The glory days of Eagles Court | Sports Daily Newsletter

The San Francisco 49ers expect a raucous crowd to “greet” them when they face the Eagles in a wild-card playoff game Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The fans will be fierce, to be sure, but they don’t have the edge that the crowd had back in the day at Veterans Stadium.

Fights in the 700 Level were abundant. A flare gun was fired during a Monday Night Football game. It was the definition of “when things get out of hand” — and they got out of hand every week. Something had to be done.

Eagles Court was born. It went into session in the Vet’s basement in November 1997 and lasted until the stadium closed after a playoff game in January 2003. Seamus McCaffery was among the judges who presided, fining offenders on the spot in the ultimate in swift justice. The cases often involved over-imbibing fans, but many had humorous moments, to say the least.

“How do you plead?” McCaffery asked a 19-year-old man after he was charged with trespassing at the Vet in 2003.

“I plead stupidity,” he said.

“Is that aggravated stupidity or simple stupidity?” the judge said.

“Whatever the lesser charge is. I was an idiot.”

The man was acquitted. Matt Breen tells the story.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The winds will be whipping at the Linc on Sunday when the 49ers and Eagles meet in their wild-card playoff matchup, with gusts up to 40 mph in the forecast. That could affect the kicking and maybe even the passing game. So the running game might take center stage, and two of the league’s best will square off. It’s Christian McCaffrey vs. Saquon Barkley, two friends and fierce competitors.

Of course, they won’t tasked with tackling each other, but Barkley says he still wants to beat his buddy: “It always comes down to, I can’t stop him, he can’t stop me, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that you want to go out there and win, especially against a guy like that.”

Can Kevin Patullo get the Eagles offense humming in the playoffs? His job as offensive coordinator probably depends on it, David Murphy writes.

The Eagles are the defending champions and have a chance to win another Super Bowl, but this season often has seemed like a joyless slog, Mike Sielski writes. Their toughest playoff opponent will be themselves.

The Phillies remain focused on bringing back J.T. Realmuto, according to multiple major league sources. But with the cornerstone catcher still unsigned, the team plans to have a video meeting next week with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, a source said, confirming a report by The Athletic.

Several hurdles exist in a potential pursuit of Bichette, not the least of which is his positional fit with the Phillies. Save for 32 innings at second base in last year’s World Series, he played only shortstop in seven seasons with the Blue Jays. The Phillies aren’t moving shortstop Trea Turner, and there is also a financial component.

With Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford back in action, the Sixers have their full roster available for the first time in two years. Of course, Nick Nurse will have to work around the careful management of Joel Embiid’s playing time, but the available bodies will allow him to be “a little more fluid” with his lineup combinations.

Scott Laughton was a longtime Flyer and made his former team pay in his return to Philly. The Maple Leafs center scored to tie the game as the Flyers lost in overtime to Toronto, 2-1. Travis Konecny opened the scoring for the Orange and Black in the second period.

Live from Lincoln Financial Field: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the Eagles’ wild-card playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at 2:55 p.m. Sunday. Tune in to Gameday Central.

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, photos include Eagles on the Art Museum steps, VJ Edgecombe’s high-flying dunks and more.

It’s playoff time in Philadelphia, which means you probably have a lot of questions about the Birds. Eagles beat reporter Olivia Reiner is ready to answer them Friday at 9 a.m. on Reddit.com.

We asked: What have you noticed about this 49ers team coming on Sunday? Among your responses:

The Eagles sure better not take the 49ers for granted — Bill M.

The 49ers are really beat up. If the Eagles can score early and often, that should take them out of the game. If we let them hang around, anything can happen. Oh! And someone should remind Big Dom to keep his hands in his pockets and to stay away from skirmishes! — Ronald R.

I think the 49ers are coming for revenge after that humiliating defeat they suffered during their last visit when the Eagles knocked out their quarterbacks. 49ers have been a little more effective than the Eagles toward the end of the season and have a top 5 passing offense. The Eagles however have excellent defensive stats against the pass and have allowed the fewest TDs against the pass. Jaelan Phillips is quoted saying that the team has a sense of urgency regarding this game. The Eagles have not looked like a defending SB team for much of this year, but I think they will come up big in this game. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Jeff Neiburg, Mike Sielski, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Katie Lewis, Dylan Johnson, Inquirer Staff Photographers, and Anthony Wood.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim