* We are 9 1/2 hours until Super Bowl kickoff. The grocery stores are packed. People are waking up. The excitement will be building all day. Fun stuff but torture to wait all day. Some fans are in church, praying for an Eagles victory tonight. It will be a great day to hunker down inside. Light snow and heavy, cold rain expected today. As the game ends late tonight things will clear out- just in time for the wild celebrations.
Warnings are already being issued about not going too crazy tonight. Fans are in midnight and kelly green everywhere. It's Super bowl Sunday and the Eagles are playing- for only the third time in history.
As expected, most of the goofy media- those so-called football "experts" from ESPN, Good Morning America, etc... most are picking New England. Despite Philadelphia's thrashing of Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, the pundits continue to give the Birds no chance. No wonder the Eagles are underdogs and relish in that role.
- Expect ex-Patriots LaGarrette Blount and Chris Long to have major impacts on the game- both on the field and off. Blount will get the ball near the goal line; Long will pressure Tom Brady and try to force turnovers. But Blount and Long know the Pats' schemes, formations, signals, and although i'm sure they are different now, the players know tendencies. They know how Brady thinks and what he may do in a certain situation. That's an advantage and the team needs all the advantages they can get.
- I expect crowds to be huge tonight, damn the weather. Much bigger than the 2008 Phillies championship. Bigger than the famous Flyers celebrations in the 70s. The city seems ready for huge crowds, but I have a feeling the party will be even bigger than expected. It's the first time the Eagles win a Super Bowl. It's a great excuse to party in the dead of winter. Fans will explode with relief, with joy, with tears and celebration.
- I want the Eagles to win for my late dad, who was a big Eagles and Philly sports fan. But I also wish the Birds win for the following people:
Bill Lyon- Long-time Philadelphia Inquirer sports writer. One of the all-time best, a poet who wrote about sports. He has been public the last few years in writing about his battle with dementia. He helped me about 15 years ago, giving me the encouragement i needed when I was writing my memoir, "Those Are The Breaks." He deserves to see and be a part of an Eagles world championship before he slips even deeper into the depths of dementia.
Ray Didinger- Another equally-famous Philly sports writer. Hall of Fame writer, in fact. Wrote the Eagles Encyclopedia. Was at Franklin Field with his grandfather, family and friends as a child in 1960 when the Birds won their last NFL championship. Ray is a good guy who deserves to see another Eagles championship. He is Philadelphia football.
Jeffrey Lurie- The owner of the team, he has been there for the good and the bad. He's no Jerry Jones, which is good. He deserves to win- finally- after many years of suffering with the die-hard fans.
Stan Hochman- Long-time Philly sports writer who is no longer with us. He was a gritty, old-school scribe, the kind they don't make anymore. Along with Lyon, Didinger and others, he was the best in Philadelphia media, a guy I read daily while growing up.
Bill Campbell- Called the 1960 championship game and was the Birds' announcer for years before become a Phillies broadcaster. The dean of Philadelphia sports.
Tom Brookshier- Former Eagles great, sports broadcaster and business man. Started WIP Sports Radio and made it great, into the juggernaut it is today. Brooky is gone as well but not forgotten.
Merrill Reese- Current Eagles play-by-play radio guy. Merrill is the harry Kalas and Gene Hart of Philly football. Can't wait to hear his joy when the Eagles finally win the Lombardi Trophy as the best football team in the world.
Finally, congratulations to Brian Dawkins and Terrill Owens for making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dawk and T.O. will officially be enshrined in Canton, Ohio on August 4.
* The Flyers lost their fourth game in a row, a shoot-out defeat to one of the worst clubs in hockey, the Ottawa Senators. Nolan Patrick tied the game with 2 seconds left in regulation, only to see the Orange and Black lose it in a shoot-out, which the flyers normally suck at.The Flyers try to snap their losing streak on Tuesday in Carolina vs the Hurricanes.
* The Sixers also lost last night, a 100-92 thumping at Indiana to the Pacers.Joel Embiid played in back-to-back games for the first time, scoring 24 points. He will be at the Super Bowl tonight, cheering on the Eagles.
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