Weekly Press: Powerhouse University Of Pennsylvania Takes On Galloping Ghost Red Grange

Only one day ’til the big game! (The Puppy Bowl, that is.) Well, okay, there’s also the Super Bowl tomorrow, and the Center City Weekly Press syndicates a preview from the Christian Science Monitor in this week’s edition.

Here’s a scan (click to enlarge):

Just in case you can’t see or click for the bigger version, here’s two paragraphs from the story:

They are a bunch of relatively anonymous guys who might look just as natural playing on the local playground as they will in Houston two weeks from now, under a spotlight staged as much for the glamorous as the gritty.

The Super Bowl meeting between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers summons no memories of historic individual matchups. No two players will fill the roles of Achilles and Hector, carrying the fate of the conflict on their own shoulders.

First off: Gah, what torturous sportswriting. Second off: The preview is from 2004. It’s a preview of Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was played Feb. 1, 2004 and featured not only a 32-29 Patriots win but also a wardrobe malfunction.

Yes, the Weekly Press managed to run a preview from a Super Bowl played over three years ago. (And not even fix the sentences so it didn’t say “two weeks from now.” Also, there’s at last one instance of “Panther’s.” Sigh.) How would anyone even still have access to this preview? How did no one notice the story mentioned Ricky Manning intercepting three Donovan McNabb passes the week before?

And, most importantly, does this make the Weekly Press the funniest newspaper in Philadelphia? Why, yes. Yes, I think it does. Just wait until next week, when the Press reveals that Notre Dame won one for the Gipper and the Philadelphia National League Base Ball Club has been founded.

Editor’s Note: See, you aren’t just entertained on this website; you learn obscure sports history, too! The game referenced in the headline is real; Grange accounted for 363 yards in a 24-2 upset of Penn.