Eagles-Cowboys Rivalry Heats Up Again
By: Bill Campbell
Since the Eagles were on a bye week, it appeared to be a lost weekend for local fans. But there were some interesting games.
The Jets came from behind to beat the Chargers 27-21. Denver beat Miami 18-15. Atlanta upset Detroit 23-16. The Bears fought off Tampa Bay 24-18 and Minnesota battled Green Bay before losing 33-27. All pretty good games to see and hear.
During the Lurie-Banner administration, no team has managed to make better use of the phrase "No comment" than the Eagles.
Now there is some speculation about an Asante Samuel trade possibility. Since coming to the Eagles he has twenty-some interceptions. But, as you know, rival teams have decided to run on the Eagles defense, especially since their coaching changes, which has somewhat reduced the effectiveness of Samuel's interceptions.
The Birds were better in Washington but overall have had trouble stopping the run. They have, apparently, been thinking about trading Samuel since Rodgers-Cromartie and Asomugha joined the team – much to Samuel's annoyance. A possible factor under consideration was said to be Asante's base salary which matures into something like $10.4 million as it grows. But he has only one interception this season and Asomugha is signed to a five-year deal up to $60 million and started to look like he might be worth something close to that in the Washington game. Rodgers-Cromartie hasn't set any worlds on fire but he is five years younger than Asante.
When the Eagles return to action, they will have three straight home games beginning with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. I'm told that the Eagles-Cowboys series isn't what it used to be as a tradition. But after watching the Cowboys-Rams games last Sunday, I might have to debate that point, while acknowledging that the St. Louis Rams aren't very good.
A Dallas rookie however, named DeMarco Murray ran all over the Rams last week for 253 yards, including a 91-yard TD run that got the Cowboys started on their way to a 34-7 victory. This was Murray's first extended game. He was a third-round pick and was playing only because of an injury to Felix Jones. But he turned in one of the longest total yards games in Dallas history and moved into the Tony Dorsett-Emmitt Smith era. It was the most by anyone in the NFL this season. It should add some spice to the Eagles-Cowboys meeting this Sunday night.
The World Series has pretty much given away exposure time this year to a combination of faulty weather, poor scheduling, hockey, soccer and a few other conflicts.
One of them is lack of interest in such baseball territories as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and other key spots along the Northeastern corridor that have always had more than their share of baseball fans.
I've always felt that more attention to scheduling by the powers-that-be would help this problem, along with a day game or two on occasion. In these poor economic times, the less fortunate have to get up in the morning to protect their precious jobs and get to work. Staying awake past the witching hour is sometimes difficult. Staying awake past midnight to see the final result can be traumatic.
I realize that TV and the sponsors control the scheduling. But even the sponsors might benefit if their products were being peddled to an audience awake enough to appreciate them, rather than to one that was in slumber-land.
I would've loved to have seen all of Game 3 of the World Series when Albert Pujols put on that hitting exhibition for the ages in the Cardinals' 16-7 victory. Imagine a guy slamming his way into baseball immortality, tying Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for a World Series record and probably putting on the greatest hitting game that anyone has ever seen. In all, he hit three home runs, collected five hits, knocked in six runs, for a record 14 total bases.
Babe Ruth set the World Series record 50 years before Reggie Jackson equaled it 35 years ago. And Jackson sent Pujols a message of congratulations. Teammate Lance Berkman called Pujols the best hitter of all time, reminding everyone that Pujols is playing in the best talent pool ever to play the game. Tony LaRussa called it the greatest individual performance he had ever seen and the Cardinals' manager said that we were fortunate to have seen it. But I have a confession to make. Pujols hit his third home run in the ninth inning and I didn't see it. I was asleep.
Which brings us to the NBA and its frequent labor problems - and to the 15 new owners of the 76ers.
I've been on the NBA scene for a long time. When I was honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame a few years ago, I had Wilt Chamberlain to thank. It was my broadcast of his 100-point game that brought my name to the attention of the Hall voters in Springfield, Massachusetts.
When I left the NBA scene, I was honored by a treasured letter from Commissioner David Stern, who is now heavily involved in another controversy between the leagues' many owners and the players. The recent problem already has cost the league and its fans a few games.
My daughter's godfather was an NBA point guard and I was a 76ers broadcaster for some time. So NBA activities have always held more than passing interest -- particularly 76ers games, since the arrival of my good friend, Coach Doug Collins.
So I was startled and disappointed to see the results of a recent poll conducted by one of our local newspapers on the subject of the NBA lockout. The paper reported that the league was postponing the start of its season and that there would be no NBA basketball on Christmas Day, normally a red letter date on its schedule.
The poll asked the question, "How do you feel about the postponement?" 1,337 people replied to the question. 30 (or 5%) said they were brokenhearted. 123 (or 19%) said they were disappointed. But 484 (or 76%) wrote that they didn't care or could care less. Which makes that the biggest problem for the NBA – and for its 15 new owners in Philadelphia: what can we do to make them care? Sounds like as big a problem as splitting the revenue – if there is any revenue to split. If we could just make them care.
