Sunday

Wasted Money

Boston Bruins v Philadelphia Flyers, September 27, 1994

The Spectrum, Section 48 Row 3


I remember this one. Season ticket holders get "f"ed and must purchase pre season games. My group determined since I lived in Boston for a while and liked the Bruins that I would crave these tickets. I guess I took my son with me.

NHL Comes to Home of Old AHL Robins

Nashville Predators v Atlanta Thrashers, September 27, 2003

Richmond Coliseum, Sec L4 Row 12

A pre season game at a neutral site. The NHL fishes in markets in order to spread their product. I can't recall if this event was a sellout. I doubt it being the NHL has not been back to Richmond since.

Dany Heatley scored on the power play 58 seconds into overtime as the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 in an exhibition game Saturday night.

Nashville's Scott Hartnell was called for hooking with 53 seconds remaining in the third. In overtime, Heatley took a pass from Vyacheslav Kozlov and beat Keri Lehtonen, the second overall pick in the NHL entry draft in 2002, high.

Nashville's Vladimir Orszagh put back Adam Hall's rebound at 16:07 of the third period to tie it 2-all.

Kozlov opened the scoring just 1:10 into the second period. Heatley used his speed to break in on Nashville starter Tomas Vokoun, but Vokoun made the save and the rebound went right to Kozlov, who deposited it into an open net.

Nashville's Scott Hartnell evened it at 1-1 midway through the final period.

Marc Savard, acquired last season from the Calgary Flames, scored just 1:22 after Hartnell's goal.

Lehtonen finished with 30 saves. Vokoun, who was replaced by Jan Lasak midway through the game, finished with seven saves on eight shots. Lasak stopped seven of nine shots.

One cool thing about this game. My sons had some hockey cards and Sharpies. Tomas Vokoun, Nashville's goaltender started the game but was replaced. He was seated in an area off the bench where fans have semi-access to. He wore the same jersey number as my son, a goalie. My son asked if he can go down and get his autograph. I told him players are not allowed to interact with fans during the game. He was excited so I let him go down and get disappointed first hand.

Volkoun signed a few things for my son and talked with him for a bit about goaltending while the game was going on. Since, my son has followed Volkoun from Nashville to Florida.

On September 29, 2003, two days after the game, Atlanta's Daniel Snyder was critically injured after the Ferrari 360 Modena being driven by his friend and teammateDany Heatley struck a wall along Atlanta's Lenox Road. Both players were ejected from the car, which was split in half by the force of the impact. Snyder suffered a fractured skull and internal brain injuries due to the rapid acceleration/deceleration incident. He dies a few days later.


Friday

The Who and The Clash



The Who and The Clash, September 25, 1982

JFK Stadium, Section WJ Row 45


The old horseshoe stadium in South Philadelphia. The stadium was leveled in the early 1990's to make way for the Flyers new home, The CoreState Center/First Union Center/Wachovia Center.

I ended up with a brick from the old stadium (home of Live Aid) which now serves as a doorstop in my sports bar.

This was a daytime concert with locals The Hooters kicking off the morning. They were followed by Santana. The sound during Santana sucked, it was barely audible.

A huge "opening" act was The Clash. A relatively short lived band which did not tour extensively in the US. By the time they hit the stage the overheated crowd was irritable and began throwing shit at the stage. The Clash responded with their usual cocky swagger.

Joe Strummer was hit right between the eyes with an apple. Mick Jones was hit by a soda bottle while in mid-leap. He picked it up and drank from it.

A known setlist from the day:

London Calling
Rock the Casbah
Guns of Brixton
Police on My Back
Career Opportunities
Magnificent Seven
Should I Stay or Should I Go
White Man in Ham Palais
Brand New Cadillac
This is Radio Clash
Somebody Got Murdered
Clampdown **
I Fought the Law


The place had over 100,000 in attendance. More than Live Aid, which would be held at the same stadium some 3 years later. The Live Aid stage was much larger.

The Who show was billed as a "farewell" tour and this was their only date scheduled in Philly.
It was a hot early fall day.

The Who arrived on stage around 3:30 in the afternoon. Pete Townsend slipped and fell during Punk Meets the Godfather, knocking his Telecaster out of tune. He got up and tossed it to someone off stage. He strapped on another and carried on. Someone set a small fire in the photographer's pit, but it was quickly extinguished. Roger was hit by a roll of toilet paper, which he promptly picked up and threw back. Moments later, he looked at who it bounced off of and said "sorry". At one point Pete asked the crowd to move back. "A lot of very good looking girls are getting crushed," He said. After Magic Bus, Roger said "Thank you Philly we've had some pretty good gigs here." The show ended with a rollicking cover of Twist and Shout. Pete smacked his Telecaster on the stage a few times and the show was over.

The Who setlist:

Substitute;
I Can't Explain;
Dangerous
Sister Disco;
The Quiet One;
It's Hard;
Eminence Front
Behind Blue Eyes
Baba O'Riley;
I Am One
The Punk Meets The Godfather;
Drowned; A Man Is A Man;
Cry If You Want
Who Are You;
Pinball Wizard;
See Me Feel Me
5.15;
Love Reign O'er Me;
Long Live Rock
Won't Get Fooled Again
ENCORE
Magic Bus
Twist & Shout

Ironic? 5:15 was played at 5:15 in the afternoon.

Another bit on irony; The post below for the Flyers hockey game was played in the arena built on the site of the old JFK Stadium.

Thursday

Pre Season Extortion

Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers, September 24, 1997

Core States Center, Section 217 Row 9

This may have been our 2nd year with season tickets in the new building. Our old seats in the Spectrum were in the 3rd level, or the Crows Nest. We loved it up there. We were offered upgrades to move us to the 2nd level or the old building. We declined.

When they moved into the Big House, somehow we ended up with 2nd level seats in like the 3rd row. The vantage point was about as same as the old building. We did not lose anything.

This was our second year in the new building and the Flyers f****ed us by moving us UP to the 9th row. The whole complexion on the experience in this massive, lifeless building changed.

So I got to experience our new sucky seats by being forced to pay for them with a pre season obligation. This was the beginning of my slide as a Flyers fanatic.

Outcome unknown.

Wednesday

Largest Football Crowd in State History

Clemson v Virginia, September 23, 2000

Scott Stadium, Sec 517 Row O


A warm fall day in Charlottesville. The leave beginning to change in the mountains. The town invaded by Clemson fans.

Four games into a season of dominance, No. 11 Clemson showed Saturday that it is for real. Woodrow Dantzler is for real, too.

Dantzler ran for 220 yards and two long touchdowns and the Tigers' top-rated defense held Virginia to one gift touchdown in a 31-10 victory.

Dantzler, the nation's second-leading passer and 38th-ranked rusher coming into the game, did plenty of both. He scored on runs of 75 and 45 yards, and completed 15 of 24 passes for 154 yards and another score.

"We just found some holes in the defense that we exploited through the running game," Dantzler said. "I just happened to be the guy running."

Dantzler carried just 18 times, but ended with 374 of the Tigers' 481 yards of offense, and gave the Clemson defense plenty to watch and enjoy.

"Woody's just amazing," linebacker Keith Adams said. "He can throw the ball. He can run. He's a leader out there on the field. And just a combination like that, he's just unstoppable."

The Tigers defense did its part, too. It shut down Virginia's passing game, forced Dan Ellis to hurry several throws and held 6-foot-4 receiver Billy McMullen to three catches for 40 yards until the fourth quarter.

McMullen, who added two catches late in the game when the outcome had been decided, earlier had catches for 1 and 2 yards, plus a 37-yarder.

"This was really a test for us," Adams said. "It was a test for us to go out there and try to prove to the nation and within ourselves that we can be for real. ... We definitely feel that we're for real."

Ellis, who averaged 316 yards passing in his last two games, was 17-for-39 for 170 yards. He was intercepted once and twice fumbled snaps.

"It was just one of those days," he said.

The Tigers led 17-10 at the half before Dantzler put the game away.

On Clemson's first possession of the second half, he kept the ball on second-and-8 from his own 25, turning the corner wide on the right and down the sideline, finally slashing back to the middle for the points.

"The thing we said from the beginning was, `Don't let them run the ball, especially with the quarterback,"' Virginia coach George Welsh said.

"They spread you out and they nickel and dime you to death with the passes when you're not covering them up, and they keep working and keep working trying to get him free," Welsh said of Dantzler.

Dantzler did it again late in the quarter, following Alex Ardley's end zone interception with a five-play drive. Dantzler ran for 7 to start the march, and for the last 45 to make it 31-10 with 18 minutes left.

Trailing 10-3 before 60,695 fans, the largest football crowd in state history, Clemson scored twice in a span of 2:42 to take the lead.

"To get where we want to go, that is going to have to happen," Tigers coach Tommy Bowden said of the early adversity. "You have to not panic and remain calm when you turn the ball over and show composure on the road."

First, Joe Don Reames fielded a punt at his 31, stepped between two Cavaliers and weaved untouched for a 69-yard return that tied it at 10.

Then, after Virginia went three-and-out and Mike Abrams shanked a punt 10 yards to the Tigers' 39, Dantzler needed just five plays. The last one was a 30-yard pass to a wide open Jackie Robinson down the middle.

It was the Tigers' shortest touchdown play of the game.

The Tigers' 17-10 halftime lead might have been much bigger if not for Travis Zachery's inability to hold onto the ball. Zachery botched a punt at his 3 after Virginia's first possession, and later fumbled on a third-and-2 dive from the Cavaliers' 3 late in the second quarter.

Virginia recovered both times, and turned the first miscue into its only touchdown of the half - a 3-yard option run by Antwoine Womack.

Ahmad Hawkins intercepted a pass with 12:32 remaining, marking the first time in 80 throws this season that Dantzler has been intercepted.

But the Tigers' defense held and Virginia turned it over on downs.

Tuesday

Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys, September 22, 2007

Toads Place, General Admission


My teenager boys have been DKM fans for a few years now. What a great opportunity to take them both to a concert.

As we stepped up to the front door, a drunk amateur stumbled by us and puked in the grass.
Inside the old converted warehouse was packed. The bar was packed and understaffed/under trained.

We muscled our way up to the balcony. The only available to stand was on a wall. We took it. Then we realized why it was available. It was next to the puke trash can. It only took about 2 minutes for another amateur to stumble up to the can and let loose.


We started watching the show on the large screen on top of the stage. We did work our way back down stairs and settled near where the below video was shot.

This was the band's 11th show in 11 nights.