A salute to the best fans in the country
With apologies to Mike Schmidt, you can call it the thrill of victory, and the agony of reading and hearing about it the next day.
Yes, the national media once again has reason to discover the Philadelphia fan.
Brace yourself, you know what’s coming. Yes, we once booed Santa. Led by the future governor, we once pelted the field with snowballs. That would include a “snow shower” for Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson as he exited the field.
Yes, a few dunderheads cheered when an injured Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin lie prone on that rock-hard tundra known as the surface of Veterans Stadium.
No, it’s not always a good idea to wear the gear of the visiting team to our stadiums.
Hey, longtime denizens of the 700 level at the Vet still don’t believe some of the things they saw up there.
Yes, we have a passion that often borders on delirium when it comes to our sports fans, in particular our beloved “Iggles.”
Add a new wrinkle this year. Yes, an inebriated fan occasionally punches out a police horse. In fact, it has happened twice in recent weeks.
A horse’s patoot, if you will. The drunken fan, not the equine.
The fact that these are gross generalizations never factors into it.
Hey, the guy was admittedly a pretty bad Santa and probably deserved to be booed.
It’s easy to cherry-pick a few incidents and cast a broad brush.
It’s too bad no one talks about the way these devoted zealots continue to pack stadiums when the team was lousy. And that includes a lot of years when what was going on in the stands was infinitely more interesting than the dismal display on the field.
No one talks about how these fans travel. That’s right, we’re not content with ruling Lincoln Financial Field. This year we actually took over two stadiums on the road. A game in L.A. against the Chargers likely had as many Eagles fans as those of the transplanted San Diego team - 3,000 miles away from a good cheese steak.
The scene was repeated later in the season at the venerable Coliseum when Eagles nation seized the home field advantage in a game against the Rams. The L.A. coaches actually had to pump in noise during the week at practice to get their team used to what they would hear on their so-called home turf on Sunday.
In a late-season game at the Meadowlands, the game changed late in the 4th quarter when the Giants were called for a crucial illegal procedure penalty. Giants QB Eli Manning said after the game his offensive linemen could not hear the snap count because of rowdy Eagles fans.
Now it’s on to Minneapolis.
Brace yourselves, middle America.
Gang Green - the best fans in the nation - are coming to your town.
You know that lovable, down on his luck Philly boxer you love so much? Yeah, that Rocky guy. Yes, the same guy who made our Art Museum steps the No. 1 tourist destination in the region, the ones you insist on running up when your visit our city?
Wait until you meet the rest of us.
During these next two weeks, expect to get to know the lyrics of our favorite song, “Fly, Eagles Fly.”
Expect us to paint the town green.
We’re actually getting used to this new role.
No, not brutish louts. Lovable underdogs.
We’ve even taken to wearing dog masks.
They say every dog has its day. This is our day. Philly Fans. You’re the best.