Dawkinsgate! Local sports-talk radio to host a full day of finger-pointing and damage control

In the spirit of in-season press-conference Wednesdays, it looks like today is going to be Brian Dawkins day on Philadelphia's airwaves.  Our two (2) local sports-talk radio outlets will be in the mix (no recession troubles in the "selling sports-related hype and angst" biz, I s'pose), with ESPN leading off with Dawk himself on the Jody Mac show at 10 (preview here), followed by (cue Darth Vader theme) Joe Banner on Howard Eskin at 3.

The Dawkins interview is already taped, and the always-intrepid Les Bowen has done us the favor of reviewing the transcript (note that I'm not making any jokes about Les not knowing how to make the "podcast" work).  Without actually calling people names, it sure sounds like Dawkins wasn't exactly thrilled about how it all went down:

Did the Eagles let it be known they can go on without you?

“Yeah, in so many words. For that organization, this was a business deal and it was not business for me. People think I wanted to get to free agency. I did not want to get to free agency. I’ve never gone to free agency. I’ve had times in the past where I could have collected big bucks on the open market, but I did not want to get there. So why would I want to get there all of a sudden now on my last contract. No, I wanted to be an Eagle.”

On if talks with the Eagles got contentious:

“I wouldn’t say ugly, I would just say that they opened my eyes right away that this was a business deal that this wasn’t about me being here, who I am to the team to my teammates and what I’m continuing to do. It was about my age and a business decision and that really hurt.”

Uh oh.   Business decision, huh.  Does that mean it wasn't a football decision?  Or does it mean that business decision + 36-year-old legs necessarily = football decision?  I hate to dwell on this distinction, but in a world where Joe Banner says the Eagles have more money than they can spend, well, the peoples might not be pleased with the result we got. 

Of course, Joe Banner and his PR minions (I guess just Derek Boyko) will have a few hours to go through their talking points before Banner goes on Eskin and takes calls at 3.  Let's give the Birds and Banner credit for making the appearance in front of the customers -- I can't imagine that this would have happened today if Dawkins hadn't left town.  The Eagles know their customers aren't happy about the departure of #20, and they seem willing to take a little public heat for it.  Also, we should expect that 60 percent of callers will bring up the "we have too much money to spend" thing.   

(Speaking of, the "Gonzo" piece yesterday on this topic was a bit silly.  This statement especially:

And the Eagles? They issued a news release - probably adapted from some generic template they keep handy for such an occasion - and moved on. Hey, it's just business to the Birds. Maybe you've heard.

Um, I don't think their generic template includes the owner calling the departed player a Hall of Famer.  And I don't think that they send the President of the org into the belly of the beast on talk radio if they've just moved on -- and note that Banner's appearance was announced Monday, before Gonzo's column.)

So yeah, today should be a dandy for those who appreciate a bit of civic theater.  At the very least, we can all take some solace in the fact that at least we're getting a week off from speculating about the quarterback and his various secret rendez-vous (have no idea on the plural there, sigh) -- though I'll of course be pounding F5 at Yardbarker waiting for his next passive-aggressive musing.