PENNSYLVANIA Politics, Philadelphia mix

Pennsylvania's top elected official is passionate about the Eagles.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Gov. Ed Rendell gets anxious watching contested returns on TV.
"Take it all the way! Come on! Take it!" he yells at a monitor as J.R. Reed, the Philadelphia Eagles kickoff returner, starts strong but fades fast -- not unlike some political candidates Rendell has known.
On Sundays, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor analyzes Eagles games on camera for the Comcast sports network. He blurts out opinions like a barfly know-it-all, kicking political correctness to the curb as if it were a losing coach.
"I'm not an expert, I'm not a former player, but I'm here representing the fans," Rendell said. "I try to really say what I believe."
Partisan
And though he represents all of Pennsylvania, he does not pretend to root for the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that will be the case today when the Steelers (6-1) play the Eagles (7-0).
"Good fans understand rooting for the home team," Rendell said.
He is an easy fit on the four-man panel on Comcast SportsNet's "Post Game Live," which airs after every Eagles game. Rendell trades barbs and analysis with host Michael Barkann, former Eagle Vaughn Hebron and NFL Films producer Ray Didinge.
The governor is the same on the set as he is stumping for votes -- plain-talking and often funny. On receiver Terrell Owens, known for his post-catch antics, Rendell says: "You take the wacky with the good."
Eagles backup quarterback Koy Detmer appreciates Rendell's passion.
"It's good to see somebody like that bring himself down to just a normal person, just someone who enjoys sports in general," Detmer said.
One of the guys
Affectionately known around the studio as "The Gov," Rendell makes small talk with the staff and offers commentary that crosses party lines and all demographics.
"He can second-guess with the best of the them," Didinger said.
For the Cleveland Browns game Oct. 24, Rendell was running late because he'd been campaigning. Arriving at the Wachovia Center with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, he noshes on ribs while he gets up to speed. Luckily for Rendell, the Browns force overtime. The extra time allows the crew to do a warmup for its postgame wrapup.
Rendell implores quarterback Donovan McNabb to stop being so conservative and run more. He cringes when the ball goes near slender receiver Todd Pinkston. Rendell becomes exasperated over some decisions by coach Andy Reid. The Eagles win on a 50-yard field goal by David Akers. Still, Rendell isn't satisfied.
"These types of performances are not going to win many football games," he says.
Rendell joined the show in its second season in 1998. Comcast offered Rendell a gig when he was mayor of Philadelphia. The only shows he's missed came when he took time off during his 2002 run for governor because of equal-time laws.
His hobby
Rendell does not hunt, fish or play golf; his favorite pastime is watching and talking sports. For home games, he sits in the stands on the 50-yard line among the face-painted, profane and die-hard crowd.
"Nobody comes up to me to talk taxes or education or health care," Rendell said. "They come up to me to talk solely about sports."
Rendell is also a fixture at Penn basketball games, and when Smarty Jones was making a Triple Crown run, he seemed to be everywhere Smarty was. He delivered the eulogy at the funeral for Phillies' Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn.
"If he was faking being a sports fan, it wouldn't work for five minutes," Didinger said. "The fans would see right through it."