Frostbite victim wants Eagles' victory

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- A man who suffered frostbite while clearing Philadelphia's stadium of snow said the Eagles better win the Super Bowl to make his sacrifice worth it.

James Phillips was one of hundreds of fans who worked some 30 hours to remove a foot of snow from Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field prior to the NFC championship game. The hometown Eagles won the game in the snow-free stadium to earn a Super Bowl berth Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Phillips told the Philadelphia Inquirer that after the game, which was played in sub-20-degree temperatures, he noticed his right hand was bleeding. He asked to be taken to a hospital.

Now Phillips, speaking from a hospital bed, says doctors have told him the frostbite he developed during the snow removal will cost him the tips of three fingers of his left hand.

"I'm kind of an Eagle aficionado, so I overlooked it," Phillips said told the Inquirer. "My fanaticism for the Eagles is going to cost me something, but if I would have thought it would be something like frostbite, I would have used precaution.

"They better win the Super Bowl after all I went through."