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A Snowball's Chance: Philly Fires Back Against The National Media
The birthplace of our nation, the City of Brotherly Love, cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, Rocky, and…snowballs? That’s right. The national media hardly utters a sentence about Philly’s tough but passionate sports fans without mentioning how Santa Claus was once booed and pelted with snowballs. In fact, it doesn’t seem that anybody outside the Tri-State area can put that story and others to rest, even though this happened over 40 years ago. No matter what transpires, it seems that the national perspective about our sports community is set in stone. It’s almost as if there’s some kind of secret handbook used to perpetuate these negative stereotypes about our fans. Luckily, the guys at Philly2Philly.com managed to get a hold of this handbook with “A Snowball’s Chance,” and we’re firing back. Join us as we debate, discuss and defend some of Philadelphia sports history’s most dubious moments. You’ll read our passionate but fair takes The Santa Claus incident—with a first-hand account from Santa himself, Frank Olivo The J.D. Drew incident, from the perspective of broadcasting legend Dan Baker Why Philly fans never recognized the genius of Andy Reid …and much more! You’ll also hear Philadelphia’s athletes who have made the Tri-State area their permanent home Philly’s legendary broadcasting voices Brad Lidge, one of only two Philadelphia Phillies pitchers to close a World Series Championship for the franchise. We’re definitely no angels in Philly, but A Snowball’s Chance will absolutely shed some much needed positive light on perhaps the most notorious and unfairly maligned fan base on the planet. Philly2Philly.com has become one of the most personalized sites in the Philadelphia area. Visit us at www.philly2philly.com www.facebook.com/philly2philly @philly2philly
- GenresSports
286 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 4, 2022
Philadelphia phans enjoy reveling in being picked on, insulted, and misunderstood. This book is for them.
The book plays into the stereotypes of Philadelphia. We're the ones who threw snowballs at Santa, batteries at J.D. Drew, and booed Michael Irvin while he was splayed out on the turf at the Vet. As much as the national media talks about those events ad nauseam, the fans relish it. It is the attention they crave . . . and this book highlights it for them.
The writers from philly2philly.com do an admirable job running through what it means to be a Philadelphia fan (from their perspective). The book debunks the nasty incidents that the national media play up. The problem is that batteries were thrown on the field and the fans did boo an injured player. Some Philadelphia fans do idiotic things.
The writers clearly explain that Philly is a blue-collar town; we like those who work hard regardless of talent. Aaron Rowland is a prime example. To me, this is the epitome of being a Philadelphia sports fan. Play hard.
I enjoyed most of the discussion. There were some situations/memories I hadn't thought about in a while that were rekindled. Philadelphia sports fans will enjoy reading this.
As I read the book, there were some things that kept popping into my head. Not all phans boo. I was taught to applaud what I like and remain silent when things did not go our way. As someone who was at the J.D. Drew game, I was embarrassed by what transpired.
Howard Eskin should never be introduced as a "legend".
There were topics not covered that should have been. I kept thinking Dick Allen needed to be discussed, but the book seemed to be limited to 1968 onward. Why not the USSR v. Flyers game? If there were ever a defining moment of Philadelphia sports, that was it! Speaking of the Flyers, Dave Shultz needed mention in being the kind of player that Philadelphia is attracted to. Ricky "For who? For what?" Watters absolutely needed to be explored. He was the antithesis of Rowland in effort.
I was impressed with the current information in the book (Chip Kelly, Andrew Bynum, etc.). That is why the Phillies sell-out streak seemed odd. That streak ended and the way things were written, it made it sound as though it were current.
A few errors I noted . . .
* 1990's is better written 1990s
* alltime is better written all-time
* The Phillies did not win the NJ East 2007-2012. The Nats won the East in 2012.
* there was a less-fewer issue near the beginning of the book
This is a fun read. And if you're not from Philly, you just might learn something about the way we think around here. :)
The book plays into the stereotypes of Philadelphia. We're the ones who threw snowballs at Santa, batteries at J.D. Drew, and booed Michael Irvin while he was splayed out on the turf at the Vet. As much as the national media talks about those events ad nauseam, the fans relish it. It is the attention they crave . . . and this book highlights it for them.
The writers from philly2philly.com do an admirable job running through what it means to be a Philadelphia fan (from their perspective). The book debunks the nasty incidents that the national media play up. The problem is that batteries were thrown on the field and the fans did boo an injured player. Some Philadelphia fans do idiotic things.
The writers clearly explain that Philly is a blue-collar town; we like those who work hard regardless of talent. Aaron Rowland is a prime example. To me, this is the epitome of being a Philadelphia sports fan. Play hard.
I enjoyed most of the discussion. There were some situations/memories I hadn't thought about in a while that were rekindled. Philadelphia sports fans will enjoy reading this.
As I read the book, there were some things that kept popping into my head. Not all phans boo. I was taught to applaud what I like and remain silent when things did not go our way. As someone who was at the J.D. Drew game, I was embarrassed by what transpired.
Howard Eskin should never be introduced as a "legend".
There were topics not covered that should have been. I kept thinking Dick Allen needed to be discussed, but the book seemed to be limited to 1968 onward. Why not the USSR v. Flyers game? If there were ever a defining moment of Philadelphia sports, that was it! Speaking of the Flyers, Dave Shultz needed mention in being the kind of player that Philadelphia is attracted to. Ricky "For who? For what?" Watters absolutely needed to be explored. He was the antithesis of Rowland in effort.
I was impressed with the current information in the book (Chip Kelly, Andrew Bynum, etc.). That is why the Phillies sell-out streak seemed odd. That streak ended and the way things were written, it made it sound as though it were current.
A few errors I noted . . .
* 1990's is better written 1990s
* alltime is better written all-time
* The Phillies did not win the NJ East 2007-2012. The Nats won the East in 2012.
* there was a less-fewer issue near the beginning of the book
This is a fun read. And if you're not from Philly, you just might learn something about the way we think around here. :)
November 22, 2013
3.5 stars. Fun read about Philly fans. It's not going to change any minds or anything, but I think other Philly fans would enjoy it. Lots of interviews and perspectives from big personalities of Philly sports culture, including the actual Santa.
January 17, 2013
An absolute must read for every Philly sports fan or anyone interested in understanding Philly sports fans.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews