As I sit in front of my heater on this 64 degree Los Angeles afternoon I can’t help but think about how much I missed my weekly installment of Faith Hill. Thanks to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Philadelphia mayor, Michael Nutter, I have to fight traffic on a Tuesday night and pray I get home in time to watch the country starlet sing the intro to NBC’s Sunday Night Football. That’s because the regular telecast on NBC was postponed. An unexpected blizzard that dropped around a foot of snow on Philadelphia is to blame (according to Goodell and Nutter). So, the Vikings and Eagles will play the first Tuesday night football game since Brett Favre was a 19 year old college kid….(October 1, 1946 when the New York Giants beat the Boston Yanks 17-0.)
Put the, “Brett Favre is old jokes” aside for a moment, and let’s take a closer look at this. The game was postponed early Sunday, before any snow had ACTUALLY fallen.
“Due to public safety concerns in light of today’s snow emergency in Philadelphia, tonight’s Vikings-Eagles game has been postponed. Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight’s storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared. The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1 pm on Monday,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Which, surprised me because I didn’t realize you had to have an AMS stamp of approval to work for the NFL…. this comes in the same season the Vikings have had two home games affected by weather. Their game against the Giants on Dec. 12 was postponed a day after Minneapolis got 15 inches of snow. It was then moved to Detroit when the Metrodome roof collapsed. Their game against Chicago the following week was played at the University of Minnesota’s outdoor stadium because of the damaged roof….
I understand fan safety is important, and as an Angelino that lived in the Midwest for four years I realize unplowed roads can be treacherous. But this seems like another instance of the league office flexing its muscle unnecessarily. And I’m not alone….
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, told KYW-TV he did "not at all" agree with the decision.
"This is football; football's played in bad weather," Rendell said. "I think the fans would have gotten there, the subways work and the major arteries are still open, and other fans would have stayed home — but you play football regardless of the weather."
The governor, who does football commentaries after Eagles games, also said the decision would be a "serious handicap" for the Eagles and was unfair to the team.
"I, for one, was looking forward to sitting in the stands throughout the snow and seeing an old-time football game," Rendell said.
Asked what Vince Lombardi would say about the decision, Rendell said "He'd be mocking us."
Suspending and fining players for “violent” hits is one thing, but playing the role of Al Roker is quite another. And if football has become a game that can only be played on Nike Field Turf and in a 70 degree Dome away from inclement weather….then explain to me again…
WHY LOS ANGELES DOESN’T HAVE A FOOTBALL TEAM?? (Forget about the Qualcomm Pond incident..San Diego is a 3 hour drive away)
Not that I think LA needs any more residents getting paid to play football (see USC) or would support a team (see Oakland/LA Raiders, St. Louis/LA Rams, UCLA Bruins). But we do have some pretty nice weather…..
