Eagles brass: Green with envy

MAINE VACATION over, I returned home eager to feel the civic vibe created by the barrage of Eagles moves made in my absence.

Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick?

Well done, boys.

Nnamdi Asomugha is here, too? How did that happen?

Cullen Jenkins? Jason Babin? Vince Young? Ronnie Brown?

Call us feelgood Philly.

And then the phone rang yesterday morning.

It was my buddy, the morning radio show host.

He was not happy with either Jeff or Joe.

While I would hesitate to argue that Angelo Cataldi's musings always reflect that of the populace he so dutifully serves, the very idea that he could be barbecuing both Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner so soon after these offseason moves underlines a basic and recurring problem the two have.

They're hard to like.

Some might argue impossible.

We don't believe 'em, we don't trust 'em, we wouldn't buy a scalped ticket from either one.

Well, maybe Lurie.

But only if Banner weren't with him.

Stuck in our civic craw this time around are two comments, one made by Banner, one by Lurie. Taken separately and - more important - with no prior history, they could be dismissed as a poor choice of words, an accident. But there is a history. And when it comes to public missives from the two, there are no accidents.

In heaping praise upon himself to Sports Illustrated, Banner likened the Eagles' approach to that of his favorite successful baseball team.

"I would use the Red Sox as an analogy," Banner told SI. "They have a great team, and they still go out and get great players like Josh Beckett. We grew up watching Red Auerbach and a Celtics franchise that wouldn't rest. They looked for opportunities, and we feel like we had five or six that came free [in free agency]. What we were not going to do was hesitate. Not if you are going to win."

Lurie, speaking to reporters at Lehigh, wanted nothing to do with any baseball comparison. Asked whether the frenzy of free-agent signings this summer was inspired by how the Phillies have operated, he said: "No, not at all. It's so different. Are we building a pitching staff? No. It's a completely different evolution."

Wow.

"We have a salary cap," Lurie continued. "We are just trying to maximize players. I think they've done a great job with the pitching staff there, and I admire it. We're keeping up with the Jerry Joneses."

This was said only a few days after the Phillies traded for Hunter Pence, who has yet to pitch for the Phillies. In minimizing the Phillies' success to three pitchers acquired, Lurie discounted both the architects and architecture that preceded that stockpile. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson are all homespun Phillies, as are youngsters Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo. Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco were free-agent signings. The Phillies' outfield next season will have no one over 31. Lurie is right to say the cap weakens comparisons between the sports, but to dismiss what the Phillies have done as a case of a few high-priced arms is erroneous and, it would appear, envious.

Why not use the question as an opportunity to heap praise on his next-door neighbors? It makes you look better, not worse, Jeff.

If you want to pick an aggressive baseball team to compare yourselves to, why not cite the Phillies, Joe? The Sox, after all, weren't even in the running when Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay were out there to be had.

Truth is, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein would love to have Ruben Amaro Jr.'s track record over the last 4 years. I just came from New England. John Lackey, J.D. Drew, even Beckett's recurring injury history - they are not as impressed with Theo up there as Joe B. is down here.

Against the backdrop of what is shaping up as a historic season for the Phillies, though - against the backdrop of the last four autumns and the explosion of Phillies merchandise onto what was once a predominantly green scene - both men seem at the very least petty in their reluctance to throw bouquets the Phillies' way.

The Phillies do that for the Eagles, by the way. Their announcers spoke freely and gushed over the moves of the last week. The members of their inner circle grew up here as Eagles fans.

Who knows, maybe some still are.

But the pettiness makes that hard. And it's so, so unnecessary. Lurie and Banner have surrounded themselves with layers of public-relations specialists, and they are arguably the most competent in town. I'll bet if they were asked, they would have advised an "Aw Shucks" approach to all the preseason praise their moves have received. Instead, they laud themselves as "risk takers" and tout their "aggressive" approach before anyone from the outside can do that for them.

The bottom line is that it leaves you with an icky feeling. At a time when the two could really turn the civic tide in their favor. There are plenty of books out there about how we think in these parts, documentaries, too. They might want to pick up a few before their next interview. Just a thought.