How do you know that Jim Henderson is one cool cat? He was kind enough to not even ask for that 20 minutes of his life back.

Still not convinced? How about the fact that he’s saving his Cheez-Whiz story for the book? He’s happy to take a stab at a zen coan though.

Here we go:

jazzbo: First off, thanks for representing our team as the Voice of the Saints, and representin’ damned well, I might add. I don’t know if I can come up with a question you hadn’t heard yet, but I’d be interested in knowing which players you think deserve special attention during training camp/preseason. Who are those players you think are most likely to turn some heads during TC?

Jim Henderson: Jazzbo…during training camp when live work is usually at a minimum it’s wide receivers and defensive backs whom I focus on because essentially in drills their action is live. Robert Meachem will be scrutinized to see if 1) he’s healthy 2) he can be a down-the-field threat if he is. During preseason games I think you look inside more…Jonathan Vilma at middle linebacker. Was Pierre Thomas for real a year ago? Can he be counted upon and withstand the punishment of an increased role? Lastly the kicking battle should be a good one. I would love to see Taylor Mehlhaff have a strong summer rather than resort to the same rotation of re-tread kickers the Saints have used for the most part since they let Morten Andersen go in the mid-90’s.

Dog Faced Boy: You’ve probably got a million funny war stories from covering the Saints for so long. Care to share an all time favorite? 

Jim Henderson: Dog Faced Boy…I’m saving them for the book but one involves Archie Manning, Hillary Clinton, and a can of Cheez Wiz.

Chef Who Dat: In your honest opinion, has Tom Benson lost a step? If attached to a polygraph, would you agree that his words seem adversely affected by his age? 

Jim Henderson: The man is 80 years old. Never the definition of articulate, he’s not likely to become moreso with the passing years. But his business acumen remains acute.

Chef Who Dat: Do you agree that Rita has really been running the team since 2006? 

Jim Henderson: No.

Chef Who Dat: And finally, will you rate Rita Benson LeBlanc’s body? She looks smokin’ from the Upper, Upper, Upper Terrace. But that might be Bud-vision. Would greatly appreciate your professional assessment. (you can nod your head yes or no on this one if it might get you in trouble with the Mrs.) 

Jim Henderson: Rita is a nice girl in my estimation. If you’re looking at her rather than the Saintsations, however, I would urge you to get better binoculars, better seats, or both.

Inigo Montoya: Hey Jim, looking back on it, was Brian Milne really the unlikeliest hero of them all? I agree that he was unlikely, but it seems to me that Dave Stachelski would have been at least as unlikely as Milne. What’s up with that? 

Jim Henderson: Actually I must agree. Tight end Dave Stachelski out of Boise State would have been a more unlikely hero than Brian Milne….considering that in the two years that Stachelski was a Saint Kyle Turley had just as many catches as he had (1) for more yards (Turley 16, Stachelski 5). I may be the only person on this planet with a framed Brian Milne jersey. My son got it from Saints’ equipment manager Dan Simmons….one of the world’s great guys….when he was cleaning out the equipment room after Milne’s departure. He had it framed and gave it to me along with an inscription of that call for Father’s Day a few years ago. It remains one of my most cherished possessions and I was thoroughly touched by his thoughtfulness. 

Eric B & Rakim: Yeah speaking of Hakim drops the ball, do you still tear up when you hear yourself tearing up calling that play? I’m pretty sure most of the rest of us still do.

Jim Henderson: It’s my only chance for a shred of immortality. I do get goose-bumps every time I hear it. Not because I happened to be the one making the call, but because it instantly brings to mind the incredible emotion of that moment in the Superdome….surpassed in my mind only by the 2006 home opener with Atlanta. That it brings a similar emotion to Saints fans upon re-hearing it is something I treasure. 

Hambone: What’s the sound of one hand clapping?

Jim Henderson: It’s exactly the same as the sound of the other hand clapping.

Gina: I see a couple of people have asked about Hakim drops the ball. One of the things I like most about your gameday announcing is that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but at the same time you’re never obnoxious about it or seem like you’re just pandering to the home crowd like a lot of others do. Anyone listening realizes you’re "one of us" and are emotionally invested in the team, but at the same time you’re professional and very obviously not putting on an act or schtick. How do you walk that line so well between emotionless and boring versus overly excitable and annoying? Does that talent just come naturally? Or are there moments when you have to reel yourself in and think about not moving too far in either direction?

Jim Henderson: You’re very kind. First of all I think the people for which you owe the most allegiance are the fans. Ultimately it is they who decide if you deserve to do what you do. I always try to be prepared to give my best….first game or last….winning season or losing one….blowout victory or heart-wrenching defeat. I would hope to fill the role of an informed fan, delivering the broadcast of the game with a fan’s passion but a reporter’s perspective. Still I think that can’t help but be filtered through the relationships you forge and the respect you engender for the players and coaches in the arena. I think the highest compliments I’ve received are from players and coaches who’ve praised my commentary even when it might have come at their expense. But I know I’ve never done a perfect game, never will. I sleep much better the night before the game than the night after, always thinking "I should have said that", or  "I should have been more on top of this." But I love the preparation and the anticipation. When it contributes to a good broadcast of an exciting game that the fans feel a part of, it’s an intoxicating feeling….one that makes live play-by-play the purest form of sports broadcasting that I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of for a quarter of a century. I’m truly blessed.

Gina: Hakim is one example, but another one would be the Turley helmet toss. What was going through your mind at that moment? You sure seemed pissed off. Did you have to bite your tongue? What did you really want to say at that moment? Was your tone just the heat of that specific moment? Or was it more about Turley in general?

Jim Henderson: I remember feeling exactly that. I don’t remember too much about what I said at the time but in a commentary the next day I took issue with all the fans who bought into what a heroic thing Kyle Turley had done in defense of his defenseless quarterback. Actually it was an incredibly stupid thing that he had done that cost his team a chance at victory. I remember seeing center Jerry Fontenot….who was unofficially cast on the team as Turley’s "keeper"….trying to restrain him and reason with him….to no avail. Many others have had the same problem doing so since.

Jubilee Dunbar: Jim Henderson’s top 5 favorite Saints of all time, on a personal level. In no particular order:

Jim Henderson: That’s really hard to name only five. But here goes: Archie Manning, Hokie Gajan, Sam Mills, Morten Andersen, Deuce McAllister….classy individuals all who had the game and life in perspective.

Bill: Mr. Henderson, does someone in your position ever visit blogs or web forums? I know that some do. But do you? How aware of blogs and forums is the local sports media overall in your opinion?

Jim Henderson: I do routinely read forums….especially those on nola.com involving the news media, the Saints, and the Hornets. I stop at each to begin my day at the desk to try to get the pulse of the fans, short-cuts to the sites I wouldn’t have the time to read through each afternoon, and the latest news on Dawn Brown. Can’t speak for the rest of the local media, though I think they want to know the latest on Dawn Brown, too. (Note from GW: I agree.)

Pasty: Tony Kornheiser recently referred to the newspaper as a dead medium. A few weeks ago, Will Leitch of the popular blog Deadspin had a run-in with Buzz Bissinger, who lashed out at blogs and bloggers for “dumbing down” the discourse about sports. As an experienced and highly-regarded journalist, you probably have a few words to say about blogs and (more generally) about the global shift away from traditional, credentialed reporters and toward bloggers and citizen-journalists. What is your opinion (if any) on these changes? How have they affected you?

Jim Henderson: I’ve been largely unaffected by these changes to date but who knows what the future holds in a rapidly changing world of media. I do think you have to look at most of it as just diversion and entertainment, not as a search for truth and reason.

NolaChick: 1. Is it easy faking it and pretending you care about other New Orleans teams during the Saints offseason?

Jim Henderson: Actually I found myself caring very passionately about the Hornets this season and ever before this season. It was a terrific story that reflected so positively on our city. I do care about other teams during Saints season but my involvement in preparing for and broadcasting their games leaves little time to be much more than a casual fan of some of the others.

NolaChick: 2. Can you tell Lucy Bustamante her old salsa buddy aka “shakfreakah” said hey?

Jim Henderson: It would be my pleasure.

NolaChick: 3. How hard was it not to drop a myriad of spit-inducing f-bombs when you did that rant about payton after the Bucs game debacle.

Jim Henderson: The tricky thing about doing what we do is editing yourself on the fly. I have always tried to condition myself not to swear around a microphone, live or not. When that unfortunate fumble occured, I thought maybe I had been too pointed and too critical of the call. But after a chance to reflect prior to Sean Payton’s press conference after the game, I figured Sean would probably volunteer the same criticism that I had offered himself. He did….and he should have.

Friends of Arnie: What’s next for Jim Henderson after WWL? Any political aspirations?

Jim Henderson: Depends…depends on how soon I’ll be wearing them.

REALPEYTN: How would you describe the outlook on the future of the Saints staying in New Orleans with Rita soon to be in control of the team? Do you feel as though keeping the team in N.O will be more likely with her making the decisions?

I know a lot of times we hear the PR statements released through the leaders of the organization but I’m sure you could give a more qualified opinion than most. There have been a few things within the past few months that have built up my confidence in them staying, but I haven’t heard much about the negotiations or demands.

Jim Henderson: I do not see this team leaving anytime soon. Cooler and more reasonable heads have prevailed.

GW: You vs. Gramatica in a boxing ring. How many rounds before Marteen pleads "No mas"?

Jim Henderson: Bare fists….8 ounce gloves…or kick-boxing?

Jen: On a more personal note. Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for fun? What kind of music do you like? Do you ever hang out with Bobby or Hokie or Archie or Kenny or any of those guys socially? What’s your favorite dinner? Any favorite movies or TV shows? That kind of stuff.

Jim Henderson: Love to fish…any kind….like to play tennis….like to work-out (in moderation). Like Beefeater martinis very dry on the rocks with anchovie olives…like 60’s music….there’s really never been music since…see Hokie and Archie in the off-season some but mostly we all go our own ways out of the football season. Favorite restaurants include Sal and Judy’s in Lacombe and Royal China on Vets. Only appointment TV besides sports is "The Office" which I record for weekend viewing.

Crazy George: McCain, Hillary or Obama?

Jim Henderson: None of the above…at the moment.

Barry Zuckercorn: Mt. Rushmore: Hap, Buddy D and Jim Henderson. In your opinion who’s next? Is the next great one even on the scene yet? Or is there someone you think will be joining you 3 at the table a few decades from now?

Jim Henderson: To be presumptive enough to think I warrant that company is flattering. I really like Mike Conte who works for WWL-Radio and does the Voodoo games. I think he has a very bright future.

Barry Zuckercorn: Of course a big part of that is sticking around, and it seems most of the good ones move on sooner or later. That’s probably the case just about everywhere, even New York, L.A. and Chicago. You’ve probably talked about this a million times, but we all know you’ve had your share of opportunities to move on. Why did you stay? Please tell me you have about 3 or 4 more decades in you before you’re ready to hang em up.

Jim Henderson: When people are nice enough to ask me that question I always answer "They never made me unhappy enough to leave." I quickly came to appreciate how lucky I was to combine a sports anchoring position at the dominant number one station with the chance to be the play-by-play voice of an NFL team. It’s a combination I don’t think many around the country enjoy. And I truly would rather live here in this part of the country than anywhere else.