Red Sox President Larry Lucchino Accepts Philly Sports Writers Assoc Team of the Year Award

On Monday, January 27, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association held their 110th Annual Awards Banquet.

The Boston Red Sox received the Team of the Year Award and Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino came down from Boston to accept the award himself.

As a board member of the PSWA, and as a transplanted citizen of Red Sox Nation, I was honored that Mr. Lucchino made the trip down from Boston to personally accept the award. The man literally landed in Philly an hour before the banquet started and then had to get on a plane to fly home before the banquet was even over.

Class act, those Red Sox.

Full List of 2014 Philly Sports Writers Association Banquet Award Winners and Honored Guests

For 109 years, The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (of which I am a board member) has recognized the accomplishments and character of the athletes we cheer for when they’re wearing their uniform, and we benefit from when they contribute to the community.

And this year is no different.

On Monday, January 27, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association will hold their 110th Annual Awards Banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ. The banquet, which is open to the public, opens its doors at 5:00 pm. Tickets are $95.00 per person and can be purchased at www.PSWADinner.com.

As usual, the dais will host some of the biggest names in sports, some of whom will be receiving awards (see the lists below) and others who have accepted invitations to be honored guests of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, such as Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies skipper Ryne Sandberg, Phillies third baseman Cody Asche, La Salle University Men’s Basketball coach Dr. John Giannini, University of Pennsylvania Men’s Basketball coach Jerome Allen and former Philadelphia Union defender Chris Albright. Adding his humor and multiple impersonations to the night’s festivities will be banquet staple local radio personality and comedian Joe Conklin.

2014 Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Traditional Award Winners:

*Philadelphia Pro Athlete – Danny Garcia (Light welterweight boxer: Undefeated light Welterweight Champion )

*Outstanding National Pro Athlete: LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles running back)

*Native Son: Bo Ryan (head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers men's basketball team)

*Living Legend: Bill Barber (former Philadelphia Flyers forward)

*Athlete Good Guy: Jason Avant (Philadelphia Eagles receiver)

*Team of the Year: Boston Red Sox

*Amateur Athlete: Rondell White (West Chester University running back)

*Lifetime Achievement Award: Bernard Hopkins (Middleweight Boxer: multi-champion/belt holder)

*Ed Snider Lifetime Distinguished Humanitarian: Jim Murray (former Philadelphia Eagles general manager, founder of the Eagles Fly for Lukemia campaign, founder of first Ronald McDonald House)

*Penn Relays Frank Dolson Award: Emily Lipari (Villanova University)

*Army/Navy Game MVP: Keenan Reynolds (Navy quarterback)

*1973 & 1974 Stanley Cup Commemoration: Bernie Parent & Bob Clarke (former Philadelphia Flyers goalie and former Philadelphia Flyers captain)

2014 Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Special Achievement Award Winners:

*Wayne Hardin (Temple University & Naval Academy football coach, College Football Hall of Fame inductee)

*Tim Van Liew (Rutgers-Camden track & field: javelin)

*Denise Dillon (Head Coach, Drexel University Women’s basketball)

* Jay Greenberg (Philadelphia Flyers beat writer, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee)

*Eastern High School Field Hockey (14 straight N.J. State Field Hockey championships and this year won N.J. Tournament of Champions)

2014 Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Honored Guests:

*Lou Guzzi (PGA Teacher of the Year)


*Carolyn Gray (Philadelphia & Boston Marathon runner)


*Brandon Matthews (Temple University golfer)


*Michael Mills (University of Pennsylvania fencer)


*Alfredo Santana (La Salle University men’s track)


* John Robertson (Villanova University quarterback)


*Mo Hawkins (St. Joseph’s University women’s soccer)


*Ken Tribbet (Drexel University men’s soccer)


*Kristen Blye (Philadelphia University women’s basketball)


*Marcelin Withler (Rowan University running back)

Boston Red Sox are Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Team of the Year

To those who follow sports, and to those who understand the impact sports can have on the lives of those who follow them, it will come as no surprise that the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox have been named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Team of the Year.

On the surface, and just on the surface, the Red Sox deserve the title for their incredible “worst-to-first” season that saw them rise from the ashes. A team in complete disarray in 2012, the Red Sox once again set the standard for hard work, excellent play, and for finding ways to win with different games turning different players into heroes throughout the 2013 season.

But the Red Sox are so much more than wins and losses to the citizens of Boston.

It is often said among the members of Red Sox Nation that baseball is not a matter of life or death, but the Red Sox are.  And immediately after two explosions ripped through the finish line of the Boston Marathon last April, the Red Sox proved that they are life to the City of Boston.

The Sox did everything right. Understanding their role to the city, they provided a distraction to help  forget the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy. Simultaneously, they made sure the victims and heroes were not forgotten. Both seemed to really drive their desire, more than usual, to bring the World Series trophy back to Boston. When they played, win or lose, Boston was happy. When they asked, Boston gave to the charities that were helping those who lost life and limb.  The Sox kept Boston in their hearts, and in their dugouts, displaying home and away jerseys with "Boston Strong" where a player's name would go. Boston was their 10th man.

The Red Sox will receive their award on Monday, January 27, at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association 110th Annual Awards Banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ. The banquet, which is open to the public, opens its doors at 5:00 pm. Tickets are $95.00 per person and can be purchased at www.PSWADinner.com.

As a board member of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, I could not be happier with the selection and don't mind telling you I was VERY in favor of the Sox being the Team of the Year. I'm a transplanted Bostonian living in and around Philadelphia since 1994. I wear my Sox cap proudly, and my accent is picked on daily. I have a lot of family in and around Boston, some of which were standing at the marathon finish line, between where the bombs went off and got away unscathed. And I can tell you that after crying together in April, it was incredible to cheer together in October.

(Hey, Boston.com's Obnoxious Boston Fan column quoted me about the Sox and their Team of the Year Award. I love that column!)

John Brady: The Boat Builder that Keeps the Independence Seaport Museum Afloat

Recently, The Irish Edition asked me to sit down with John Brady, the Shipwright turned President & CEO of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

His is a remarkable story that started when he was just a boy and his father bought an old sailboat. That started John's love of sailing, working on boats, and all things nautical.

You can read the interview with John Brady on the Irish Edition website or below:

John Brady at the Helm of Independence Seaport Museum

Shipwright and President & CEO John Brady

Boat Shop at Independence Seaport Museum

John Brady was an Army brat, spending his early years in Texas and Germany. Aside from the transatlantic voyages that took him and his family back and forth between the United States and Europe, he never gave boats much thought.

But his father did. Despite knowing nothing about boat ownership, or how to sail, he always wanted one. So much in fact that in 1964, when John was 12, his father moved the whole family to Pine Beach — a town down the New Jersey shore — so he could buy a boat and sail on Barnegat Bay.

Independence Seaport Museum

A 23-foot wooden sloop, named Joint Venture by the previous owner, was purchased. She needed help. Although Brady’s father lacked know-how and money to spend when it came to boat repair and maintenance, he did have enthusiasm and healthy young sons. A simple rule was decreed in the Brady house: If you want to sail on her, you have to work on her.

How fitting the name of the boat would become for John. Joint Venture would make him a life-long sailor, and start him down the path to becoming a shipwright (a carpenter for boats) and boatbuilder.

It’s a career that would end up spanning 47 years, leading him to overseeing the boat shop at the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing and ultimately serving as the museum’s President & CEO for the last two years.

With Brady at the helm, the museum has created special events, world-class exhibits on everything from the impact the War of 1812 had on popular culture to the highly anticipated new exhibit “Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River” which opened last month. As a result, the museum’s attendance has gone up by over 44 percent in the last two years.

The Irish Edition had a chance to talk with the always active 61 year old to find out how he went from being a guy more comfortable wearing tool belts and sawdust to wearing suits. (This turned out to be more of a metaphor. For the interview, John wore grayish khakis and a blue shirt and told us that he has one suit—for when he needs it—in his office closet.)

IE: You left the boat shop for the first office job you’ve ever had, and it’s the Corner office job. What was the biggest adjustment?

J.B: (Laughing) The art! In the boat shop, you can’t hang a lot of things up because of the sawdust. In the office, I get to be surrounded by great ship models and paintings and other pieces.

IE: Was it tough to become an administrator when you’ve been working with your hands so long? The duties are so different.

J.B: Not really. Being in charge of the boat shop, I had a lot of administrative responsibilities so it wasn’t brand new. Building a boat is different than running a museum, but both really boil down to being good at problem-solving and looking for the best solution.

IE: And you started developing those problem-solving skills as a kid working on your father’s boat, the Joint Venture?

J.B: (Laughing) She was a pretty lousy boat, really. And we all learned by making her worse! We fixed problems we caused fixing the original problem!

IE: And you took the same method when it came to learning how to sail.

J.B: We taught ourselves. My dad would get home from work and we’d walk to the boat and go out on Barnegat Bay for a few hours. We figured out how sailboats worked. It was a lot of fun. (Laughing)There was also a lot of swearing.

IE: So when did you know that working on boats and becoming a shipwright was what you wanted to do with your life?

J.B: My brothers and I sailed Joint Venture all around Cape Cod and Long Island Sound on a cruise when I was in my 20s. The adventure took us to New York City and I got a job at the South Street Seaport Museum working on a four-masted ship called the Peking which is about the size of the Moshulu here in Philly.

IE: That’s a big jump from working on the Joint Venture and other pleasure boats.

J.B: It was a leap, but not much. That job lasted about a year. Then in 1991, I came to Philadelphia to be a shipwright for the Independence Seaport Museum, which was called the Philadelphia Maritime Museum back then.

IE: Was the museum much different?

J.B: Much different. It was located at 3rd and Chestnut and the boat shop was on a barge in the boat basin. The shop had a pot-bellied stove for warmth and fans blowing in the summer. (Laughing) At least I worked on the waterfront! On the water, actually!

The museum’s purpose was different. We’d build a different wooden boat each year and then we’d do an exhibit about it. Then, we’d sail them. It was an awesome experience. That lasted about eight years. I think 1991 was the last year. I built a catboat that was put into the fleet in Barnegat Bay.

After that, I left the museum and went to Nova Scotia to do some big boat construction. Then I ended up working on the Gazela in Baltimore, which is now here at Penn’s Landing.

IE: That’s when you came back to the Independence Seaport Museum?

J.B: Yes. That was 1995. I was asked to run the boat shop and be the boatbuilder. But it wasn’t on a barge anymore! The museum had moved to the current location by then and the boat shop is actually in this building. Visitors can come watch the shipwrights and builders putting boats together.

IE: What happens to the boats?

J.B: Some are in our collection. Others we were commissioned by collectors or other museums. Two of the boats I built, the Bull and Bear are sandbaggers (working boats that became racers) and they’re at the National Sailing Hall of Fame. The boat shop has always been successful and makes money for the museum.

IE: The museum has had a lot of success too since you’ve become president. How have you done it?

J.B: Reaching out to the community and creating partnerships have helped bring people to the museum. We partner with the Charter High School of Architecture and Design’s Physics Department. They work on our boats using what they learn in class and they can see physics actually being applied. Those students end up taking an interest in the museum.

Also, in the case of the new exhibit Tides of Freedom, we worked with several African American scholars to help bring it to the next level. Professor Tukufu Zuberi from Penn, who is on the PBS show History Detectives, guest-curated the exhibit.

And, we have wonderful volunteers, former bankers, lawyers, and researchers in a variety of departments from archives, to fundraising to building the boats. They allow us to do a lot of great things by being generous with their time. I think all of these things are what will work for us in the future.

IE: What does the museum need?

J.B: More visitors. Attendance is up but we want more people to come. I think we’re one of Philly’s best kept secrets. We’re working on it through our exhibits and festivals. Big hits for a museum like us are pirates and the Titanic. They’re always big draws. (Laughing) If I could somehow arrange an exhibit that that had the Titanic taken over by pirates we’d be set!

IE: What’s next for the museum?

J.B: We’re adding bathrooms on the Olympia to have and host events and we have the Old City Seaport Festival coming up in October with some great tall ships coming.

IE: So you’re keeping the Olympia after all? Is there still a possibility that she’ll go somewhere else or be turned into a reef?

J.B: There are two organizations interested in taking her. But, she will not become a reef. It would cost just as much to sink her as a reef as it would be to save her, and she deserves to be saved. We’re going to do whatever we can for her while she’s here. Maybe she’ll end up staying.

IE: Do you have a family and do they like boating and sailing?

J.B: My son, Christian, is in college. He grew up in the boat shop. He likes boats but running is his passion. My wife, Susan, her thing is art. She’s an artist and she heads the Art Department at Germantown Friends.

IE: Last question: Do you, a shipwright, boat builder, sailor and president of the Independence Seaport Museum own a boat?

J.B: (Laughing) I don’t! I built so many, and they’re scattered all over so I can go sail on them whenever I want. Sometimes, I take one of the small boats we (museum) have in the boat basin for a row. Early on I decided I’d rather build boats, have fun, and sail on the boats I built then to work hard to have to pay for a boat.

IE: That stings. I own a sailboat.

J.B: (Wild laughter)

American Heart Association Fundraiser Gives You Chance to Live Out Your Baseball Dream While Helping Others Live Out Their Life

You love baseball. I mean, you LOVE baseball. You play catch with a buddy when you’re having a beer. You still play in a league. (Ok, maybe it’s softball now because the years have started to add up on you, but still.) You follow the Phillies religiously. Hell, you even watch a few innings of a Little League game when you walk by one and you don’t know a single kid on either team.

So, what if I told you that you can have your dream come true? You know which dream. You dig your back foot into the ground at home plate at Citizens Bank Park, cocking a bat above your shoulder just like Howard and Utley and Rollins.  A pitch is delivered. Your lumber meets leather with a crack.  You hit in a major league ballpark.

That would be the greatest thing in the world, right?*

Wrong.

There's nothing better than swinging lumber in an MLB park.

It gets better.

You can fulfill that dream and help people live at the same time. A great moment in your life will give life to others.

On May 6 & 7, the American Heart Association will hold their 16^th Annual Richie Ashburn Home Runs for Heart fundraiser on the field at Citizens Bank Park.  This incredible event ($400 per individual and $1,500 per team of four) is a must-do for any baseball fan, allows participants the opportunity to swing at ten pitches from  home plate, win prizes—and bragging rights—for best hitting performances, and shag fly balls in the outfield.  

Sure, the Phanatic bounces around, there are tours of the ballpark and the Phillies ball girls will be there, but this is about hitting and fielding where the big boys hit and field. This is the dream of every one of you who, like me, keeps a baseball glove in your car.

And those people you’ll be helping? Those aren’t faceless, nameless statistics. They aren’t even the overweight, middle-aged guys you’re thinking of when you think of heart attacks. It’s a guy like Derek Fitzgerald, a local guy I had the pleasure of learning about last Wednesday at this year’s Media Day who was active and healthy and still needed a heart transplant when he was 30 years old due to a heart condition. And thanks to the procedures and care made possible by the American Heart Association, he’s running road races and gearing up for an Iron Man competition this fall.  When we help guys like Derek, we’re helping ourselves.

Take it from me, hitting and fielding in major league ballpark is every bit as great as you always thought it would be. I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in Home Runs for Heart’s Media Day for several years now and stepping between those chalk lines never fails to overwhelm me. Back in 2008, which seems like a lifetime ago, I was named “Best Hitting Print Journalist” in Philly. Even though I haven’t had a sniff of that title since, I still clear my schedule a year in advance to hear my name announced over the PA system, to knock a few balls into left field, and to trot on that spongy, perfect outfield grass and feel a fly ball pop into my glove.

So come out to the Richie Ashburn Home Runs for Heart fundraiser. Better yet, put a team of your buddies together and have the time of your life.

You’ll be adding time to the life of others like Derek.

Oh, and don’t worry about that line about your lumber meeting leather with a crack. The ting of aluminum is acceptable as well.

Details: To learn more or to sign up, go to heart.org/phillywalk or call 215-575-5218.

*Your wedding day and the birth of your child/children are the greatest non-baseball things you’ll ever experience of course. Hi darling!

(This story also ran in the Center City Weekly Press.)

Bernard Hopkins is Ageless. I am not.

Without reaching into the dark, undusted corners of my study to pull out the copies of old newspapers and magazines that serve as  a constantly yellowing, deteriorating record of my career as a writer, it’s tough for me to remember when exactly I first met Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. It had to be around 2000 or so.

But I’ll never forget it.

I was on assignment at the Legendary Blue Horizon on North Broad, covering fights on a Friday night (it would become the first of many, many Friday nights spent at the press table in that dingy, wonderful building) but really writing about the experience itself.

And in the middle of the card, as one palooka was chasing another around the ring, Hopkins walked to ringside and sat down. Shortly (it’s always shortly after showing up) he decided to speak. Into the ring he went. Towards the mic he stepped. I have no idea what he said, but the crowd cheered, his trademark “executioner  X” was made with his arms, and back to his seat he went.

I figured I’d take a shot and try to get a quote or two from him about his own experience fighting in the Blue Horizon.  I politely introduced myself and true to form, he had plenty to say. As I recall, he talked about some of the great fighters that had proven themselves there—himself included—and he talked about how he had left his own DNA in the form of blood and sweat all over the ring and the room itself.

I’ve liked him ever since. And I openly, vocally root for him. Well, more openly I suppose when I’m watching him fight as a spectator (like on December 13, 2003 when he beat William Joppy in Atlantic City and I was there with a buddy as a birthday present) than as a reporter (like October 18, 2008 when he destroyed Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City and I was there covering it for the Weekly Press). But even then I’m sure I clapped a little. I know I probably threw some imaginary jabs every now and then when he did.

That said, you’ll now have no trouble picturing me sitting in front of my television this past Sunday morning cheering as I watched B-Hop, who is 48 years old,  tempt fate on more time and step into the ring to face Tavoris Cloud, a man in his 20s, and end up walking away with the IBF Light Heavyweight title by unanimous decision.

You read that correctly. I watched it Sunday afternoon. Unlike Hopkins, who has somehow managed to stay young and healthy despite participating in a sport known for ruining men, I have aged dramatically since our first meeting. Now in my 30’s, a day of running errands, bouncing my 3-month old son on my knee here and there throughout the day and attending a fundraiser where I was required to do nothing more than eat and drink till 9:00 p.m. left me too exhausted to stay up for the fight. I watched the HBO rebroadcast Sunday morning.

But all is not lost. I was able to hold my son in my arms without putting him down for all 12 rounds.

I was sitting down of course, but still...

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON AUDUBON SOCIETY-OUTWARD BOUND® PROPOSAL

Press Release from the Mayor's Office:

The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) is inviting public input on a proposal by the National Audubon Society, an international non-profit conservation organization, and Outward Bound Philadelphia, an affiliate of the national Outward Bound organization, to build an educational center for conservation and leadership development on the banks of the East Park Reservoir next to the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.

In compliance with the Open Lands Protection Ordinance, (Bill NO. 110002-A, signed by Mayor Michael A.  Nutter on April 27, 2011) PaRC is conducting a review of the proposal with opportunity for the public to comment. “Comments from anyone who has an interest in this project are vital to our review process and we look forward to hearing from the residents of the entire region about the proposal,” says Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman, Nancy Goldenberg.

PaRC is providing a number of ways for the public to review and comment on the proposal: in addition to providing comments directly via email, regular mail and the website (listed below), PaRC is inviting the public to comment on the proposal at its regularly scheduled meeting on February 27, 2013 at 6:00PM in the Mander Recreation Center, 2140 North 33rd Street.

Following review and public comment, the Commission must render a determination on the proposed project. The ordinance states “City Council and all other City officials shall give substantial weight to the Commission’s determination.”

The Audubon/Outward Bound partnership is proposing to develop the 37 acres surrounding a man-made lake that was once part of Philadelphia’s water supply system. The elevated site, which runs along 33^rd street in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, is closed to the public and largely hidden from view by chain link fencing and dense vegetation.

Outward Bound Philadelphia is plans to use the new facility as its headquarters. Audubon expects to establish a hub for research and science-based conservation projects and programs in the Philadelphia region.  The Audubon/Outward Bound Alternatives Analysis contains detailed plans for the project, including environmental and traffic impact.

View the Alternatives Analysis submitted by the National Audubon Society and Outward Bound Philadelphia on the Parks and Recreation Department Web page. The Link to the full PDF is posted in Announcements.  http://www.phila.gov/ParksandRecreation/aboutus/parc/Pages/default.aspx

To read and post online comments about the Audubon/Outward Bound proposal, visit:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/122087980/Audubon-Outward-Bound-Leadership-and-Conservation-Center-Alternatives-Analysis

Those wishing to submit written comments may send them to PaRC via email at: parksandreccommiss@phila.gov 

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL MAYOR’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED NATIONAL SERVICE

Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced the first annual Mayor’s Award for Distinguished National Service to recognize the outstanding contributions of a current AmeriCorps member, a current Senior Corps member and a National Service alumnus living in Philadelphia.

“National service is vital to the success of our city,” said Mayor Nutter. “AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members provide a cost-effective resource for stemming the drop-out crisis, engaging at-risk youth, enhancing environmental sustainability, catalyzing community revitalization, and much more.  Further, the significant contributions of National Service alumni are felt across our great city as AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members transition into important roles in their communities and the workplace.  Together, they are essential to what makes Philadelphia great.  I am proud to establish an award that will recognize the critical contributions of these important individuals for years to come.”

Each of the three award winners will receive four free tickets to a Phillies game in the Mayor’s Box and will have their names engraved on a plaque to be placed in or around City Hall.  The top four finalists in each category will be invited to join the winners at a Professional Networking Luncheon in May, sponsored by Comcast and hosted by Richard Negrin, Deputy Mayor of Administration and Coordination, and Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia.

“AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members make an intensive commitment to service, and our cities and our nation are much better off because of their dedication and sacrifice,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.  “I salute Mayor Nutter for creating this new award to recognize the contributions of outstanding service leaders.  We hope this award will inspire others to follow their own path of service.”

Nominations will be accepted until Friday, March 15, 2013 and the winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 during an awards ceremony at City Hall to mark the first annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service.  Anyone may submit one or more nominations, including current and former national service members, program staff, board members and the general public.  Self-nominations will also be accepted.  A committee of the Mayor’s Executive Team will identify the top nominees in each category and present them to the Mayor for final selection. 

Further information, including the nomination form, is available at www.SERVEPhiladelphia.com. In addition, a paper nomination can be picked up and submitted to the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, Room 112 of City Hall.

Former School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Arlene Ackerman dead at 66

Former School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Arlene Ackerman died today of pancreatic cancer. She was 66 years old.

Today, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter made the following statement on Ackerman's passing:

“Arlene Ackerman was a truly committed educator who demonstrated a profound passion for students and in particular the most disadvantaged students in our city. Through her leadership, Philadelphia took on the difficult, long-neglected task of turning around low-performing schools. Today, thousands of Philadelphia students are getting a better education thanks to her vision and advocacy. Her educational legacy will live on for many years through the initiatives that she championed. Our prayers are with her family and friends.”

If you can recall any innovations she made to help Philly kids receive a quality education in a building that wasn't falling apart in a safe environment, you're better than most Philadelphians, Mayor Nutter.

What I remember is Ackerman was fired in 2011 and when she was let go, she collected a buyout of close to 1-million dollars.

Then, she applied for unemployment.

I also seem to remember that she used tax dollars to run a school district communications department that was completely devoted to building and protecting her image as some kind of beloved leader with insight and  knowledge. She had this communications team organize rallies in her favor...even going so far as to make up signs for "supporters" to bob up and down at these rallies.

Now, while I'm sorry to hear of anybody's death, especially from such a painful disease as pancreatic cancer, I'm not going to re-write history. Mayor Nutter has to be respectful, but the rest of us don't have to play nice.

"...demonstrated a profound passion for students and in particular the most disadvantaged students in our city." Really? How does taking a giant buyout for incompetence and then applying to take more money that could be used helping those disadvantaged students profoundly passionate?

Cole & Heidi Hamels Named Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Humanitarians of the Year

Photo provided by the Hamels Foundation

Twenty-four inches long by six inches wide. That’s the length and width of the rubber on a major league pitchers’ mound. And from this small space, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels can do great things. With his left foot pushing off that small rectangle during his delivery, he can be the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 World Series, baffling the lineup of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  Or he can be the shining gem of this past, otherwise dismal, Phillies season, winning a career high 17 games and striking out 216 batters.

But the great things Hamels does from this tiny space have an impact felt far beyond the sixty feet, six inches—the distance from the rubber to home plate—where his foes face him. The impact doesn’t end there with the thump his fastball makes in a catcher’s mitt. It reaches the schools of Philadelphia and Malawi, Africa and the playgrounds of Turkmenistan and beyond.

Hamels, along with his wife, Heidi, have used the notoriety and money that have come from his pitching success to start the Hamels Foundation, a charity devoted to enriching the lives of children and giving them the tools to achieve their goals.

And for this, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA)—the oldest organization of its kind in the United States, and of which I am a member—have named the Hamels their 2013 Humanitarians of the Year. 

The Hamels will be recognized at the PSWA 109^th Annual Awards Dinner January 28 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

According to Hamels Foundation Director of Operations, GN Kang, the Hamels Foundation, created in 2008, has donated over $660,000 to over 20 Philadelphia public schools. (You may have heard how the School District of Philadelphia has recently proposed closing three schools that have received over $400,000 worth of playground and library equipment donated by the Hamels Foundation.) They will also have donated-- by the end of this year-- over 1.8 million dollars to improve education worldwide, including the building of a school in Malawi, Africa, a country where HIV/AIDS have left a million children orphaned an living in extreme poverty. The school is expected to be finished in 2015. 

Along with tending to the education of children worldwide, the Hamels Foundation is also devoted to helping children…well…enjoy childhood. In Turkmenistan (formerly part of the Soviet Union) the Hamels Foundation has donated to a Peace Corps volunteer who had written to them enough equipment and uniforms for two whole youth baseball teams for both boys and girls.

Those of us who have been fortunate enough to attend decent schools and live healthy lives can only imagine the good the Hamels and the Hamels Foundation are doing for the tiny minds and hearts of schoolchildren everywhere they have touched.

But it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that the good is coming from Cole Hamels and his team. After all, he’s used to doing great things in small places.

*To learn more about the Hamels Foundation, visit TheHamelsFoundation.org. To learn more about the 109^th Annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Dinner January 28-including a list of this year’s award winners and ticket information (tix are $95.00), visit PSWADinner.com.

* Here's a list of athletes/sports people who will be there:

Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels centerfielder

Larry Bowa former Phillis shortstop and manager

Todd Herremans Eagles offensive lineman

Carli Llyod Women's US Olympic Soccer team

Heather Mitts Women's U.S. Olympic Soccer team

Charlie Manuel  Phillies Manager

Jimmy Rollins Phillies Shortstop

Speedy Morris college/high school basketball coaching legend

Danny Garcia Boxing champ

Ruben Amaro Jr. GM of the Phillies

Tommy Green  Former Phillie

Elena Delle Donne University of Delaware basketball

Keenan Reynolds Annapolis (Navy) quarterback MVP of Army/Navy game
Ed Snider Chairman of Comcast Spectacor which owns the Flyers

Independence Seaport Museum Hosts 3rd Annual Lighted Boat Parade

It's nice to have written again.

The last time I covered a story was back in April of this year. The biggest factor for the hiatus was being around more to help my wife as we expected our first baby. This included, among other things, turning her office into a nursery.

Well, the baby, a boy, was born December 2. 

By Saturday, December 15, I had my press credentials dangling from my neck and a Red Sox diaper bag dangling from the stroller parked next to me as I covered the Independence Seaport Museum's 3rd Annual Lighted Boat Parade. Of course, my wife was there as well.

You can see the story, which ran in the Weekly Press here.

Below is a slideshow featuring pictures by Ramone Purcell and Angela Hess, courtesy of the Independence Seaport Museum.

As a boater (even the baby's nursery is nautical themed) and someone who loves history, I love the Independence Seaport Museum. Not only have I covered various exhibitions and events there, such as the exhibition on the history of mariners and their tattoos (which also gave people the chance to get real tattoos on the Spanish American War-era Olympia) and the antique wooden boat show they hosted,  but I've also been to the museum as a ticket-buying visitor with my wife, with my father when he's visited from out-of-town, and whenever I can find a reason to. I just wish they'd fix the interactive display where visitors are given the chance to use a tiny crane to lift cargo off a model ship. It has NEVER worked in all my visits to the museum.

I'm hoping that the boat parade--although a lot of fun this year--will be even bigger next year with local, private boaters (not just working vessels like tug boats) will take advantage of the opportunity to participate. These lighted boat parades are huge all over the country and Philly--with all the marinas along the Delaware--should become one of the biggest parades on the east coast.

Thinking and Acting Globally

You may remember a while back when I wrote about AJ Nanayakkara and his wife Kelly Fisher who founded Global Abilities to help those with disabilities in developing countries. (you can read it here) Well, the idea was picked up by Life In Action, a national magazine put out by the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, and I was asked to write a new piece on the subject.

That piece was published in the April edition. Read it here.

You'll be happy to know AJ has already been able to build a few tuk-tuks to help those with disabilities in Sri Lanka get around.

Nicole Johnson Co-Chairs Young Friends Winter Gala; Wants to Add More Color to Membership Palette

The Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art held their annual Winter Gala—a fundraiser for education/community programs and art acquisition—this past Saturday night. Over 400 guests, dressed to the nines, drank and danced in the Great Hall of the renowned art museum, and took advantage of the opportunity to see the Van Gogh Up Close exhibit in a more intimate setting.

Gala Co-Chair Nicole Johnson. Photo: A.N. Torres

Even amongst all these revelers, it wasn't hard to find gala co-chair Nicole Johnson. She’s tall, stunning, more statuesque than the actual statue of Diana that stands at the top of the Great Hall’s staircase, and she’s one of the few African Americans in attendance.

In between greeting guests arriving for the V.I.P. reception, Ms. Johnson took some time to talk with me about her involvement with the Young Friends and to share some thoughts about the prestigious organization.

KO: Nicole, first off, how did you get involved with the Young Friends?

NJ: It was by accident. I had moved away from Philadelphia a few years back for work. I had always loved the art museum, so when I came back to Philadelphia, I decided to become a regular member. When I came to sign up, they told me about the Young Friends. It sounded like a great way to reconnect and meet people in the city who liked art like I did.

Nicole Johnson. Photo: K. O'Connor

KO: Was it?

NJ: It was. Young Friends is also a great to give back to the community. One of the programs funded through tonight’s gala is bringing kids from Camden, New Jersey to the museum free of charge. We bus them over and for many it’s the first time they’ve been here. It’s really great to see the kids enjoy this space and all that’s in it.

KO: What’s the make-up of the Young Friends? Women to men, black to white, that kind of a thing.

NJ: Women to men? It’s more women than men, but we have some great men who are on the board with me. Racially, I think it’s been ok. I think there’s a little more to go in terms of integrating, but we have people with different, diverse backgrounds.

KO: You mentioned there’s a little more to go as far as diversity. What do you think is the reason the numbers aren’t quite what you’d like to see?

NJ: I don't have a really good answer. We have a lot of racially diverse people who attend Young Friends parties and other activities, but they're not becoming Young Friends members. We've talked about it,  how to bringing in more diversity. I've even worked with African American organizations in Philly to try and get some interest in what we're doing here at Young Friends, but that hasn't helped much. The Museum does a great job of being inclusive. People of all kinds come here to see the art, but something is missing. A possible explanation might be that, perhaps, people are growing up in environments where they aren't exposd to art, they don't see a lot of it and therefore never develop an interest. Maybe some people think you need to be an art expert to belong and they get intimidated. Even the building can be intimidating I suppose. You don't have to be an art expert to join. I'm not sure what the solution is, but as open a group as we are, we would definitley like to be more diverse.

KO: Maybe your program to expose kids from Camden and other places to art, somtimes for the first time, will help boost those diversity numbers down the line?

NJ: That would be wonderful, to have those trips to the museum inspire a life-long appreciation for art to the point of being actively involved in the art community!

KO: This being Black History Month, I'll ask, have there been other black chairs of the Young Friends gala or other events?

NJ: You know that’s interesting. I asked someone that same question tonight and apparently there have been others who have chaired or co-chaired the gala and other events and have served on the board. So, I’m honored to say that it has happened! I'm honored that I'm not the first one. It shows you that the Young Friends has always been for everybody.

WP: And how did you become co-chair of the Winter Gala? Is this something you volunteered for? Did you get elected?

NJ: I was asked by fellow members of the board and I was happy to do it. I enjoy planning parties and events and being involved.

KO:  Along with community outreach and education programs, the Young Friends use funds raised to acquire art for the museum. What kind of pieces are you buying?

NJ: There's a joke in the Young Friends about how we seem to always be buying silver! We buy other stuff and spread it out over all the collections. If you walk around the museum, and look at the little descriptions on the wall, you'll see pieces in all the galleries that say "made possible by the Young Friends" or something to that equivalent.

KO Last question. What is your favorite piece in the museum?

NJ: The Burning of the House of Lords and Commons by Joseph Mallord William Turner.

KO: I lied. Here's the last question. Why is it your favorite?

Burning of the House of Lords and Commons

NJ:  It's the first painting I ever felt a connection to. It was vibrant and I felt like I was right ther at the scene. It just took my breath away.

Van Gogh Up Close Opens at Philadelphia Museum of Art

On February 1, Van Gogh Up Close opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I attended the press preview of the show. I've attended a lot of them over the years, and I knew this one was special. There must've been 70 or so reporters taking in the talents of Vincent van Gogh.

I was there for the Weekly Press, but they've been unable to publish the story. It's been pushed back twice. I'm thinking space and budget issues.

So, the story is here. The whole story.

Check out the video as well, for a quick "tour" of some of the beauty to be enjoyed.

Want To Escape A Colorless Philly Winter? Van Gogh to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Immediately

Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve been experiencing here in Philly, it is still winter. Yes, the sun has been shining more than usual, but it’s shining on a city void of color. The Schuylkill doesn’t have a speck of blue in it. The Trees in Rittenhouse Square are naked and the grass is brown and lifeless. We feel as grey as the concrete we trudge on.

But there’s an easy way to change your spirits and reacquaint your eyes to color.

On Wednesday, February 1 the doors opened to Van Gogh Up Close, a major exhibit organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada (the only two places where the exhibit will be in North America) that concentrates on Vincent van Gogh's work with landscapes, still lifes and flowers, the majority of which were painted between 1886 and 1890 in Paris, Arles, Saint-Remy and Auvers, France.

We’re talking over 40 paintings by one of the world’s greatest artists created in the most beautiful city on the planet and the rolling, expansive French countryside. It’s a combination guaranteed to make you feel better, folks.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Press Preview of the new exhibit January 27. It was a windy, rainy day and the dreariness I felt walking into the Philadelphia Museum of Art went away much quicker than the dampness in my clothes once I entered the gallery.

Right away, you’re greeted by Sunflowers (1888 or 1889) and the yellow of the petals—and the peculiar red center of just one sunflower—against a pale blue background set a tone of warmth and relaxation that is carried though the other paintings of flowers in the room.

Shortly after, you come across Outskirts of Paris: Road With Peasant Shouldering a Spade (1887).  The peasant walks down the middle of a dirt road with his yellow hat cocked to the side, flanked by green grass speckled with wildflowers, a row of green trees, and picket fencing as he heads away from the town in the background to more rural locales. The explanation that accompanies the painting talks about van Gogh’s expertise with perspective and how he can create a strong sense of depth in his paintings. That’s true, and evident to even someone like me who is certainly no aficionado, and the art can be appreciated for its technique. But what made this painting my favorite in the whole exhibit was that I found myself in it. The picket fence along the road angles off in the right foreground and I felt like I was taking in the warmth of the sun, the wind slightly bending the trees and the casualness of the peasant’s stroll and all the colors as a lazy guy leaning against the picket fence.

And that’s just the experience of two paintings in the exhibit. Multiply these feeling of happiness…or let’s just call it Spring…by another 44 paintings.

Sound too good to be true?

See for yourself.

Then tell me that when you look at Vineyards at Auvers (1890) you don’t find yourself wondering if  you can get some fresh goat cheese from one of the little white cottages at the bottom of the hill, or from someplace behind you in the village…

…before remembering that someplace behind you is a gallery hall and your winter coat, not a bundle with wines and baguettes, is clutched in your hand.


*Van Gogh Up Close will run at the Philadelphia Museum of Art till May 6, 2012 and costs $25.00. The exhibit features 46 paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and more than 30 comparative works such as Japanese woodblock prints and landscape photographs. Learn more at here.