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Philly Out New Yorks New York

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  • Philly Out New Yorks New York

    (thought you guys might like this)

    Have you heard the one about the Amtrak train? It was supposed to go to New York, but decided at the last minute to stay in Philadelphia.

    Too soon?

    New York is developing a Philadelphia complex. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys may soon be in a Keystone State of Mind. Woody Allen might film a comedy of manners in Rittenhouse Square. East Hampton wants a Wawa store.

    Have you gone to the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met? All the mannequins are in Flyers jerseys.

    New York keeps getting upstaged by Philly. Jets fans are excited Antonio Cromartie is back, and there's also the signing of Plaxico Burress—when you have a chance to land a 33-year-old wide receiver who hasn't played football for two seasons because he was in prison, you gotta do it—but on Friday the Eagles stunned New York and the NFL by signing the coveted cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

    It was Cliff Lee all over again. New York was feeling confident about its chances to land a star player when Philadelphia—not even on the radar—swoops in and closes the deal. Asomugha took less money ($60 million over 5 years) than he could have gotten elsewhere. He evaluated his options and decided he'd rather be in Philadelphia.

    It's getting under New York's skin. Best Jan Brady voice: All day long at school I hear how great Philly is at this or how wonderful Philly did that! Philly, Philly, Philly!

    Of course, Philly must be loving every minute of New York's grumbling. For the Eagles, Asomugha is a transformative signing. A franchise that gambled on the high-risk comeback of Michael Vick has been rewarded with one of the steadiest players in the league. There are non-laughable Super Bowl aspirations.

    In New York, there are rationalizations. There was no guarantee Asomugha was going to sign...the Jets already have Darrelle Revis...better to distribute that cash elsewhere. But there's no denying that a tandem like Revis and Asomugha would have been a game-changer, a colossal headache for opposing quarterbacks.

    Same with Lee, who escaped the grip of the Yankees last winter. As the Yankees courted him, there were concerns that Lee wanted too much money, too long a contract for a 32-year-old starter. Then he took less to rejoin the Phillies.

    Is there any doubt the Yankees with Lee would be a far more dominant club than they are right now? The Bombers have kept pace with the Red Sox in the AL East, but still lack a reliable 1-2 starting punch for the playoffs. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee sounds much more intimidating than CC and A.J., CC and Phil, or CC and Bartolo. Bats can run cold if you're a wild card and run into a team like Detroit with a blazing Justin Verlander.

    The Phillies, meanwhile, are cruising, with the most acclaimed staff in the league and the top record in baseball as of Monday.

    What's striking about this is that it's not surprising anymore. Philadelphia isn't employing a radical new approach, it's simply being confident and out-New York-ing New York—taking what New York presumes is theirs. Soon Philadelphia will be coming for Richard Price and David Chang.

    The Jets will be competitive, and the Yankees did take a World Series from the Phillies in 2009. The Eagles may not be the championship dreamboat they're getting hyped as—expect them to be on a lot of magazine covers, and traveling to Green Bay for a road game in the playoffs—but there's a lot more heat at Lincoln Financial Field than New Meadowlands Stadium.

    Crazy as it seems, New York is starting to feel like an also-ran. What's next? Live from Philadelphia—it's Saturday Night!
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