Learned this from Herm last night at the Vous. Why do the A’s have a white elephant as their mascot? This from their media guide: In 1901 Connie Mack and his Philadelphia Athletics helped form the American League. The following year, New York Giants Manager John McGraw dismissed the A’s with contempt, calling them “The White Elephants,” implying Mack shouldn’t be allowed to spend money without supervision. Mack defiantly adopted the White Elephant as the team insignia, and in 1902, the A’s won the American League pennant.
Larry Mendte talks about ghosts
After receiving Larry’s recent e-mail about his dad and the TV in the dark rumor, I responded to him thusly:
Your double life as underground lamp promoter has been exposed. You will have to answer the masses now, pal. hope you’re ready for the inevitable backlash from people who hate lamps but who bought them anyway to protect their eyes at nighttime.
Larry fires back, after the jump.
Quizzo for the Cause
Hey guys, it’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, but I saw this article today and figured that this would be a good time to get involved in a growing problem in the city-homelessness. THerefore everybody who plays this week is asked to donate a dollar, (though you are welcome to offer more).
And I have found a really great charity to offer our money to. It’s called the Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness, and it is the only homelessness organization in Philadelphia that does not accept government funding. In speaking with the head of the organization, I was told that by not accepting government money, they can keep the program better suited to each individual rather get caught up in a giant bureaucracy. And this organization is not just concerned with giving away food. It is also concerned with helping to get people back on their feet. I hope to have an interview with the head of the organization tommorrow, so you can learn more about their work, but I think this is a great opportunity for us to give back to our community.
Question of the Week
This man fought in the Battle of New Orleans, then moved to Galveston where he ran a pirating ring. After being expelled from Galveston by the Navy, he disappeared with immense amounts of treasure, which has never turned up. Who is he?
Get Bonus Points tonight!
That’s right, peeps, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Therefore, any team that has at least one member dress up like a pirate (Tonight only!) will get three bonus points to start the game! Every week, there are at least two games decided by three points or less, so I would highly advise you to do this. Here are some helpful pirate terms to get you thru the day.
5 Quick Questions With…A Republican Running for Office!
The first time Lindsay Doering played quizzo, he approached me and demanded that the Big Bopper was not aboard the plane on the day the music died. He and his team, the now infamous WTF, were wrong, but I appreciated his vim and vigor, and quickly tagged him with the nickname Bopper. Well, the Boppper has decided to test the political waters, and is running against Babette Josephs to be elected State Representative for the 182nd District, which covers much of Center City. It is not my disctrict (I miss it by one measly block) but if it were, Lindsay Doering would be the first Republican I ever voted for. Why? For a couple of reasons. First of all, he’s a stand up guy who I would trust to do the right thing. Secondly, because his opponent, Babette Josephs, voted for the pay raise. And third, because he is opposing the dreadful casinos that threaten to harm our city. I recently interviewed Doering and asked him five quick questions.
Doering discusses casinos, pay raises, and Beavis and Butthead after the jump!
Continue reading “5 Quick Questions With…A Republican Running for Office!”
Local Politics
Hey, I have a couple of political things to post today. We’ll start on the Democratic side. There is a Democratic fundraiser at the Khyber on Wednesday that will include readings from Buzz Bissinger, Jennifer Weiner, and Atrios, among others. The fundraiser starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and you can purchase tickets here, or get them at the door. All of the proceeds from the event will go to the campaign of Democratic congressional candidate Lois Murphy.
The Road Rap n’ Rhyme Contest, OR, How Johnny’s rap career came to a screeching halt
As you guys know, I did a road blog for Traffic.com back in July. What you don’t know is that, shortly before leaving for my trip, I was asked to put together a rap about an upcoming contest they were having. Well, the contest just got underway, and there is my terrible, terrible, terrible rap on the main page. It is painful to watch, and the word coming from the streets is that my rap career from here on out should be about as succesful as Brian Austin Green’s. Whatever, the point is that you people can win a free 7 day trip to the Dominican Republic by rapping or rhyming about traffic. Seriously. You people are so lucky I am ineligible, because otherwise I would make a most triumphant return to the rap game. The press release for the contest is after the jump.
Yes, I did stumble onto Larry Mendte’s Dark Secret
A few days ago, I mentioned that a man with the name J. Robert Mendte from Philly had come up with the rumor that watching TV in the dark is bad for your eyes. Why would he propagate such a falsehood? Because he was a PR man for a lamp manufacturer. Well, the lies didn’t stop with J. Robert. It seems that he had a son who wanted to further this myth by appearing on TV at night, and be talented enough that people would watch him, even if it meant buying a new lamp to prevent the room from getting dark at night and ruining their eyes! That son’s name, of course, was Larry Mendte, who confirmed via email that J. Robert was his father. He ended his short email to me with this cryptic message: He also is responsible for the legend of the ghosts at the General Wayne Inn….. More on this as it develops.
The meltdown
Hey gang, I was able to get my hands on some video of the Eagles fourth quarter performance last night.
It was the first Eagles game I had ever seen at the Linc, and boy was I excited. The pageantry, the ability to see things that you couldn’t see on TV, the intensity of the fans. On top of that, after the 3rd quarter, I turned to someone and said, “Man, we look like the ’88 Forty Niners out there!” After three quarters, you would not have found a person wearing Eagle green who was not 100% convinced that we were going to the Super Bowl. Then, the meltdown. First, a strange forward fumble led to a touchdown. No big deal. Still a 10 point lead. Then, a Westbrook fumble. Another touchdown. It was as if God were testing a new vacuum, and had decided to see if he could suck the life out of 70,000 people at once. By the time Trent Cole kicked a guy, giving the Giants an easy field goal, it felt like we were at a funeral for a head of state. 70,000 people in a mournful silence. Overtime was nothing but a formality, and the zombies began filing out, muttering things about Andy Reid being fired and that this was worse than the Niner game. (The Eagles gave up 227 yards passing in the 4th quarter to Joe Montana in 1989 as the Niners came back to win.) It was worse than the Niner game. That was gainst Joe Freaking Montana. This was against Eli Manning. And hey, say what you will about the Oilers vs. the Bills in that playoff game. At least that meltdown happened on the road. This was a pathetic performance, and this team isn’t going to the Super Bowl. After exhibiting that they have no heart, no discipline, and no character, they’ll be lucky to make the playoffs.