May 4, 2006.

Quick trivia question: What number will Reggie Bush wear when he suits up for the New Orleans Saints?.

Answer: Who knows, and apparently, who cares.

The Saints’ top draft pick, and arguably the franchise’s most anticipated draft choice since Archie Manning, is already taking New Orleans, and the country, by storm.

More than 15,000 orders have been placed for Reggie Bush Saints’ jerseys. The back of the uniform has Bush written across the top. No number can be seen, because, he has no number.

Bush has been petitioning the NFL to allow him to wear his customary No. 5 jersey, a no-no for running backs. A decision from the NFL is expected soon.

For Saints’ supporters the world over, he could wear 5, 55, 555 or 1/5 and no one would care. Heck, he could wear a T-shirt and shoulder pads and crowds would go bananas.

That is the kind of player he is, and that is why the Saints have hit a home run.

Not easy to say for someone who railed against the price of tickets last season, insinuated that the Saints would bungle the draft so badly they would pick Virginia Tech’s Marcus Vick and even hinted that the powers-that-be would trade the pick for Ricky Williams.

When Houston took Mario Williams with the first choice, the Saints had only one option – take Reggie Bush.

So now the team that grabbed America by the heart last season after Hurricane Katrina has the most electric player college football has seen in years to start rebuilding. A new coach and new-found excitement surround this team and could be present for a long time to come.

Will Reggie Bush lead the Saints to a Super Bowl in his first season? Probably not. His impact, though, will be felt in so many ways. We can already see it in the number of jerseys ordered. Vicksburg sporting goods stores said Wednesday that they don’t have any in stock yet but are expecting them soon.

When Bush jerseys arrive, store managers said, they expect them to fly off the shelves.

Hopefully, it will be with the No. 5 across the front and back. We saw the history he has with that number.

To the Saints’ fans who have taken so much abuse over the years for a franchise mired in mediocrity, rest easy for a while. Right now, you are the envy of the NFL.

How many teams would love to have someone capable of scoring a touchdown every time he touches the ball?.

Now the Saints have him.