Guest Blog for Philly-sports.net

Let me start off by saying that Philadelphia is the best sports city in the world. I truly bleed green, orange, red and black. I have been offered the chance to do some blogging on www.philly-sports.net/philadelphia. I would like to thank them for this opportunity. If you enjoy this article, please check out my website at http://www.marianosrealm.blogspot.com/

If you want to see something hilarious, go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search "cowboys suck". There is a small war going on between Eagles and Cowboys fans on this website. As of now, it is seemingly playful fun. What is discouraging is how fans from other cities only remember the bad stuff about us. Santa Claus, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin, the usual tourist myths. I was pissed by the way Philly fans were described below. The following was written in the St Petersburg times in 2003.

"As hosts, Philadelphia sports fans have, well, outdone themselves. Years of fisticuffs and upturned beers and taunting -- even Santa Claus was bombed with snowballs during a halftime show -- have given them a well-deserved reputation for inhospitality and even violence toward rival fans. "

Give me a break, now a days security comes over if you call someone an asshole. Our fans come off as brash and in your face because of our desire to see our teams win. Ladies and gentleman, this is called passion. It is what makes us get excited every year in April for the Phillies, even though they haven't made the playoffs since 1993 and we swore we would never watch them again after last year. In October, even though the Flyers lost Game 7 to the Lightning and broke our hearts 5 months ago, we still turn on the tube and start the ride all over again. We can't help it.

The thing that outsiders do not understand is that we even boo our own players when they screw up. We recognize the need to let our players know when they are not doing their job. We make our players work and earn their paychecks. The formula to success in Philadelphia is simple: Come to practice, play hard, and execute. This is not rocket science. We are a hard working, mainly middle class, blue collar city. Our grandfathers were electricians and carpenters. We know all about hard work. It is in our blood.

In fact, we despise athletes who don't give 120%.

Take a look at #81 on Dallas. He implodes the Eagles 2005 season and then is lucky enough to get a good deal with the Cowboys. What does he do? He comes to Dallas and doesn't want to practice. He is on the job for one week, making millions of dollars and he can't practice because he doesn't want to run in the August heat. Those types of players don't last at all in Philadelphia, hence was the case with #81 during his second and final year here.

Our fans know a primadonna when we see one. Regardless of what people think of Philadelphia fans, I am glad and proud to be part of what I have coined " A Unification of Brotherly Love"

"ONE TEAM.. ONE CITY.. ONE DREAM.."

Quote that in the Times.

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Dallas

You might want to start calling me Mr. Cleo, mon. It seems as though I can see into the future. With an impeccable win yesterday against a well coached, well staffed and well respected Giants team, the Eagles once again showed us why they have a defense to be feared. They went into the Meadowlands and won a very very very big football game. Not only was this game big because it helped us stay afloat in the hunt for the NFC East title, but it also sets the stage for a monumental game this coming Monday against the Dallas Cowtoys.

I refuse to watch ESPN this week becasue of their reputation for overhyping certain Dallas players. Come Monday afternoon, however, much after the fat man climbs down our chimmney and leaves gifts for Mom, Stepdad and Little Emily, I hope I am not forgotten. I hope that fat man in the red suit speaks with the Big Guy upstairs about my gift. I have been very well behaved this year.

For me it is very simple.

It has been 25 years. 25,000 tears have been shed in this time watching not one professional sports team in Philadelphia win a championship.

After all the close calls and the "could have beens "

All I want is this one..

This is the one that 50 years from now, kids will remember watching with their dads, sisters and uncles on X-Mas Day.....

This is the one when all eyes will be on us......

This is the one we owe to #81......

This is the one that we win to take the NFC East and get back to the playoffs where we belong.

Who is with me?

"The Snitch"

You have really got to love this guy.. If there is anyone in professional sports that should take a class in "Shut the Fuck Up 101", it is T.O. Not only does he make himself look like a jackass on a weekly basis, but anytime he gets beat at his own game, he becomes the victim.

Terrell Owens really likes being part of the Dallas Cowboys except for one thing: "The Snitch."

Owens remains upset that someone within the organization has been airing his dirty laundry. It started with a preseason report about him being late to work and continued with the story about a problem that causes him to fall asleep in meetings.

Those things happened earlier this season, but the bitterness lingers. Owens told ESPN in an interview that aired Sunday that he was "faking it" in practice because he was so frustrated, then he explained himself much further in a roughly half-hour interview in front of his locker yesterday.

Describing his tumultuous early season, which also included a hamstring injury in training camp and a broken hand that led to an "accidental overdose" on painkillers, Owens said: "I just felt like I was out there, just out there. I didn't feel like I was a part of the team."

"One of the coaches came to me after one game and I just told him I felt alone in this locker room. That's how I felt at that time. It was weighing a lot on my mind during the course of the game. My mind really wasn't clear to play football."

Now?

"I'm tons better," he said.

T.O.'s season has followed the same arc as the team's record. He was mediocre early, then began putting up big numbers when Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, a move that led to a 5-1 streak. Dallas is 8-5 and leading the NFC East going into a game at Atlanta on Saturday night.

"Winning cures a lot of things," Owens said

Wait what was that famous quote from a few years ago T.O?

"If it smells like a rat...

Then it must be a rat."

Somewhere in a mansion in Moorestown NJ, Jeff Garcia is smiling.

Defense is Back

Although they almost blew a 13 point lead Sunday against the Washington Redskins, the Eagles defense showed us a blast from the past. Michael Lewis came to play this past week and ended up being the difference maker. Isn't that some crazy shit? I have strong reason to believe that this team's defense is still good enough to take us to the promised land. Over the years the players have changed, but they still play the same style of big hit defense. They will not hesitate to lay the wood. What will they do this weekend on the road at the Meadowlands in another must win game? You guess is a good as mine. Guess it won't hurt to go to church twice this weekend.