By Steven Lienert
Tomorrow, I get to take a break from being a negative, frustrated, angry and apathetic Eagles fan.
Tomorrow, I trek up (and I do mean up) to my seats at Lincoln Financial Field for a football game that I know I will thoroughly enjoy.
Tomorrow is Army-Navy day, and in case you've never been, it's one of the greatest sports spectacles a football fan can experience in person.
It is truly a sight to behold.
I went to my first Army-Navy game at Veterans Stadium in the early 1990s. I was never a big college football fan -- watching Temple play football will do that to a guy.
But when I got a few freebies in the 700 level, I had to go check it out. It turned out to be unforgettable.
The Midshipmen and Cadets each marched. Not just the teams -- the fans, the grey-coated Cadets and black-coated Midshipmen, march into the stadium before climbing into their seats. You could feel the respect in the air. F-16 fighter jets roared over the stadium. The President of the United States is in the building. The National Anthem means more.
This was -- and is -- everything to these guys.
When Navy scored, the Midshipmen side of the stadium erupted. On the other side of the Vet, the Cadets sat silent. When Army scored, the scene was reversed. As a neutral fan sitting high above, it was a crazy sight to behold.
Even the tailgating is ratcheted up a notch -- there's Fillet Mignon and crab bisque instead of chili and brats.
After the game, when the Commander-In-Chief trophy is presented to the winner, each side shows their respect for one another. There is no taunting, no fighting, no out-of-control fans getting tossed out for doing things they shouldn't.
It's just a good, hard-fought old-fashioned football game.
Tomorrow, I like Army to keep it close. I think they'll cover the spread this year, but Navy and its running attack should grind out a win.
Regardless, I'm going to enjoy a football game before I have to go back to being miserable on Monday night.
Steve Lienert can be reached at stevelienert@hotmail.com
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