I knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Goodbye Doug Mientkiewicz.

11 days after the Sox traded Nomar to the Cubs and received Mientkiewicz from the Twins in return, I pronounced my love for the minty freshest of all first basemen. During the 3 months that followed, we embarked on a passionate one-sided love affair that concluded with him catching the final out in the World Series.

His inning at second base. His textbook bunt in the playoffs. His triple in Baltimore. His dozens of eye-popping defensive plays at first. His role in the 3-2-4 double play against the Orioles in September. His fantastic ass. For all of these reasons, and so many more, the man will be missed.

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Finally, Page 2 has its answer to Bill Simmons: an Eagles fan!

My favorite part is this, a recap from a reader email about the scene in Philly on Sunday night:

"Words cannot express the feeling of this city right now ... what I just saw was grown men reduced to tears of joy, people running through the streets in the snow, making snow angels ... the traffic was horrendous, but no one cared at all. People were literally dancing in the streets to a symphony of Eagles chants, car horns and cries of jubilation. Strangers were hugging -- their only connection a green jersey with a number 5 or 20 on their chest. It was the most wonderful sight I have ever seen."

I can not wait to be there. 8 days and counting...
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More reasons to love the Eagles.

"It's always about the fans," Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles' owner, said minutes after his team finally, finally, finally, finally had gotten over the hump and won the NFC championship. "These fans are the most passionate, most deserving fans you can imagine. I'm just so happy we were able to win this for them."
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"This city has endured a lot of heartbreaks, a lot of disappointments and a lot of letdowns for their sports teams. To still be able to stick in there with us, I just felt like they deserved this game, even more so than some of the players. You have some players that have been here from the start of this thing, but as players, we come and go. This city is going to be here.

"That's who this team belongs to, the city, and they're the ones that deserve it today. We still have one more gift to give them, because this is just part of what we wanted to do." - Ike Reese
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"That's what a team is. Guys who are hurt, on the practice squad are down there cheering us on. That's what a team is all about and that's what we've got in Philadelphia.

"Knowing the history of this city, of this team, how long they've been waiting for a championship, it was great to get them one step closer." - Chad Lewis
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"There's passion, everywhere you go. They're just die-hard fans. People were born Eagles fans around here. You go other places, people are made into fans. Not here. Here, they're born." - Jevon Kearse