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Throwback Pepsi, Mountain Dew?

pepsi-throwbackBy: Billy BeerSlugger

Ok so apparently Pepsi is rolling out a version called Throwback, which will replace High Fructose Corn Syrup with actual real sugar.  Both Pepsi and Pepsi owned Mountain Dew have introduced a throwback version.

While I have not yet tried either of these throwback versions I can already surmise that I will like it 10 to 15 times better than than their counterparts.

Going back to one of my earlier posts when i ripped into artificial sweeteners I guess I failed to realize that Coke, Pepsi and probably 99 percent of other main stream soda pop’s are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup.  While High Fructose Corn Syrup is obviously not sugar as I had seemed to convey in the article, I going to stick with my guns and tell you that High Fructose Corn Syrup is still better for you than these other artificial sweeteners in diet soda.  Yes I am a doctor and a scientist so I know about these things.

I have heard it’s kind of hard to find these Throwback sodas, i don’t think they are available in your works soda machine.  A friend tells me that Philadelphia Based Mitchell & Ness (of throwback sports jersey fame) does carry the designer soda in the store to go along with the Throwback motif.

One cool thing I have seen is that Snapple Iced Teas and Juices are moving to all sugar.  They are ditching the high Fructose Corn Syrup entirely.  That’s very different from what Pepsi Co. is offering as a limited release and sticking with the HFCS. I think you really have to commend Snapple on what they’re doing.

I have read that switching to real sugar as opposed to using High Fructose can be slightly more costly to produce and therefore a higher cost to the consumer.  While most things are going up these days i think that raising the price of soda and making it healthier (i.e. real sugar) is a win-win for the consumer.  People drink less soda and the soda they do drink is better for them.  Though in contrast, less soda sold is bad for Coke and Pepsi Co and jobs may be lost.  As always action and reaction.

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Philly Bums – It’s a Jungle Out There

crackBy: Billy Beerslugger

I’ll admit while not living in Philly for almost the past year, I missed the bums a little bit.  Most Bums are harmless, they just want money to buy liquor or whatever their drug du jour is.  They are usually too strung out and tired from sleeping outside to pose a valid threat to your well being.  Very rarely you encounter a bum who actually wants food.  They may say they want food to get your money but if you actually try to get them something to eat instead of just giving them money the true intentions become evident.  However, I have encountered some homeless people who really did want food and at that point if I’m not pressed for time I’ll usually get them something small, coffee, a soft pretzel etc.  This has happened maybe 4 or 5 times in my travels.

I’ve heard the  “I need $2.00 to get on the bus/subway so I can get to XYZ place” story from Bum’s and crackheads about 10,000 times.  That’s the standard sob story because it does not deal with food, it deals with transportation.  Obviously you’re not going to give them a ride and at the very least if they get a subway/bus token off of you they’re going to turn right around and sell it for .30 cents less than what it’s worth.  It’s what they do, Hustle.  That’s not working on me, you got legs chief, use them.  It may take you a couple of hours but you’ll get there.

Some Bums will have a gimmick, do flips, tell jokes, juggle etc.  If whatever they are doing makes me laugh or or really blows my skirt up I usually will throw a guy a couple of quarters.  I’m fine as long as I don’t have to come in close proximity with them.  What I won’t do is let them pump my gas or carry anything for me for money.  Not happening.

Crackhead Bum’s is where things get a little sketchy.  These vagrants will approach you in a hurried manor, are persistent, will ask any and every person on the street for money and are generally a little unpredictable.  You gotta watch out for these people because they may have the inclination to get money for the drugs in any way possible given the right situation.  Or they might just be out of their head Cracked Out.  Talking to non existent people, making outrageous statements, speaking in an undecipherable language and looking up in the sky and pointing like they see some sort of flying unicorn.  Crackalackin’ I like to call it.

The best advice I can give you to avoid these beggars is to wear headphones while walking in a Bum Zone.  Even if you don’t have an Ipod just get yourself a pair of headphones, stick the wire in your pocket and if a bum approaches you can blow them off with the old, “Can’t hear you” or “Hey how are you doing” while continuing on your way.  You may be able to get away with just pointing to the headphones, Bums understand if you can’t hear their begging or sob story you  are no good to them.

I’m kind of curious of a place I call Bum City.  It’s a grassy and tree laden area near Vine St. and 15th, right around the 676 exit/entrance.  Bums got tents over there and not just one.  It’s like a miniature town.  It’s great Real Estate too, easy walking distance to Center City, but not in an area where a whole lot of people walk and can get bothered by the bums. I’m guessing that’s why the Cops don’t really bother them there.  At least the previous 2-3 summer’s I’ve seen tents over there.

Being that it’s probably coveted Bum area I wonder if there are some sort of Bum territory wars for the right to reside there.  If you’re sleeping there at night you have to be pretty major in the Bum World.

One of the more outlandish Bum episodes I’ve witnessed was at Checkers on North Broad St.  A Bum had asked for money so my friend had given him the change from the burgers he had just purchased.  Maybe about .17 cents or so.  The Bum was so angry he threw the change at the car as we were driving away.  We stopped and yelled at him and had he not been a crackhead and just a regular guy on the street may have roughed him up a little, but you don’t want to get in a fight with a crackhead.  They’ve got nothing to lose and the chance of some crackhead blood getting on you is a risk you probably shouldn’t take.

Of course there’s good Bum stories too.  After parties at my Fraternity house in college, we had a team of 2 or 3 bums who would clean out the basement. They worked for beer and we never had a problem with them.  I think they took all the cans, crushed them and took them to the recycling center to get money that way too.  Always thinking of a way to make a buck these crazy crackheads!
las vegas cassino

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The 5 Worst College Social Scenes in the Philadelphia area.

collegepartyBy: F.X. Galvin

I have decided to set the stage for a five day installment next week for the five worst colleges to have a good time at in the Philadelphia area. I thought this to be a helpful tool for graduating seniors, students looking to transfer, and people who have already graduated from one of these institutions who need a good laugh on how bad a school sucks at life. This is a guide so boozehounds avoid lame colleges like a bad case of genital warts. It also gives to you the heads up, not visit any one your friends at one of these terrible schools. I wanted to give kids direction on which schools that are just a terrible time. . . Schools where you will be constantly harassed for getting shitfaced. Let’s face it, the real point of college for an 18 year old is to get wasted, hook up, maybe do drugs and as secondary priority to get an education. What better way to inspire the youth?

Today, I will chronicle the schools that are not on this list and why. Next, week I will delve into why those five schools suck so much. In total, I have thought of 20 schools in the Philadelphia area. Here is the list of 15 that will not be on the list.

Obviously Temple and West Chester will not be on the list. Temple has frat houses all within walking distance of its beautiful North Philly campus. To get in trouble for boozing here, you have to be a public mess or throw a banger Jeremy Piven style. (which has happened, ask Billy Beerslugger). Also, Center City is a $5. cab ride away which provides a more than adequate nightlife. Really, what’s not to like? West Chester is known to be the party mecca in the Philly area. It is a state school with about 13,000 students. This place has everything from frat houses, straight party houses, and a town full of bars that run college specials on a regular basis. More panties drop at these two schools than a swinger orgy with unlimited coke and e-bombs.

Next La Salle, St, Joseph’s and Philadelphia University will not be on the list. La Salle is in a crazy neighborhood and also can have crazy parties. Like Temple, this place has other things to worry about, like felony level crimes so alcoholic students are not high on its priority list. St. Joe’s and Philly U will also not be on the list. Both schools on campus parties suck. However, both schools have great off campus parties. Both universities flood Manayunk, which gives students houses and bars to get wasted at without being bothered.

Arcadia, Cabrini, Neumann and Widener are safe from party embarrassment. The enrollment of these schools are 3,600, 3,100, 2,600 and 5,000 respectfully. (Widener’s total enrollment is higher but I excluded the population from satellite campuses.) All of the abovementioned schools are small but have decent parties one way or another. Outside of Widener house and frat parties theses schools give you a different look at getting sauced. The other three schools usually have the same result as big universities, just with a smaller size party. Students get wasted, then have unprotected sex leading to regret the next day. Great. . . if you are just visiting but may lead to embarrassment if you are a student there. Like high school, the whole student body will know that you banged a fat chick within 48 hours. (kinda sucks, trust me on that one, I went to undergrad at a school that size). Sometimes these parties are small but pack a big punch.

Now here is where it gets tough. I gave a pass to Immaculata and Rosemont. Rosemont is an all girls school. Really, how can rip it if that is what you want. Obviously no one really lives up there so no one would actually go there to have fun. Immaculata just went co-ed within the last decade. The school currently has under 1000 undergraduate students and ultimately should be given a chance. My prediction is that within another five years parties will be comparable to the drinking scene at Arcadia, Cabrini, and Neumann.

Also, regretfully I gave Penn, Drexel, University of the Sciences, and University of the Arts a pass. Some people may think I’m wrong here but I have reasons people. I actually have had a good time at a couple of Drexel parties. Also, guys if you are “normal,” (sorry for freaks who don’t categorize normal as normal and think they are normal and everyone else has issues, your not, face it), you have a solid chance of getting laid. Even though Drexel is annually on the ugliest campus in America list some of the girls are actually fuckable and they are tired of looking at trendy, artsy guys who look like French painters. Also, like some of the schools in the top five as well as Rosemont, no students really go to Penn, University of Sciences or Arts to get banged up. Believe or not these schools do have parties but you or no one you would associate with would ever attend. They get down in their own way. Picture the Asian party in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” Plus, they are all within the city and close to an above-average bar seen. I think I will receive some criticism for the last three schools over #5 on the list but fuck you, it is my list.

Well now you are trying to figure out what five schools are on this list. Just a couple of hints. Three schools are off the Main Line. One school is in Philadelphia but not Center City. The other school is in the suburbs, approximately 20 minutes from Center City. On Monday, I will feature #5.

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Samuel Dalembert: It’s time to go chief!

Sports With Bob McFlurry

I’ll admit I was excited when I first saw Sam Dalembert’s athleticism on the court early in his career.  He reminded me of Theo Ratliff a little bit they way he went after blocks.  I thought this guy could be really good, he’s raw, give him a couple of years to mature and develop and he could be a force in the middle for the Sixers.

Flash forward to 2009, I can’t stand when Dalembert is on the court.  I’m not sure why he’s starting other than the fact that he’s making 10.5 million dollars this year.  He has two years remaining on his contract which tops out at 12 million in 2010/2011.  Dude is making double digit million dollars a year to go out on a basketball court and suck (thanks Billy King).

Yes he blocks some shots, yes he does some rebounding, yes he’s one of the better defending centers in the Eastern Conference but he’s an offensive liability, refuses to learn from mistakes or what teammates tell him to do and is constantly in foul trouble.

This is a guy who got summarily dismissed from Team Canada’s Olympic Basketball team.  I couldn’t find another guy on Team Canada’s roster who I had even heard of and they booted Dalembert, one of the two NBA players who expressed interest in playing for them.

The coach of that team was quoted to say this about the Dalembert dismissal, : “Everybody who’s here now wants to be here and wants to be a part of this team. If that’s not your agenda you’re not here.”.  There really wasnt any further explanation from the coach but I’m thinking Dalembert’s head was just not in the game much like about 90% of the games he plays for the Sixers.

This season he continued to lose minutes to Theo Ratliff, Reggie Evans and rookie Marreese Speights averaging 24mpg.  It seems Sammy wants to be to involved in the offense when it’s clearly not his strong suit. Every time I see him take a 15 foot jumper I cringe. The guy should be averaging 15 boards, 8-10 trash points on accident and 3 blocks a game.  That’s what he needs to do, rebound, block shots and defend.

It’s time for this experiment to end.  We need a real center.  Unfortunately this is not Team Canada and we cannot just fire him, we’re stuck with him for two more years and his salary and play will make it hard to move him.  Can we give him 10 million to go away?

Sam Dalembert Regular Season Stats:

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 Philadelphia 34 0 5.2 .440 .000 .389 2.0 .1 .2 .4 1.5
2003–04 Philadelphia 82 53 26.8 .541 .000 .644 7.6 .3 .5 2.3 8.0
2004–05 Philadelphia 72 60 24.8 .524 .000 .601 7.5 .5 .6 1.7 8.2
2005–06 Philadelphia 66 52 26.7 .531 .000 .705 8.2 .4 .5 2.4 7.3
2006–07 Philadelphia 82 82 30.9 .541 .000 .746 8.9 .8 .6 1.9 10.7
2007–08 Philadelphia 82 82 33.2 .513 .000 .707 10.4 .5 .5 2.3 10.5
2008–09 Philadelphia 82 82 24.8 .498 .000 .734 8.5 .2 .4 1.8 6.4
Career 500 411 26.4 .524 .000 .688 8.1 .4 .5 1.9 8.1
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Budweiser: The Great (Un)American Lager.

By: Billy Beerslugger

I watched a shit ton of sports this weekend.  Flyers playoffs, Phillies games, NFL Draft, Sixers Playoffs.  My Sports viewing was interrupted by a lot of commercials but the Budweiser commercials really stuck with me.

First of all I’m not a fan of Budweiser, I’m on the toilet for most of the day after drinking that stuff.  In my opinion it really doesn’t taste good either.

Budweiser has always had pretty good PR/Advertising .  The Was’ Up guys, The Frogs & Lizards and Clydesdale Horse and Real American Heroes commercials and radio spots you are probably familiar with.

I have two problems with Budweisers new tagline, “Budweiser: The Great American Lager”.

  1. Technically Budweiser is a pilsner.

  2. Anheuser-Busch is owned by Belgian Based Company InBev.

To elaborate, a pilsner is characterized as a “pale lager”.  So Budweiser is a lager but more specifically it is an “American-style pilsner“.  I’d feel a lot better if the had made their advertising campaign say, “The Great American Pilsner”.  It’s giving the beer drinking public the wrong impression about lager.  While lagers vary greatly in flavor, color and composition, I’d like to think of a lager as a little darker and a little heavier than Budweiser.

The more egregious oversight is saying Budweiser is the “Great American Lager” and the company that owns it is not even an American company.  That’s like if Coca Cola said it was America’s soda and it being owned by some company in Germany or Ford saying it’s America’s great truck but being owned by the Japanese.

Budweiser is brewed in the United States at least so I cannot go all “Buy American” on you even though it’s not owned by an American Company.  However, if you’re planning a cookout or at a bar go for the Real Great American lager, Yuengling.

Yuengling, based in Pottsville PA, is Americas oldest brewery established in 1829.  If you live in Eastern Pennsylvania you just call it Lager for short.  It is a wholly owned American company and is very close to being the largest American-owned brewer.

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Wiggers… Life Imitating Art… Imitating Thuglife

By: Billy Beerslugger

As I am transitioning from the suburbs back to Philadelphia after almost a year, one thing I’m not going to miss is the fake ass Wiggers that have popped up in the neighborhood i grew up in.  It’s like the student body of  my old high school (and apparently 90% of the bar crowd), who are Caucasian mind you, dress in Sean John, Fubu, hoodies, hat’s tilted to the side with a straight brim and solid color or airbrushed t-shirt that’s 3 sizes too big.

wigger-42888So take these guys above for instance.  Flashing signs of some sort, maybe trying to convey they are from the West Coast, maybe Westmont High School, maybe W was the letter of the day on Sesame Street, I don’t know.  What I do know is that these are the types of harmless hooligans I see on the streets of the neighborhoods I patrol at night while working as a freelance vigilante. They’re up on the “urban” dialect that they hear in movies and the latest song featuring T-Pain.  Spouting out words and phrases such as “crunk”, “bling” and “supaman dat hoe”.  Listening to Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter 14 in the car their mom and dad got them for their 17th birthday.  For this car they got fake rims and a speaker system that makes the trunk rattle like when you rip a fart on a leather couch.

Quick to talk shit and challenge someone to a fight while their boys are there but ultimately back down and end up talking shit from behind their biggest friend.  Because they’re “Gangsta”, “I’m a Thug”. They’re in the “game” cause they sell weed to their friends and know a guy who can get Percocets.  Probably got a karaoke machine in the basement they’re making a demo tape on with some recycled beats thinking they’re gonna be tha next Eminem.

What I’d really like to do is scoop up all these wannabees I can find, put them on a bus, take their cell phones and wallets and drop them off in the middle of North Philly.  We’ll see how gangster you are then.  Shit done changed then, walking out of North Philly with no shirt on cause a group of real thugs approached you and said they didn’t have a Ed Hardy shirt from Macy’s but wanted one real bad.

It makes me laugh.  Acting like a thug while being raised and currently residing in the suburbs is oxymoronic.  You get ZERO street cred for that.  Have one of your friends shoot you in the leg and say it was over a drug deal.  Then maybe people will take you seriously.

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Jim Cramer backlash… Main St. Vs. Wall St.

cramer125By: Billy Beerslugger

First of all Jim Cramer is a born and bred Philadelphian.  This guys first job was selling ice cream at the Vet during Phillies Games.  He’s taken a lot of heat lately from people like Jon Stewart and others and has essentially become the face of Wall Street’s economic meltdown.  I realize he’s pretty heavily touted on CNBC.  “In Cramer We Trust” is what they say over there.  I recently saw a video on the Huffington Post and some dude was touting some other dude’s way of investing and saying we need, “less of In Cramer we trust”.  To a certain extent, he deserves some blame.  Apparently he was wrong about the collapse of certain companies before the recession started and told people to buy instead of sell, though in other instances he told people to sell resulting in a good call.

To be fair, there is some debate as to whether Cramer’s stock picks even beat the market over the last two years.  However, from what I understand he has made himself and others a shit ton of money over the last 4 or so years with his Mad Money show.

So I have news for you,  he’s not going to get every call right.  While he’s reporting on the state of Economic America and picking stocks I don’t think for one second he did anything malicious to try and kill people’s 401k’s overnight.  I just can’t see that happening even though he may have some inside tricks for driving up stock prices etc from when he was a Hedge fund manager.

So why is he singled out and not everyone who reports on Economics of America?  Why is he the scapegoat?  Because he says things like “Booya” and punches sound effects while commentating? I don’t know.  One thing I do know is that no one is infallible.  No one is perfect.  There’s no hero’s out there.  There’s “here’s what I think” and you can either choose to take my advice or not.  He’s not holding a gun to your head and making you buy stocks.

Where’s the backlash for the thousands of brokers out there.  Where was all the phone calls telling people who had their faith for X amount of years to get out of AIG and all those other stocks before they tanked.  Why didn’t they see this coming?  Are they not professionals too?
bob-ross
If you are serious about the Stock Market why not take some time to learn about it and not just listen to guys like Cramer and your stock broker and make some choices for yourself.  Or use these stock pundits recommendations as a basis for stocks you should consider doing research on for possible purchase.

I’m not going to pretend I’m some big time Stock Guy.  I’m not and I wouldn’t take my advice.  Most of my vast fortune lies in a collection of Authentic Bob Ross oil paintings and the VHS tapes of him making them from PBS.  My art dealer has told me these are going to appreciate like gangbusters so I decided in 2004 that I would take all my money out of Teldar Paper and Blue Star Airlines and invest in these classics from the man that made painting fun.  That’s my retirement fund. And as long as Bob Ross resides in the hearts and minds of America my retirement fund is recession proof.

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Eagles Pre-Draft Update and Jason Peter’s Signing

By: Billy Beerslugger

So most if not all of Eagles fans were disappointed with the lack of signing big ticket free agents or trades this offseason.  We just traded for one of the best left-tackles in football and all I hear on 610 WIP is, “We could have used that pick to trade for Braylon or Anquan Boldin”.  I’m hip to that, I want a top flight receiver in Philadelphia like I want Charlize Theron to make me a Turkey Sandwich while completely naked. I think Donovan McNabb is saying the same thing.

What the Eagles have done this offseason is nothing write off though.  They lost their two 10 year plus with the Eagles tackles and they just reloaded with Stacey Andrews and Jason Peters.  All indications to me, that’s an upgrade all around at the tackle position.  The lay person has no idea how important it is to have a good offesive and defensive line.  Then, an afterthought in the Birds free agent signings, Leonard Weaver is the first true fullback we’ve had in Philadelphia since Jon Ritchie.  Is that going to upgrade the running game.  Simply put, YES!

We’ve got the 21st pick in the first round of the draft.  Look for the Birds to select a running back to complement/replace a 30 year old Brian Westbrook.  As I’ve said before I’m McLovin Knowshown Moreno.  Do not think that the Eagles are going to trade that first rounder for Anquan or Braylon, it’s not happening.  Though the Eagles do have a 2nd round pick and other draft pick ammunition that could lure Tony Gonzalez or Chad Ocho Cinqo to Philadelphia.  You can consider Reggie Brown part of that ammunition as well.

If the Eagles come out of this offseason with two tackles, a capable running back with an upside (not Ryan Moats or Tony Hunt), a true fullback and either Ocho Stinko or Tony Gonzalez it’s an A+ offseason.  Right now I think they’re sitting in the B- range depending on what transpires in the draft.   All is not lost, there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnell in what looks like an open race for NFC supremacy.

And for a little prognostication from the Beerslugger himself, Matthew Stafford will have a career similar to that of Jay Cutler.  They both have talent but need to be in the right system and surrounded by a good amount of playmakers to win.  Mark Sanchez I believe will be another in a long line of USC QB’s taken in the first round that will be considered a bust.  I don’t think Mark Sanchez has the skills to make it in the NFL just like I questioned whether Matt Leinert would be able to flourish.  Considering they both wore the same knee brace in college I’m going to guess Mark Sanchez makes more headlines about getting hurt then he does with his play.  But I’ve been wrong before, like when I was Pro Communism and Racism.

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Matt Stairs: What’s up dude?

matt-stairs-721917By F.X. Galvin

In this age in society mostly every sexual orientation is socially accepted. Everything is cool from heterosexual to homosexual to bi-sexual to transsexual, so on and so forth. One thing that still has a major taboo effect is homosexual male professional athletes. It is something that is ignored and never brought up. This practice has operated as a don’t ask, don’t tell policy since being gay was gay. Hell, look what happened in the ESPN series “Playmakers,” when the star receiver came out of the closet after making the Pro Bowl… They blackballed the poor guy and sent him fudge packing or maybe just packing, I’m not sure how it worked out. Since many pro athletes are still in hiding, it is our job here at Beerslugger.com to investigate the situation.

For me, Matt Stairs raises some eyebrows. Matt Stairs is the Philadelphia Phillies left handed pinch hitter best known for his mammoth home run off Jonathan Broxton in game four of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers which put the Phillies ahead in the game and gave them complete control of the series. Stairs’ home run has solidified his placement within Philadelphia sports folklore. Ok let me cut to the chase, see Stairs comments after gave 4 of the NLCS:

“when you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys – there’s no better feeling than to have that done.”

kran1

Wow, talk about laying it out there. The guy practically confessed to being a homosexual “ballplayer.” He admitted to playing for the other team. Is that why he strikes out so much? Alright all jokes aside, Stairs sexuality should be considered. Stairs is Canadian and is a cultural weirdo but he has been a professional baseball player in the United States since 1992. He’s had sixteen years to adapt to American society and should know that by saying “… getting hammered in the ass by guys – there’s no better feeling than to have that done” is a blatant sexual innuendo. The only conclusion is that Stairs is a closet homosexual begging to come out.

Let’s look at the Stairs profile, alpha male right. Stairs is a lumbering individual about 35 pounds overweight, always has a scruffy beard, and has an extremely deep voice. Stairs looks more like your little league coach than a Madonna groupie. He looks like one of your Dad’s drinking buddies, not Richard Simmons’ workout buddy. He definitely does not scream gay.

Let’s look a little further. Doesn’t Stairs look very similar to the gay pimp known as “Bear” in “American Wedding” that takes on Stifler in a dance contest in a gay bar. After some research the gay pimp’s name is Eric Allan Kramer. Stairs and Kramer may be long lost gay lovers or maybe current lovers, I’m not ruling it out. After Stairs openly professed to being a bottom after game 4, Kramer could feasibly be seen as a top. It is easy to picture Stairs hitting a two run “money shot”, Kramer cheering him on, followed by them jamming out to Avril Lavingne, culminating with Stairs getting his “ass hammered by guys,” or just “Bear.” The beerslugger faithful deserves the truth, Matt Stairs please respond. Just throwing it out there.

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Harry Kalas – Philadelphia Legend

By: Luan Zuccarello

….simply Harry

At 1:20pm on April 13th 2009 the one thing that has been constant in my life changed forever. It didn’t matter if I had a bad day, the one thing I could count on was Harry at game-time. For 162 days/nights over the course of my 27 years Harry has laughed with me and cried with me. He drank beers with me and shared a hot dog. He was there when my Dad would wake me up to catch the last inning of a ball game. He kept my grandfather and me company on hot summer days listening to the radio. He went to college with me, and got introduced to a whole new group of friends. He was there when I was in high school and would make out with my girlfriend in the basement while listening to the Phillies blow another one. In July, he would come down the shore with me and return in August. He was there through deaths, weddings, and new life. That’s what makes this man so special, and this time so hard. He was the soundtrack of our lives.

Harry was one of your buddies. He was one of the guys that sat around late drinking beers and busting balls. He was the epitome of “cool”. The man didn’t even need a last name – simply Harry. Young people, old people, and even girls knew him and loved him. He understood Philadelphia fans better than any outsider has or ever will. We opened up our hearts and lives and made him a Philadelphian, and in return Harry provided us with memory after memory.

Harry’s last memory might not be a happy one but he died the way I think all of us would want to go – doing the thing he loved most. So instead of feeling sorry and sad, lift your drink and toast our friend. Sing “High Hopes” until you lose your voice, tell stories about the time Mitchy-Poo won the game at 2am, imitate Mike Schmidt’s 500th home run, and most of all remember the times you shared with the man.

At 1:20pm on April 13th the one thing that has been constant in my life changed forever. It didn’t matter if I had a bad day, the one thing I could count on was Harry at game-time – simply Harry.