Dallas not exactly on fire over game

DALLAS - The next time some obnoxious Cowboys (redundant?) fan gets snippy about Philadelphia, you might want to unsheath this historical ammo:

If it weren't for a Philadelphian, the Eagles would be playing the Peter's Corner Cowboys in tonight's NFC wild-card game.

That's because this North Texas city, where the Eagles are a dirty word, was named after one of Philadelphia's most prominent post-Revolutionary citizens, George Mifflin Dallas.

Dallas (1792-1864) came from an old and aristocratic Philadelphia family, one that predated cheesesteaks. He would go on to become mayor, ambassador to Russia and England, an official of the Second Bank of the United States, a U.S. attorney, attorney general of Pennsylvania, a U.S. senator, and vice president under James Polk.

As a senator, Dallas was, for some inexplicable reason, a strong advocate for Texas statehood. When that happened in 1845, grateful Texans acknowledged his role by renaming Peter's Corner in Dallas' honor, a somewhat dubious distinction since the young city was at the time little more than a place where cattle relieved themselves.

Dallas was a somewhat surprising choice for a namesake since Philadelphia has yet to name anything after him - other than an obscene chant by Eagles fans.

(Residents here apparently thought about naming their city after Polk, too, but reconsidered after realizing future headlines might refer to its NFL team as the Polk 'Pokes.)

No word on how poor Peter felt about his city's name change, though he reportedly retreated to his corner and founded the first country doo-wop group.

Even though Big D would have been PC if not for the Philadelphian, there seems to be a troubling historical whitewashing afoot here.

While namesakes of the state's other large cities, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, are revered historical figures in the state, George Dallas remains virtually anonymous.

An informal poll of Texans in downtown Dallas yesterday failed to turn up even one who had heard of the Philadelphian.

"I never thought about how the city got its name," said Chris Robertson, a resident of nearby Plano. "And I never heard of George Dallas, so I definitely didn't know he was from Philadelphia."

"Did he boo, too?" asked Rose Temple.

What do you expect from a city named after a Philly guy who wore powdered wigs and couldn't hold on to a job?

If the TV cameras pan the crowd at tonight's Eagles-Cowboys game, pay close attention to the male fans. The overwhelming majority undoubtedly will resemble either Grizzly Adams or Ward Cleaver.

I'm not sure why it's so, but Dallas must lead the nation both in beards and in men whose hairstyles passed out of fashion early in the Eisenhower administration.

Here's a quote that will get any Eagles fan's blood boiling.

Asked why the Cowboys were having so much trouble selling tickets for tonight's game, a StubHub spokesperson told the Dallas Morning News:

"The lower demand may be due to [Dallas] fans assuming the win and holding out for the latter rounds."

Excuse me?

Fans of a team that hasn't won a playoff game since Jim Fregosi was the Phillies' manager are "holding out for the latter rounds"?

Whether or not that's the reason, the slow-sell has to be an embarrassment for a football-mad city that is home to a franchise that likes to call itself America's Team.

Radio and newspaper ads hawking unsold tickets have been prevalent here this week.

And the lovable Jerry Jones didn't help.

The Cowboys owner doubled prices for the best playoff seats at his $1.2 billion stadium. They went for $500 a pop. The cheapest go for $85. But you can buy a standing-room-only ticket - curiously called a "party pass" - for $35.

If sad-sack Cowboys coach Wade Phillips (0-4) loses tonight's wild-card game, he won't have a ring for every finger on one hand.

This was a bad week for spit.

First, Robbie Alomar didn't make it into the Hall of Fame. Then Dave Spadaro got caught dropping a couple of loogies on the Cowboys' star.

Charles Barkley had better be careful.

Maybe it's because Texas played in the BCS Championship game Thursday night. Maybe it's because Cowboys fans have been jaded by past successes or frustrated with recent failures.

But whatever the reason, there's been a very restrained buzz surrounding the buildup for tonight's wild-card matchup.

For an out-of-towner, it appears that the Big D is in the midst of a Big Z.

Talk-radio chatter has been dominated by the Texas-Alabama game, by news that the Rangers might be pursuing Vladimir Guerrero, even by the U.S. Olympic team's snub of Mike Modano.

Perhaps the Cowboys' 24-0 shellacking of Philadelphia last weekend temporarily stilled the pro-football waters here. Or maybe it takes a Super Bowl to work these fans into a frenzy.

Golden Richards.

(tie) Les Shy and Lance Poimboeuf.

We vow if the Eagles beat Dallas

We won't treat the Pokes' fans with malice.

But if they should lose

We'll drink much strong booze

And we'll do what the law won't allow us.