Merrill Reese

Oddly, the jitters are still there. Even after all these years - 32, if you happen to be counting - Merrill Reese wakes up on Sunday during the NFL season with the same churning stomach that he had when he stepped in for Eagles play-by-play announcer Charlie Swift, who committed suicide with two games remaining in the 1977 season. It was there then and it was there two Sundays ago when the Eagles played the Lions in Detroit. "I still get excited doing this," Reese says. "My love for the job is as great now as it was then, perhaps even greater.

Verse, extemporaneous/Merrill Reese/Dec. 2, 1990: Eagles ball, inside their own five. Cunningham is back. He's being trapped! He ducks under three men! He's looking! He's rolling! He's heaving it deep down field for Barnett, Who leaps and HAS IT! AT THE FORTY! AT THE THIRTY-FIVE-THIRTY! TWENTY-FIVE-TWENTY BARNETT'S GOING TO SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!!!!!!! That voice! Something about its range, resonance and timbre fits snug in the sonic dimensions of an electrically amplified speaker, particularly the tinny, softly hissing speakers of an old radio or transistor, from whence it emerges disembodied, just like voices from the golden age of radio.

Even while working as an extra in an Academy Award-winning movie as a youngster, Eagles radio announcer Merrill Reese had football on his mind. Reese appeared in The Greatest Show on Earth, which won for best picture of 1952, and his fondest memory consists of having a catch with one of the actors in the film, who played a clown. The actor happened to be Jimmy Stewart, whom Reese knew only as the man nice enough to have a catch with him during lunch breaks. "I thought he was a great guy with a good arm," Reese recalled.

The news yesterday of the death of former Eagles strong safety Andre Waters saddened those who knew the hard-hitting defensive back, who was known for his tenacity on the field and generosity off it. Mr. Waters, 44, was found by his girlfriend at his home in Tampa, Fla., early yesterday, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The medical examiner's office confirmed that he had shot himself in the head. Mr. Waters had just completed his first season as defensive coordinator for Fort Valley State in Macon, Ga. "He was a great teammate, a hell of a player," said former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan in a phone interview.

Who: Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals What: NFC Championship Game When: Sunday, 3 p.m. Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. Records: Eagles (9-6-1, 2-0); Cardinals (9-7, 2-0) TV: Fox, with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Chris Myers Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Howard Eskin. AFC Championship: Sunday, Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m. (CBS) Super Bowl: Sunday, Feb. 1, Tampa, Fla.; AFC vs. NFC, 6 p.m. (NBC)

Records: Eagles 1-2; Jets 1-2 When: Tonight, 7 o'clock Where: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. TV: 6ABC, with Kevin Reilly, Herm Edwards, Hugh Douglas and Dave Spadaro Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Howard Eskin Preseason history: The Jets lead the preseason series, 18-10. Next for Eagles: Regular-season opener at Carolina on Sept. 13 3 THINGS TO WATCH 1. Michael Vick: He's likely to play considerably more this week, and in a more conventional quarterback role, giving fans (and coaches)

Ever go to Atlantic City to play craps and, before you even see a cocktail waitress, watch the entire table go on a run when no one rolls bad dice? It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's fantastic - everyone smiling, laughing, high-fiving. That's what yesterday felt like. It had that kind of energy. It was all a little hard to believe, frankly. Who thought, in their deepest delusions, the Eagles would start that hot? Who thought they'd roll all those 7s and 11s? At one point - as Donovan McNabb was cruising toward some truly freakish first-half stats; after he had connected on big plays to DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis and Jason Avant; after he had thrown touchdowns to Brian Westbrook and L.J. Smith - my buddy turned and asked, "Is it a holiday we didn't know about?"

If this keeps up, it might not even pay to park the car. Two nights ago, the Phillies beat the Expos in 2 hours, 9 minutes. Last night, the Phils lost to the Cardinals in 2:02. These quick games mean one thing: The Phils' pitching, so suspect at the beginning of the year, is showing tremendous improvement. Instead of issuing a lot of walks and giving up a lot of runs, the pitching of late has been downright phenomenal. In the last five games of this homestand, the Phillies have allowed just nine earned runs in 53 innings, for a toothpick-thin earned run average of 1.53.

Ken Stevens, general manager of WYSP-FM, said the Eagles' front office never told him to put a clause in Garry Cobb's contract forbidding the TV and radio personality from criticizing the football team's management. Stevens, whose station carries Eagles games, said he added the clause himself because of promises he made to the team a few years ago when he negotiated radio broadcast rights. "I want my teams to mutually agree on a broadcast team," said Stevens, who also heads stations that broadcast Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens games.

When: 7 p.m. Where: Lincoln Financial Field Gates: Suite and Club gates open at 5 p.m. Stadium gates open at 5:30 p.m. Parking: For lots in the sports complex, $20 for cars; $40 for oversized vehicles. TV: ABC6, with Kevin Reilly, Herm Edwards, Hugh Douglas and Dave Spadaro Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM) and WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Howard Eskin Preseason history: Jaguars have won all three preseason meetings. Next for Eagles: Final preseason game at Jets on Sept.

Admit it, even though this 2011 Eagles season is just six games old, it already seems as familiar as Merrill Reese's baritone. As Andy Reid's 2-4 "Dream Team" prepares for Sunday night's visit by the Dallas Cowboys, anxious Eagles fans must feel that they've been down this road before. Many times before. The journey always begins in the hills at Lehigh, where fresh-born expectations flare as intensely as the summer sun. Soon, the road meanders south to Philadelphia, where a season-opening fervor washes over the city.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - These are the three dates that, for the New York Giants, will live in infamy. Nov. 19, 1978. Oct. 19, 2003. Dec. 19, 2010. Each happened on the 19th. Each involved the Eagles snatching an improbable-to-impossible victory from the Giants on a tract of land known as the Meadowlands. The first was Herman Edwards' return of a fumbled handoff as the Giants were running out the clock to secure a win, an unconscionably dumb play from its inception.

AS I SAT in the chapel yesterday at Goldstein's, Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks, I couldn't understand why this thought would not leave my mind. I was at the funeral for a dear friend, colleague and mentor, yet all I could think of was a quote from "The Wizard of Oz. " It was right after the Tin Woodman told the Wizard that he still wanted a heart despite being warned that the heart would not be practicable until they could be made unbreakable....

Oddly, the jitters are still there. Even after all these years - 32, if you happen to be counting - Merrill Reese wakes up on Sunday during the NFL season with the same churning stomach that he had when he stepped in for Eagles play-by-play announcer Charlie Swift, who committed suicide with two games remaining in the 1977 season. It was there then and it was there two Sundays ago when the Eagles played the Lions in Detroit. "I still get excited doing this," Reese says. "My love for the job is as great now as it was then, perhaps even greater.

Thirteen letters for "record-breaking crossword-puzzle builder"? That would be Bernice Gordon . At 96, the Center City resident is the oldest person to create a crossword puzzle for the New York Times, according to editor Will Shortz . (She was oldest last year, too, when she submitted one.) "I had a very fine education and a good vocabulary," the Penn grad, whose first NYT entry appeared in 1952, told me. "I was babysitting two little children and decided to make some money on the side.

THINK YOU HAVE everything you need to head to the Linc for Sunday's Eagles vs. Packers game? Think again. FanVision, a hand-held device that promises to ratchet up the experience of even the most prepared fan, makes its debut Sunday at the Linc. The device allows fans to watch replays not shown by the network or in-stadium video boards. Lets them obtain real-time stats and scores from around the league. Allows them to key in the names of their fantasy players and get up-to-the-minute updates.

What: Fourth preseason game Who: New York Jets (1-2) at Eagles (2-1) When: Tonight, 7:30 Where: Lincoln Financial Field TV: 6ABC, with Don Tollefson, Hugh Douglas, Charlie Casserly and Jamie Apody Radio: WSYP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Howard Eskin. Gates: Open at 4:30 to HeadHouse Plaza   5 things to watch   1. OK, let's be real. There really aren't five things to watch in a preseason game that will feature no starters from either team.

Who: Eagles (1-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) When: Tonight, 8 o'clock Where: Arrowhead Stadium TV: 6ABC, with Don Tollefson, Charley Casserly, Hugh Douglas and Jamie Apody Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese and Mike Quick 5 THINGS TO WATCH 1. Todd Herremans: The left guard might be the most consistent member of the offensive line when he's healthy. He hasn't played this preseason. The Eagles say they have taken it slow with Herremans as a precautionary move, after he experienced soreness in his repaired left foot in the spring.

What: Preseason opener Who: Jacksonville Jaguars at Eagles When: Tonight, 7:30 Where: Lincoln Financial Field TV: ABC6, with Don Tollefson, Hugh Douglas, Charley Casserly, Jamie Apody Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM) and WIP (610-AM), with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin AT THE STADIUM Parking: Lots in the sports complex are $25 for cars and $50 for oversized vehicles. Gates: HeadHouse Plaza opens at 4:30 p.m. Entertainment: WYSP will have a live broadcast and the band Liquid A will perform before the game.

PHIL JASNER was covering the Sixers, Knicks, Jets and Eagles, some colleges and high schools for the Trentonian when he got a call to take a test at the Daily News for a job covering high school sports. He remembers nothing of the test. Whatever it was, he passed it. A few days later, Stan Hochman, then the Daily News sports editor, called to say the job was his. Jasner remembered thinking, "Do I really want to cover high school sports full time?" "My good friend Merrill Reese literally pinned me up against the wall and said, 'Get your foot in the door,' " Jasner remembered.