Take 10 with Barry Cryer

It's been a little over a year since Hurricane Katrina hit. What goes through your mind when you think about that?

1.  It was just such a bad feeling when all that was going on, a really bad feeling, like I had lost a part of me.

 

What was your initial reaction to the news of the hurricane a year ago?

2. It was heartbreaking, completely heartbreaking.  It was a disaster, and I couldn't do anything about it.

 

Was your play on the field affected by the hurricane?

3. I don't think it affected my play, but it affected my mind, like I could never really have peace.  It's a lot better now.

 

How have things changed for your family in the last year?

4. It was really hard at first, because no one knew where anyone was.  But now we're all back, and everything is so much better, like normal again.

 

Were you able to do anything to help at home?

5. I actually spent the summer down there, helping clean up and rebuild.  It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, seeing a lot of memories and working really hard.

 

What was it like for you to see your family move back home?

6. It was such a good feeling, getting to see them move back, and seeing my mother get back to where we lived when I was young.

 

What did you think of the New Orleans Saints first game back in the Superdome?

7. It was a great feeling, knowing that the home team was back at home, with a real home crowd again.

 

What's your favorite part about Mardi Gras?

8. (laughs) Probably everybody just having fun, everybody enjoying themselves.

 

What do you miss most about New Orleans that you can't get in Lincoln?

9. My family, I miss them so much.

 

Would you rather have a Louisiana alligator or a Nebraska steak?

10. Nebraska steak. I never really had alligator.  I tasted a piece of it once, a long time ago, but I don't remember what I thought of it.