TTN Video: Temple fans weigh in on World Series

Video by Justin Fortmeier

Repeat?

As the Phillies head to their second World Series appearance in as many years, Temple and Philadelphia Police announce a zero-tolerance policy.

Rob Lipson, a self-proclaimed Phillies fan, said he’s watched YouTube videos showing much worse celebratory damage than Philadelphia saw following last year’s World Series win.

“I’ve seen kids from other cities,” the senior history major said. “It was nothing in Philly.”

On Oct. 16, nearly a week before the Phillies clinched the National League Championship Series win, Temple Police issued a statement to all students that they and Philadelphia Police would be enforcing a zero-tolerance policy at Phillies-win celebrations to “prevent injuries and damages.”

In boldface font, the e-mail read, “Most importantly, Philadelphia Police will not allow anyone to march to City Hall.”

Last year, Center City near City Hall experienced looting, broken windows, downed streetlight poles and other forms of vandalism.

“Things that would normally be ignored will not this year,” Campus Safety Services Executive Director Carl Bittenbender said. “The Philadelphia Police do not want people to march. If students march in the street, [they] will most likely be arrested.”

Bittenbender said the police want students to have fun but to party safely, adding that Main Campus had very few problems last year, save a few damaged cars when the Phillies won the National League Championship Series.

Philadelphia Police Department spokeswoman Officer Jillian Russell confirmed that the Philadelphia Police will be employing a zero-tolerance policy citywide, but declined to comment further.

When the Phillies won the NLCS last week, students gathered outside on Liacouras Walk, and people celebrated on South Broad Street with no reported incidents.

“Honestly, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do,” junior psychology major Todd Parham said of the police’s zero-tolerance policy, citing that the city doesn’t have much money to repair anything that may be damaged by rowdy, celebrating crowds.

But, Parham said, the celebrations could boost the morale of the city.

“It’s good for the city,” the Philadelphia-born student said. “It’s normally very depressing here. People need all the fun they can have.”

Morgan Zalot can be reached at morgan.zalot@temple.edu.

Winning Run

Not allowing fans to bask in a celebratory run to City Hall is an unfair call.

Never before has Philadelphia seen such bliss than when the city’s beloved Phillies clinched the World Series last October.

It was a beautiful thing, so uncommon in a city so torn with violence, crime, racism and class disparity – people of all ages, colors and walks of life congregating in common places, cheering on their team. The sense of unity was immeasurable and hadn’t been seen in Philadelphia before – not even in the city’s last foray into championship victory when the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Championship more than two decades earlier, in 1983.

This year, however, could be drastically different. The Philadelphia Police Department, along with Temple Police, has said it will arrest anyone who tries to run down Broad Street toward City Hall in celebration, citing that while they want people to have fun, they want to keep everything under control.

The sheer happiness experienced throughout the city the night of the World Series win – from Broad and Jefferson streets in North Philadelphia, to City Hall, to Broad and Shunk streets in South Philadelphia – brought the pained city together in a sea of support.

In some ways, the police are right – last year’s citywide World Series party left much of downtown and South Philadelphia along the Broad Street corridor in shambles, with broken windows, burned trash cans, downed street lamp poles and more trash and broken glass in the streets than usual.

Police have every right to prepare to control crowds and keep vandalism to a minimum – people poured onto the streets in epic numbers following the World Series win and undeniably caused damage.

To threaten the citizens’ ability to celebrate their team, however, is taking that role a few steps too far.

Despite rowdy celebrations and instances of vandalism – which, at worst, led to cleanups and repairs – it’s inarguable that a few broken windows, fires in trashcans and the like are more favorable than robberies, rapes, assaults and shootings.

To deny the city, which struggles to find peace, its right to happiness and unity for one night is a blatant disregard for citizen’s enjoyment.

TTN Video: Phillies Enter World Series

Video by Sartaj Phanda

(Additional footage by Josh Fleury, edited by Mari Saito)

North Broad Street welcomes Phillies fans, again

Walking toward his apartment donning a backwards Philadelphia Phillies cap and matching jersey, sophomore Brandon Dohanicz stepped over a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie on Montgomery Avenue after spending time “partying in the middle of Broad Street” following the Phillies’ 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night.

Down the way, between 12th and 13th streets, Insomnia Cookies was distributing free treats to celebrate the Phillies’ National League Championship Series win, putting them in the World Series for the second consecutive year.

“We were passing by [Insomnia] and yelled, ‘If I buy two, can I get three free?’” Alhaji Sesay said as he endured a 15-minute wait for Snickerdoodle and oatmeal raisin cookies with his friend and recent Temple graduate, Donovan Young. “We were just joking, but [the worker] said, ‘It’s free.’”

Unfazed by free cookies, Dohanicz was also unworried about the mixture of Temple and city police blocking Oxford Avenue and 13th Street, along with other roads surrounding Main Campus.

“The police don’t want us to run down [Broad Street], but they’re nice enough to block off the street for us,” the entrepreneurship major said.

Becca Lewis, a sophomore education major, said she had received the e-mail from Campus Safety Services enforcing the city’s “zero tolerance” rule, but wasn’t worried about any arrests being made since she hadn’t seen any violence.

“You could go up to anyone, hug them, and they’d be your friend right now,” Lewis said, noting that the officers standing guard “seem bored.”

While neither Temple Police nor members of the Philadelphia Police Department were at liberty to comment on the evenings’ festivities, officers stood in full uniform, clustered on sidewalk corners while conversing with each other as well as Phillies fans.

Stopping briefly at a patrol car outside the Liacouras Center, three freshmen females screamed “Go Phillies,” at two Temple police officers – who smiled and gave the freshmen two thumbs up – before continuing their brisk walk down North Broad Street.

“We saw people running everywhere,” one of the girls, university studies major Sammie Schweiker, said.

Schwiker and friends Caitlin Cassidy, a psychology major, and Carly Hahn, a university studies major, joined the masses when they saw empowered Phillies fans celebrating from their dorm window.
Lacking power was 50-year-old Rose Costa’s car’s horn, which broke as she beeped at other cars and pedestrians to find a parking space near Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

“It was blocked off all the way down to Hunting Park,” the Philly native said.

“We just wanted to see all this,” said Rodney Ellison, 50, who had accompanied Costa to witness the dancing crowd spill into the normally busy intersection. “We old, but we ain’t out of it.”

While Ellison said he had observed a similar scene in 1980 when the Phils beat the Kansas City Royals to clinch the World Series win, senior communications major Dusha Holmes had only seen last year’s victory over the Colorado Rockies.

“It’s been years since the city has had championships,” Holmes said. “The city needs this.”

Ashley Nguyen can be reached at ashley.nguyen@temple.edu.

Phillies’ World Series trophy to appear on campus

As the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies train for their upcoming season, their 2-foot tall trophy will make a stop at Temple.

The World Series trophy, which the Phillies snatched after winning last October’s historic game against the Tampa Bay Rays, will be on display at the Bell Tower March 24.

The event, which will feature other attractions such as appearances from the Phillies Ballgirls and giveaways, is part of annual College Spring Fling Week, when the franchise travels to local colleges to help promote the Phillies’ upcoming season.

Jillian Ashton, a season and group sales representative intern for the Phillies, said the College Spring Fling Week will run from March 23 to 27 and will include visits to six local colleges during the five-day span.

“This year, as an added incentive, we are bringing the World Series trophy along for our Spring Fling Week as part of the World Series Trophy Tour,” said Ashton, who graduated from Temple in August with a degree in sport and recreation management.

Although the promotional event will mostly be centered on the trophy, there will be plenty of other activities in which students can take part. Free photo ops with the Phillies Ballgirls and the trophy will be available for the duration of the event. A prize wheel will be available for students to try their luck as well.

For fanatical Phillies fans, event coordinators will distribute rally towels while supplies last.

In addition to the activities, the 2008 Phillies Video Yearbook, The Perfect Season will be for sale.

“Students are the primary target for this tour because we are trying to get all of the local colleges excited about the upcoming Phillies season,” Ashton said.

The World Series trophy, which the Phillies clinched in a 4-3 win over the Rays in Game 5, has been on a national tour since January.

Craig Solomon, who works in marketing in the Philadelphia Phillies organization and graduated from Temple last year with a degree in sport and recreation management, was designated to be the official trophy keeper. So far, he has made more than 100 appearances and traveled more than 10,000 miles while showcasing the trophy.

He says he does not permit anyone to touch the sterling silver trophy.

“The tour is an intimate time with the trophy. After the tour, the trophy may be found sitting on a podium under glass, meaning people can’t even breathe on it. But during its tour, there is no glass cover and people can get extremely close,” Solomon said.

The event will be held at Bell Tower from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. next Tuesday. In case of inclement weather, it will be relocated in the Student Center Atrium.

The trophy will travel to Saint Joseph’s University and the University of Pennsylvania following its visit.

Sergei Blair can be reached at sergei.blair@temple.edu.

World Series trophy to stop at Temple

Temple will get a taste of the Phillies’ World Series victory next week when former Owl Craig Solomon brings the World Series trophy to campus for display.

The Phillies franchise chose Solomon, 22, a recent Temple graduate, to showcase the trophy by traveling locally and nationally. So far, the alumnus made more than 100 appearances with the trophy, traveling more than 10,000 miles and showing it to nearly 110,000 people.

“Our main goal of the organization for this tour is to have as many people to see the trophy as possible and thanking them for the chance of having it,” Solomon said.

Solomon said he was born into his love for the game and for his hometown team.

“[Baseball] is something I’ve been involved in since I can remember,” he said. “It’s something I would like to spend my career being a part of.”

In 2007, Solomon, a former sport and recreation management major, landed an internship with the Phillies as an assistant concourse supervisor, which allowed him to work for Citizens Bank Park’s fan attractions and other postgame festivities.

After graduating in August 2008, his career with the Phillies solidified when the team offered him a full-time marketing position.

The Phillies won the World Series in a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in October 2008.

The team decided to take the trophy – symbolic of the city’s 25-year championship drought broken by the win – and show it around the world.

Solomon said the team’s management did not hesitate to request that he be keeper of the trophy.
“I proved myself to be credible, responsible and dedicated,” he said. “My work ethic showed them that I could be a reliable resource of taking on this important responsibility.”

Solomon said he was initially uncertain about the role he would play traveling with the award, but now, he has been on the road nearly every day since January. Most recently, he returned from a showing in Las Vegas.

“How many people can say they’ve taken the World Series trophy on tour?” he asked. “Not many people get to do the things I’m doing right now.”

When he flies with the 2-foot gold trophy, Solomon purchases three tickets – one for himself, one for his partner and one for the trophy. He said the Phillies’ prized possession, protected by a Tiffany & Co. bag and a black padded case, gets its own seat on the plane.

“We’re always careful when we handle it,” he said. “We take extra precautions, and there’s always somebody with it at all times.”

The World Series trophy, specially made by Tiffany & Co., weighs approximately 30 pounds. It features 30 gold-plated flags, representing each of the Major League Baseball teams. The trophy’s estimated value is $15,000.

Solomon said what continues to amaze him every time he displays the trophy at different locations is seeing people waiting for hours at malls to get a glimpse of it.

“We go to a mall, and the line will already be there before we even could even get there,” he said. “It’s great to see everybody wearing Phillies apparel in winter months, even when the team isn’t playing yet.”

That cold October night when the Phillies continued the previously delayed World Series home game, Solomon said he was coordinating various events with sponsors during the historic game and wasn’t able to see all of it.

But he had the chance to see the last inning.

“I wasn’t around in the city last time any of the major teams won championships,” he said. “This experience is something I will never forget.”

Solomon said he attributes his success with the Phillies to his Temple education.

“Temple didn’t just base education out of textbooks,” he said. “They went beyond to use a lot of hands-on opportunities.”

Solomon will return to Temple with the trophy and display it at the Bell Tower March 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sergei Blair can be reached at sergei.blair@temple.edu.

TTN Video: Phillies Championship Parade

Phillies clinch National League Pennant

Pitcher Cole Hamels led the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series Wednesday night.

Shortly after the game ended just after 11:30 p.m., fans crowded the streets of Philadelphia. The Temple News reports from Center City.

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TRANSCRIPT:

It’s about quarter of midnight on Wednesday, Oct 15. The Philadelphia Phillies have just clinched the National League Pennant, and the fans have raided Broad Street.

At Broad and Locust, the fans are in the median, on the corners and in the streets themselves as cars are trying to pass by. Venders are already out with their National League Pennant shirts, selling for at least 5 or 10 dollars.

Police are on the scene here attempting to control the traffic as people from their cars are high-fiving the crowd as they go by. Passers-by can’t help but stop, and the crowd is absolutely wild.

A 5-1 win for the Phillies in Game 5 of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cole Hamels pitched seven solid innings allowing only one run – a solo home run to Manny Ramirez. But otherwise, the Phillies did clinch in five games, leading the series 4-1. Again, this is their first World Series appearance since 1993. That’s a 15 year drought. Phillies fans are celebrating here in Center City Philadelphia not reserving their excitement for anyone.

The Temple News will have continuing coverage of the Phillies’ clinch of the National League Championship. Stay with us at temple-news.com and broadandcecil.com. Reporting in Center City, this is Chris Stover for The Temple News.