The Eagles recently released a tribute video on their website congratulating the Phillies on their World Series victory. They probably felt a little heat after being pretty much silent in regard to the Phillies throughout the playoffs and the World Series.
Andy Reid stepped up. So did Donovan McNabb. And, Brian Westbrook stepped to the plate. So did Brian Dawkins. They all congratulated them in a video that appeared on their website and on the local news stations.
However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the gigantic elephant sitting on the footstool in the living room. Where were Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner? They all of a sudden have a case of lockjaw that we haven't seen in quite some time-if ever.
Why are they completely silent on this? Is it really that much of an effort for them to simply congratulate a fellow team on a championship victory.
Their silence speaks volumes and further solidifies what we all know. They look down on other teams in town and are in fact most likely spiteful that the Phillies beat them to it. Sorry guys, but you had your chances in the early part of this decade and blew it. And, since then you've done little to get back to that point aside from making a PR move in signing Asante Samuel this past offseason.
The 76ers were willing to let fans into the game on Friday night for $10 if they wore any Phillies gear. Would the Eagles ever do something like that with say-some extra standing room only tickets. Obviously their games are all sold out, but wouldn't it be a good gesture for them to make say an extra 1,000 SRO tickets available at their next home game and give them to the first 1,000 people wearing Phillies gear?
That would never happen though. Lurie and Banner just see dollar signs. These are two businessmen from the New England area who when the day is said and done, don't have a real connection to this city. They just see us as dollar signs. That's fine and good if you're going to look at us like that, but then you should probably do everything it financially takes to win a friggin' championship. It's fine and good if they are Boston Red Sox fans. I understand, but they are burying themselves more and more each day by not taking the high road and at least offering a public congratulations to the Phillies. That's all we ask for.
And, the latest reason why they're unwilling to do that is by not getting Tony Gonzalez. And, instead of explaining why they failed to get him they mentioned how the Cowboys paid too much for Roy Williams and Joey Galloway in 1996-as if that was the sole reason they failed to win a playoff game in 10 years.
Say what you want about Jerry Jones as a football man, but at least he gives it his all to the fans that he's connected to. He might not have been born in the Dallas area (he was born in LA) but he's about as big of a Dallas fan you'll ever see. Just look at what he's doing with Mark Cuban in terms of uniting both teams so they can host the NBA All Star game in a few years.
That's the fundamental difference between an owner like Lurie and Jones. Jones gets it, gets his fanbase, and does whatever he can to make them happy. Lurie doesn't get the fans, allows Banner and Reid to do it their way, and sees the fans as strictly dollar signs.
I'm not prepared to agree with TO's comments in 2005 when he said the Eagles as a whole are a classless organization. After all, Andy Reid stepped up to the plate and congratulated them. However, Lurie and Banner are completely classless in this regard and they are further isolating themselves from the city by remaining silent.
I will give Andy Reid his due though. He made it public that he was rooting for this team and even was watching them while holed up in his office.
That small Phillies flag that was flown at the Eagles game last Sunday is about all Lurie and Banner are willing to express. Remember, they are the gold standard in this town because they won how many titles...
Oh yeah, none.
We all know who the real gold standard is in town and it's a team wearing red and white, not midnight green.
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