tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post7678754088423078089..comments2023-10-26T09:39:43.398-04:00Comments on Eagles Blitz: The Eagles Book ClubTommy Lawlorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785088312640195066noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-18692123437120960752010-05-19T20:06:45.803-04:002010-05-19T20:06:45.803-04:00After answering your questions, I realized, shamef...After answering your questions, I realized, shamefully, that I'd left out William Fuller on the favorite Eagles question. I loved watching his battles with Erik Williams. <br /><br />Also-- I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's stories in the comments. Thanks for sharing, everyone, and for taking the time to read about my book.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16794832944035656625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-80030899060222186232010-05-18T14:41:36.858-04:002010-05-18T14:41:36.858-04:00Living in Canada my exposure to the NFL was fairly...Living in Canada my exposure to the NFL was fairly limited when I was younger. As a matter of fact I distinctly remember that my favorite hat growing up was a Cowboys hat that my dad gave me. The only reason he got it was because he had gone on a trip to Texas. I didn't care about what team it was, but more about the fact that my Dad had given it to me. I adopted the Cowboys as my favorite team after that.<br /><br />Then something happened, I actually started watching football in the late 90's. Once I finally learned about the Cowboys and being "America's Team", I immediately decided I needed to find a new team. While my Mom was American, I just couldn't cheer for America's team. It was until Donovan McNabb was drafted that I decided to follow the Eagles. I remember seeing him booed at the draft and my first thought was to keep a close eye on him. I love it when a player succeeds in a place nobody(or so it seemed) wants him.<br /><br />I was a casual fan until about 2003, that's when my obsession started to grow. Also in that time my older brother became an Eagles fan. Being my only sibling this was a great opportunity for us to spend time together and share another similar passion. We drove 15 hours to Minnesota in 2007 to watch them play.<br /><br />Every weekend we watch games at my house. What was myself and brother in 2004-2007 watching has grown to the two of us, my wife, and 5 year old son (i have a 1 year old as well) all decked out in Eagles jerseys watching intensely. <br /><br />My wife HATED how obbsessed I had become with football a couple years back, which led me to step back and take a look at how immersed I had become. If I had PVR'd a game because I had to work she would check the score before I watched the game to see if I was gonna be bearable that night or not. Like Tommy said I now look at the bigger picture, I still get upset when they lose and maybe will be grumpy for the night but it doesn't affect me the entire week anymore. <br /><br />The greatest thing about all of this is how much she has grown to like, maybe even love, football. 2 years ago I couldn't get her to watch a game no matter how hard I tried. Now I get text messages from her telling me how badly she wants the Eagles to trade McNabb and give Kolb a chance(she doesn't think McNabb takes the game seriously enough because he is always smiling).<br /><br />My son is an aboslute nut when it comes to sports, hockey in particular. He is up at 7 in the morning watching sportscenter everyday. He knows who scored, what period, and in order of the previous nights games. It's actually quite freaky how well he knows it. I always say to people he is going to be the next Tony Kornheiser, only entertaining and not vomit inducing to look at. One of my favorite things he says on a regular basis is "I can wear any jersey i want in this house except for two, the Dallas Cowboys( accompanied with a thumbs down and disgusted face) and the Toronto Maple Leafs". He actually points out people we see on the streets that have Cowboys gear on so we can both yell boo as we drive by (while my wife hides her face and shakes her head). That's my boy!!Adam S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11550402871381739282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-62883218628889488402010-05-18T10:04:24.207-04:002010-05-18T10:04:24.207-04:00The first Eagles game I ever watched was against t...The first Eagles game I ever watched was against the cowboys in 2000. I was pretty lucky. <br /><br />My favorite game so far in the past 10 years has to be that divisional game against GB. <br /><br />The worst moment was the TAM game in 02'. It was the first time I cried after a game. I couldn't get over it for a whilestvnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369462151150446006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-15970100494531961732010-05-18T01:51:33.632-04:002010-05-18T01:51:33.632-04:00Preordered the book, I love Swami's posts.
I ...Preordered the book, I love Swami's posts.<br /><br />I became an eagles fan at a very young age, but not because of family influence. I was 4 years old and I had decided that green was my favorite color and the eagles jerseys were green so they were my favorite team. Its one of my earliest memories. I followed the team until my early teenage years where I went through an anti-society phase (I decided that sporting events were "stupid" and stopped following any teams). Fortunately that passed after I got to college and I rediscovered my love of Eagles football, during the 2003 season. I wish that I had kept up with it now, since theres a gap between the Cunningham era and the 2003 season that I know nothing of. I only know players like Na Brown through reputation, I never had a chance to experience it.<br /><br />I wish I had a great sports bar story to tell, but it seems like every time I go out to watch a game the Eagles stink up the joint (the last one I saw at a bar was the first of the two dreadful Dallas losses at the end of this past season). I was watching with several Cowboys fans who made my evening pretty miserable.<br /><br />I think one of the things that really drew me back into being an Eagles fan was feeling the connection the fans had to the team. It's one of the most tangible things you can experience, even watching on TV. I still remember the 2004 championship game, the intensity of the fans and players, Trotter screaming on the sidelines, Dawk spiking the end zone pylon, the fans roaring the fight song. The energy was so electric it was a special experience even watching at home.<br /><br />Those were special times, the last few years seem hollow in comparison.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18085850538234303845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-41887194131796570822010-05-17T23:12:41.526-04:002010-05-17T23:12:41.526-04:00I grew up in a football family. My parents were/ar...I grew up in a football family. My parents were/are not extremists, but every Sunday during the fall we would rush home from church and turn on the pregame shows and get ready for an afternoon of football. I'm from the Midwest and grew into being an Eagles fan. I've never been to Philadelphia, but am planning a trip soon to watch the Eagles. My mom is a huge Colts/Steelers fan. We can never get her to commit to one or the other, but we had to get the NFL Sunday Ticket package when we got DirectTV several years back so she could watch the Steelers play. My dad is a huge Packers fan so I can remember watching Brett Favre throw to Sterling Sharpe and watching some guy named Reggie White wreck havoc on defense. <br /><br />I loved watching football growing up and I went from rooting for one team to another. My first "team" was the Kansas City Chiefs. I was around 6 years old and loved watching Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas on defense and Joe Montana and Marcus Allen on offense. As those players left I became a journeyman fan, rooting for whatever team was winning. I claimed the Titans in the late 90's and was depressed for a month after they lost to the Rams in the Superbowl. I loved watching Steve McNair hand off to Eddie George and watch Blaine Bishop, Samari Rolle, and Javon Kearse on defense. <br /><br />Then in the early 2000's I watched a game between the Rams and Eagles and the Eagles had this QB named Donovan McNabb who was pretty good and I was hooked. Not just because of McNabb, but because of Brian Dawkins, Deuce Staley, etc. As I've gotten older I've became a more die hard fan and have latched onto the Eagles as "my team" even though I had/have no real connection to the city or the organization. I loved the blue collar style of play and the passion of the fans. <br /><br />My fiance and I's second date consisted of dinner and the Saints/Eagles playoff game in 2007. I told her a few days before I would be more than happy to take her to dinner, but we had to be done in time to watch the game. Even though she's not a huge football fan like I am she grew up in a sports fanatic house and knows how important sports are. During the game she cheered with me when Sheldon Brown destroyed Reggie Bush and screamed at the TV with me when Scott Young jumped off sides. She knew early on how important the Eagles were/are to me. She still sits and watches most of the games with me and still talks about Scott Young jumping off sides.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15914967024577686401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-63139248673598171762010-05-17T22:46:16.830-04:002010-05-17T22:46:16.830-04:00Those are some great stories guys. I once got to ...Those are some great stories guys. I once got to chug beer from the Stanley Cup, but it came after the Hurricanes won so it wasn't the same thing as celebrating a Flyers win. I did make sure to look for the '74,'75 Flyers names on the cup. Very cool.<br /><br />My best sportsbar memory came in the middle of 1996. I watched games with a few regular fans. Jen was beautiful, smart, and friendly. Dan was just smart and friendly. We had fun. We played at Dallas in mid '96. We had a 24-21 lead late in the game. Ty Detmer and Irving Fryar had been brilliant. Dallas drove inside the 10. By that point the entire place had come over to watch the end of the game. Eagles fans and Cowboys haters formed 90% of the crowd. We're now down to the end of the game. Troy Aikman dropped back and threw a pass over the middle. James Willis picked off the pass in the end zone. He ran the ball out to about the 20 and lateraled to Troy Vincent. Troy ran it all the way back for a TD. We won 31-21. The bar went nuts. There were guys jumping up and down on pool tables. I have never been part of an atmosphere quite like that. Those moments were awesome. The year before we had the 4th and 1 stop. I also saw that at the sports bar. That was a great atmosphere, but nothing topped 1996. <br /><br />The funniest memory came in a 1995 game against the Giants. We won 17-14. Both teams played poorly. Ugly, ugly game. Tommy Maddox played QB for the Gmen and stunk up the joint. At the end of the game me and my fellow Eagles fans looked at the Giants fans and started chanting "We suck less! We suck less!". Good times. <br /><br />@ Prem...<br /><br />I'm pretty sure you should be nominated for Father of the Year.Tommy Lawlorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11785088312640195066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-52211752117784960792010-05-17T22:25:49.555-04:002010-05-17T22:25:49.555-04:00I'll never forget the fist time my pop took me...I'll never forget the fist time my pop took me to the Vet for an Eagles game. Must have been '89 or '90. We played the Lions. They scored on the opening kickoff, so we were down 0-7 by the time be got to our seats. It was cold and was amazed with the ferocity people were chanting and cheering. The Eagles played catch-up the whole game, and finally took the lead in the 4th quarter when Cris Carter caught a fade pass in the end zone from Randall. So sweet.<br /><br />I live across the country from my family now, but it's always a special time when I get to catch a game on TV with my dad.<br /><br />One more tidbit. My parents often watch the game with their neighbors. One is the prototypical sweet old lady that knits sweaters for your baby. She curses like a sailor throughout the entire game, even during routine 1st down plays.Danyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13889868288773512397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-54998838191077458142010-05-17T21:53:36.084-04:002010-05-17T21:53:36.084-04:00I have vague memories of the Eagles winning the Ch...I have vague memories of the Eagles winning the Championship in 1960, I was 4 years old. I remember my father, brother and uncles listening to the game on the radio (it was blacked out in Philly), and they all got excited after the Eagles won. I do remember my father letting me have a sip of his Schmidt’s beer. <br /><br />My niece used to have a Christmas party on a Sunday in December but after a few years of the family all gathered around the TV in her bedroom watching the Eagles, she moved the parties to Saturday night. One of my favorite memories was blowing out Detroit in 1995. My sister always has a Holiday party between Christmas and New Years and the whole extended family, 4 generations of Eagles fans watched the Eagles destroy Detroit. That game made the Holidays for me that year. Another year at my sister’s we watched the Jets beat the Packers so the Eagles would have home field for the playoffs. From living in North Jersey for a while I warned my family not to celebrate until the game was over because I’ve seen the Jets blow a lot of big leads over the years. <br /><br />A non football memory was watching the Flyers win their second Cup my freshman year in college. I went to college in North Jersey and watched the game in the college pub (drinking age was 18 back then) downing 25 cent beers. I watched the game on the big screen in the pub (21 inch COLOR TV was big screen back then) surrounded by Ranger fans, nothing sweeter than the looks on their faces when Bobby Clarke was skating around the Aud in Buffalo hoisting the Stanley Cup.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01006357435917470092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-27889010371935415412010-05-17T19:02:33.895-04:002010-05-17T19:02:33.895-04:00@Tommy
I feel your pain when it comes to not havi...@Tommy<br /><br />I feel your pain when it comes to not having a family that cares about sports. My family makes fun of me because of the way I watch the game, and they don't care at all if their plans interfere with a game that I want to watch. My parents are Indian immigrants so they don't understand how I can watch a game for 3 hours and get a sense of accomplishment i get when my team wins. <br /><br />@Pitmanite <br /><br />I chose to go to a college that doesn't even have a friggin football team. I would kill for division 3 team that was 0-13.stvnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369462151150446006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-84385088977945398162010-05-17T18:32:11.154-04:002010-05-17T18:32:11.154-04:00@ Tommy
My college roommates and I had a similar ...@ Tommy<br /><br />My college roommates and I had a similar response to The Price is Right. Haha.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620157295698136927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-41118596052963614192010-05-17T17:48:08.763-04:002010-05-17T17:48:08.763-04:00For me and my family, I was the first person to ge...For me and my family, I was the first person to get into the Eagles/football. My parents are both from Turkey, so they really had no idea about football. In fact, I didn't really know much about it until fourth or fifth grade. <br /><br />I was born in Virginia and while I was there, for elementary school kids, soccer was the sport people played year round. When I moved to Philadelphia in fourth grade, some of my friends would play pick up football during lunch and I started getting into it then. In fact, I picked up a few books on it to learn more about it. I also started paying attention to the Eagles around then, particularly because of Ricky Watters. <br /><br />My parents on the other hand really didn't pick up on the game for a long time. I don't think they really picked up on it until I started playing on the middle school team. My dad, although he now understands most of the rules, still is not really into it. However, my mom has become a pretty passionate fan so it is definitely fun watching with my mom and my younger brother, also a huge Eagles fan. The other great thing about watching with my mom is that when she gets nervous or anxious, she cooks, so there is constantly great food during Eagles games when I am at home. <br /><br />My favorite moment involving witnessing my mom becoming a fan was when I was in college. The Eagles had a bye week the same week that Dallas was playing the Redskins. I got a call from my mom asking, "Are you watching this game?!" Because I didn't think she typically watched non-Eagles games, I was sort of confused and responded, "What game? The Eagles have a bye." She got offended that I assumed she didn't know the Eagles schedule and tells me that she's watching the Dallas-Redskins game, then says, "I'm loving this game! The Redskins are winning (as you can imagine, Dallas had a better record at the time), and the Redskins players are getting injured in the process!" That moment proved to me that she was a true Philadelphia fan.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15243330070600134951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-28107794412138053802010-05-17T17:07:08.721-04:002010-05-17T17:07:08.721-04:00I grew up in Philly. Some of my earliest memories ...I grew up in Philly. Some of my earliest memories are watching the Eagles on Sundays with my Dad, too young to even understand the rules of the game, but enjoying every minute of it. I can still see my Dad jumping out of his chair and screaming at the tv, then storming off and announcing to my Mom, "I will never watch those bums play another game!" Until the next week.<br /><br />I live in Vermont now, and I've hooked up with a couple guys from Philly who are also big sports fans. Our families get together every week to watch the Eagles games. There's three generations of us sitting around the tv.<br /><br />My son started joining us two seasons ago, just after his 6th birthday. His first game was the 44-6 blowout of the Cowboys. Is the boy lucky or what? Being a kid, he's facinated with cursing, but my wife and I don't allow that kind of language. The one exception is when we watch the Dallas games, then he's allowed all the "potty talk" he'd like directed at the Cowboys. It's music to my ears to hear his sweet, little voice yelling, "Dallas Sucks!"Prem Prakashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15332841826264949864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-68260945433925159412010-05-17T16:55:59.511-04:002010-05-17T16:55:59.511-04:00This topic of fandom makes me a little sad that I ...This topic of fandom makes me a little sad that I chose a college that didn't have big sports. My friends that went to schools with big football and/or basketball have so much more school pride because rooting for their team after graduation keeps them tied in. <br /><br />I live in NYC now and I have friends living here who went to Michigan, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Florida, etc, and on any given Saturday they can go to a bar designated for their school and watch games with other alumni. Then they plan trips back every year or two for big games. I'm close to jumping on the bandwagon of my two friends from Ole Miss and making it my adopted team.Pitmanitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16664301417771480830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-68987836029788787222010-05-17T16:32:22.652-04:002010-05-17T16:32:22.652-04:00Soccer borders on religion in quite a few countrie...Soccer borders on religion in quite a few countries. That is especially true of the World Cup. <br /><br />I've always found that the group dynamic can make sports more fun. Sometimes the group dynamic can make the mundane more fun. I remember being a Junior in college. It was my first ever apartment. I had 3 roommates and we each paid a whopping $125 in rent. We're talking cheap. We'd watch Supermarket Sweep together and get fired up about that show. We'd be screaming at the TV for or against which ever group we liked or didn't like. <br /><br />You can only imagine what it was like when an actual sporting event came on the TV. Things went a little nuts. <br /><br />I am jealous of those of you who got to grow up in a family that embraced sports. That is something I never got to experience. I'd love to know the feeling of sitting around the TV with your dad/mom and siblings and watching the game while all of you cheered for the home team. <br /><br />A local radio host down here is from Philly, Dave Glenn. He told a story this afternoon about getting together with his family on Friday night to watch the Flyers in Game 7 vs Boston. It sounded like he and his family had a great time.Tommy Lawlorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11785088312640195066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-12828249925557560282010-05-17T15:59:35.638-04:002010-05-17T15:59:35.638-04:00Yeah, which is why fans have a right to get really...Yeah, which is why fans have a right to get really upset when teams price them out of tickets or the NFL decides to create its own network that cable companies won't provide or when games are blacked out. <br /><br />People who are not sports fans shrug and say "it's just sports," but it's <i>much</i> more meaningful than that. Sports are part of our <i>culture</i> and culture is everything. <br /><br />That's why I always find the World Cup fascinating. Football is relatively new in its hold on our country's collective conscience. But soccer... think about the "intergenerational connections" created when you combine national pride and love of sport.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620157295698136927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-33420016392573382702010-05-17T15:41:41.957-04:002010-05-17T15:41:41.957-04:00I just got the notice that my pre-order shipped, g...I just got the notice that my pre-order shipped, greatly looking forward to it.<br /><br />I'll skip your interview until after I've the book. I usually read prefaces, forwards and reviews once I'm through a book.<br /><br />Your point on sports and people is right on.<br /><br />These teams build unbreakable intergenerational connections. I still imagine my grandfather listening to the Eagles radio call whenever I hear Merrill Reese. He'd send me out for a Black Cherry Wishniak soda and a corned beef sandwich at halftime.<br /><br />Sometimes these are the only connections made with other people, and they are connections that make us human.roconnorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04933040935053560675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-40776087255378909862010-05-17T11:57:38.992-04:002010-05-17T11:57:38.992-04:00I'd be lying to you if I said I had a strong o...I'd be lying to you if I said I had a strong opinion on Cory Procter. I know Cory started 12 games in 2008, but I think he mostly played OG. In the season finale that year Bunk ate his lunch and got the guy benched. <br /><br />Without studying tape on him I'd rather stick with Cole/McGlynn. I think Nick can be a solid OC. Mike is the guy I think has really good potential.Tommy Lawlorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11785088312640195066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-34241617196543876582010-05-17T11:28:36.199-04:002010-05-17T11:28:36.199-04:00Hey Tommy,
I saw that Cory Procter is going to b...Hey Tommy, <br /> I saw that Cory Procter is going to be released today and has played both center and guard. I know that he is not the most dominant player but do you think it would be smart to bring him in for a look as a possible one yr deal for more competition at center with cole mcglynn and shipley?So Cal EaglesFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15712190608202116084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-31788258796443548842010-05-17T10:30:52.567-04:002010-05-17T10:30:52.567-04:00This thread makes me miss EMB. I quit going there ...This thread makes me miss EMB. I quit going there after I got frustrated with the influx of shallow topic trends. Thank God this blog was started to satisfy my fix. <br /><br />I'll probably buy the book. I can relate because the Eagles are how I bond with my dad, too. During the seasons in the past, we began every day with an argument about the Eagles. These arguments could get pretty heated. Haha. Now, we rendezvous at Training Camp every summer and then again at the Eagles-Skins game in DC. Good times.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620157295698136927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955582067533116261.post-50902981809724537712010-05-17T06:54:34.629-04:002010-05-17T06:54:34.629-04:00Swamistubbs wrote a book? Fair play to the man. I&...Swamistubbs wrote a book? Fair play to the man. I'm sure it's really interesting.<br /><br />I remember reading his post about what was in Tra Thomas' shopping basket. At the time I thought 'wow, how cool is it that I'm an Eagles fan living in Scotland and I can find out things like that?'<br /><br />Time to re-assess my priorities in life :-)The Mullett Falconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18436983443791772745noreply@blogger.com