Good for Soul

IN A CITY that's home to four major sport franchises, the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League has had a tough row to hoe.

Since the team came into the league five years ago, it has been virtually ignored by sports-talk radio, and newspapers have mostly confined Soul coverage to the inside sports pages. Yes, we know the Soul's president, Ron Jaworski (former Eagles quarterback/sports analyst), and a co-owner, Jon Bon Jovi (rock star/babe magnet), but not much about Soul players like Chris Jackson or Matt D'Orazio.

Well, much deserved congratulations to the Soul, which beat the San Jose Sabercats 59-56 Sunday in ArenaBowl XXII, the AFL's equivalent of the NFL's Super Bowl.

And with the Soul win comes news that on Thursday the streets of Philadelphia will have an event not seen here in years - a championship parade.

Will this quench our thirst for a world champion? Nah. Arena football is a fun, entertaining niche sport. But Philadelphia fans have greater emotional and generational ties to the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers. If nothing else, the Soul win and parade will make the desire for a major championship team even stronger. *