Reader Mail (and non-mail)

It seems I really do have some readers out there. A couple of them -- otherwise known as Mom and Dad -- were quite upset about some of my writings. So upset, in fact, that they couldn’t even bring themselves to write to me to tell me that they were upset; they were “forced” to chastise me in person when I next saw them. Still others actually respond via e-mail. This comes from my cousin Corinne, with my answers in bold: As for your most recent entry: Is anyone else worried -- that Bush will somehow win in November? I would have voted for Dean, now I’ll vote for anyone who is anti-war, pro-gay rights and doesn’t push religion. And I can vote. I registered a few months ago. I’ve heard this from more than one person, which sort of scares me. I mean, you can still vote for Dean, you know. Simply because he won’t be the Democratic nominee for president doesn’t mean you can’t vote for him. that that Flyers will never win another Stanley Cup? The Stanley Cup, that’s the one for raquet ball, right? (Kidding, but you get my point.) The Flyers thank you for your support. that the fascists -- otherwise known as Republicans and the religious right -- are taking over the country? Courtney Love is still alive and swinging, they [the Republicans] can only go so far. Um, okay. that there is a serious vacuum of leadership present in our country? What else is new? That about sums it up, doesn’t it? After the horrific events of September 11, 2001, our country was united in its warmth for one another and its passion for the American way. Well, look what has happened in just two-and-a-half years. We are being led -- some would say dictated to -- by a man who equates the words inclusion and unity with the plague. His sole agenda is to divide this country. Who knew that was what a leader is supposed to do? that Philadelphia will come out looking terrible in the new "Real World?" Well DUH. The Real World thing is a TERRIBLE idea. They’re in walking distance of South Street and Philadelphians have a history of making known our dislike for something. I don’t know how alcoholism is good for the city, but I’m hoping that Philly’ll be the only city to give the RW people trouble. I’ll do it myself…in a PlugInmusic.com tee shirt, naturally. A great man once said, “That's what scares me.” Well, regardless of your reaction to what I post, I’m glad you’re out there reading. And please do drop a line every now and again to let me know what you think.

St. Joe’s magical season over

I’m still having a tough time coming up with something to say about what happened Saturday night. Other noble efforts have been made to look back on the phenomenal regular season and tournament run by our beloved Hawks -- see Middie Back! and Shallow Center for their takes on the game. I had the extreme privilege of being front and center at both of the games Saint Joseph’s played in East Rutherford -- against Wake Forest very late Thursday night in the Sweet 16 and against Oklahoma State on Saturday evening in the Elite 8 (sitting in the 8th row behind the Hawks’ bench, no less! Thanks again, Joe!). Perhaps the best way to sum it all up would be to relate what happened after the loss on Saturday night. There were scores of family, friends, and university employees packed into the lobby of the hotel where the team was staying. The much-needed alcohol was flowing freely with nary a drop of melancholy added to the mix. When the team finally arrived, they were greeted as returning champions -- as if they had won. Of all of the great basketball moments this team provided us with, I think my lasting memory of this season will be what we fans provided the team. As they entered the lobby and made their way to the elevators, the team was stopped and cascaded with choruses of “Thank you, St. Joe’s” that were so loud I would swear I was in the Fieldhouse. For everything this team did -- and, by the way, that’s exactly how they should be remembered, as a team. As perhaps the greatest team ever to play any sport in this city. For everything this team did for each other on the court and for us off of it, thank you indeed.

Is anyone else worried --

that Bush will somehow win in November? that that Flyers will never win another Stanley Cup? that the fascists -- otherwise known as Republicans and the religious right -- are taking over the country? that there is a serious vacuum of leadership present in our country? that Philadelphia will come out looking terrible in the new "Real World?" that I have no idea what I'm doing with this blog? Anyone? Bueller?

Marriage debate rolls on

In an ironic twist, Benton County, Oregon, has refused to issue any marriage licenses -- whether the applicants are hetero- or homosexual. "It may seem odd," Benton County Commissioner Linda Modrell told Reuters in a telephone interview, but "we need to treat everyone in our county equally." That does seem odd, doesn’t it -- treating everyone equally under the law. What a novel concept.

As The Real World Turns

Doing a complete 180, Bunim-Murray Productions has arrived at a deal with the city of Philadelphia and its unions to film the 15th installation of its wildly popular series “The Real World” in town. The series is set to begin filming sometime next month and last through the summer. Bars on South Street be warned.

Oops

It was a week ago yesterday that I wrote that you -- my dear readers -- should check back in a day or two to get my recap of the NHL trading deadline and a preview of the rest of the season and playoffs. Well, what a week it has been! Since my last post, Todd Bertuzzi reverted back to Cro-Magnon Man, Allen Iverson decided it's his way or the highway, Terrell Owens was almost an Eagle, wasn't an Eagle and now he's really here, Comedy Central showed a Chappelle Show marathon, and MTV decided to pull The Real World from Philadelphia in an apparent dispute with the labor unions (gee, there's a surprise). Quick thoughts: 1. I have slowly come to the realization that Bertuzzi should absolutely be banned for life from the NHL, with no possibility for reinstatement. What he did was absolutely disgusting and has no place in our beautiful game, regardless of your feelings on fighting within the game. 2. AI has been in and out of the lineup recently with a knee injury. At a game last week in which he was not supposed to play, he decided during the pre-game shootaround that he could play. Interim coach Chris Ford then told The Answer that he would be coming off the bench, infuriating Iverson. This led to Allen going back to the locker room and changing back into his street clothes, refusing to play. I love his heart and his talent is not in question, but Iverson has no class whatsoever. I submit that it may finally be time for The Question to be Answered: Should AI be traded? 3. My only thought on TO coming to town is this: I wonder if the idea of having Owens here might be better than actually having him here. He certainly said all the right things at the press conference yesterday, but the season is a long way off. 4. Hands down, Dave Chappelle is the funniest man on television. Saturday night, Comedy Central reran the first eight episodes from this season back-to-back. Pure gold. My vote for the best skit goes to the first episode's "Racial Draft." 5. Labor problems in Philadelphia. Is there anything to say that hasn't been said already? Another wonderful black eye for our city.

Good news, bad news

The bad news for me is that my adopted college basketball team -- the Saint Joseph's University Hawks -- actually lost a game today, 87-67 to Xavier in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 tournament. (Relax Rowan U fans -- if there are any out there -- I was an SJU fan way back when Rowan was still Glassboro State College.) The good news is that now I can start writing about my beloved Hawks. See, like most sports fans, I'm a tad bit superstitious. So, when the Hawks kept winning -- and winning and winning and winning -- I refused to write about them out of respect for the streak. (See Crash Davis.) Now, however, their deliriously -- ? -- exciting run is over, and I am free to shout from the rooftops how much fun this team has been. I have had the fortune to attend two games this year -- both at the hallowed Palestra, against city opponents Drexel and Temple. Watching this team play is a wonder in and of itself. In an almost effortless fashion, the Hawks put Drexel away early and had the fans chanting "We want cheesesteaks!!" midway through the second half. (A local pizza shop offers free steaks to anyone with a ticket to a game in which the Hawks pour in 100 points. They finished with 92 that game.) The Temple game was better, if only for the fact that it was Temple we were stomping. While not beating the Owls as decisively as they did the first time this season -- a game in which they threw down an A10 record 20 three-pointers, the game was nonetheless never in doubt. I had the extreme pleasure of watching this game along with my two brothers, their wives, and my girlfriend from the fourth row. If you think this team is exciting to watch on television -- with their frantic defense, crisp ball movement, and stunning perimeter shooting -- then I would highly recommend you find a last minute ticket to whatever NCAA tournament venue the Hawks wind up playing in. One cannot truly appreciate the game they play until it is seen in person. So now I sit and wait to see what the eggheads on the NCAA tournament committee do with this loss. Do they use it as an excuse to knock the Hawks down a peg or two in the seedings? Or will they take it for what it was -- a blip on the radar of an otherwise stellar year, a team that finally succumbed to the pressure of an undefeated season -- an accomplishment so tough it hasn't been reached in 13 years? We'll have to wait until Selection Sunday to see, but cheer up SJU fans -- no matter what happens with the seedings or even in the tournament itself, we will forever be able to say that, at one time, we had the #1 team in the country. And no one can ever take that away from us. Go Hawks!!

Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . .

The clock has just passed on the NHL trade deadline, having expired at 3:00 this afternoon. Most of the big names have already been dealt: Brian Leetch to the Leafs, Sergei Gonchar to the Bruins, Peter Bondra to the Senators. A few interesting names are still lurking on the horizon: Olaf Kolzig, Brendan Witt, and Miroslav Satan. The rumor mill has the Sens acquiring both Kolzig and Witt, and Satan going to the Devils or Islanders. The Flyers appear to have already done their dealing, though with Bob Clarke in charge one never knows. After a pair of mostly positive deals yesterday, I'm betting that Clarke will stand pat today -- content to let his team heal and essentially add players to the lineup that way. Check back in the next day or two for a complete review of the trade deadline deals, and a preview of the rest of the season and the playoffs.

Say it with me: OH-ver-RAY-ted!

All due respect to Middie Back!, but I have a major problem with the Return of the King winning big last night at the Oscars. The prevailing logic that I had read about going into last night’s ceremony was that ROTK should win to honor the whole trilogy. Excuse me? The Academy Awards are held yearly so as to honor each year’s films. If you wanted to honor the trilogy, then you should have voted for each film to be that year’s best picture. The second argument I have to combat those who think “the snobs got it right” is to ask how one can justify singling out ROTK as a Best Picture winner when all three movies in the trilogy were filmed at once? Seriously, shouldn’t a situation like this have its own category? I must confess that I have yet to see Return of the King and have only seen about half of The Fellowship of the Ring (having slept through the rest). I did see all of The Two Towers, though, and can emphatically say that I would rather watch paint dry. Movies that rely way too heavily on special effects don’t really do it for me. I mean, after awhile, don’t you feel like you’re just watching a giant computer game that you have no control over? As for who I would have given Best Picture to, I honestly can’t say. The only one of the five nominees that I saw was Mystic River, about which I entirely agree with Boats Against The Current’s take. Of the rest of last year’s movies, there were so few memorable ones that I don’t think I can come up with a deserving winner.