POSTGAME SHOW STILL A THRILL

THIRTEEN YEARS ago, I got a call from someone at Comcast-Spectacor inquiring whether I had any interest in being on a panel after every Eagles game to talk about the results and where the Eagles' season was headed.

They said they would pay me, but I felt that as mayor, such payment would appear inappropriate, so the money was directed to charity. (I should note that today, as a civilian, I no longer deem the payment to be inappropriate, so it is directed to my bank account.)

So 13 years ago this Sunday, I did my first "Eagles Postgame Live."

I knew it would create a bit of trouble. Veteran sports writers were outraged that an "outsider" who knew nothing about sports would be allowed to be a TV "analyst." Of course, they weren't listening. I never said I was an expert, but just a fan who would try to give the fans' perspective and ask the questions the fans wondered about. Besides, we had an expert on the show in Ray Didinger, and we always had an ex-Eagle to give the players' view.

The Republicans in Harrisburg lit into me for taking time away from my job as governor. They'd spend hours playing golf and on their other avocations, but criticized me for spending 90 minutes on the show each week. I told the press that on Sundays when we do the show, you could shoot a machine gun down the halls of the capitol without fear of hitting anyone.

I even got criticized by Donovan McNabb. When I was Democratic Party Chairman in 2000, the New York Times did a feature about my broadcasting work and asked Donovan to critique it. He replied, "He's a very good mayor." Prodded specifically about my talent as a football analyst, he said, "He's a good mayor."

Although our relationship got off to a rocky start when I urged the Eagles to take Ricky Williams in the draft in which they selected Donovan, his appreciation for my football insight improved as I became a consistent supporter - something many of you have never let me forget.

I am certain that the benefits I have received from doing the show have far outweighed the drawbacks. First, I just love doing it. I remember thinking 45 minutes into my first show, "They actually pay us for doing this? A bunch of guys sitting around talking football?"

It's also a great way for me to deal with the stress my jobs have given me. During a tough week, I always looked forward to Sunday. For these reasons, I want to keep doing it as long as CSN will have me.

The second benefit has been meeting and becoming friends with a lot of great people: Tom Brookshier, Johnny Sample, Bill Bergey and, of course, my fellow panelists, Vaughn Hebron, Ray and the incredible Michael Barkann. I've also gotten to know some players - Donovan, Duce Staley, Jeremiah Trotter, Reggie White, Koy Detmer and Troy Vincent. And I've also become friends with our producers - Rob Kuestner, Dan "Boonie" Roche and Michelle Murray (I like her even though she is a sadist who enjoys making us do the pregame show outdoors, even when the wind chill factor is in the single digits!).

Lastly, the show has turned out to be a great political asset. It gets great ratings and is shown all over eastern Pennsylvania. It has helped my reputation as a "regular guy." When I've been out at parades or among crowds, people ask me as much about the Eagles and sports as taxes or education.

People have asked me why I think the show works so well and why it attracts so many viewers, and I think the first reason is that we give fans their first chance to see Andy Reid's and the players' reactions to the game. But it also works because we give fans their first chance to react - whether it's joy over a win or anger and frustration over a big loss. We make no bones about being human and we share your pain or joy (except Ray).

But the show works most of all, because of the camaraderie among us. We have the right blend of humor and insight, we tell the truth and never sugarcoat things. We are not afraid to discuss controversial topics.

At the center of a number of the controversial subjects we discussed was Hebron. He has never been reluctant to speak his mind - even if his view was unpopular. He could be passionate and even angry, but that only served to strengthen the show's grip on our viewers' attention. But Vaughn's true strength came from his sense of humor, which served as a balance to the times he was vehement about some issues. I enjoyed the heck out of being with him and listening to his take on everything, and I know many of our viewers did, too.

Unfortunately, Vaughn won't be on the show this year, and while we will all miss him greatly, the good news is that he will be replaced by longtime Eagle great Tra Thomas. Tra brings a tremendous level of on-field experience and knowledge to the show, as he was an integral part of the Eagles' great (though ultimately unsuccessful) run over the past decade. He was on with us a number of times last year and is a smart guy with a great sense of humor. With the Eagles' fate resting on the offensive line's ability to protect Michael Vick this year, Tra's experience as one of the great tackles in NFL history will be especially valuable.

So another season is upon us and with all of the incredible developments in the lockout-shortened offseason, I'm sure there will be no shortage of issues. I look forward to Sundays as much as ever, and I'm hoping to give all of our viewers a fun, informative and interesting show all the way through early February.