OK, which Eagles team will show up this week, the one that trounced the Giants last week and looked like the class of the NFC, or the one that flew across the country and laid a giant egg against the hapless Raiders?

That is the Eagles' mantra this season: Consistently inconsistent.

Now they're back in the Linc for a prime time Sunday night showdown against the hated Cowboys.

The NFL schedule makers have given Philly fans a huge present. The Cowboys are the perfect antidote for the hangover many fans are suffering from with the Phils defeat in the World Series.

The Cowboys are in twn, the teams are tied for first place in the NFC, and all is right with the sports world.

This one is a game of matchups. The Eagles powerful, quick-strike offense should be able to put points on the board aagainst the Cowboys, even if Brian Westbrook is not operating on all cylinders. If nothing else, last week proved just how many weapons this team now features on offense, including rookie running back LeSean McCoy.

The big qeustion for the Birds will be on defense and if they can put enough pressure on Dallas QB Tony Romo to get him out of the rhythm he's been on the past three weeks. Romo has not thrown an interception during that span, but he'll be facing a lore more pressure this week. Look for a couple more turnovers for the Birds' opportunistic defense.

It says here the Eagles prevail. The Birds take control of the NFC East, and it's on to the playoffs. The Phillies' disappointing loss will be a thing of the past.
It's football season.

Make it Eagles 29, Cowboys 19.

Last Week: Who knew? The Eagles unloaded on the Giants in a game that was supposed to be a lot closer but was really over after the Eagles first drive of the day.

Season Record: 4-3, I'm now a game behind the Birds, who are cruising at 5-2.

Go ahead. Admit it. Something is different this morning. Something just doesn't feel right. Something is definitely missing.

And not all those buses, trolleys and subways serving the city. They may be back on the street by this afternoon.

There's no Phillies game to talk about over the watercooler this morning.

One of the great things about sports is the way it unifies us as a community. We spent the last month painting the town red.

Now it's over, and all we have to look forward to is watching those damn Yankees parade down the canyons of Manhattan.

Uh, not exactly.

Remember that big edifice across the street from Citizens Bank Park. It will be packed Sudnay night.

The hated Cowboys will be in town.

Red October gives way to Green November.

The Eagles win, and they're alone in first place in the NFC East.

Are there more important issues than our preoccupations with sports? Sure. But they're not nearly as fun.

Go Birds!

There aren't many better people to have around in times of labor strife then Congressman Bob Brady.

The burly, South Philadelphia Dem leader, who actually represents a portion of Delaware County, is no stranger to the bargaining table.

Ask the guys at Boeing, or Sunoco. Brady, D-1, is a dealmaker.

The longtime city Democratic leader wields real political clout. And he doesn't mind using it, even if that means hitting you over the head with it.

So it is entirely good news to see Brady, along with his pal Gov. Ed Rendell, emerging from all-night SEPTA talks sounding confident that a deal may be within reach to end the strike by SEPTA city division workers that is going into its fourth day this morning.

It's a strike that likely never should have occurred. The fact that it happened in the middle of the night, with little or no warning to riders, only makes it that much more egregious.

Thousands of riders who depend on the system to get around have been put out. The region's economy has taken a hit. And all this with a deal on the table that most workers today would love to get instead of hearing of the latest cuts and givebacks.

Here's a tip to the TWU Local 234. Take the money and run.

And thank Congressman Brady on the way out.

The Daily Numbers: 84 mph, what Pedro Martinez’s first pitch was clocked at last night. Not a good sign.
7-3 loss by the Phils to the Yankees, thus ending the quest for back-to-back World Series titles.
27 world titles on that crowded mantle now for the Bronx Bombers.
74, combined age of last night’s starters, Pedro Martinez for the Phils and Andy Pettite for the Yanks.
6 RBI for Hideki Matsui, including another homer last night off Pedro. Matsui was named the Series MVP. He may not even be with the Yankees next year.
7 World Series rings for 79-year-old Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner.
1 season, 1 World Series title for the Yanks at their 1.5 billion new stadium.
.174 batting average and 13 strikeouts – a dubious record – for Ryan Howard in the Series.
18 postseason wins for Yanks’ starter Andy Pettite. That’s also a major league record.
3.79 percent hike in revenue for Harrah’s Chester Casino in October over the same month last year.
25,625,358.31 dollars raked in at Harrah’s this year, as opposed to
$24,689,003.86 last year.
3, as in Day 3 of a strike by SEPTA’s city division workers. That means no buses, trolleys or subways in the city.
0 negotiating sessions between TWU 234 and SEPTA management. Nice.
32, age of woman in Kensington brutally beaten and raped. They’re on the hunt for a suspect.
1 person killed in a fire Wednesday in a home in Mercer County, N.J.
7 million dollar loss reported by Radian Group.
3 Wilmington men busted in the robbery of a teen in a restroom at Christiana Mall.
2 people injured when a car careened into a Wilmington restaurant.
140,000 dollar settlement for woman who wound up wearing adult diapers to work because she was now allowed to take bathroom breaks.
22 percent boost in profits at Comcast, even though they lost 132,000 TV customers.
80 million dollar jackpot up for grabs Saturday in the Powerball drawing.
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Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Let’s go, Eagles.
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I Don’t Get It: No talks are yet scheduled to end the strike by city division workers at SEPTA. I don’t get it.
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Today’s Upper: How many days until spring training?
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Quote Box: “It feels better than I remember it. It’s been a long time.”
- Yankees star Derek Jeter, after they won the World Series last night against the Phils.

Let the football season begin.

Red October has turned into Dread November.

Instead of painting the town red, we instead are seriously blue.

I’m not really sure why.

The Yankees are the world champions. It’s not the first time. It was, however, the first time a team was making a bid to win back-to-back world titles in decades.

But there will be no parade down Broad Street this year. They will convene instead on Broadway.

This will be the most un-Philadelphia thing to do. Or maybe it’s actually precisely Philadelphia.

I don’t feel all that bad this morning. Instead I choose to salute the Phils, despite failing to repeat as champions.

Do I wish maybe Charlie Manuel had given J.A. Happ a chance to start one game, preferably last night? Sure. It was clear last night after one pitch – clocked at 84 mph – that Pedro Martinez was a shell of the pitcher that once struck fear into opposing batters. I imagine Yankees hitters were falling all over themselves as they grabbed bats and lined up to take their whacks against their old nemesis.

I come not to bury the Phils, but instead salute them.

Thet gave us a great ride. It starts when we are still wearing long underwear and heavy coats. The Phillies’ arrival in South Florida means a rebirth, and the hope that spring can’t be far behind.

This year they took something else with them to Clearwater, a World Series Trophy.

Winter gives way to spring. Spring to summer. Summer to fall. Through it all there is baseball.

This year, we lost not only our bid to root home a second straight title, we also lost our “voice.”

In early April, Harry Kalas died. For many of us, he was the “voice of summer,” a trusted companion whose lilting baritone carried us through summer nights, along with the chirping of the crickets. Slowly but surely, I’m beginning to hear Scott Franzke and Larry Anderson in the same way. Just the sound of their voice warms me, reminds me of hot, muggy sweltering summer nights with my trusted radio sitting on the porch.

The Phils honored Kalas, in particular with their play on the field.
They raced to the front of the National League East and never looked back.

I see no reason why they will not do the same next year. Their nucleus is solid. Surely Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge will rebound.

It is now time for fall, and winter can’t be far behind. Red October gives way on the calendar to Gang Green.

A Philly fan can be left with only one thought: Hey, how ‘bout dem Iggles.

And a Phillie fan can be left with only this: How many days until spring training? And can summer be far behind?

The luck is changing at Harrah’s.

No, not for the customers. I’m talking about the house.

I’ve made it a point to wonder why Harrah’s revenue has been slumping for almost a year. The slots parlor on the Chester waterfront ran off a streak of eight straight months where their take was down from the same month the year before.

That ended in October. Harrah’s fortunes went up 3.79 percent compared to last October. Talk about your trick or treat. That’s a lot of goodies.

Harrah’s took in $25,625,358.31 in October, according figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. (I’ve always wondered exactly where the 31 cents comes from.) That compares with $24,689,003.86 in October of last year. It also keeps Harrah’s in its lofty No 2 perch when it comes to slots gambling in the state, trailing only the $29.5 million raked in at Philly Park.

Across the state, gambling revenue rose 31.97 percent over the year before, although some of that is attributable to the fact that there are simply more casinos online now. The nine operating casinos in the state hauled in better than $177 million in gross revenue in October.

As is their usual custom, Harrah’s is not talking about their revenue.

A couple of things struck me about the uptick in fortunes at Harrah’s.
It comes at the same time that Delaware was instituting sports parlay betting on NFL games, and advertising it on billboards right outside Harrah’s front door on I-95.

And it comes as word arrives that it appears as if finally the path has been cleared for the SugarHouse casino on the Philly waterfront to kick in. They now hope to be up and running next spring or summer.

The competition is only going to increase to shake the last final few coins from their customers’ pockets.

And if that’s not enough, table games are on the way, if the clods in Harrisburg ever get around to finishing the work on the legislation to put it in motion.

Welcome to Pennsylvania, where we make “slots” of memories.

I think I have a way of solving the Philadelphia budget crunch.

How about a pay-per-view match between Mayor Michael Nutter and Transit Workers Union Local 234 boss Willie Brown? You could call it the “Thrilla in Phila.”

These two guys don’t like each other even a little bit.

Nutter started all this when he responded angrily to the surprise strike called by the union at midnight Monday night. Nutter had indicated over the weekend that a strike was off the table. That apparently came as news to the union.

The union walked, shutting down the system at 3 a.m. and offering something of a sucker punch to its customers. Most went to bed with no idea that their ride would not be there in the morning. Some who work the overnight shift actually used SEPTA to get to work, then were stranded when they finished their shift in the morning.

Nutter went off on the union on morning news shows, calling their move to hit the bricks “despicable” and an “ambush” on commuters who depend on the system.

Yesterday Brown responded, referring to the mayor as “Little Caesar” and saying he would not sit down at the bargaining table with Nutter.

Brown also added he did not feel nearly the same enmity toward Gov. Ed Rendell, who also was critical of the union’s move. Maybe that’s because, in Brown’s own words, the governor brought something to the table. That would be money.

Brown now believes most of the media coverage of the strike has been misleading, referring to himself as “the most hated man” in Philadelphia.

Now it likely will be up to Rendell to get these sides together and put an end to what appears to be a totally unnecessary strike.

That likely isn’t going to happen if it means getting Brown and Nutter at the table.

In the meantime, the riding public looks at the bleak prospect of Day 3 of a shutdown of the region’s transit lifeblood.

Nutter and Brown need to put their war of words behind them, and instead focus on duking it out at the bargaining table.

What’s at stake is bigger then either one of them.

Settle this thing now. Get the buses, trolleys and subways back in operation.

Sic transit? Yeah, we know all about it.