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Woods Golf Center:
The End Of An Era. |
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July 22, 2010 By
Phil
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There is perhaps nothing worse than being the last to know.
At first, I was in total disbelief, and then
over the next few moments my emotions ran the gamut from disbelief, to
confusion, to anger and of course denial.
So perplexed by what I was seeing, I
actually had to pick up my cell phone and call a friend to get some
clarification on
what the heck was going on.
If anyone would know the 411 on this situation,
it would be my long time friend Frank Phifer; Owner, CEO and President
of one of the most respected real estate appraisal and title companies
in the tri state area.
As expected, Frank knew exactly what was
going on and as he offered up details, my mind started to wonder.
You see it all started last weekend while on
my way to watch the Philadelphia Independence play their regional rival
Sky Blue FC in a Women’s Pro Soccer match.
I was at the intersection of Germantown Pike
and Whitehall Road in East Norriton, Pa. waiting for the traffic light
to turn green. I
took a quick a glance over my left shoulder and there they were;
bulldozers, dump trucks and other construction vehicles, replacing the
manicured greens and lush fairways of what was once a golfing oasis.
Also gone were the trees
and bushes that shaded the various portions of Wood’s
Golf Center, once the Philadelphia area's only 18 hole Executive
Par 3 course. The course was beautifully maintained, featuring bent
grass greens, sand bunkers and ponds, giving it a "regulation feel" that
appealed to golfers of all ages and abilities.
The Par 3 holes on the executive course ranged in distance from
105 to 250 yards adding up to an impressive 3076 total yards. These
distances were not too intimidating for beginners, and not too excessive
for seniors, and yet there was still plenty of sand and water to provide
the ultimate par 54 challenge for the advanced player.
The entire course had been laser measured and given a U.S.G.A.
(United States Golfing Association) short course rating of 54.7 for the
men and 57.4 for the women.
Unfortunately, it now looked like a huge laser beam from a space
ship had blown the whole thing up, killing every, tree, shrub and blade
of grass in sight.
Gone was the 9 hole Chip and Putt course with distances ranging
from 44 to 91 yards. Gone
was the Center's award winning miniature golf courses which were themed
around "The Adventures of Sinbad" and "The Land of Dinosaurs". Gone was
the 20 acre, award winning driving range once tabbed as the biggest and
best practice range in the Philadelphia area?
Yes, for just $14.99 I could purchase a monster bucket of 150
balls and continue to tee them up, load up my driver and aim for the
chain link fence some 300 yards away. I think I actually even reached
that fence on a few occasions.
When I first arrived in Pennsylvania back in 1990, Woody’s was
my golf practice facility of choice and remained so up until about two
years ago when I became unemployed and could no longer afford the luxury
of playing golf.
Over the years I had taken both my sons to the driving range,
par three course and mini-golf course in an attempt to teach them the
game, and who can forget the numerous long drive and chipping challenges
with my former golfing buddies.
Woods Golf Center first opened in 1957, and for over
fifty years provided folks here in this part of
Montgomery County with hours of entertainment, but now it is about to
become the sight of a new $360 million dollar hospital being built by
the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network (AEHN).
Apparently the 82-acre parcel of land was purchased earlier this
month (July 2010) for about $25 million dollars.
The 360,000-square-foot, five-story hospital
building will include a separate, 75,000-square-foot medical office
building, 1,137 parking spaces in four parking areas and a dedicated
traffic light controlling the new driveway entrance on Germantown Pike.
In the latter half of 2009, AEHN officials
announced the hospital would open (in June 2012) with 146 beds and the
ability to expand later to 218 beds. In-patient services at 172-bed
Montgomery Hospital in Norristown will move to the East Norriton
facility when it opens. “Ambulatory services,” including an obstetrics
clinic and general medicine services, are slated to remain at two
medical office buildings in Norristown.
Construction should be complete by late summer/early fall of 2012.
It’s certainly going to feel strange driving
by that property in the future, but then again given the industrial
revolution in this part of the county over the past decade or so, it is
simply just par for the course.
As for the Wood family, thank you for the memories.
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Former MLB Pitcher Curt Schilling:
Taking Video Games to The Next Level.
July 22, 2010 By
Phil
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As a Player, former Major League Pitcher Curt Schilling was a “GAMER”
in more ways than one.
On the diamond his career numbers speak for themselves; a record of
216-146, an earned run average of 3.46 to go along with 3,116 strikeouts.
In 1993 he helped guide the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1993 World
Series, before actually winning the Fall Classic with the Arizona
Diamondbacks in 2001 and again with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.
To date, he is the only major league pitcher in history to compete in
World Series games while in his 20's, 30's and 40's, retiring with a post season
record of 11-2. His .846 post season winning percentage is a major league
record for pitchers with at least 10 post-season decisions.
By the way, Schilling will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame
ballot in 2013, which of course is a Blog for another time.
Yes, the former 6 time all-star and World Series co-MVP (2001), was a
GAMER, and by all accounts still is.
You see during his baseball career, Curt constantly had his nose buried
in a lap top computer, we of course were led to believe it was to study the
hitting tendencies and splits of opposing batters, but some of Curt’s former
teammates tell me Schill was also a huge video gamer, a habit he picked up back
in 1980.
One of Schilling’s favorite PC games was the EverQuest - EverQuest II
saga. To give you a quick synopsis. EverQuest II is set in
the fictional world of Norrath five hundred years after The Planes of Power
storyline of the original EverQuest game. The gods withdrew from the world in
retaliation for mortal incursions into their planes. On Norrath itself, Dark
Elves and the Orcs destroyed much of Faydwer; while the Ogres, Goblins, Orcs,
and Giants ravaged Antonica. Transport and communication to the moon Luclin were
cut off.
See, now how do you not get caught up in a
politically based story like that and not want to do something to help rectify
the situation? With all joking aside, EverQuest I and II, and games like them,
are widely popular among video gamers all over the world.
With this knowledge in hand, Schilling decided to combine his love of
video gaming with his ability to excel in pressure packed environments by
sliding head first into the competitive world of video game development.
In 2006, Schilling founded Green Monster Games,
an entertainment and IP (intellectual property) Development Company which was
later renamed, 38 Studios after his former MLB jersey number. The company
focused on MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games), which of
course Schilling has a personal passion for, thanks for his adventures
with Everquest and Everquest II.
After leasing 30,000 sq feet of office space in downtown Maynard,
Massachusetts, Schilling then had to assemble his team and if you know anything
about Curt Schilling, then you know nothing but the best will do.
The 38 Studios' team includes a wide array of talent and experience. In
the past, members of the team have worked on everything from movies like The
Spiderwick Chronicles and A Bug's Life, to games including EverQuest II, Doom,
Half-Life 2, and Lord of the Rings Online.
It has been four years now since Schilling took a leap of faith, faith
that he and his company could make a difference in the gaming industry and
thanks to collaborations with the likes
world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane (www.spawn.com)
and best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore (www.rasalvatore.com),
big things are about to happen for 38 Studios.
Actually, I should rephrase that by saying Big Huge things are about to
happen. You see not too long ago, 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games (www.bighugegames.com).
Simply put, Big Huge Games is a very successful RTS (real time strategy) game
making studio.
Everything had fallen into place for 38 studios including a publishing
agreement with EA (Electronic Arts), I’m pretty sure you all know who they are.
As a matter of fact it is that agreement that has paved the way for 38 Studios
to publish its first video game, an RPG (role playing game) that started out
with the code name Project Mercury but to be released under the name Kingdoms of
Amalur: Reckoning.
Scheduled for release in the fall of 2011, Reckoning is an epic,
open-world, single-player RPG set in Amalur, a mysterious and magical new
fantasy setting.
The world of Amalur was created by New York Times-bestselling author
R.A. Salvatore and brought to life visually by renowned artist and Spawn creator
Todd McFarlane. For more information on the release of this game and another
upcoming projects by 38 studios check out the following links. (www.reckoningthegame.com)
and (www.38studios.com).
By the way, Reckoning will be
available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and
PC.
You can also follow the game on Twitter
ReckoningGame and
become a Facebook fan at
facebook.com/ReckoningTheGame.
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Ten Sports, Ten Huge Upsets.
June 1, 2010 By
Phil
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Down 3-0 in the series, then down
3-0 in Game 7. It looked as if the Philadelphia Flyers had finally run out of
rallies against the Boston Bruins in the NHL's 2010 Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals.
But give credit where credit is due, the flyers to a man hung
in there and it was in that seventh and decided game down 3-0, that the Flyers
scored four straight goals while on their way to victory. As a result,
the Bruins became the third team in NHL history to lose
a series after winning the first three games.
The win comeback win sparked my curiosity.
So, with that
in mind, check out my list of Ten Different Sports and Their Ten Biggest
upsets. By the way these upsets are in
no particular order
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1.
OLYMPIC ICE HOCKEY.
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Lake Placid, NY Feb 22, 1980
- The U.S. Men’s Olympic ice hockey team consisting of college amateur’s upsets
the mighty Soviet Union. At the time the Soviets were considered hockey’s
perennial world power.
U.S. team Captain Mike Eruzione provided the eventual 4-3 game winning
goal. Several days later the Americans would defeat Finland in the Gold Medal
game to complete their ultimate adventure. To this day the upset of the Soviets
is considered one of the biggest upsets in international sports history. AKA,
“The Miracle on Ice”.
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2.
NCAA BASKETBALL.
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Lexington, Kentucky April, 1 1985-Sports
illustrated described Villanova’s 66-64 upset of Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA
Basketball National Championship Game as “Seismic”. That night the underdog
Wildcats played the perfect game against a Hoya team led by 7 foot center
Patrick Ewing.
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3.
WORLD CUP
SOCCER.
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Belo Horizonte, Brazil June 29,
1950-The United States Men’s National Soccer team lead by Walter
Bahr Shocked the football world when they upset world power England 1-0 in the
opening round of World Cup Play. The lone American goal coming off the head of
Joe Gaetjens, a last minute addition to the squad.
The U.S. lost its next game 5-2 to Chile before finishing the
tournament
1-0-2. With
the current United States Men’s National Team scheduled to meet England June 12
in opening round play of the 2010 World Cup Tournament in South Africa, this
upset becomes even more poignant.
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4.
FRENCH OPEN TENNIS.
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Paris, France May 21, 2009-World
No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who had never lost at Roland Garros, was upset in four sets
by 23rd seed Robin Soderling in a French Open fourth-round match.
Nadal was a four-time defending champion and had won his previous 31 French Open
matches. Nadal hadn't lost a set
in the 2009 Open
until Soderling broke
his serve twice in the opening set, while on his way to the eventual
6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4,
7-6 (7-2) upset victory.
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5.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING.
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Tokyo, Japan Feb 11, 1990-James
“Buster” Douglas went from being a journeyman heavyweight to the talk of the
heavyweight boxing world.
Douglas was installed as a 35-1 underdog against unbeaten heavyweight
champion Iron Mike Tyson, one of the most feared fighters of his era.
Unfortunately Tyson took his opponent lightly that night and paid the price. It
was in the ninth round where Douglas recorded his knockout punch heard around
the World. With
the upset victory Douglas claimed the IBF, WBA and WBC to become the eighth
undisputed Heavyweight Champ in history.
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6.
HORSE RACING.
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Saratoga Springs, New York Aug. 14, 1919-Man
O War is without question one of the greatest Thoroughbred race horses in
American History. Man O War won 20 of the 21 races he entered, but it was the
one race he lost that often becomes an amusing topic of conversation. You see,
prior to the 1919 Sanford Stakes
at Saratoga Springs, NY
the chestnut colored stallion was tabbed the odds on favorite to win;
however, the race was eventually won by a horse who started the race as a 100-1
underdog. Ironically, that horses name was UPSET.
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7.
SUPER BOWL III
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Miami, Fla.
Jan 12, 1969-It was the Super bowl
game that led to the eventual NFL (National Football League), AFL (American
Football League) merger.
The game that featured the mighty Baltimore Colts (13-1) led by hall
of fame heroes named Johnny Unitas, Earl Morrall, Don Maynard & Bubba Smith.
Their opponent, the 11-3 New York Jets, whose field general was a brash young
quarterback by the name Joe Namath. It was Namath who predicted he and his
heavily underdog teammates would upset Baltimore.
Namath failed to throw a single touchdown pass that day, completing 17
of 28 passes for 206 yards, but his prediction rang true as the eventual Super
Bowl MVP guided his Jets to the 16-7 upset victory.
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8.
US OPEN GOLF
CHAMPIONSHIP
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San Francisco, Ca. June 19, 1955-It was a
Sunny afternoon that the Olympic Club that day as
legendary golfer Ben Hogan worked his way around the course and
seemingly on the way to a fifth straight U.S. Open Golf title.
As
a matter of fact,
NBC (National Broadcast Company) had the first
contracted TV coverage of a U.S. Open that year for one hour. When NBC signed
off the air that day the network had already proclaimed Hogan the winner.
Just one problem, there was a young
golfer by the name of Jack Fleck who had battled back from three holes down to
tie Hogan and force a playoff, a play-off he would eventually win, beating Hogan
with a score of 69-to-72.
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9.
NBA PLAYOFFS
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Seattle, Washington, May 7, 1994-The Seattle
Supersonics finished the regular season with an NBA best,
63-19 record. As a
result the Sonics grabbed the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs and
actually played the part of a number seed, beating the Denver Nuggets by 24 and
10 points respectively in games one and two of their best of five first round
series. Then the shocker. The Nuggets battled their way
back from the 2-0 deficit to defeat Seattle in 5 games,
winning games four and five in overtime. It was the first time in NBA history
that an 8th-seeded team defeated a top seed.
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10.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
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Boston, Mass.
Oct 20. 2004-On this chilly, fall, New England night, the Boston Red Sox
accomplished something no team in the history of Baseball had ever accomplished.
For starters, they beat their arch rival, the New York Yankees in game seven of
the American League championship series.
It was the first time in 100 years the Sox had beaten the Yanks to claim
the AL title, but what really made the victory even sweeter, was
that Boston
had to rally from a three games to none
series deficit to do so. No
team in Major League Baseball History had ever won a seven game series after
losing the first three games. After
pulling off the improbable, Boston joined the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975
New York Islanders as the only three teams in all of sports to win a
best-of-seven series after being down three games to none.
The Philadelphia Flyers recent rally from a three game deficit to beat
the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs now makes Four. By the way,
The Red Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to in the World Series.
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Philadelphia Eagles Finalize
Plans to Honor 1960 NFL Championship Team |
| April
26,
2010 By
Phil |
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Philadelphia Eagles
owner Jeffrey Lurie today announced that the
Eagles will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
1960
NFL championship team during their home opener on
Sept. 12, 2010 against the
Green Bay Packers.
The festivities will include a number of different
commemorative events to celebrate the rich history of the franchise.
The announcement, held at the site of the game,
Franklin Field, was made by Lurie along with Eagles president Joe Banner and
Eagles 1960 alum Pete Retzlaff, who joined the voice of the Eagles, Merrill
Reese, and 1960 the voice of the Eagles, Bill Campbell, in remembering the game.
The event was also highlighted by appearances from
Eagles 1960 alumni Tommy McDonald, Chuck Bednarik, Dick Lucas, Riley Gunnels,
and Maxie Baughan, as well as current Eagles tight end Brent Celek, wide
receiver DeSean Jackson, linebacker Stewart Bradley, and Eagles head coach
Andy Reid.
“We are excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the 1960 team. This celebration marks a very important event in Philadelphia
Eagles history. In the past few months, we have had the pleasure of working with
an advisory committee of volunteers, many who actually attended the game at
Franklin Field 50 years ago,” said Lurie.
He added, “This milestone in Eagles history will be
commemorated with the authentic kelly green uniforms from 1960, as well as a
number of different events planned to make sure this extraordinary group of men
are lauded for their efforts. Remembering this accomplishment and these players
is important not only for the team, but for our fans whose passion for the
Philadelphia Eagles spans many generations.”
After losing the season opener against
Cleveland, the 1960 Eagles rattled off nine
straight wins, tying the longest streak in team history and securing their
fourth Eastern Division title.
On Dec. 26, 1960, Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin,
Tommy McDonald, and Chuck Bednarik led the Eagles to their third NFL
championship after mounting a come-from-behind, 17-13 victory over Green Bay at
Franklin Field. This victory handed Vince Lombardi’s Packers their only playoff
loss under his tenure.
NOTE: Jeff Lurie quotes courtesy of Philadelphia
Eagles Communications
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Dave Roberts
Sunny With a Mild Disposition
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| December 11,
2009 By
Phil
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Don’t worry,” he wrote, “I know it feels like the end of
the world, but you will land on your feet again.”
At the time those words of encouragement meant the world to me,
because at the time, I really did feel like my world was ending.
It was my former Channel 6 colleague Dave Roberts who took
the time to write those words and send that card four years ago. The card coming
just a few short weeks after receiving word that my services were no longer
required at the station and that my contract would not be renewed.
The gesture would have been no surprise to anyone who knows Dave,
because it’s who he is. A kind, sensitive and caring person who genuinely never
has a bad thing to say about anyone. Come to think of it, I can’t remember a
time during my 15 years at channel 6 when I ever saw Dave not smile.
I’m sure by now most of you know that Dave is also the
father of
actor Dave Boreanaz of Buffy and the Vampire and Bones Fame,
but Dave also has two other children and three grand children. I
mention this, because once or twice a week I would wonder into the Action News
Weather department to ask if the weather would be good enough on my days off to
play golf and I remember how he always had numerous photos of his family on
display.
In addition to his demeanor and personality, the thing
that also amazed me,
was how youthful he always looked, even as he said good-bye to his TV
family this week, the 73 year old Roberts still looked years younger than his
birth certificate.
I often wondered if Dave was tapped into the same fountain of youth as
“America’s
Oldest Living Teenager “ Dick Clark, who was born 7 years before Dave.
Spreading
the love came easy for Dave, after-all he was born on Valentines day. In
addition to his on air work, he was
well-regarded for his community service. Active with
numerous
charities in the Delaware Valley, he
received the "Man of the Year Achievement Award" from the Central Delco Lodge
#2438,
Order
of the Sons of Italy in America, and was also
selected as "Person of the Year" by the
Muscular Dystrophy Association.
I think it safe
to safe to say that Dave’s toughest challenge during his 31 year tenure at 4100 City Avenue, was playing straight man
for both Jim Gardner and the late Gary Papa. You just never knew what those
three were going to throw your way every night, or should I say, Dave never knew
what Jim and Gary were going to throw at him. Whatever the scenario, Dave
handled it like the true professional he was. Even during the celebration of
life ceremony for Papa, Roberts was able to take the emotion of the moment and
put a smile on our face. Like Gary,
Dave too will be missed and I can only imaging how tough it is for Jim Gardner,
now that he is without two of his closest friends.
Good luck Dave,
not only in retirement but also with that Honey do list I’m sure your wife Patti
has waiting for you.
Note:
Prior to his arrival at Action News in 1978, television viewers in Buffalo knew him as
Dave Thomas (Thomas is Roberts' real middle name.) He was
a weatherman at Buffalo’s
WKBW-TV and host of its "Rocketship 7" show, a Children's program. When Dave
came to Philadelphia,
he changed his name to Dave Roberts to avoid confusion with viewers since
WPVI-TV already had Lisa Thomas-Laury.
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