From The Planet LoveTron

Friday night was the last Sixers game ever played at The Spectrum. Like many kids growing up in the 70’s & 80’s in the Delaware Valley, I have a number of great memories from that arena. Flyers, Sixers, Globetrotters, Ringling Bros. Circus, Phantoms, concerts, the Spectrum hosted them all. In no particular order, here are a few of my best memories there:

Seeing the Globetrotters with my Dad. We had great seats, and this was back in the Curly Neal & Meadowlark Lemon days. You’d see them on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, but nothing can compare with seeing them live. Also, any Flyers game I went to with my Dad. Hockey games are always fun in person, especially with The Broad Street Bullies in their hey-day.

Taking my father-in-law Mac to a Phantoms game for his birthday with my brother-in-laws Karl & Steve. Karl came up with this bright idea for his fathers’ birthday. Blaring music, loud fans drinking too much are (to say the least) not up Mac’s alley, but he was a good sport & we had a nice guys night out.

The Grateful Dead on St. Patty’s day, 1992. Went with my wife Patrice & our friend Jimmy. Box of Rain, Minglewood, Loser, Memphis, Tenn Jed, Cassidy, Way To Go, Truckin’, Spoonful, He’s Gone, Drumz, Miracle, So Many Roads & Sugar Mag. Awesome! Jimmy was throwing green glitter on Patrice & I that we were finding in our house years later. Patrice solidifying her MVP status in finding a miracle.

Going to a Phantoms game with my son Gavin. I think Gavin was three at the time, and had the attention span of a gnat. We walked every around inch of the Spectrum that night.

George Michael: Not proud of it, but yep, I saw him there. I had just met Patrice & we went with friends of hers. There is no truth to the rumor that my daughter Faith is named after his song.

Flyers game with my girlfriend in high school, Liz Eife. Liz was ill for several weeks during our senior year & was basically confined to two rooms in her house. Her Dad gave us Flyers tickets & Liz was well enough to go. It was her first time out of the house in over a month. To put it mildly, it was a big deal.

7th & 8th grade Hawks Basketball. We got to play a game at the Spectrum before the Sixers game. I don’t even remember what took place during our game…my head was spinning from being on the same floor where Dr. J played. After the game, Dave Hall, Vinnie Marone, Pat Lamb, Gerald Thomas & the rest of us dressed in the Flyers locker room. Coming out of the locker room, we ran straight into Daryl Dawkins wearing a full length pink fur coat. Outstanding!

A Valentines Day Flyers Game with my wife. Nothing like a stay in a suite at The Rittenhouse Hotel & a Flyers game to chase away the winter blues.

My sister Suzanne taking me to a Flyers autograph session during the Flyers Stanley Cup years. I’m sure she wasn’t allowed to be driving to South Philly on a school night, but she did anyway to avoid disappointing her little brother.

Kentucky – Duke ’92: I wasn’t there, but it was the night of my wife’s bridal shower. Since guys were verboten at the shower, my Dad, Uncle Jack, and a bunch of my buddies went to the Pennsauken Country Club to watch it. Wildly considered the best college basketball game ever, it happened at The Spectrum.

David Bowie, The Serious Moonlight Tour. My first concert. Rockhead, Gary, Boone, Brown the afore mentioned Jon Martini & a bunch others took the train over to see an incredible show.

Since this is supposed to be a blog about running, I’ll end with this: The Broad Street Run in 2007 & 2008. The Broad Street Run goes right past the sports complexes in South Philly. After running around City Hall, there isn’t much to look at to take your mind off how tired you are: Italian restaurants, Korean nail salons, funeral parlors, gas stations. Once you catch sight of The Linc, Nova Care Complex, The Spectrum & The Whatevertheircallingitthisweek Center, you know you’re completed 9 & ½ miles of a ten mile course. The first year I did the Broad Street, someone had set up an amplifier in front of The Spectrum & was blaring the Rocky Theme towards all the runners. In 2008 I ran with my niece Marie. Once we caught glimpse of The Spectrum, we knew we had only about half a mile until the finish line.

Broad Street Run is in seven weeks. Training starts in earnest on Monday! (Maybe Tuesday).
Pat

Dawk

Again, I’m copying from my buddy Rob’s format & occasionally delving into topics other than running. I had to write a little something about former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins leaving the Birds for the Denver Bronco’s. I was thrilled when my beloved Eagles drafted B-Dawk out of Clemson in the second round of the 1996 draft. My sister Mary Pat had also graduated from Clemson, and we both looked forward to seeing what this Clemson Tiger could do for our team. We had no idea how many contributions B-Dawk would make in his 13 years in Philly. His bone-jarring hits, his pass coverage, his sacks & tenacity made him a joy to watch each & every game.
In my lifetime, there may have been a few players in Philadelphia that were more talented than B-Dawk. (Mike Schmitt, Dr. J, Steve Carlton, Reggie White). But NOBODY understood the Philadelphia fan more than B-Dawk. What do we what from our players? Simple: Everything you got & do it with class & all your heart. That’s it. No great mystery. Do that & you will never pay for a drink in the Delaware Valley in your lifetime. No "For who, for what?" No giggling with the other team after a playoff loss. No blaming the fans or media. Give it your all & care as much as we do. That’s what B-Dawk did each & every time he strapped it up.
During this years improbable playoff run by the Eagles, all I wanted was a Super Bowl victory. Not for me, not so my family & I could squeeze on to the Speed Line to watch another parade, not so the entire city could recapture the joy of the Phillies World Series (times 10). All I wanted to see was B-Dawk hoist that silver football over his head while tears streamed down his face. Apparently, according to Joe Banner, this was too much to ask for.
Some will blame Eagles management for throwing around nickels like they were man-whole covers & for always looking to win the coveted "Salary Cap Bowl". Maybe they’re right. It’s just so rare in this day & age to find a player & city that fit as well as B-Dawk & Philly did for the last 13 years. And we just let him walk out the door. I look forward to seeing the ovation B-Dawk gets when the Broncos come to Philly this fall. I guarantee #20 will shed a tear, as will many Eagles fans.
Thanks for your effort Dawk. It was our pleasure to have you on our team.