Cry Eagles Cry

Eagles lose third NFC title game in as many years. Frustration in the region is palpable…

Living as close to Philadelphia as I do, the majority of my friends are of course Eagles fans. After the Giants proved their ineptness by going 4-12, I decided, for the sake of my friends, that I would pull for the Eagles in this year’s post-season.

I was as thrilled as everyone else around here when Donovan McNabb found Freddie Mitchell for that crucial play which will forever be known as “fourth and twenty-six.” Couple that play with the gift of an interception supplied by Brett Favre during the overtime period, and destiny did seem to be with the Eagles.

So what happened? Why are the Panthers, and not the Eagles, now on their way to Houston to face the Patriots? Well, some of the cause can be traced to poor officiating, but in the NFL, the good teams overcome poor officiating. Injuries, to be sure, played their part - the most significant of course being the loss of Donovan McNabb during the second half of last night’s game. More than anything else, it is purely the nature of the NFL today, where, thanks to free-agency and the salary cap - the elite teams are forced back down to .500, and the poor teams are propped up to .500.

I received an email from the biggest Eagles fan I know, Dan “Wooly” Woolard. I’ll share it with you here, as I found it quite poignant:

EAGLES FOOTBALL 2000-2003

Who loves the sun
Who cares that it makes plants grow
Who cares what it does
Since you broke my heart

Who loves the wind
Who cares that it makes breezes
Who cares what it does
Since you broke my heart

Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Not everyone
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun

Who loves the rain
Who cares that it makes flowers
Who cares that it makes showers
Since you broke my heart

Who loves the sun
Who cares that it is shining
Who cares what it does
Since you broke my heart

Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Not everyone
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Sun
Sun
Sun

Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun
Pa pa pa pa
Not everyone
Pa pa pa pa
Who loves the sun

WINGBOWL XXII JANUARY 30TH, ALL WOUNDS SHALL BE CAUTERIZED

So, time does march on, and the Super Bowl is now stuck with a very un-sexy matchup, the New England Patriots against the Carolina Panthers. I’ll be sure to watch, because just like every other American, I’m a sucker for it, but one thing’s for certain - GO PATS.