Sports fan chronicles ups, downs as a Philly fanatic

BURY ME IN NEW JERSEY: A Memoir of My Father, Football, and Philly. By Tom McAllister. Villard. 240 pages. $22.

It's tough being a Philadelphia sports fan.

Not only have infamous events led to a stereotype that all Philadelphians are rude and unruly, but outside of a few rare opportunities once a decade or so, Philadelphia's professional sports teams frustrate their followers year in and year out with failures.

This frustration is never illustrated so clearly as it is in Tom McAllister's debut book, "Bury Me in My Jersey," in which McAllister describes how the Philadelphia Eagles consume his life. Any Philadelphia fan can relate to the emotional roller coaster McAllister rides. He admits he drinks too much and spends countless hours each week posting on the Eagles' Internet message board.

Relationships are the common thread throughout the book. The relationship he has with the Eagles borders, for lack of a better word, on obsession.

McAllister's anecdotes, such as when he followed the Eagles' Sheldon Brown down the Schuylkill Expressway or when he spied on an athlete in the grocery store, are just a glimpse into the unwavering relationship Philadelphians have with their teams.

McAllister does show his personal side, as he confesses that he would cry more if the Eagles won the Super Bowl than he did when his father passed away. This just shows the macho "real-men-don't-cry" attitude he has grown, an attitude that has helped mold a thick-skinned mantra that every Philadelphia fan carries with him.

But the relationship between McAllister and his wife, LauraBeth, is the most intriguing one. Told from his point of view, she seems to be the perfect wife to put up with his antics. She keeps him grounded.

It's a funny, wonderfully written memoir that is must-read for any sports fan.