on Sunday in a tribute to radio legend Buddy Diliberto. The parade will feature former Saints quarterback and WWL sportscaster Bobby Hebert. The parade starts at noon st the Superdome-- Gate A -- on Sugar Bowl Drive. The march will also feature River  Parish Disposal's "Tailgator" and a marching band. Participants in the parade will second line down Poydras Street to Carondelet Street, ending in the French Quarter at Bourbon Street4 and Conti Street for a block party outside Oceana Grill restaurant, where a  "best dress" and "hairy legs" contest will be held. Diliberto promised if the Saints ever went to the Super Bowl, he'd wear a dress. The radio station has titled the festivities as "Buddy & Bobby's Brawds "Bunch of Men" dress march and parade....For those who don't like classical; music, they have my symphony...The Colts worked out former Saints cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Jason David this week...