ON THE AIR Reese loves every minute of non-stop schedule Even after more than a quarter century as the voice of the Eagles, Merrill Reese says he still gets the jitters the second he wakes up on game day. "I always get up early, take a bath, go over everything in my head, then have the same breakfast - pancakes - which I know won't upset my stomach," said Reese, entering his 26th year as the Eagles' play-by-play man on WYSP-94.1 FM. A 1 p.m. home game starts at 9 a.m. for Reese when he leaves his Blue Bell home for Veterans Stadium. Reese said he is tense up until the minute he begins the broadcast. Sunday is just the beginning for Reese. His schedule during the season makes Dick Vermeil seem like a slacker. On Monday, Reese appears on Comcast SportsNet's "Spotlight" with Al Meltzer at 4:30 p.m. Fans who read Reese's book "It's Good" know that he got the Eagles' job only after Meltzer turned down the position in 1977. Then Reese travels to Dave and Buster's on Delaware Avenue to tape "The Andy Reid Show" at 6 p.m., which airs on WYSP from 7-8 p.m. Then it's off to host a "Monday Night Football" party at PJ Whelihan's. Tuesday night, Reese appears at the Burlington Mall from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday nights are reserved for appearances at Best Buy or Circuit City. Thursday he hosts the "Pro Football Report" with former Eagles executive Harry Gamble on the station he co-owns, WBCB 1490-AM, from 6-7 p.m. This year, the show will be televised on CN8 Saturday at 11 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Reese also prepares a taped piece for KYW's "Eyewitness Game Day" on Sunday. And, of course, there are the daily Eagles' reports that he records that air on WYSP during the highly rated "Howard Stern Show." The Temple graduate, who has never missed a game, loves every second of it. "I am so lucky and grateful," Reese said. "I never take it for granted and treasure my job. I will never retire. They will have to pry me out of the booth." Eagles draw second team The "B" team of Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston will handle the Eagles-Titans game for Fox at 1 p.m. Sunday. The "A" team of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth is announcing the St. Louis-Denver game. Good moves for WIP The tweaking of the WIP 610-AM lineup works for me. Even though Howard Eskin and Mike Missanelli did well in the ratings, they never clicked as a team. There weren't enough microphones for both of their strong personalities (re: egos). They often showed utter disdain for their listeners and each other. Missanelli seems more at ease with his "breaking bread" pal, Anthony "Ant" Gargano, with whom he seems to have more in common. Eskin, who has the reputation of "not playing well with others," is better off alone fighting with his listeners. Meanwhile, the night shift has improved with Glen Macnow. There will be more continuity than with the plethora of part-timers who were filling in for Steve Fredericks. If and when Fredericks returns he can either team up with Macnow or be given some other late night or weekend shift. WIP came in 13th out of 30 stations in the 12-plus ratings over the summer. Special team ESPN will commemorate Sept. 11 with the special "The Bravest Team: The Rebuilding of the FDNY Football Club" on at 9 p.m. Tuesday. New York City's fire department football team lost more than one third of its members due to the attacks on the World Trade Center. South Jersey's NFL Films produced the show. Laura Nachman covers television and radio sports for the Courier Times. She can be reached at [email protected].