In Zephyrs, Katrina Victims Get a Feel of Normalcy

METAIRIE, La., April 6 -- Opening Day is a time of renewal, a time to say hello to old friends you might not have seen since the end of last summer. Before Thursday night, the New Orleans Zephyrs had last played a game at Zephyr Field on Aug. 26, and so when folks ran into somebody they hadn't seen since that week that changed everything, they did so with what has become the standard greeting in these parts: "How'd you do?"

"When you see someone you haven't seen in a while, you say 'How'd you do?' " said Walter Leger, the Zephyrs' vice president. "It's like, 'How'd you do?' 'Well, I had 14 feet [of water] for three weeks. How 'bout you?' "

There was red, white and blue bunting on the railings and a rear end in almost every one of the stadium's 10,000 seats Thursday night. This was more than Opening Day for the Zephyrs, the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. It was also the first sign of normalcy in New Orleans's sports landscape, which, like every other facet of life here, was altered forever by the impact of Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29.

"You don't even know," said John Zimmerman, a retired utility worker from Metairie. "You don't know how it feels to have something to come to and relax and get away from the sheetrock and the plywood and the blue roofs. This is a chance to take a break from the everyday chore of trying to restructure your life."

The Zephyrs, who lost to the Round Rock (Tex.) Express, 5-4, became the first professional sports team to return permanently to the area. The NFL's Saints plan to return on Sept. 24. The NBA's Hornets have played the majority of their games in Oklahoma City, but could return next season. And the Arena Football League's Voodoo simply took the year off.

"These guys never left, and that means something to the people here," said Judy Carson of New Orleans, whose house in the Lakefront neighborhood was almost completely under water after the storm, and who now lives at a friend's house. "It's wonderful. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"I'll tell you this much," said Tracy Rogers of Metairie. "If they do good out there, you're going to hear a lot of hootin' and hollerin'."

In the aftermath of the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard used Zephyr Stadium -- which sits in an area that suffered wind damage but minimal water damage -- as a staging area for its search-and-rescue efforts. Guardsmen and FEMA workers slept in the clubhouses and luxury suites. Helicopters were landing on the outfield grass.

On Thursday night, the Zephyrs -- many of whom competed for jobs with the Nationals (and lost) this spring -- were introduced on the field to the strains of Dixieland jazz being pumped out of the stadium's new sound system. Soul legend Irma Thomas sang the national anthem. A new, giant video screen sat gleaming beyond center field. The stadium suffered damages of around $2 million, but was rebuilt better than ever.

Residents here have had few pleasant distractions to get their minds off the daunting, all-consuming task of rebuilding. Whole neighborhoods or even entire towns still sit lifeless in the hardest-hit areas, more than seven months after the storm.

"We can't talk about anything else but this stuff," said Leger, whose house in St. Bernard Parish was under 14 feet of water. "So it's nice to slip away for a few hours and watch some baseball."

The Zephyrs' players, about 20 of whom took a tour of the devastation on Wednesday, have taken seriously the responsibility of providing an escape for the fans here. Maybe deep down they would rather not be here, a step below the major leagues, but everybody likes to feel needed.

"I'd rather be out there building something than just playing baseball," outfielder Ryan Church said. "I wish we could do more. Some of these people have nothing. But if I can help make people happy by playing baseball, I'll settle for that."