Bill Conlin: Eagles fans, there's no running from the winter blues
WHEN I'M KING of the World . . .
Winter will be canceled . . .
Unless it is Australian winter, of course. Maybe it's the post-World Series blahs, the knowledge that all there is to sustain many of us until pitchers and catchers report are three teams going nowhere. Look, if Eagles fans aren't offended by the "Where did this come from?" implications of the blowout victory over the desert mirage that passed through here on Thanksgiving, they don't have an ounce of green blood coursing through their holiday blockages.
And then Captain Andy all but spelled out that the running game that added so much balance to the Birds' offense was an a-b-e-r-r-a-t-i-o-n. With that 1 on the ground vs. 10 in the air mumbo-jumbo, wasn't Andy Reid promising that the next time a third-and-1 is stuffed, Donovan McNabb will be back throwing on the next third-and-really-short?
The Eagles' infantry won't be marching up and down Giants Stadium on Sunday. So look for Donovan to peg the pigskin about 50 times through the Meadowlands swirl. It's going to be colder than a bank stock and the question that goes with the forecast is how much wind? From almost 6 days out, I'm not sold on the long-range call for a dry day with a high in the mid-30s. The models have done a poor job of handling an enormous trough that will cover most of the eastern half of the United States by the weekend. Arctic air is going to be anchored, so the current number for a 1 p.m. kickoff could bust down into the 20s. If you're going up the Turnpike, wear layers of your heaviest Eagles winter wear. And be gentle with the smug Giants fans grilling their pheasant and chateaubriand in the parking lots. Many will be refugees from the Great Wall Street Massacre and will appreciate Eagles fans reaching out . . . Meanwhile, small but wonderfully athletic Villanova looks like the best watch of the indoor alternatives we are stuck with.
When I'm King of the World . . .
Even though it don't mean a thing if you don't have that bling, I'm pushing for a pro-jock-catering club in every major market where you check your bling and your piece at the door . . . You remember hat-check girls? They took your lady's mink stole, your camel-hair overcoat, your hats and handed you a check. I'll have bling-check guys in uniform who will take your Rolex-level timepieces, gold chains, earrings over 5 karats, rings, including championship fingerwear. Also, your Glocks, Springfield XDs and Rugers. My men will gratefully accept tips when you are leaving the premises. However, because some customers may have imbibed past the fail-safe threshold, all pieces will be returned without bullets. This should be no inconvenience, however, as most discerning athletes will be carrying a backup piece in their rides . . . Did my annual inventory of personal bling today: One Citizen Eco-Drive watch for dress, one Citizen Eco-Drive for everyday use. That's it. And if cell phones count as bling, I just replaced my lightly used Motorola RAZR with a pricey Verizon Voyager. Where was that tiny keyboard when the "Wizard of Oz" Munchkins needed to text Dorothy?
My knee-jerk reaction when Phils GM Ruben Amaro made that sideways outfield prospect trade of Greg Golson for the Rangers' John Mayberry was: Whoa, here they go again, giving short shrift to certified speed and defense to favor power that may or may not make it to the big leagues. Lousy deal, I thought. Golson's speed is here and now. During Shane Victorino's first spring training at the minor league complex, Mike Arbuckle staged a 60-yard race between Michael Bourn, Golson and Victorino. Bourn and Golson finished in a virtual dead heat. Victorino was a long stride behind. Golson has been the best defensive outfielder at every stop in the minors and has a howitzer arm. But he strikes out a ton and hasn't been able to adjust to off-speed pitching.
There was a flaw in my reasoning, however. I remembered Mayberry, who was a first-round draft pick out of Stanford a year after Golson was a first-rounder out of high school, as a 6-6 guy who lumbered like Ryan Howard. But the son of the American League slugger has been a double-figure basestealer at every level and scouts rank him as an outfielder who runs and throws well enough to play either corner. Amaro informed me - curtly, I might add - that Mayberry was on the Phillies' radar screen since his college days. Ruben said, "Greg Golson is a great kid and we hate to see him leave the organization, but Mayberry is a better fit for our needs at this time." This question remains: If Mayberry is all that, why were the Rangers about to take him off the 40-man roster? Meanwhile, the Rangers have been stockpiling outfielders to use in trades for pitching. Golson might be elsewhere by spring training. *
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