Oddly enough he's still underrated

Jim Henderson was (is) as good as it gets in his profession. That he spent so much of his career in one market is unusual. But it's the sort of thing that's much more likely to happen in New Orleans than in most places.

Henderson's trick was his eloquent and understated style actually allowed him to get away with as much or maybe even a little more irreverence than some of the more boisterous local sports dudes have over the years. When Buddy D or even Ron Swoboda or someone like them picked a fight... usually with Saints brass, but also other people... they often ended up just as bruised as their targets in the altercation. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But Henderson had a kind of finesse that allowed him to be just as critical and just as independent without also getting thrown off the plane or, perhaps, "cold cocked" as Ray Nagin would put it. That's a rare talent.

Those of us who are old enough to remember ESPN's Sportscenter in its heyday will recall that Dan Patrick often got away with more as the dry straight man than his showboaty partner Keith Olbermann did. Today Patrick's nationally syndicated radio sports talk show is eminently more listenable than Olbermann's serial cable news embarrassments. Jim Henderson could have been Dan Patrick if he wanted to. He had (has) that kind of talent.

But Henderson, probably in the ultimate testament to a sense of judgement superior to that of anyone we can compare him to, decided to stay in New Orleans instead. My guess is it was worth it.