graceland's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Toto, I don't think we're in NYC anymore And I have returned from Kansas, my Philadelphia Eagles victorious. First things first, I had an amazing time in the midwest. So much fun. So many thoughts to record. My mind was racing the whole time I was there. The game was sensational, if you watched, you know. I spoke with my brother from the tailgate and he asked me if I was wearing all of my gear (head to toe Eagles, with a brand new NFC Champs shirt!) and then if anyone was booing or threatening me. No, I reminded him, I'm in Kansas, not Philadelphia. That said, much of what I had heard about Arrowhead was true: the BBQ is out of this world, the tailgate is worth traveling for, the sea of red is blinding and the roar of the fans in the stadium is deafening. I can certainly understand why only 3 NFC teams to play Arrowhead in the last 10 years, have won games there. It's a tough crowd. They've even changed the national anthem! Hearing the last line sung, "Land of the Free, Home of the CHIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSS!!!!" by approximately 78,000 people is intimidating. You really can't imagine it, unless you've witnessed it as a visting fan. I took a lot of ribbing. Well, first when I walked in, the two Eagles fans two rows behind me stood up and high-fived me. After that, it was relentless. The Chiefs came out like gangbusters, racking up a handsome lead of 17-0. And the Chiefs fans have all these little "Chiefdoms" like, "First Down, CHIIIIEEEEFFS!" and a hand motion downfield. At one point they scored and my entire section and the section next to me was chanting some "Chiefdom" so loudly, and dozens of them pointing fingers at me during what I suppose was the visiting team insult portion, that I bent down and dialed my phone so my friend could hear this insanity and as I was down there, people started thumping on my back instead of the back of the chairs. It was chaos. I laughed through the first quarter, as they swatted at imaginery Eagles feathers and taunted me. I laughed because I love good fans, and the Chiefs fans are certainly that, and because I knew what they had forgotten: the Eagles play a 60 minute game of ball. We play until it's over. Even without the #2 kicker in the league and a QB with a tear in his abdomen. I turned around at one point as I was getting a verbal beat down from everyone around me, and I saw the Philly guys behind me, down in their seats, down on their luck, staring down in their beers. I was not having that. I laid into this guy and gave him a pep talk of Newt Rockne proportions, "Are you kidding me? We've been in worse spots than this! Get up. GET. UP. You show support for your TEAM. We may be down, but we are FAR from out. You remember where you came from and show these people. We wear our colors with PRIDE. We're Philly." And suddenly this 30-something, 6'2"ish guy stood up and put his arm in the air. I turned around and smiled to myself. Somewhere in there, Dante Hall had a great run, but it wasn't enough. Even Donovan bouncing the ball and catching it like a circus clown didn't stop the Eagles. And like the KC Star headline screamed on Monday, The Chiefs were "Phila-busted." The sea of red parted with 6 minutes left to go in the game; Chiefs fans were so disgusted that most of them missed their final TD. I didn't, because like I said, the Eagles play a 60 minute game. I was a good sport after the game. The Chiefs fans were really down, so I reminded the people around me in my section, "Hey, remember, you don't have to win every game, just the big ones. This game wasn't big for you guys. We're not even in the same division. It was practice." I told them how Philly still loves Vermeil and I reminded them, at least the Eagles aren't the Raiders. The guys in front of me pepped up at that and by the time I left, they shook my hand and one told me that on the off weeks/when our teams aren't playing each other, he'll root for the Eagles. That made me smile. All in all, it was a great time. I wish I had more time out there. We did a lot: The American Royal Rodeo/BBQ festival, Winstead's, The Oak Park Mall (A Mall! I haven't been to a Mall in years!), bars in strip malls (Egaads!) and more. Next time. I'd definitely like to go back and I hope someday soon to visit the rest of the midwest - so much I haven't seen: Nebraska, Omaha, Iowa, North Dakota, Idaho. I need to book a whole heartland trip, it's really a special part of America. 9:29 p.m. - 2005-10-04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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