Aug. 21

It's a baseball field, so it's possible the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams will be wearing baseball cleats when they open the season Sept. 9 at Veterans Stadium.

Supposedly, the solution now is to attach the NexTurf fragments to asphalt to prevent those dips. Asphalt. Don't you love it?

The Eagles practiced for 90 minutes Monday on the controversial NexTurf (primarily on the outfield portion) and took frequent "shoe breaks" as frustrated players had difficulty getting their footing. Shoe representatives from Nike and Reebok had a variety of styles in the dugout for experimentation.

An Eagles official said it's possible that the team will try rubberized baseball cleats.

Don't laugh. The Rams have had discussions with equipment men from the baseball St. Louis Cardinals regarding the new NexTurf at Veterans Stadium. NexTurf has not been used for football and has a different texture than other artificial turf products.

So the problem is twofold: There is the shoe problem, whereas the Monday night cancellation between the Ravens and Eagles dealt more with the treacherous dips, trenches and what-have-you of the turf fragments that covered the dirt cut-outs around the bases, pitchers' mound and home-plate areas. Supposedly, the solution now is to attach the NexTurf fragments to asphalt in order to prevent those dips. Asphalt. Don't you love it?

The Rams are sending one of their equipment managers to Philadelphia's final preseason game (Aug. 30 vs. the Jets) to further investigate the Vet's turf . Meanwhile, the Eagles wet the turf Monday to anticipate its reaction to rain. The league is working closely with all parties to have a solution by that final preseason game.