Rich Burg, Welcome To The IgglesBlog

Today's Daily News Eagles preview section includes the by now obligatory story about how technology has irreversibly changed the fan/player dynamic.  (This despite the fact that I have never once heard a player admit that he actually ventures online to see what people are saying about him.  Liars :-)

Of course, if the story itself was obligatory, the parts slamming blogs were damn near mandatory:

Blogs can also be a launching pad for trouble. Unchecked facts are passed along as rumors, which are then commented on and passed along again. Given the anonymity that the Internet affords, some of the stuff that is said is far beyond the realm of what passes for civilized conversation. Worse, it excites an atmosphere of rage that previously did not have a convenient outlet other than a letter to the editor or a sports talk show, both of which were expected to adhere to certain standards. The problem is you can say anything on the Internet and there is a 50-50 chance that someone will believe it. The concept of unassailable fact has been absorbed by purveyors of unreality, which McNabb and some of his teammates have discovered to their chagrin.

Hey, beat writers.  Have you checked the comment section on your articles recently?  Compare those remarks to the comments you see on all the Eagles blogs.  We win in the "civilized conversation" competition.

Whatever, it's not all bad news for the pixel pushers:

Burg keeps an eye out for everything that is written and said about McNabb. In any given season, that can be a formidable undertaking. Every word that the Eagles quarterback utters is subject to scrutiny. Akers says, "Everything he says is examined: 'What did he mean by that?' 'Does he have a hidden agenda?' " Burg says he does not share everything he comes across with McNabb, only the occasional thing he thinks could be useful to him. Interestingly, he says that contrary to the impression that is out there, he has discovered that McNabb is far more popular than some people think.

"There is a perception of out there that only 50 percent of the fans like him," says Burg. "But since I have ventured into the blogosphere, I have learned that the percentage is much, much higher than you would think . . . Even some people in the inner circle wondered if there were a lot of people who did not like him. The fact of the matter is, that is only a handful of people. And no one is universally loved."

This is absolutely true.  There's a new Eagles/Philly sports blog every day, but of the guys who've been doing this for awhile, I can't think of any who would be characterized as having a negative editorial slant towards McNabb.  Which makes sense given that they're all smart dudes and McNabb is kind of awesome and all.

Finally, Rich, since you've been stopping by, I've got a proposal for you.  If you're ever looking to really, really annoy the local beat writers -- like literally have them smashing coffee cups into their typewriters -- please feel free to break any exclusive McNabb news or interviews through the IgglesBlog.  You want a direct conduit to the fans, let's make it happen.

Think it over.  I'll be right here when you're ready.