Mike,in case you missed that game, i have a ton of links, i see it became a NATIONAL STORY. But i do see, thankfully, Rendell attacked the fans afterward, and so did McNabb.
<<Eagles' boo birds exhibit foul behavior
by Ken Berger Associated Press
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PHILADELPHIA -- Booing is a way of life for Philadelphia sports fans, some of the most raucous, passionate and surly in the country.
The trouble this time was the cheering.
Philly's fans might have sunk to a new low by cheering Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin's potentially serious neck injury. It disgusted even those who thought they had seen it all in the "City of Brotherly Love."
"This, in terms of bad taste, was as bad as it gets," said Mayor Edward Rendell, an avid sports fan.
Irvin, 33, landed awkwardly on his head after catching a pass from Troy Aikman in the first quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles' 13-10 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday. He lay motionless on the artificial turf for nearly 20 minutes while medical staff attended to him.
Many fans in the crowd of 66,669 cheered when they realized Irvin was hurt, and again when paramedics wheeled a stretcher onto the field. Many also cheered respectfully when he was placed in an ambulance, but the damage was done.
"I couldn't believe they cheered," said Donovan McNabb, the team's No. 1 pick who was nearly booed off the stage by Eagles fans attending the draft. "You don't know what to expect from them."
But Philadelphia's list of embarrassing moments is getting lengthy.
"I think too many of our fans have gotten caught up in our image of bombarding people and booing," Rendell said.
The fan reaction to Irvin's injury was criticized in the city's newspapers and on talk radio Monday.
"Unspeakable, even for us," proclaimed a headline in the Philadelphia Daily News.
No one is safe from the boo birds. Mike Schmidt, one of the best third basemen in baseball history, was booed for much of his career with the Phillies.
"Ron Jaworski told me one time that he had completed like 14 passes in a row, and on the 15th one he had an incompletion and they booed him," said Randall Cunningham, the Eagles' star quarterback from 1985-95.
Irvin, who stayed overnight in the spinal trauma unit of a Philadelphia hospital with swelling in his spine near the base of his skull, was released Monday and flew home. The Cowboys are optimistic he'll play again this season.
"Some people need to grow up and find some inner peace, because there is no peace in watching somebody suffer," said Irvin's teammate, Emmitt Smith.>> |
