Grandpa's Eagle eye

By Max J. Dickstein, amNewYork Sports Editor | mdickstein@am-ny.com

November 28, 2007

amNewYork Sports Columnist Max J. Dickstein and his grandfather, Benjamin Dickstein, 92, exchange a fist pound while watching the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Miami Dolphins, 17-7, on Nov. 18, 2007. (amNewYork Photo / November 27, 2007)

On Sunday night, my grandfather watched his Philadelphia Eagles mount a surprising challenge to perhaps their toughest opponent ever -- the fearsome New England Patriots -- before the Eagles lost 31-28, following an interception late in the fourth quarter.

"If they didn't throw the ball as much as they did, they might have won," said Benjamin

Dickstein, 92, a retired pediatrician who has become closely knit with the Eagles (5-6) since they began play in 1933. "They didn't shame us. I'm very happy. Another day, another dollar."

He had adroitly predicted a close game against New England (11-0).

"I think this will be a surprise," he said last Tuesday. "I don't think they'll win -- but I think they'll play very well."

Earlier this year, the sight in Grandpa's left eye began to fade.

He had once rescued 14 men from a burning plane after a botched night takeoff at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1944. His Soldier's Medal citation noted his "great courage and complete disregard for personal safety." Now, he could scarcely read The New York Times, whose scant coverage of the Eagles, just 99 miles from Giants Stadium, has occasionally bothered him.

Doctors gave him a two-in-three chance of becoming 90 percent blind, and a retinologist began injecting the drug Lucentis into Grandpa's eye every six weeks.

To the joy of his family, Grandpa's sight returned strongly, and he is watching Eagles games again without difficulty.

Typically, he sits some distance from the television, in his armchair, beautifully pat, his hands folded in his lap and his legs crossed comfortably.

As he watches the Eagles' often tense games, Grandpa offers sure-voiced statements: "This is a key play," he says. And then, on the following down: "This is a very important play."

During a visit two weeks ago, I heard my grandmother, Joan, speak from the dining room behind us at their apartment in Jenkintown, Pa., during the Eagles' 17-7 defeat of Miami.

"What do you enjoy about watching football?" I heard Grandma ask her husband.

"It's a pleasure," Grandpa said through a mild smile, his eyes fixed on the screen. "It's a great game."

The universal passion that roils the inner lives of fans inflected his reply.