PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!

* More Eaglemania....

- I got my Eagle Super Bowl Championship gear yesterday at King of Prussia. Both Modell's and Dick's were jam-packed, even in the morning. of course, the gear is pricey. I spent $ 40 on a championship cap alone.

There must be a ton ( pardon the pun) of heavy-set Eagle fans in the area, as it was really hard to find a medium-sized t-shirt. Mostly large and beyond.

Funny, no crew-neck sweatshirts- only hoodies, long-sleeve shirts and short-sleeve t-shirts.

The gear is a souvenir , but also a badge of courage for fans, a sign that we survived. Of course, it's a source of pride, as I wore the cap through-out the mall and to the grocery store and got several comments of "Nice hat" or "I like your hat."

In Modell's people were calling family, asking about sizes and styles. Shorts were set up on tables and shoppers rummaged thru the items at lightning speed.  And as we approached Dick's we followed a new shipment of Eagle gear ready to be opened and displayed.

Don't allow anyone to tell you that sports doesn't matter. It does. Look at the financial aspect of this championship on the economy of our communities. Modell's would've had to send back tons of merchandise if the Birds would've lost. Instead, their faith was rewarded big-time .

Fans may be rushing for gear to be ready for the parade tomorrow. But I do have a feeling the run on all things Eagles will continue, well into next season, as books, DVDs and other Philly merchandise is released.

- The audio was released of QB Nick Foles suggesting the "Philly Special" trick play on fourth-and- goal at the Patriot's one yard-line to Doug Pederson. The coach decided to roll with the play, and now it is a part of Philadelphia sports history, perhaps the biggest, most legendary single play in Super bowl history.

Speaking of Foles, talk is swirling about his future. Keep him or trade him? I think it all depends on what Foles himself wants. If he wants to be a starter somewhere else, and make bigger money ( who can blame him?), then the Birds' front office needs to listen to offers.

Lots of teams in the NFL, including the Jets, Browns and Broncos, need a solid quarterback. The interest will be there. The Eagles would be dealing from a position of strength. Don't give Foles away. Make teams pay dearly- a first round pick. Maybe that's crazy. Maybe a second-rounder is the best you can do in return, plus maybe a player. But the idea, if you trade Foles, is to take advantage of his worth and value, which will never be higher.

Then you find another good back-up, as we saw this season when Carson Wentz went down, a back-up needs to be solid. Look what happened to Green Bay when Aaron Rodgers was hurt and the Packers proceeded to crumble.

If the offers aren't enough, or if Foles is content with remaining the back-up to Wentz, you keep him, extend his contract ( Foles only has one more year left on his contract), and and have Foles as an insurance policy in case Wentz isn't ready to start the season next fall.

I would keep Foles. It's hard to find a competent starting QB in the NFL, let alone a back-up. We hope Foles never sees the field again and Wentz remains healthy and takes the Birds to numerous Super Bowls down the road. But just in case, it's nice to know you've got a Super Bowl MVP on your sidelines.

Keeping Foles may lead to a quarterback controversy, if Wentz wasn't so good. Typical of Philly fans, as soon as Wentz has a bad game, will the fans clamor for Foles?

But lest we forget, Wentz was having an MVP-caliber season before he tore up his knee. Wentz is already hungry- even more so now, as the Birds earned and won a Super Bowl without him. Foles played great, but Wentz is the future. He is younger and the Eagles have so much invested in him. There shouldn't even be a discussion about who is the starting QB. Foles did what he is paid to do- step in and win games until the starter returns.

Either way, it will be a compelling off-season story and keep fans talking Eagles even thru the summer.

* One thing i love about the Eagles finally winning the Super Bowl is, their victory exorcises the ghosts of the past. The fog over the infamous Fog Bowl finally lifts; the T.O. controversy is no more. The painful losses to Tampa Bay and Carolina in the past are invisible now. Guys like Concrete Charlie, Reggie White and Jerome Brown are smiling down on the city. The fans are no longer lovable losers. We can stand with Giant and Cowboy fans, toe-to-toe, and say we are in "the club" now. We have won a Super Bowl.

Philly has always been though of, and has had an inferior complex about, being the "little sister' to New York. Boston has kicked our butts with sports championships. Even state-rival Pittsburgh, with the Steelers  and Penguins, could claim to be our superiors in sports.

We may not have as many championships as other cities but this unexpected surprise season is a good start. most of all, Philly doesn't have to take a backseat anymore. Maybe the fans' attitude will change to a more positive note. We were so used to the negative happening. Constant years of losing wears you down. You expect the worst to come true, not fairy tale, magical seasons like this. storybook endings happen to other teams and other cities, not to Philly fans.

So, it will take some adjustment. But we will never be the same again, which is a good thing.

What happens next? Enjoy the parade tomorrow. A once-in-a-lifetime event. We may have more parades in the future, but nothing will ever compare to the first. It should really sink in on Thursday, when millions are lining the streets of Philadelphia and converge at the Art Museum for a tremendous rally.

There may be a letdown when things calm down. But hopefully the winning is like an avalanche for all our teams. Hopefully the Flyers and Sixers make the playoffs and do well. It's suddenly not enough just to get there.The Phillies travel to Florida for spring training soon, and a summer of excitement and success awaits.

Plus, if all else fails, there's always next fall, when the world champion Eagles try to defend their crown, a marked team hoping top fend off the likes of the Giants and Cowboys and Redskins, and claw their way back to the playoffs and the Super Bowl.