Babin plans to run with bulls
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Babin plans to run with bulls
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
"It's kind of a rite of passage," Jason Babin said on his plan of running with the bulls in Spain. (Michael Perez/AP)
Now that he has survived the harsh elements of Alaska and the even harsher sting of missing an Andy Reid-run minicamp, Jason Babin is setting his sights on his next expedition.
The Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end said he plans on running with the bulls in Spain this July.
"It's kind of a rite of passage," Babin said Wednesday after his first OTA. "It's a stamp. I guess in my brain I have a figurative man card that's got certain punches that need to be punched out."
Babin said he would have been at practices last week but the weather in Alaska delayed his flight home.
"I'm upset I missed because, if you guys don't know, I don't miss stuff," Babin said. "I'm not late. It was one of those things I think they were really concerned like, 'Where am I?' because my phone didn't work."
Babin was reminded that the practices are optional.
"I'm not a skipper," he said.
Babin, an avid outdoorsman, went to Cold Bay, Alaska to hunt bear and, he said, to just survive. He did more surviving than shooting during the 12-day expedition.
"I didn't see the one I wanted," Babin said of the bears. "It's proper steward of the outdoors to not shoot a little one."
One may question whether running with the bulls in Pamplona, where a few have suffered significant injuries and sometimes death, is proper behavior for a professional football player.
"Everyone thinks it's dangerous and hazardous," Babin said. But it's not, if "done correctly and soberly," he added.
"Bulls can't turn the corner on cobblestone, so as long as you're on the inside you're going to be alright," Babin said. "I broke the tape down like game film."
No comment yet from the Eagles on how they feel about Babin's summer vacation plans.
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Buy 2012 Philadelphia Eagles game tickets Comments (41)
Comment removed.- This is why we traded out of the 1st round, rather than loading up for another Superbowl run.
We know that Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and John Skelton were on equal footing. We weren't quite sure if he really meant it -- until now.
This isn't shocking, but it's incredible to think about when you take a step back. Just one year after the Cardinals mortgaged their future by dealing draft picks and paying huge money for Kevin Kolb, they aren't even letting him take most of the first-team snaps at practice. This isn't what they paid for.
Kolb earned more than $10 million last year and got an $7 million roster bonus this offseason. Skelton is a third-year pro from Fordham who's making $490,000. He has thrown 13 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions in his career. And yet Kolb and Skelton truly are being treated as equals.
That speaks more loudly than anything Whisenhunt could say. 
Thanks for using an avatar Lonewolf11. Without it I might accidentally waste my time reading some of your posts.— bc3030- Hmmm... Right on, Bsbs. Do you, baby! Gotta be at least a little nutty to chase QBs the way he does.— DigroJones
- YUP makes sense to me....run with a group of yahoos all liquored up....get tripped or pushed by one, get hit by a bull, ruin your career.....YUP...a brain surgeon he is not.....bet the stardard NFL contract does not cover this so he can kiss his medical, rehab and career good bye.....YUP....great idea ????— nuggett
just as long as he runs with the bulls on the eagles training facility so if (hopefully not!!)something bad happens he doesnt get his fat guaranteed contract ripped in half like jason peters— daveH- ridiculous. Can't believe that his contract doesn't contain a provision prohibiting such inherently risky activity.... don't be a dope Babin.
— ghostofozark 
Nice bark CYO...but, bears don't strut around the neighborhood looking for little pups like me to rip their jaws of death into like pit bulls. Protect puppies and get rid of pit bulls. Occupy Dog Street.- Running with the bulls = non-football related injury.— joedavola
- somebody should remind babin that
HE'S NOT REAL GOOD AGAINST THE RUN.
— bloodymess - very well done. /salute — bc3030
- I've always thought running with the bulls in Pamplona is pretty stupid, but to each his own I guess.
Maybe by participating in something is so horribly cruel to animals he can take some of the heat off Vick with the animal rights people.— bc3030 - I don't know why I click on stories like this. I'm always happier when I don't know what Eagles players do with their off time. But I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the headline and had to check that Babin was really going to do something so thunderously stupid. Yup. Putting aside the question of why all his leisure time activities involve cruelty to animals (Is that how you get your "man card" punched, Jason?), this looks like the perfect way to get seriously injured. So now I'm caught between rooting for the bull and not wanting the season to go down the drain.
- always time for a little knee surgery before the season, right?— ekw555
- Comment removed.
- Apparently, as long as it's not dogs it's A-OK. — bc3030
- Oh, also Babin is white, so I guess he gets a "get out of animal cruelty" pass for that or something. — bc3030
- European counties have some very silly traditions.. Wish they would stick to throw oranges & tomatoes at one another and leave the cows out of it :P. I'm sure they'd prefer spending the day chewing grass or making more cows - lol! No they have have to be stampeded through a town full drunk humans that are prodding them with sticks. ummm... yikes..!— highfive
- The running of the bulls is actually the least cruel part of it. Bullfighting is really messed up. I recommend the recent "How Stuff Works" podcast entitled "How Bullfighting Works" to learn more about it. It's horribly disgusting.
http://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffYouShould/2866016— bc3030 - I ran with the bulls in Pamplona too, and he's right that there's a correct way and an incorrect way to go about it. That said, don't let anybody tell you it's not dangerous.— Darren9
- He broke the tape down. He is too cool and very funny. I think the bulls will see Babin out there, look at each other like, "What is that?", and run in the opposite direction. Jason sacking bulls. GO EAGLES!!!!— WantToKnow
- He should treat those bulls just like he treats running backs and just get out of the way
- I'm usually pretty open minded but damn that's just plain stupid. A football players career lasts what on average? 5-10 years max. Here's an idea.....do whatever the hell you want once you retire from the NFL! Think of your family man. What a dope— Phinally
- the average is 3 years. — coloradoeagle
- How do the Eagles allow this? I am a paying customer of the Eagle product and if Babin goes out and gets gored by some bull, then ownership willfully and irresponsibly allowed the product that I purchased to become damaged. Seriously this is how I feel. And why? Because Babin has to prove to himself that he has a certain level of testosterone in his body? The Alaska thing was dangerous enough. What's next? Swallowing fire ants whole in New Zealand? To punch out yet another hole on his "man card"? Ridiculous.— Eaglenation5
- What a clown.— Jerome99RIP
Maybe he should have a look at this video before he decides to go ahead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpz22RpsgpI
- Babin I wouldn't get too comfortable. You can be cut at anytime during your deal and Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are waiting their chance. Keep doing stupid stuff like this and one of these young bucks will beat you out— bill1511
- don't have to worry about Graham. he is a bust. — coloradoeagle
- He broke the tape down like game film. Geez, I never knew bulls knew how how to play an organized game of football.— Geno D
- Goofball. Next he can pull an Oswalt and see where that gets him with a salary cut ...— petergou
- I guess Graham will be be getting plenty of reps.
Telling the world that he is running with the bulls is like Hamels admitting to throwing at Harper...PLAIN STUPID!!!— number4not5 - Great. Find a back-up now.— RonC1
@Lonewolf11 I read the article you're posting earlier... doesn't make sense paying Kolb all that money to sit. It is still a matter of choice if Babin decides he wants to run with the Bulls or skydive with Eagles... Just have fun... and I'll wish your safe return to the team.- Babin also said he is going to wear Kafka's red training camp jersey during the event too. Just to increase the man card factor a little more....— mish798798
- fun fact: Bulls are color blind and it's a myth that red angers them. The matador's cape is red to hide the blood so the people in the stands can more easily deal with the atrocity they are participating in. — bc3030
- our daddy said it best
so did jerome99rip— daveH - He knows how to live life to the fullest.— Bardock
- Yeah, kill bears not dogs it's okay. As far as I know people really don't eat bear meat. And why would you need too? Double standards for animal killing once again. Really, tho.— Corey301
- Maybe it's just me, but I think there is a significant difference between hunting an animal and drowning, electrocuting, and hanging dogs who were bred specifically to fight but deemed unfit for battle. They are two different and incomparable acts from the start. Beyond that, "I didn't see the one I wanted," likely means that he didn't bag one, so how can you compare what amounts to a 12 day camping trip to years of raising and training dogs with the intent to watch them tear each other to shreds for your amusement and profit, while killing the least vicious ones in the most inhumane ways you can imagine?— troke
- Another Eagle whose hobby is torturing animals. Shocker. Go Bulls!— Scope33
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Birds' Eye View is the Inquirer's blog covering all things Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.
Jeff McLane
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