Heron's Nest

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 9

2010-02-09T08:23:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 16,000 dollars, what officials alleged former Penn-Delco School Board member John Green ripped off from a high school boosters club. Yesterday the charges were withdrawn.
12-18 inches of more snow expected to hit the region tonight through Wednesday.
56.3 inches of snow so far across the region this winter. Tonight’s storm could push us over the all-time winter record of 65.5 inches, set back in 1995-96.
12 handguns stolen from a locker at the Boeing plant in Ridley Township.
18 million dollars, how much PennDOT budgeted for snow removal this winter. They’ve spent 55 percent of it so far this year.
1,250 tons of salt used last weekend by road crews in Upper Darby Township. The price tag for that comes to $74,500. The township has 750 tons of salt left.
14, age of boy killed when flames roared through his Clifton Heights home last March. Yesterday his father, Thomas Pierce, pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the fire.
3.9 percent tax hike given green light by Rose Tree Media School District.
2 times in the last 2 days that Granite Run Mall was closed by a gas odor. Not a great weekend for the mall, which was closed by snow on Saturday.
1.6 acres in Media that currently is home to the Media Inn. The landmark hotel will be demolished.
3 residents in Darby Borough treated overnight for carbon monoxide poisoning in a home on Sharon Avenue.
47, age of chiropractor from Bucks County charged with torching his own office.
30 percent decline in enrollment at St. John Bosco School in Hatboro, the latest that will close its doors in the archdiocese. A similar fate likely awaits St. Joe’s in Collingdale.
5 percent increase in TV ratings for the Super Bowl in Philadelphia. The audience for the show is estimated at 2.8 million, making it the No. 1 watched show in TV history, eclipsing the final episode of MASH.
5 DUI charges now racked up by a man in Ogletown, Del.
36, age of man found hanged in his jail cell in Philadelphia. His death was ruled a suicide.
24, age of janitor at Downingtown West High School in Chester County charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old female student.
2 goal deficit erased by the Flyers as they rallied to top the Devils, 3-2.
3 straight games now missed by Flyers goalie Ray Emery with a sore hip. Michael Leighton was in the nets last night.
19 points for Scottie Reynolds to lead No. 4 Villanova to a huge road win over No. 5 West Virginia.
21, where Temple now ranks, tumbling several spots after losing last week.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.The Philadelphia sports scene is a little less fun today. They buried Tom Brookshier yesterday. Rest well, Brookie. They don’t make guys like that anymore.
*
I Don’t Get It: A man in Philadelphia is charged with dousing a rag with drain cleaner and then rubbing it on the skin of a 20-month-old tot he was supervising. The child died. I don’t get it.
*
Today’s Upper: The Winter Olympics start Friday night. Too bad they don’t hand out medals for shoveling. We’d all be on the winner’s stand.
*
Quote Box: “He admits he was a lousy bookkeeper. But he is no thief.”
- Michael F.X. Gilllin, speaking about his client, former Penn-Delco School Board member John Green. Theft charges against him were withdrawn yesterday.

The curious case vs. John Green

2010-02-09T07:52:00.001-05:00

The curious case of John Green just got a little bit more curious.

Green used to sit on the Penn-Delco School Board. He was at the center of the storm that enveloped the district, and eventually led to criminal convictions for former school board President Keith Crego and Superintendent Leslye Abrutyn.

Green did not escape unscathed. It turns out Green never disclosed that a contract awarded by the district went to his employer, and that he got a commission out of the deal. He pleaded no contest to a conflict of interest charge.

Then there was the matter of the financial disclosure forms he was required to file for holding office. It turns out Green and the district’s former financial officer had problems with their forms. He was fined $500 by the state Ethics Comission.

But Green really found himself in hot water when he was charged with stealing money from a booster club for female athletes at Sun Valley High School. The charges alleged he pocketed $16,000 in club accounts.

Yesterday the district attorney’s office withdrew the charges.

Green’s attorney explained that his client had actually advanced the Sportsters Club $19,000, then reimbursed himself for the funds.

As it turns out, he only got $16,000 back. In other words, one way of looking at it is that the club actually owes him money, about $3,000.

Michael F.X. Gillin, who represents Green, says he might not be the best bookkeeper around, but “his is no thief.”

But the D.A. doesn’t sound totally convinced.

Despite withdrawing the charges, the D.A.’s office released a statement saying Green remains under investigation. The D.A. said county detectives have continued their probe of Green since the charges were first filed and new information in the case could lead to new charges against Green.

And so the latest chapter in the saga of John Green. And it sounds distinctly like this will not be the last.

Curiouser and curiouser.

All in a school district where curious endeavors by officials set new standards for curious.

Storm Troopers

2010-02-09T07:24:00.001-05:00

It would not be an understatement to say that I am not a big fan of winter.

Which should give you some inkling of what kind of mood I have been in for much of this winter. The fact is I hate it. I don’t like being cold.
I have no use for snow.

So what exactly am I supposed to do with 28.5 inches? That’s how much snow fell at the airport, where they measure such things, on Saturday.

I happen to concur with George Carlin in these matters. Who cares what it does at the airport. No one lives there. Down in Ridley Park they are still digging out from 30 inches of snow recorded there.

All of which, of course, is prelude to what is expected to arrive tonight. More snow, of course.

And for me, that will be accompanied by more grinding in my stomach, and a yearning for spring.

The all-time record for winter snowfalls was recorded back in 1995-96, the year we got our all-time top snow storm of 30.7 inches. I didn’t make it home for two nights back then. It’s the only time I failed to get home in 28 winters of trundling in here to the office. That winter we totaled 65.5 inches of snow.

Right now, after our 28-inch snowfall on Saturday, we are sitting at
56.3 inches. In other words, the forecast for tonight and tomorrow could push us over the brink into the all-time top spot for winter snow.

Just in time for the arrival of the Winter Olympics. Too bad they don’t hand out gold medals for shoveling.

We’d all be up there on the winner’s stand.

Farewell to Brookie

2010-02-09T07:11:00.001-05:00

They said goodbye to Tom Brookshier yesterday.

A who’s who of the Philadelphia and national sports worlds showed up to pay their final respects to the former Eagle, local TV sports anchor, and NFL broadcaster.

There were teammates from the Eagles’ last championship team. Tommy McDonald was there. So was Chuck Bednarik. There aren’t many of them left.

Brookie’s running mate back in his days as part of CBS’ lead broadcast team, Pat Summerall, was one of those who eulogized Brookshier.

The NFL doesn’t make players – or personalities – like Brookshier anymore.

Simply put, “Brookie” was one of us. How many superstar athletes can you say that about today? Thought so.

It was left to his daughter Betsy to offer perhaps the best view of Brookshier. She referred to her father as “a happy warrior.”

That is especially apt, for if there was a Brookshier signature, it was that infectious, raucous laugh.

Either from the broadcast booth, delivering the nightly sports, or chatting on radio as part of the birth of sports talk radio in the region, if Brookie was in the room, that laugh was not far away.

Sports could use more guys like Tom Brookshier. They don’t make them like that anymore.

We’re all the lesser because of it.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 8

2010-02-08T08:48:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 30 inches of snow in Ridley Park, the winner in the snowfall amounts from the Blizzard of 2010.
28.5 inches of snow officially at the airport.
56.3 inches of snow so far this winter. That puts this winter in 2nd place on the all-time list.
65.5 inches of snow back in 1996, the all-time record. Of course that was also the year of the historic No. 1 30-inch snow.
6-12 inches of snow now being forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday.
200,000 students in public and parochial schools in Philadelphia that are getting the day off today to allow crews to continue clearing snow.
20 inches of snow in Washington, D.C.
90,000 customers without power at the height of the storm in New Jersey; 39,000 in Delaware, 190,000 in western Pa.
10 parents who led a protest outside Sunday Mass against the decision to close St. Joseph’s School in Collingdale.
2 days Granite Run Mall was closed this weekend, on Saturday by snow, and on Sunday by a fuel spill and gas odor.
60, age of man with dementia whose body was found in the snow in Delaware after wandering from his home.
229 votes, 28 more than he needed for Sen. Arlen Specter as he picked up the endorsement of the Pa. State Democratic Committee Saturday.
72 votes for Joe Sestak, who continues to lag in his challenge to Specter.
6,000 jobs that will be filled by the region’s largest employers over the next 6 months.
2.78, what we’re paying on average for gas in the Philly region, if you can get out of your driveway.
5 people killed in blast at power plant in Connecticut.
32 of 39 for Drew Brees as he led the New Orleans Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl title.
31 of 45 for Peyton Manning in losing effort, with one huge interception that was returned for TD.
9 days until pitchers and catchers report to Phillies spring training in Clearwater on Feb. 17.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.What Dat? They’re the Saints, who forever buried the Aints image of New Orleans entry in the NFL as losers. You can call them Super Bowl Champions.
*
I Don’t Get It: You knew this one was coming. In Delaware, a man has been charged with pointing a gun at a neighbor and threatening to shoot him in a dispute over a parking spot.
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Today’s Upper: Please tell me that spring is coming. Eventually.
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Quote Box: “You’ve got a whole city held captive here.”
- Gwen Dawkins, as she waited to get out of Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., during the storm.

Snow daze

2010-02-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

Very funny, Punxsutawney.

Actually, this stopped being funny Friday night, when it became clear that for once, the forecast was right on the money.

Yes, we got hammered.

And guess what? It’s about to happen again. At least if the forecast again holds true.

Even as we continue to dig out from 28.5 inches of snow from Saturday’s storm, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Tuesday night into Wednesday.

I guess that’s why so many local schools are operating on a two-hour delay this morning. OK, I’ll spare you the rant about schools and the way they deal with weather, which often seems to fly in the face of what the rest of us in the real world deal with.

Then again, if they had to navigate Oak Avenue, as I did as I headed into the office this morning, they might have a point. Someone must have forgotten Oak, which remained snow-covered this early a.m..

No doubt the thought of more snow is going to be less than music to the ears of the folks in Ridley Park, who are the winners of the Blizzard of 2010 Derby with a snow total of 30 inches.

Officially at the airport the snowfall checked in at 28.5 inches. That makes it the second biggest snowfall in local history, following only the 30-inch storm of the century from back in January 1996.

We’re also bearing down on the all-time record for snowfall in a single winter.

Right now we’re sitting at 56.3 inches of snow. The record is 65.5 inches, again set in the winter of 1996.

That might fall Tuesday night, when anywhere from 6-12 inches is expected to arrive, with snow falling in time for the Tuesday night rush hour.

I give up.

Yesterday I huddled in my official University of Colorado Snuggie and watched golf on TV, soothed by gorgeous sunshine and 70-degree temperatures from Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

I’m reminded of a headline I once wrote that I just might have to dust off tomorrow: Take this weather and shovel it.

Please.

Sestak snowed under

2010-02-08T07:46:00.001-05:00

That boulder Joe Sestak is pushing up a hill just got a lot bigger.

And the hill is now a lot steeper.

That’s because, despite more than 2 feet of snow, the state Democratic Committee met Saturday in Lancaster. It did not go well for the upstart congressman from Delaware County. They gave their blessing to Sestak’s foe, Sen. Arlen Specter.

Sestak gave up the 7th District seat he wrestled away from 20-year incumbent Curt Weldon and the GOP, only to give it up after less than two terms to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

An equally imposing force of politics stands in Sestak’s way this time around as well.

Specter switched parties and was welcomed with open arms by everyone from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Ed Rendell.

But someone forgot to invite Sestak to the party.

Irked at what he believes was a heavy-handed effort to clear the path the Democratic nomination for Specter, Sestak got into the race. And he’s not getting out, despite lagging in the polls.

Even the state Democratic chair indicated publicly Sestak was hurting the party with his run, and everyone would be better off if he got out of the race and ran for re-election to the U.S. House. Well, maybe everyone but Bryan Lentz, who himself is giving up his Pa. House seat to seek Sestak’s spot in Congress.

But the calls have fallen on deaf ears.

On Saturday Sestak took another body blow, when the state committee voted overwhelmingly to endorse Specter.

Sestak, the former admiral, is not yet ready to abandon ship. He said he fully expected the move and branded it merely another example of the kind of insider politics that he is fighting.

He said he was “a little too independent” for the committee members, and vowed “this is going to be a great fight.”

In other words, the admiral is sticking to his guns. Even if all the experts tell him he’s about to go down with the ship.

Some snickers for Snickers

2010-02-08T07:24:00.001-05:00

For a lot of people, the best thing about the Super Bowl is the ads.

Don’t count me in that group. Last night’s game was very entertaining, which is a lot more than I can say about the ads.

I have two words for you: Not funny.

And maybe these two: Not interesting.

I’m glad I wasn’t the one who forked over $3 million for the majority of these 30-second spots.

Most of them left me wondering what the ad was about, let alone thinking about the product that was supposed to be getting pitched.

There was one exception.

The clear winner, according to this somewhat less than an expert, was the ad featuring the ageless Betty White playing a game of pick-up football. The shot of her and Abe Vigoda being tackled was genuinely funny.

The fact that I had to look up the product being pitched – Snickers candy bars – probably is not music to the folks at the Mars Candy Co.
that makes Snickers.

Hey, they got a snicker. Even if I didn’t immediately link it with Snickers.

That put them ahead of the majority of the spots.

Super Saints

2010-02-08T07:14:00.001-05:00

A few thoughts on the Super Bowl, which for a change was not a Super Bore.

You have to feel good for the Saints, who carried the weight of delivering an emotional lift to Katrina-battered New Orleans on their shoulders.

They didn’t disappoint the faithful. Mardia Gras, which doesn’t arrive until Feb. 17, just became a two-week party.

And, of course, there was a Philadelphia connection. Sean Payton, the gutsy Saints coach who called for that on-side kick to start the second half, is a former Eagles assistant.

And how about a goat with Philly ties? The Colt who actually had his hands on that on-side kick would be none other than Hank Baskett, husband of former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson.

And then there is this. I like Peyton Manning. I think he goes down as one of the top two or three QBs in NFL history.

But substitute the name of Donovan McNabb for Manning, who threw a killer interception that sealed the game in the fourth quarter and what do you think the reaction is?

I thought so.

Who Dat?

How ‘bout dat.

They ain’t the Aints any more.

The Saints are Super Bowl champions.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 5

2010-02-05T07:38:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 80,000 dollars in debt, where St. Joseph’s School find itself, which along with dwindling enrollment likely will lead to the school being closed.
125 parents who jammed a meeting this week who vow they are going to take action to stop the planned closing.
90, are of retired Judge Robert Wright, the first African-American to sit on the Delco bench.
6.25 percent increase in spending in Ridley School District, which will in turn lead to a tax hike for residents.
12 inches of snow expected in the region as a big winter storm blasts the tri-state area starting tonight.
24 inches possible in some areas in southern Delaware and New Jersey.
0 trains running south of Washington, D.C., today on the Amtrak system due to the snow.
400 PennDOT plow trucks sitting ready to attack the snow and keep roads passable.
31 million dollar loss reported in the quarter by Sunoco, as the oil giant continues to take its lumps in a stagnant economy.
1 person struck and killed by a train in Levittown last night.
66, age of school principal who now has been sued by family of student she struck on her way to school in Bucks County. The suit claims she was speeding at the time.
8 years behind bars for a 22-year-old New Jersey man who admitted driving drunk and killing a 19-year-old.
2 people busted in Bucks County for stealing mail from residential mail boxes. Police say they were looking for cards and cash to feed their drug habit.
12 cent tax being mulled in Philadelphia on every can or bottle of soda or other sweet drinks.
100 million dollar deficit staring at the Nutter administration in Philly.
20,000 dollar reward now being offered for information on the person who shot and killed a Bucks County lawyer in the parking lot of his office building a year ago.
19 homes burglarized by 2 teens in Ocean City, N.J. They made off with at least 10 plasma TVs.
2 times this year Penn Wood has gotten the better of Chester on the basketball floor.
29 points and 10 rebounds for Penn Wood star Aaron Brown in the big win.
12 game winning streak for the Washington Capitals in the NHL. The Flyers should be that lucky.
31 goals this year for Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers. He won’t be joining the Flyers. He was traded to the Devils.
12 days until pitchers and catchers report to Phillies spring training in Clearwater on Feb. 17.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Who needs the Super Bowl when you have Wing Bowl?
*
I Don’t Get It: Enough already. I know. It’s supposed to snow. Now if the TV folks would just let me suffer in silence.
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Today’s Upper: Spring is coming. Eventually.
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Quote Box: “We want to give people hope that we can change this.”
- Ann Koch, a parent in St. Joe’s in Collingdale, where they are mobilizing to try to save their school.

A wing & a prayer

2010-02-05T07:03:00.001-05:00

This morning I find myself consumed with two big stories we are covering.

First, if it’s the Friday before Super Bowl, that can mean only one thing. No, not that the Eagles are not playing in it again this year.

It’s time for Wing Bowl.

There are some things that just scream “Philadelphia.” The Mummers Parade. The Art Museum steps. Soft Pretzels. Cheesesteaks.

And Wing Bowl.

This pre-Super Bowl blast of fat guys wolfing down chicken wings while surrounded by almost naked women draws more than 20,000 people into the Wachovia Center.

The Sixers should be that lucky.

On the other hand, and on a lot more serious note, there is the situation involving St. Joseph’s School in Collingdale.

It looks like the archdiocese is planning to recommend closing the school, much like it has with other parochial schools in eastern Delaware County, at the end of the current school year.

But not if St. Joe’s parishioners have anything to do with it. They are not even a little bit happy about the move to close their school. And they’re not planning to stand by quietly while a treasured institution is shuttered.

Instead, they’re planning to protest the move just about everywhere they can.

I guess you could call it a wing and a prayer. Or, in the case of St.
Joe’s a wing and no prayer.

Snow Job

2010-02-05T06:51:00.001-05:00

Somewhere along the line I fell out of love with winter.

Actually, it’s a little more than that. The truth is I flat-out hate it.
I don’t like being cold. I don’t like snow.

As Joe Frazier once famously said to Muhammad Ali, who had just declared himself God upon one of their famous clashes, “God, you in the wrong place tonight.”

I’m in the wrong place this weekend.

In other words, we’re expecting snow. Lots of it.

I now consider snow as something akin to what my mother once said about
Christmas: It’s for children. So is snow.

I won’t bore you with all the problems a big snowstorm creates for those of us who happen to toil in the newspaper world. We don’t gloat in it, as our counterparts in the TV world do.

In fact, there is almost nothing that grates on my nerves as much as the way weather – in particular snow – is handled on TV.

But then that’s my problem, along with getting a staff into the paper, then covering what is a very big story, as much as a foot of snow, and then wondering if we’ll actually be able to deliver the paper.

It’s been a long time since I actually enjoyed snow. And this comes from someone who lived in Colorado and at one time was a fairly accomplished skier.

I’m actually embarrassed to tell people this, but I had never been on skis before I went out there, and have not been on skis since I came back.

I’m not thinking this weekend will be any different. Unless you count me sliding all over the road while trying to drive home.

If you’rer like me, do yourself a favor. Turn off the radio. Don’t look at TV.

In other words, brace yourself for non-stop weather hyperventilating.

What do you think is the over-under on the number of times we’ll hear a local TV star breathlessly tell us: “Here it comes.”

Spare me. Wake me when spring arrives.

Patriots Day: New kings of court

2010-02-05T06:37:00.000-05:00

You might call it a changing of the guard.

Chester High now has company atop Delaware County basketball excellence.

Move over, Clippers. The Penn Wood High Patriots now are kings of the court.

The reigning state champions put an exclamation point on their season last night by dominating Chester, 57-40. It was the second time this year Penn Wood has gotten the better of the legendary Chester High program.

Standout Tyree Johnson led the Patriots, who were in control from the opening tap. The win locked up another Del-Val League crown for Penn Wood.

Now it’s on to districts and a likely PIAA run that they hope will result in a repeat performance, another state title.

No doubt they just might face Chester High again on the road. Can they beat them three times in one season?

There’s a new sheriff in town. Actually, he’s a Patriot.

A Penn Wood High Patriot.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 4

2010-02-04T08:18:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 4, age of little Marcia Reyes, who was tossed off a bridge to her death by her father, Angel Reyes, back in 1993. Angel Reyes has gotten something his daughter did not, a stay from execution.
30,000 dollars, how much a Glenolden couple turned over to a contractor for home repairs. The job was never completed and he now faces charges.
4.14, 4.76, 4.60 and 2.5 percent raises for teachers in the Rose Tree Media School District in a fact-finder’s report. Both the teachers and school board nixed the proposal.
10, age of student at St. Eugene School in Primos who was detained by police after he took a knife to school.
400 jobs now gone for good with Sunoco’s decision to make the closure of their Eagle Point refinery in New Jersey permanent.
100 dollar increase in the awards for home heating help set by the state’s LIHEAP program.
6-12 inches of snow likely heading our way Friday night into Saturday.
Swell.
27 of June, date for the Philadelphia Union’s first MLS game to be played in their new stadium in Chester.
8 of 10 and 10 of 12 of their first games the Union will play on the road as work is completed on their stadium.
3 home invasion suspects now in custody after a standoff with police in North Philadelphia.
17, age of driver in Wilmington now charged in hit-run that took the life of a 9-year-old boy.
100 furniture store owners left out in the cold when a Chester County furniture store, At Home Furniture, abruptly closed its doors.
1 elderly woman killed and another injured when fire raced through their Pitman, N.J., home.
64, age of man killed in a fire in his Ardmore home. Police believe he may have been smoking in bed.
2 Philadelphia police officers injured when a man they were trying to stop reversed his vehicle into them as he fled.
140 million dollars up for grabs in Saturday’s Powerball drawing after no one hit again on Wednesday.
250,000 dollar winning ticket in the Mega Millions drawing sold at an Acme Market in North Philadelphia.
0 goals for the Flyers as they fall on the road at Edmonton.
17 seconds left in regulation when the Oilers scored on the power play for the 1-0 win.
25 points for Andre Iguodala, 26 for Elton Brand to lead the Sixers to an OT win over the Chicago Bulls.

2 straight wins for the Sixers. They have not won 3 in a row yet this year.
13 days until pitchers and catchers report to Phillies spring training in Clearwater on Feb. 17.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.The region’s new MLS team, the Union, should consider a name change.
They will play 8 of their first 10 games on the road while they wait for work on their new stadium to be completed. Maybe they should be called the Road Warriors.
*
I Don’t Get It: Angel Reyes got still another reprieve from a date with death for throwing his 4-year-old daughter to her death from a Chester bridge. I don’t get it.
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Today’s Upper: Who needs teams in the Super Bowl. We have Wing Bowl.
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Quote Box: “What this is doing is forcing senior citizens to sell their homes and move in with their children or move elsewhere for lower cost living.
- Rose Tree Media resident William Evans, on contract standoff between school board and teachers union.

Be prepared to be taken by storm

2010-02-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Brace yourself. The world as we know it is about to end.

All news is about to cease.

And why would that be? Because a snow storm is approaching.

Which is nothing compared to the storm brewing in TV news offices as they froth at the mouth over the prospects of a major winter storm coming during sweeps week.

Here’s what I know. A storm is coming on that dangerous track of a classic nor’easter up the East Coast. It’s carrying a lot of moist air and will run smack dab into cold air over the Mid-Atlantic region.

But what we don’t know, and likely will not until Friday night, is exactly which track this thing takes. It could barrel out to sea and spare us much in the way of aggravation aside from a routine snow storm.

It could stay more inland and bury us with as much as a foot or more of snow.

The truth is I don’t know, and my guess is neither do most of the pundits who will be jabbering non-stop for the next 48 hours about what this storm will or will not do.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch from Friday afternoon through Saturday night. And if you know just what that means, you’re better off than I am.

In other words, I’ll meet you at the supermarket. Hey, get your hands off that last loaf of bread.

Let the madness begin.

Circle the date: June 27 in Chester

2010-02-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

The loyal soccer fanatics known as the Sons of Ben have been waiting a long time for Major League Soccer to arrive in Philly.

They’re getting their wish this year.

But they’re going to have to wait a little longer to watch their new team play in the swank new stadium that is being built in the shadows of the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester. The first game played there won’t come until Week 11 of the MLS season on June 27.

The MLS’ newest franchise, the Philadelphia Union, will kick off the league’s 2010 season on the road in Seattle on March 25.

They better get used to traveling.

The Union actually will play eight of their first 10 games on the road, and 10 of their first 12.

That is no doubt in part because their stadium is still being built.

The Union will play two home games at Lincoln Financial Field before moving down I-95 to Chester.

They will play D.C. United on April10 and FC Dallas on May 15.

The first game on the Chester waterfront will be June 27 at 5 p.m. when the Union host the Seattle Sounders at what looks will be called PPL Park. The team is in the process of negotiating naming rights for the stadium with the Allentown-based energy group.

“It’s a challenge,” admitted Union President Tom Veit of the start of the season with all those games on the road. “But we have a team manager that knows all about how to handle challenges,” Veit said, referring to Peter Nowak, the veteran soccer guru running things for the Union.

Look at the bright side, the tail end of the season, in summer and through the fall, is loaded with home games.

In the meantime, the Union might want to consider a name change.

How about Road Warriors.

Kick in gut for Flyers (& soccer fans)

2010-02-04T07:13:00.000-05:00

Who’d a thunk it? They played a hockey game in Edmonton last night and a soccer game broke out.

OK, that’s a cheap shot. I apologize to all members of the Sons of Ben and all the other legions of soccer fans.

The Flyers lost, 1-0, in Edmonton, when the Oilers scored on a power play with just 17 seconds left in regulation.

In other words, the two teams skated almost 60 minutes without scoring.

Must have made for some thrilling late-night TV from Edmonton.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 3

2010-02-03T09:11:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 27,014,595.79, that’s the take in January from the slot machines at Harrah’s.
4.13 percent increase in the take at Harrah’s over the same month last year.
39 percent jump in overall revenue at the state’s 9 operating casinos.
10 days for both sides in the Rose Tree Media School District teacher talks to talk over a fact-finder’s report or head back to bargaining table. Both sides rejected the proposal.
36 days on the lam for Angus Richardson, who was wanted for a Chester murder. He was busted in North Caroline.
694,207 cash on hand for Republican Pat Meehan in his run for the 7th District Congress seat. Democrat Bryan Lentz has $515,000 in the bank.
112,000 dollars a man admitted that he ripped off from the Suburban Swim Club. He admitted the theft in court this week.
1 inch dusting of snow that fell on the county overnight.
1 county school district, Upper Darby, that opted for a 2-hour delay because of the snow.
25 scofflaws who owe Philly Parking Authority more than $3,000 who are target of crackdown.
1 dog found dead, 6 others seized, 1 person found dead in Hunting Park section of Philly.
1 person killed in apartment fire in Montgomery County section of Haverford early Wednesday.
4 former social workers on trial tied to starvation death of 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in Philadelphia.
2 tons of pot seized by state police during arrest in Lebanon County. It was being hauled in a tractor-trailer.
16 percent dip in sales for Toyota last month in the fallout from those sticking accelerator pedals.
11 straight wins for Villanova, which is now No. 2 in the nation.
0-28, Seton Hall’s record against teams ranked 1-3 in the AP hoops poll.
22 points for Rodney Green, but not enough to keep La Salle from falling to Rhode Island, 90-83.
14 days until pitchers and catchers report to Phillies spring training in Clearwater on Feb. 17.

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Michael Vick staying with the Eagles? That’s what Mike Lombardi is saying on NFL Network? Hmmmmm.
*
I Don’t Get It: AIG, which got big bucks in the federal bailout, is now in the process of handing out $100 million in bonuses. I don’t get it.
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Today’s Upper: Kudos to Chester police who this week captured two men wanted on murder charges.
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Quote Box: “It is our hope that the board will be receptive in trying to negotiate from the report in the next 10 days.”
- Sandy Staiger, lead negotiator for Rose Tree Media School District teachers after both the union and school board rejected a fact-finder’s report in their standoff.

Good times roll at Harrah's

2010-02-03T08:06:00.001-05:00

Let the good times roll.

That’s what they’re saying at Harrah’s these days.

First came word that the state Legislature had finally given the OK for slots parlors such as Harrah’s to expand into table games such as poker, blackjack and roulette.

Harrah’s held a job fair for the 300 openings they expect to fill to work those tables and were swamped with those looking to get in on the fun.

Now comes word that the slots are going great guns as well.

For the second straight month, Harrah’s take from the one-armed bandits was up.

Figures from the state Gaming Control Board indicate revenue at Harrah’s was up 4.13 percent in January over the same month in 2009.

Harrah’s took in more than $27 million, as compared to just slightly less than $26 million the year before. Maybe the economy is turning around after all.

Harrah’s continues to sits in second place in terms of revenue at the nine operating slots parlors in Pa.

Looking at everyone else in the rear-view mirror is Philly Park, which posted a whopping 22 percent hike in revenue in January.

Part of that is attributable to the opening of their swanky new Parx Casino. Philly Park took in $35 million and change this year, up from almost $29 million in 2009.

Statewide revenue from casinos was up 39 percent.

And if you doubt Atlantic City is feeling the pinch, check out the radio ad I heard driving into work this morning.

Trump’s shore casinos are offering a free room to anyone who turns in a premier card membership from one of the Pa. casinos.

Sounds like war to me. Don’t bet on it cooling off anytime soon, not with Pa. casinos unveiling table games this summer.

Sobering news from Punxsutawney

2010-02-03T07:50:00.001-05:00

I guess Punxsutawney Phil meant business.

The furry prognosticator and world’s most famous groundhog – as oppposed to that critter hawking lottery tickets – emerged from his hole amid the non-stop partying at Gobbler’s Notch and delivered some sobering news.

Winter is going anywhere. Phil of course saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. And just to add an exclamation point, he gave us a reminder over night, a dusting of snow.

It was enough to create some delayed school openings, including Upper Darby here in Delco.

But the real thunder from Phil might arrive Friday night. A nor’easter is coming up the Atlantic Coast and is expected to dump some more serious snowfall on the region.

Thanks, Phil.

No go back in your burrow.

Which is probably not a bad idea since you can pretty much guarantee the only news we are going to hear for the next three days is the approaching storm.

Beat the crowd, head to the store for milks and bread now.

QB or not QB for Birds

2010-02-03T07:38:00.001-05:00

There is really only one question facing the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

No, not who their punter is going to be next year, despite the fact that the team yesterday signed a guy to light a fire under incumbent Sav Rocca.

Durant Brooks, who spent six games with the Redskins in 2008 and had a gross average of 39.6 yards on 26 punts, will get a chance to comoete with the Australian for the job next summer at Lehigh.

No, the question hanging over the Birds is who will line up behind center when they take the field next season.

The conventional wisdom was that the team would try to trade Michael Vick, in the process taking a pass on the $5 million due him next year.
If there were no takers, they could simply release him.

That would leave Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb.

Now comes word that might not be the case. A report on NFL Network by Mike Lombardi, a former Eagles front office guy, now indicates the team will not release Vick.

Will they take this troika back to Lehigh. And if so, will there be an open competition for the job.

Stay tuned.

The Super Bowl is Sunday. Once the money is handed out from your block pool, we can go back to the big – some say only – football question in Philadelphia.

Who will be the Birds QB in 2010.

Some thoughts on newspapering

2010-02-01T05:22:00.002-05:00

My print column is up, with some thoughts on the new ways we're delivering information.

Check it out here.

Remembering Brookie

2010-02-01T05:19:00.001-05:00

He was always simply "Brookie."

Tom Brookshier is one of those guys who got it. He was, simply, one of us.

Yes, he was an all-Pro cornerback. But he just as easily could have been the guy sitting next to you at the local tavern.

That's why Eagles fans loved him.

That's why his No. 40 is one of seven jerseys retired by the team.

Me? I always had another reason to like Brookie. We were both products of the University of Colorado.

I never had a chance to tell him that. I wish I had. Because no doubt he would have replied with that classic laugh that was his signature.

Tom Brookshier died this past weekend. Foorball is a little bit the lesser. So are all of us.

Whether it was playing corner for the Birds, doing the sports on Channel 10, or teaming with Pat Summerall as CBS' lead broadcasting duo on NFL games, "Brookie" never lost that magical, mischievous laugh.

Lik I said, in a world of superstar athletes adn even bigger personalities in broadcasting, he was just one of us.

And he will be missed.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 29

2010-01-29T07:58:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 5,000 dollars raised by family of Chester murder victim as they seek information in his murder.
556,000 dollars ripped off from the trust fund of their kids by a Bethel man and their stepmother. They pleaded guilty this week.
32 million dollars in bonds OK’d by Chester Upland School District for several renovation projects.
275,000 dollar contract to run the Milwaukee School District for Chester Upland schools boss Dr. Gregory Thornton. The Board of Control that runs the district now will reopen talks in an attempt to keep Thornton here.
5,300 for 4 bulletproof vests that Colwyn Borough will pay gun dealer Dusty Rhoads to settle their dispute.
2 dead pit bulls removed from separate homes in Chester.
15 years, how long those Blue Route ramps to meter traffic entering the highway have been in the works. They’re about to go back into service in February.
25.6 million in federal stimulus funds coming to Pa. to fund high-speed rail projects. That’s out of $8 billion being spent nationally.
2 winning Powerball tickets worth $1 million each sold in Pa. Relax, they weren’t around here. One was sold in York, the other in Beaver Falls.
40 to 45 feet, how much deeper dredging project in the Delaware River will do to the channel.
6 members of a sorority at Rutgers after a pledge complained she was consistently paddled in a hazing incident.
50,000 dollar reward now posted for info in shooting deaths of two pet dogs in Chadds Ford.
12,000 dollars worth of computer equipment stolen by thieves who tunneled through the wall of Cecil B. Moore Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
1 more robbery now linked to man wielding hypodermic needle he says contains HIV-infected blood. That’s now 2 in Delco, and 2 in Delaware.
79 million dollar loss in the 4th quarter posted by US Airways, down from $543 million the year before.
8,000 jobs being slashed by drug giant AstraZeneca, which has its U.S. HQ in Wilmington. That’s 12 percent of its work force.
150 jobs being axed by Barclaycard US in Delaware.
2 goal lead coughed up by the Flyers, who lost to Atlanta, 4-3.
634 games played as a Flyer for Simon Gagne.
19 days until pitchers and catchers report to Phillies spring training in Clearwater on Feb. 17

*
Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Can anyone explain to me why local fans hold such a grudge against Kobe Bryant? He’s only the greatest basketball player on the planet.
*
I Don’t Get It: A man getting groceries what violently attacked for no reason in an Acme market in Vineland. I don’t get it .
*
Today’s Upper: Kudos to the Chester family that have raised $5,000 in hopes someone will come forward with information about the murder of their loved on.
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Quote Box: “We know who did it, but we need somebody to come up and to say what they saw or what they know.”
- Mohammed Habib, family friend of murder victim Abulaash Ansari.

Table games wars

2010-01-29T07:16:00.002-05:00

This is what they call upping the ante.

Brace yourself for “table games wars.”

A few weeks ago, the Pennsylvania Legislature finally got on board and approved a measure that would add games such as poker, blackjack and roulette to the offerings at the state’s new slots parlors.

That would include Harrah’s Chester.

Of course, that did not sit especially well with our neighbors a few miles south on I-95. That would be Delaware.

They were the first to challenge Atlantic City as a gambling destination when they added slots parlors.

Pennsylvania then matched them. Revenues have been sinking at both Atlantic City and Delaware gambling halls ever since.

So Delaware added sports betting. Their original plan got shot down in the courts, so they were left with parlay betting, packaging bets on three games.

Then, faced with a staggering budget deficit last summer, Pennsylvania legislators decided to expand once again, giving the OK to table games.
Of course, it took them more than 100 days to finalize the budget, and a couple months longer to actually sign off on the table games legislation.

Now it looks like you’ll be able to sit at a poker table on the Chester waterfront sometime this summer.

Obviously, Delaware is envious. The First State, which was first in slots, was second in table games. But they’re not wasting any time in getting in on the action.

Gov. Jack Markell Thursday signed legislation putting the state in the table games business.

Now the race is on. Delaware believes they should be able to get table games up and running in four months. That might put them slightly ahead of Pennsylvania, which has targeted mid-summer as their start date.

Why do I think it might be sooner.

Can you say Memorial Day weekend?

Bet on it.