* Steve Trevelise asked last night on his radio show who would the fans like to take to the big NFC Championship Game tomorrow night.I'm lucky enough to be going, and my nephew and a friend are attending with me. But if I had a choice of who to watch the game with, dead or alive, I would say my late father or Eagle great, Chuck Bednarik.
My dad is an obvious choice. He was a great Philly sports fan, especially the Phillies, but he also loved the Eagles. He had never been to a championship game in his 55 years, so going to tomorrow's match-up with the Vikings would've been so special.
Seeing the game with Chuck Bednarik would be fun as well. I envision Sunday night's game as being a tough, gritty, low-scoring, defensive contest, the kind of game Bednarik loved to play in.
Chuck Bednarik is Mr. Eagle, the player who most personifies the team, its fans and city. There was never any doubt about the toughness of Bednarik, the son of Slovak immigrants from Bethlehem, Pa. who served in World War II as a B-24 waist gunner and went to the University of Pennsylvania om the GI Bill.
He was a two-way star at Penn and a perennial All-Pro who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He is such a local legend, almost folk-lore like in his football career and life, from his devastating hit on Giants' Frank Gifford in their 1960 game to his leadership on the field against the Packers for the Eagles only NFL championship even to this day
I met "Concrete Charlie" as a kid. He was friends with our parish priest and came to Phoenixville one spring morning to speak at our First Communion breakfast. I don't recall much of that morning, but I do remember how awestruck my dad was when we met Bednarik. I remember Bednarik being big, intense and a nice guy.
I mostly remember Bednarik's hands.Shaking his hand, my tiny hand was lost in his gnarled neat hooks. I heard stories about his dislocated, broken fingers, war medals from his football days.
Hopefully the spirit of "Concrete Charlie" is with the Eagles tomorrow night as they defeat Minnesota and move on to the Super Bowl.
* Minnesota remains a three-point favorite tomorrow. I expect late money to go on the Birds, as it did last week before the Atlanta game. I don't think the Vikings win, let alone win by more than three points in Philadelphia.
Getting the lead early, limiting turnovers and penalties, and controlling the ball are all keys to victory. The raucous home fans will make a difference, but the fans can't catch the ball or tackle. It's up to the players to perform. I think they will. As the Eagles buried a favored Vikings team last season with Sam Bradford at quarterback, I think the birds dominate the game, though I do see a close, defensive-minded contest.
I still say Eagles 20 Vikings 17
I'll be at the game tomorrow night and will have a review and notes on Monday morning. When the sun comes up on Monday, will we still be celebrating or will we be depressed as reality sinks in that the season is over?
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