Sports

As fate would have it

By JOANNE KORTH
Published February 6, 2005

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KEY MATCHUP: TERRELL OWENS VS. MEDICAL EXPERTS

Less than seven weeks after Terrell Owens had surgery to repair a broken leg and ankle ligament damage, the Eagles receiver will play. Was there ever any doubt? Broken bones heal at different rates depending on the person's age and severity of the fracture, but the general rule of thumb is eight weeks. Dr. Mark Myerson, the man who performed Owens' surgery, refused to clear T.O., but what does he know? Years of med school, hundreds of surgeries and he thinks he knows Owens' body better than Owens? Owens, who fled San Francisco and sued his agent rather than play for aerial-challenged Baltimore, came to Philly to play in a Super Bowl, and now he's supposed to sit? Not only will Owens play, but he expects to be the same deep-threat, impossible-to-stop, end-zone-celebrating receiver he was in the regular season. After all, he has clearance from God, who ought to know whether the injury is healed.

WHO HAS THE KARMA?

FLORIDA NATIVES: Not only does Philly have more Floridians on its roster than New England - seven to three - but cornerback Lito Sheppard and safety Brian Dawkins are from Jacksonville, site of Super Bowl XXXIX. Florida also is home to about 85 percent of the southern bald eagle population.

KARMA: Eagles

HISTORY BUFFS

Boston and Philadelphia are two of the nation's most significant historical cities and, appropriately, their NFL teams are named for symbols of freedom. Philly has (the adult Benjamin Franklin, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell. But Boston is where it all began, from Franklin's birthplace to the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere's midnight ride.

KARMA: Patriots.

SIGNATURE FOOD

A cup of chowder or a cheesesteak sandwich? Ooooh, tough choice. There's nothing quite so good on a cold and snowy night as creamy New England clam chowder (say it: chow-dah). But c'mon, it's really not football food. And nothing says Philly quite like a hoagie overflowing with shredded meat, grilled onions and Cheez Whiz. KARMA: Eagles.

TALKING SMACK

This season, everyone seems to want to take shots at the Patriots. Indy kicker Mike Vanderjagt said New England was ripe for the picking. Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell said he didn't know the names of New England's cornerbacks. In a what-goes-around-comes-around world, the Patriots do their talking on the field.

KARMA: Patriots.

FASHION SENSE

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady moonlights as a model these days, but his understated sense of style is completely negated by his coach's hideous attire. C'mon, Bill, what's with that awful earmuff? Strutting the opposite sideline is receiver Freddie Mitchell, he of the full-length fur coat. And, because the NFC is the home team, the Eagles get to wear their green unis.

KARMA: Eagles.

[Last modified February 6, 2005, 00:22:15]

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