On The Air
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
November 10, 2006

Eagles announcer Merrill Reese and former Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham will be profiled on “NFL Films Presents: Philly's Finest” at 8:30 tonight on the NFL Network.

The Reese piece follows him from his days as a Temple University student announcer through this season, his 30th with the team.

Among those interviewed are Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, former Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, announcing partner Mike Quick, and WIP 610-AM host Angelo Cataldi.

A funny story recalled is when Reese once lost a “Merrill Reese sound-a-like” contest on the radio.

Reese, who has the most seniority among NFL team announcers, lists his favorite calls in the Glen Macnow/Big Daddy Graham book, “The Great Book of Philly Sports Lists.”

He'd make many people's list of top Philadelphia sports team announcers.

The first 15 minutes of the half-hour show are about Randall Cunningham, the face of the team from 1985-95. A recent interview conducted by NFL Films' Steve Sabol is included.

Back to work

After getting re-elected to governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell finally can get back to doing something important, like co-hosting “Eagles Post Game Live” with his running mates Michael Barkann, Vaughn Hebron, and Ray Didinger on Comcast SportsNet at 4 p.m. Sundays.

New lineup

The lineup for “Sixers Post Game Live” on CSN is a little different this season. John Nash, who was fired as general manager of the Portland Trailblazers in June, returns as an analyst, and Sixers expert Dei Lynam will host the show more frequently this year. Bob Salmi returns as another analyst.

Desperate times

Tough guys Peyton Manning and Tom Brady couldn't outduel the gunslingers of Wisteria Lane, as “Desperate Housewives” was the top rated show of the week. The Colts-Patriots Sunday night game was second.

Dancing Cowboy

For the second year in a row, a former NFL player will participate in the finals of “Dancing with the Stars.” Former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith will battle Mario Lopez for the championship next week. Jerry Rice made the finals last year. If New York Giant Tiki Barber makes good on his promise to retire after this season, he'd be a good candidate for the show next year.

Hot to Trot

Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter will be searching for the ghost of “Mad Ray” (not Ray Rhodes), along with second-string stars Gilbert Gottfried, Kimberly Caldwell and Traci Lords, in “Celebrity Paranormal Project” on VH1 at 10 p.m. Sunday. Suddenly, hanging around Dhani Jones isn't sounding so bad.