Time marches on.....

A meloncholy goodbye to:

Peter Graves.....his missions were impossible but always attainable.

The ez ride is over now for Dennis Hopper.

John Forsythe is finally with his angels.

Here's hoping Tony Curtis isn't where Some Like it Hot.

No more designs for Dixie Carter.

A truly soulful sound now from Lena Horne.

Rue McClanahan is now a Golden Girl in heaven.

The skies were smiling awaiting the arrival of Leslie Nielson.

All Teena Marie wanted was to be your lovergirl...and now she's gone.

It will be strokes of a different kind for Gary Coleman.

Barbara Billingsley will be baking the Beaver angel food cake now in heaven.

Now and forever an unmarried woman will Jill Clayburgh remain.

Gloria Stuart will have a titanic impact when she arrives to meet St. Peter.

What will Richie Cunningham do without Mr. C...actor Tom Bosley?

No more jail duty with Barney Miller for Steve Landesberg.

Eddie Fisher is crooning amongst the stars...as is Teddy Pendergrass.

And on life goes....remember, these special people no longer have the opportunity to inspire, entertain, make us laugh, and achieve. We still have that chance..... let's take advantage of it and do something special in 2011.

Happy New Year!

STRAIGHT TALK

It’s time for a little honest communication about Michael Vick.

First of all, if you think the reclamation project in re-signing Vick was to lend a helping hand to the downtrodden, I’ve got a used car in my driveway I’d like to sell you. The Eagles three wise men of Lurie, Banner, and Reid saw the writing on the wall regarding Donovan McNabb and had no intention of giving him another mega-bucks deal, so they signed Vick as a way to make McNabb take less money in a new contract or as a potential replacement in case they decided to move him. Say what you want about the Birds brain trust, but they are very smart businessmen.

In the latest version of political bandwagon jumping, President Barack Obama calls Jeff Lurie and praises him for giving Vick a second chance. I was just wondering if Michael had not taken the league by storm with his miraculous season and headlining play and continued as a back up to Kevin Kolb (which as you recall WAS the plan) if our Commander in Chief would have taken the time to reach out to Lurie with his congratulations. My guess is an emphatic no. This was probably just another case of a person in the public eye trying to ride the hot horse.

Along the same lines---let’s take a look at MSNBC’s nimrod of the week, conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson. (Please keep in mind there are many at this Fox wannabe cable news network that vie for this title; Keith Olbermann usually leads the list.) The floppy haired and bow tied Carlson goes on the air and suggests that a proper punishment for Michael Vick to atone for his past doggy dilemma would be his execution!

Now I’m a devout dog lover. My half hound/ half yellow lab Duke lies faithfully by my side every night as I’m reading a book or watching the tube. But to suggest capital punishment for the crime Vick committed is a shameless stab at creating a stir to get your name atop the Yahoo search engine. It’s all about nonsense…and trying to cash in on the buzz regarding the Eagles QB.

This week Michael Vick will be resting his quad and watching his team play a meaningless JV game against whatever players on the Cowboys Jerry Jones chooses to risk to injury. And the Michael Vick hubbub will subside…until he beats the Green Bay Packers in round one of the playoffs. And then the 24 hour news machine will kick in once more.

Just don’t be surprised if Barbara Boxer and Bill O’Reilly have a very strong opinion on the subject the day after the game.

MEA CULPA


Mea Culpa is a Latin term meaning a formal apology or acknowledgement of guilt. It’s a fancy way of saying I was wrong.

Several weeks ago, when the NFL season was in it’s infancy, I took a look at the Philadelphia Eagles roster and schedule and boldly predicted the Birds could do no better than a 9-7 record this year. Now they sit on top of the NFC East with a record of 10-4 and look like one of the dominant teams in the league. Where exactly did I go astray?

Michael Vick - How was I to know this graduate of Leavenworth would not only atone for his canine atrocities but become Randall Cunningham on speed skates? Never known as a pocket passer, the rambling wreck from Virginia Tech has completely changed his game. I hear he is in the NovaCare complex early and is one of the last ones to leave. Good for him -mea culpa for me.

Shady McCoy- Who would have thought that this second year RB from Pitt could make us forget about Brian West….who? Mea culpa.

Injuries- You mean the Eagles could lose Leonard Weaver and Jamaal Jackson in the first game, and at times go without Stewart Bradley, Ellis Hobbs, Nate Allen, Brandon Graham, Winston Justice, Todd Herremans, and DeShawn Jackson and still win? Mea culpa.

DeShawn Jackson- The showboating has got to go, or some over zealous DB is going to remove his head and use it as a volleyball. But this guy has turned into the most electrifying Eagle’s player since…wait a minute, he is the most electrifying Eagle’s player I’ve ever seen. Sorry Wilbert. Mea Culpa.

Andy Reid – Ok, so Big Red isn’t very good at getting challenges right, and a crucial time out may escape him here or there. His team gets way too many unnecessary penalties, and he likes to go for a field goal occasionally when only a touchdown will do. Despite all this, he gets his team ready to compete almost every week. Mea culpa.

Add in Marty Mornhinweg unexpectingly turning into Don Coryell, Tom Coughlin unexplainiedly turning into Walt Michaels, and Tony Romo taking ¾ of the season off…can you at least see my point? On second thought forget it. Mea culpa…mea culpa…mea culpa.

BLUE

I got a cold slap in the face yesterday, and it reminded me of one very important lesson. Nothing says life has to be fair.

My most vivid memory of Ron Santo will always be of him clicking his heels as he headed towards the home clubhouse entrance in Wrigley Field (which in those days was down the left field line) after a Cubs victory in 1969. Although he won 5 gold gloves, was a nine time all star, and hit 342 home runs, it was the joy of a win that drove him to that memorable dance, and propelled him into the hearts of countless Cubby fans.

He played a bit after Eddie Matthews, and a tad before Mike Schmidt. Only Brooks Robinson was held in the same esteem as Santo in that era. In his time he was considered the prototypical third baseman, and he did it while battling diabetes for most of his adult life. But he never complained, he just gave himself a shot of insulin before every game…. and then played his heart out.

The diabetes probably cut his career short, and then the disease ultimately took both of his legs. But it never for one second dampened his enthusiasm for the boys from the North Side. He was an unabashed homer as the Cubs radio color analyst, there was no way he could be impartial when it came to his team. His moans and groans as the Cubs endured another loss on their way to 101 years of futility echoed what we all felt. Ron Santo went from being an all-star third baseman to being one of us. And that’s why Cub fans around the world are crying tears of blue today.

In a perfect world, he would have been enshrined in Cooperstown years ago, and the Chicago Cubs would have broken their century long streak of hard luck and won a World Series in time for him to enjoy it. But as I said, life isn’t always fair. However, I am taking solace today in the fact that I’m sure Ron Santo is clicking his new heels and flapping his wings as he heads to that big clubhouse entrance in the sky. And that effervescent smile is there once again.
You see…he finally is getting the ultimate reward that he really deserved.

Hurry up Ronnie, Jack Brickhouse and Leo Durocher are waiting for you.

Eagle Aftermath 11/29/2010

Comments on yesterday's Eagles 31-27 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field:

It was never more clear that the Bears employed an "old school" mentality and beat the Eagles using the following principles;

If you get heat on the opposing QB without blitzing, you can disrupt an explosive offense without sacrificing coverage.

Running the football and stopping the run are still the best two methods of controlling game tempo ... and they always will be.

Questions...

Why weren't the Eagles able to maintain their footing on the natural grass? Didn't they test their spikes in pregame? And if they weren't the right length...why didn't they change them?

Did Sean McDermott know that the Birds secondary could be exposed so badly by a usually erratic Jay Cutler simply by the absence of Asante Samuel?

How in the world can Andy Reid justify kicking a FG with 5 minutes left in the game down by fifteen? His post game explanation was, "I wanted to come out of there with points" is ridiculous. If you lose by 5, 15, or 50, a loss is a loss. Going for a TD there was the only option.

On another note....surely we will miss actor Leslie Neilson. But I didn't mean to call him Shirley.

Goodbye Old Friend

Lou Angotti, Billy Cunningham, Ed Van Impe. The Who…….

It was an era before Corporate America took over the sports world. When Chicago Stadium was not the United Center, before Candlestick was a 3Com, it brandished the coolest of arena names – The Spectrum.

Kevin Loughery, Joe Watson, Fred Carter, Irv Kosloff, The Doors….

It was a jewel when built in 1967, but like all of us time got the best of it. Crowded concourses, too few restrooms, and limited luxury boxes took its toll on the old girl.

Bernie Parent, Steve Mix, Doug Favell, Cream….

Transposed against the aging JFK Stadium and the asphalt jungle called Veteran’s Stadium, The Spectrum had a distinction of class and eloquence in South Philadelphia.

George McGinnis, Bobby Clarke, Gene Hart, Orest Kindrachuk…..

So many memories---Stanley Cups hoisted, NBA banners hung, numbers retired.

Dave Zinkoff, Barry Ashbee, Doug Collins, Kate Smith….

Windmill dunks, backboards shattered, rough play with Russians.

Julius Erving, Rick Macleish, Fitz Dixon, Cowboy Bill Flett…..

The players now lace their skates and tie their sneakers in opulence in The Corestates/First Union/Wells Fargo/Anyone with Money Center.

Bill Barber, Bobby Jones, Fred Shero, Grateful Dead….

You can get a beer for $7 and watch the game at one of the many bars in the new digs, but I never could quite figure out why someone would pay $80 for a ticket and sit in the bar. But some unquestionably do, it’s a new era.

Andrew Toney, Don Saleski, Dave Schultz, Caldwell Jones….

Gourmet food is available. Sushi? Prime Rib? Lobster tail? It is there for the asking.

Mel Bridgeman, Harold Katz, Paul Holmgren, Ed Snider, Kiss….

A suite fit for royalty can be had…..for a royal sum. Soft drinks are included in the five figure price I hear.

Tim Kerr, Darryl Dawkins, Illka Sinisalo, Pete Peeters, Bruce Springsteen

Prime parking you desire? For a fee…..of course you can.

Daryll Sittler, Maurice Cheeks, Brian Propp, Lionel Hollins, Pink Floyd….

Tony Luke’s is right down the street. Get a roast pork grinder with provolone, but hide it in your sock on the way in.

Pelle Lindbergh, Moses Malone, Peter Zezel, Clint Richardson, Rick Tocchet, The Doobie Brothers….

Easy access to routes 95, 76, and the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Ron Hextall, Jeff Ruland, Kjell Samuelson, Matt Guokas, Jimmy Lynam, Genesis…

The bricks fell reluctantly, the old girl was tough…built so sturdily that even strategically placed dynamite couldn’t take her down.

Keith Acton, Mike Gminski, Roy Hinson, Eric Lindross, Charles Barkley, Mark Zumoff, Earth, Wind, and Fire….

And now we will watch her go away piece by piece, chair by souvenir chair until we shop on what was once hallowed ground.

Mike Keenan, Hersey Hawkins, Rod Brind’Amour, Armand Gilliam, Frank Zappa….

Goodbye old friend. It won’t quite be the same without you.

Charles Shackleford, Garth Snow, Murray Baron, Chris Therien, Jeff Hornacek, Shawn Bradley, Derrick Coleman, Scott Mellanby, Jerry Stackhouse, Clarence Weatherspoon, John LeClair, Dana Barros, The Mothers of Invention, Hulk Hogan, Eric Desjardins……..

I borrowed the following passage from Jim Rohn, one of the great common sense advocates I've ever seen or heard. I hope this helps you during this week of giving thanks...enjoy!

Here are a few key words as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply; something you can use right away in your quest for becoming more thankful:

Time. Set aside time regularly to be quiet, to reflect. We live in the fastest-paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day in which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds up from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Thought. Give thought to the many blessings that you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted and then take a moment and give thanks for those. In fact, I make it a part of my reflection time to review a list of things that I’m thankful for.

Generosity. Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. And not just during the holidays—everybody works there then—but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Ask. Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive, and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

Acknowledge. Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

I have to add one more...I'm thankful for another Eagle's victory. Go Birds!!