Frozen Football Fun & What Really Matters

So I’m just recovering from the Eagles/Packers Wild Card Game on Sunday.

Exhale…

I actually went to the game. Was lucky enough to get an SRO (standing room only) ticket — which meant that I didn’t actually have a seat in the stadium and had to stand the whole time. But that’s not such a big deal considering no one ever sits down at these games. Even when you have a seat it seems like you end up standing most of the time… Anyway, the standing wasn’t even an issue. The issue is that it was 26 degrees outside and I was out there for 5 hours. And despite the many layers of Iggles gear (see photo below) I had on beneath my coat, I’m just now thawing out!

My poor toes were crying. One of the guys standing next to me told me they had toe warmers on sale down in the Pro Shop. Thank God for these things. I should buy stock in these things:

The outcome of the game/season is still too painful for me to talk about. So instead I figured I’d just show you how cool the Iggles Drumline was.

WATCH VIDEO: Eagles Game Day Drumline

Super cool, right? Nick Cannon, watch out!!! I bet you didn’t even know the Eagles had a drum line… Don’t feel bad about it though. Neither did I. I think it was their first time ever playing at the stadium.

Though I’m bummed about our season, I’m trying to learn not to let football affect my mood as much as I used to. As people were filing out of the stadium they were kicking trash cans over, screaming at each other, and punching walls and poles. Watching all that really put things into perspective for me. It’s not that serious. It’s just a game. And in light of the tragedy that took place on Saturday, football doesn’t even rate.

I continue to pray for the victims of the Arizona shooting and their families. I hope you all will too.

Mike Vick and musical chairs

So I ended up getting a last-minute invitation to go to the Eagles/Skins game last nite. But I’ve been sick for the last week and it was due to rain and it’s November… But then my “inviter” told me we’d be sitting in a dry, warm, tricked-out luxury box. And I thought, “Well, it’d be rude to turn him down…

As a die-harder-than-most Iggles fan, I can’t say how happy I am that I was there to witness the clinic Michael Vick put on last nite. 4 TD passes, 2 rushing TDs, 300 passing yards and 80 rushing yards — it was a thing of beauty. Understandably, FedEx Field began to clear out pretty early in the game. Now in the interest of full disclosure, it was raining pretty hard for most of the game, but a lot of Skins folks just got discouraged:

Where are all da people?

This wasn’t halftime or anything. And the stadium was full at the kickoff. But by the middle of the second quarter, there was basically no one in the top two tiers of the stadium. It was like a great big game of musical chairs where 50,000 people decided not to bother sitting back down. I can’t imagine what it looked like on TV.

I mocked my cold/flu situation, posting the following update on Facebook:

I fully regret that post, as I feel like booty today. I have a show in a few hours so I need to get it together. So I apologize cold/flu thing. Now please release me. Love, EJ

So long, old friend

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Wow.

This hurt. I mean it’s not like I didn’t know it was coming — I actually had a Google Alert set up to monitor the trade talks, but hearing the official word hit me hard.

Last nite I was pretty bummed. My Facebook timeline is filled with condolences and chiding. I felt like I did back when I wanted to quit 4th grade when my favorite teacher, Mrs. Ladd, went on maternity leave. But after Andy Reid’s press conference and listening to WIP 610 Sportstalk in Philly all nite and watching the ESPN reporting, I realize that they actually did the best they could by McNabb once they decided they were gonna trade him — which is waaaaaay more than I can say about the way they handled the Dawkins and Westbrooks trades. I mean offering Brian Dawkins (a captain, tested veteran, and the leader of your top-ranked defense) the same 2-year, 5-million dollar contract we gave to Michael Vick, our recently paroled, 3rd string QB experiment was just disrespectful. And notifying Brian Westbrook they were cutting him over the phone without even the courtesy of a conversation was just ugly.

It seems like in this situation Reid actually tried to get McNabb into the best situation for him considering what was out there. I’m interested to see how this intra-divisional trade thing works though. When they play each other you gotta figure no one knows McNabb and his tendencies like Andy Reid… But also no one knows the Eagles offense like McNabb, so he’s gonna be a great asset to the Washington on the defensive front too. I’m worried about the fact that there are virtually no veterans left on our team, but I feel much better about this trade today considering how badly Donovan has been treated by so many Eagles fans over the past decade.

I’m so ready for football.


PHI 0, DAL 24

Today was a good day! Awww, boo!

OK so I’ve taken a pretty lengthy hiatus from posting on the Eagles games this season. No real reason other than they leave me pretty drained — even when they win. But I had to post on tonite’s game.

What in the hell was that? A shut-out? Really?

I choose to believe the Eagles threw that game for strategic reasons. Maybe a new spin on resting starters before the playoffs — Indy benches Peyton Manning so he can rest up and recharge. But we play our starters and just ask them not to exert any real effort… Maybe we didn’t want to give away the real gameplan for next week’s game. Whatever the reason, what happened out there today was downright shameful.

I know there’s a bigger picture here, and finishing the season at 11-5 and snagging a spot in the playoffs are both wonderful things. I just wished we hadn’t lost so badly. I mean, we were picked to lose, yeah. But losing is something altogether different from what we did out on that field today.

No need to dwell on the negative though. I used to let the Eagles’ losses put me in foul moods for the entire week but I refuse to do that anymore. So I’ll just say I’m looking forward to next week! No way do I think Dallas is gonna beat us two weeks in a row. Next Saturday is all about redemption.

LET’S GO BIRDS!!!

Record: 11-5

PHI 16, DAL 20

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Well…

I’ve been to my two NFL games for the season so this week I was back at Rhino Bar in Georgetown to take in the game with a couple hundred of my best compadres…

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I brought my friend and neighbor Toiya with me. She’s a Dallas fan and I explained to her that she’d be walking into the belly of the beast, but she still wanted to go, so of course I obliged. It was like bringing my own little mini-game to the game ;)

Me and Toiya before things got ugly

Me and Toiya before things got ugly

The woman sitting next to me at the bar was drinking her beer with a straw. After a few swigs, I couldn’t take it. There was a small group of us around her (men and women) who were just staring at her, and before long we decided she needed an intervention. Come, come girlfriend…

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As a woman who loves both football and Yuengling I tried to explain to her that her actions were a poor reflection of ‘our kind’ and would only serve to further the stereotype that women don’t take sports — or beer — seriously. She didn’t surrender completely, but she agreed to use a smaller straw — more like a cocktail straw — which actually made the whole thing worse… But I watch A&E and I’ve learned that sometimes it takes 2, 3, maybe even 4 or 5 times to get thru to someone that needs help.

If I see her there next week I will try again. Because I care about people. Continue reading →

PHI 40, NYG 17

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OK, so this is me on the train headed up to Philly for the Eagles/Giants game on Sunday. Super excited! LET’S GO BIRDS!!!

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This is me with my friend Christina. She came to the game with me and obviously is a Giants fan… I know, right? But you can’t stop loving your friends just because they make bad decisions sometimes. We got there late and missed all the fireworks at the beginning of the game, but I was standing outside of the stadium and heard the cheers and the fight song playing so I knew we were off to a good start!

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Thanks once again to BFF Angi, we had fantastic seats. We were sitting with the Eagles players’ families. The photo above is me with Mrs. Gayle Jackson — DeSean Jackson’s mother. She was super adorable because she got so nervous for him. When the Giants kicker kicked the ball out of bounds, she cheered because he didn’t have to run it back. “I hate it when they jump all on him,” she said. Awwwww… Continue reading →