On The Air
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
November 3, 2006

WPEN Sports Talk 950-AM afternoon drive host Jody McDonald says the Eagles have “dropped the ball” in getting Eagles coach Andy Reid for his show.

“In the year we've been on the air [stretching 11/2 seasons of Eagles football], Andy Reid hasn't been on my show once,” McDonald said. “We tried to get him on all of last season and a couple of times during training camp, and we were rejected. Reid hasn't been on since the regular season started.”

“I have not received a request for Andy Reid since the beginning of the season, and they know that,” said Derek Boyko, public relations director of the Eagles. “[WPEN] has an excellent reporter [Brian Seltzer] that comes down every day to cover us. I would hope that the rest of the station would follow suit, follow Brian's lead, and be diligent with their work.”

“I have not spoken to Jody McDonald in years, but I've spoken to many other hosts on many other stations, including [WIP 610-AM's] Rhea Hughes, Anthony Gargano, Howard Eskin and Glen Macnow. They know how to reach me and to conduct their business.”

Told of Boyko's comments, McDonald acknowledged that he didn't personally call, but said: “We try and do it through channels. While we haven't asked this year. We will do so immediately.”

Gone mad

Count me as one of the viewers who did not enjoy Jim Cramer's “Mad Money” routine on “Eagles Post Game Live” last week. When a non-football expert appears on the show, it's a difficult balancing act. On one hand, we don't want to hear Cramer talk about football because it isn't what he's known for. On the other hand, we don't want to hear his political and business references during the football show.

Sad story

The story of Warminster's Buddy Miley, who was left a quadriplegic after suffering an injury while playing quarterback for William Tennent High School, is told on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” this month on HBO. The story recounts the years that followed the accident when Buddy's brother, Jimmy, eventually took him to suicide doctor, Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Not very flexible

The Eagles will not be part of the first NFL “flexible scheduling” of the year next week. Their game vs. Washington will take place at 1 p.m. The Chicago-New York Giants game will be televised that Sunday night.

Getting Hitched

If Ken Hitchcock hadn't signed up to be a team scout for the Flyers, the media savvy former head coach probably would've been a good hockey analyst.


November 3, 2006 6:35 AM