DAILY GRINDER: Ed Rendell’s Football And Other Related Woes

First up: Quick reminders. As of 9 p.m. last night, the city’s snow emergency is deemed over. If you were supposed to put your trash out yesterday, you have to wait until January 3. If you’re going to the Eagles game tonight, SEPTA’s got a “Sports Express” in which trains will be leaving from Fern Rock every 10 minutes between 6:08 p.m. and 7:38 p.m. The overall storyline on the storm seems to be this: Not as bad as it could have been. [Fox 29]

But that’s not to say we won’t be feeling the effects of Sunday’s snow for some time. For instance, Governor Ed Rendell’s ‘Nation of wussies’ comment is going to be talked about for at least the next month, while he empties the governor’s mansion of Eagles gear, Buffalo sauce and “Clinton ’08” bumper stickers. [CBS]

Here’s one guy talking about it now: Jim Deegan at Lehigh Valley Live says Rendell “should just shut up” about Eagles-related concerns. His main reason (which is as good as any): The Winter Highway Debacle of four years ago, in which “thousands of motorists [were] stranded for two days on 40 miles of interstate in Lehigh, Berks and Lebanon counties.” Not to mention Ed Rendell threw a snowball at the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 while attending an Eagles game. That involved both snow and sports. And beer? [Lehigh Valley Live]

And how’s Eddy going to find the time to talk his way out of this one? After all, he’s got work to do, like explain the thousands and thousands of pages of agency transition reports – described as a “mixture of raw data, recent accomplishments, legislative issues and narrative descriptions of the challenges ahead” – he handed over to Corbett’s team of lobbyists, oil industry tycoons and Pennsylvania’s finest hucksters. [AP]

Not to mention President Barack Obama is totally stealing his thunder. According to reports – and confirmed by our vacationing president’s spokesman Bill Burton, working out of Hawaii this week – the president placed a call to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie thanking him for giving Michael Vick a second chance. “He does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again,” Burton told CBS. Lurie likely said back to the president: “No problem, buddy…All the way to the bank!” Or something. How’s that joke work? [CBS]