Courtesy: Matt Slocum, AP

Alleged biting incident. Courtesy: NESN

Every now and then something idiotic happens on the Philadelphia sports scene that takes on a life of its own.  The fact that not one, but two idiots in consecutive days hopped the fence and went for a joy run in the outfield at Phillies games doesn’t help.  Sprinkle in the accusation of toothless Flyers’ Goon Daniel Carcillo that Bruins’ Center Marc Savard bit his finger in a scrum, you have a Gong Show. 

But here’s my beef.  By the time the stories exit the orbit of Philly, the context of what happened, and a description of what Philadephia and its fans are like is totally out of whack.   An esteemed Boston radio voice today called  Philadelphia a ”cess pool” among other things.  Predictably his on-air partner brought up the tired “they booed Santa Claus” story.   They are not pioneers.  So many others have said it too.  Being provocative makes for good radio.  But let’s please set the record straight.  Philly fans didn’t just boo Santa Claus, they threw snowballs at him too.  They booed the Easter Bunny. 

Philly is the toughest place in the world to play pro sports.  Sorry New York and Boston, it’s not even close.  Donovan McNabb and Mike Schmidt apologists bemoan the booing of their heroes.  Here’s the deal: Philly fans are tough, but fair.  You get out of them what you put into it.  And it’s not always about success.  It’s about hustling and caring.  Look at Bobby Clarke, Ron Jaworski, Moses Malone and Aaron Rowand.  If you whine and show even a hint of apathy, you’re toast.  Wait a minute, make that scrapple.  Donovan McNabb and Mike Schmidt come to mind.         

For someone who was born and raised there, and has spent ample time in other places, I am the voice of reason.  Philadelphia is an interesting place.  I intentionally used the word orbit two paragraphs above because Philly is truly a different planet.  It’s very parochial.  People love and protect their own.  They have little tolerance for outsiders who don’t embrace the place.  Philadelphia went 25 years without a title.  That’ll make just about anyone crusty.   I’m not defending, just explaining.   Philly folks don’t need anyone else’s approval.  They know they’re a little crazy and apologize for nothing.    Philadelphia is not for everyone, but for those who live there, there’s no other place they’d rather live.

It was one of those really awkward moments on the subway, or the T as they call it in Boston.  It was just after the Bruins defeated the Flyers 3-2 to take a two game lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  A shot in the final minutes by Milan Lucic got by Flyers’ goaltender Brian Boucher.

Brian Boucher gives up game winner. Courtesy: philly.com

 There was guy on the Green Line, traveling toward Kenmore, wearing an old 88 Eric Lindros jersey.  He was sitting diagonally across from me on the right, and a young buck wearing a Milan Lucic Bruins’ jersey was sitting diagonally on my left.

Flyers Fan on Green Line

Lucic said said some playfully insulting things to Lindros who, to his credit, handled it well.  Whoa the person who wears a Lindros jersey with the Captain’s C.  They are going to hear it everywhere.  If you remember, Lindros was a terrible disappointment for the Flyers on the ice and a crybaby off of it.  But it was a guy sitting straight across from Lindros on the T who joined the discussion and made an A out of himself.

It almost came to blows with different young man wearing a Bruins shirt saying “Bro I’m not even kidding.  You don’t even want to go there.  I’m a professional fighter and this is not going to end well, it never does.  You’re not even built for this.  Trust me you will not like the result.”

And with that the situation ended.  You don’t see many fights on the ice in the NHL playoffs because the price for a penalty is too high.  Sure there’s pushing and shoving after the whistle, but it usually doesn’t amount to much other than a good visual without the benefit of hearing what the players are saying.  That’s kind of what played out in front of me on the T.  But here the sound was clear, and oh yes, it was rated R.

This is a story about two friends.  One was older than the other.  The younger friend I knew better.  First the older man, who was about 70.  He was the next pew over at 12:30 Mass.  He caught my eye and, for a brief moment, I thought I might have met him before.  After Mass he came over.  ”Are you Kevin from Comcast?” he asked.  “Yes,” I told him.  “My name is Herman Romero.  We met at one of your book signings in Wilmington, Delaware.  I bought one of your books for my son.  I thought I remember you telling me you were from Wellesley, Massachusetts.  I’m visiting my daughter who lives in Needham.  I thought that was you and your family,” Herman said.

A familiar sight presented itself to Herman, albeit in a different place.  Turns out Herman was a member of our previous parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary, in North Wilmington.  That’s 350 miles away!  Even though we’d never spoken at lenghth prior to our brief meeting at the bookstore, Herman remembered the visual of my family.  Having a pretty wife and two really cute girls always gets attention.  As I left church I just had this feeling it might be one of those days when good things happen.

Later in the afternoon I was coming out of the lunchroom at Comcast Sportsnet New England with a cup of Green Mountain Coffee in hand and saw two familiar faces.  It was John Boruk and Neal Slotkin of Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia.  They were in Boston to cover the Bruins/Flyers playoff series.  John says to me, “Hey Kev, check this out.  I have something to show you.”

John Boruk, Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia

John pulled a Be The Match registration card out of his money clip.  “I registered because you inspired me with the story that you told me about you being a bone marrow donor.”

Marc Savard, Courtesy: Charles Krupa/AP

Well that just made my day and affirmed my earlier feeling that something good was going to happen after bumping into Herman at Mass.  I just didn’t know how it would present itself.  By being a bone marrow donor and writing a book about it, it’s always been my hope that others would do what John did; and God willing, would turn up as a lifesaving match that went to transplant.  It could be John, or it could be someone else.  To know that I might have had a hand in making it happen, that would be the greatest gift of all.  I gave John a gift before he left.  It was the rest of the story, in written form.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been a part of such bloodlust.  One the eve of the game following Matt Cooke’s bone crushing hit which left Bruins Center Marc Savard out cold and with a likely season ending concussion, I am blown away by the volume and context of revenge talk and tactics.  As usual talk radio is the worst.

Let me offer some predictions and perspective.  One thing is clear, the pressure to avenge what many consider a dirty hit is at the boiling point.  Crushing pressure to exact revenge, played out over an extended period of time is a very dangerous thing–like a raging zit waiting to pop. 

About ten years ago I covered an unfortunate incident in the West Coast Hockey League.  Jacques Mailhot of the Fresno Falcons, a goon if there ever was one, crosschecked Anchorage Ace Dean Treboyevic in the mouth, knocking Dean’s teeth out.  It would be several days before the teams played again.  Treboyevic would later say there was a intense pressure among his teammates that he must get even with his crosschecker. 

Then came the rematch.  Players described Trobeyevic on that fateful night as being “disengaged” from the action of the game, his eyes scanning the scene as if he was hunting, insteading of playing hockey.  He was hunting alright.  Treboyevic skated up behind Mailhot who never saw him coming.  In what can only be described as a chopping wood motion, Treboyevic slashed Mailhot across the back with such force that Mailhot fell to his knees.  Treboyevic skated around to the front.  As Mailhot looked up wondering what just happened and who was lurking over him, Treboyevic “pitchforked” Mailhot in the face.  It’s a wonder Mailhot didn’t lose an eye.  The incident sparked a brawl and landed Treboyevic in jail briefly.  Pitchforking incident video here

I spoke with Jacques Mailhot about it and he told me Dean Treboyevic called him to apologize.  Apparently it was a difficult phone call to make, and a tough one to receive.  Mailhot said Treboyevic was clearly shaken up by what he did, and very sorry for having done it.  Treboyevic said he was incredibly nervous in the days leading up to the game because of the pressure he felt to get Mailhot back.  His teammates wouldn’t let it go.  When the incident went down, Treboyevic said he almost had an out of body experience where he saw himself doing the deed, but was unable to stop himself.  Mailhot was touched by Treboyevic’s honesty and forgave him.  The league didn’t.  It suspended Treboyevic for the rest of the year.

Extended time to think about revenge can lead to terrible things.  I hope the Bruins don’t fall in a similar trap in holding Matt Cooke accountable.

Because the NHL didn’t suspend Matt Cooke for the hit, and because the Bruins didn’t respond immediately, there’s predictable outrage and calls for vigilante justice.  I hope we don’t see a repeat of what we saw in the video above, where the revenge; however it’s enacted sparks donnybrooks and nastiness that put other players at risk.  The last thing the league wants is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ending up as collateral casualties.

What ifs:  I wouldn’t be surprised if the NHL asked the Pittsburgh Penguins to make Matt Cooke a healthy scratch, so he’s not a moving target everywhere he goes.  But that would only make the other innocent players on the Pens alternate objects of abuse.  See where I’m going?  This could get really ugly.  Sitting Cooke would be a huge mistake.

What I think Should Happen:       If I were the Bruins, I’d have Shawn Thornton have a chat with Matt Cooke in pregame warmups.  Thornton should let Cooke know the moment the puck drops, the fight is on.  No surprises.  Swift justice that is understood by all.  It’s the right thing to do, it’s  honorable, and I think we’ll all move on if it happens.   But if Cooke turtles, he will lose face with his teammates and will be a gutless fraud with everyone else.  If the Pens don’t put him in a position to let him do this, the team is a fraud.

I know this much, we’ll all be watching.

We’re in the middle of a snowstorm here in New England.  It’s snowed two of the past three days.  I did some shoveling today in the driveway of the Wellesley home.  I like shoveling snow.  It’s good exercise and it reminds me of my youth when I’d shovel my family’s driveway in Meadowbrook, PA and the driveways of my neighbors–the Reutamanns and Adsheads.

Steve Begin Clearing a Path on Fenway Ice

Bruins Coach Claude Julien with Tim Thomas

I’d clear the driveway and pour water to make a mini skating rink.  It was great fun, but murder on the blades of my skates.  But really who knew and who cared?  So imagine what memories popped into my head when I watched the Bruins skate at Fenway Park the day before The Winter Classic and saw several players and even Head Coach Claude Julien grab shovels and go to work.  That to me is the essence of returning to your childhood roots.  I’ll remember those moments even more than The Winter Classic Game itself.  If you have a good winter skating/shoveling memory, share it below.

L to R. CSNNE's Jackie Pepper, Kevin Walsh & CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty

It was really something skating at Fenway Park today, and to be a part of the first skate made it even better.  I’ve skated on better pond ice before but that’s not the point; and the quality of the ice on this day will not be the quality of the ice when the Bruins and Flyers play on January 1st, 2010.

Ice crews will have several days to fix the rough and soft spots

What was really cool was the people who were there and the feeling that we were all a part of something special.  Hockey Hall of Famers like Bobby Orr and others wished they could have had something like this in their playing days.  

Bruins Great and Hall of Famer Bobby Orr

There will be many others who skate at Fenway prior to the big game on the first of the year and quite a few of them will pay big bucks to do it; but we did it for free and we did it first.   That’s what warmed all of our hearts.  Hey we needed it too, it was only 17 degrees!

Kevin lacing them up

Bruins Great Ray Bourque and Red Sox Catcher Jason Varitek share a laugh

Alice Cook, WBZ TV. Alice was an Olympic Pairs Silver Medalist at the 1976 Winter Games.

Artist's Rendition of Winter Classic Fenway Park

 *Updates from Wednesday’s posting:    Today at Fenway Park the ice crew painted the lines and logos on the ice.    Actually there was no painting that I could see, it was a plastic roll out job.  Think of the plastic slip-N-slide you played on as a kid.  When you were done sliding you rolled the plastic tarp up.  It’s kind of like that in reverse.  I watched them roll out the blue line.

So how do you skate over the plastic?  Answer: You don’t, at least not directly.  Once the lines and logos are down they flood the rink with more water, which freezes, and creates another ice surface.   I asked the ice chief “What if you have an unexpected warm winter day with temperatures above 32.  Will the ice melt?”  Answer:  No.  The super coolers below the ice surface make a bigger difference than the air temperature.  They can handle things just fine so long as the air temperature doesn’t go above 50.  The average high temperature in January is 34 degrees.

I brought along my skates today to see if we could do a little skate and tv combo.  The ice crew was amused,  ”It’s virgin ice and not ready for skating,” someone in a ski suit told me. “  We’re still a construction site.” 

Ok we’ll wait for Friday. 

Wednesday’s Posting:  Everyday something happens that reminds me of how lucky I am to have a job like the one I do.  I will never take my job for granted because I know what it’s like to be jobless and to have a job that’s not much fun.  I got an invitation to skate in the rink at Fenway Park which will later host the Flyers and the Bruins in the 2010 Winter Classic on New Year’s Day.  Joining me will be Bruins legend Bobby, Ray Borque and Kenny Linseman. I’ll let you know how it goes.  And if you’re a Flyers fan and want me to throw a sneak hip check in while I’m out there I have a question for you, “What are you freakin’ outta your mind?”