There has only been one time when I have been in a city that was in the finals for the Stanley Cup. That was in 1992 when the Chicago Blackhawks played the Pittsburgh Penguins, unfortunately for them, the Chicago Bulls were in the NBA finals too. Same time frame, same stadium, one Michael Jordan, different outcome. That says enough right there.
Last night I spent the night in Philadelphia as I had meetings in the city; I wanted to go the game, bet you can guess what I would be doing, but the tickets started out at the ridiculous price of $400. I watched the game at Applebee’s. Funny, for a city with a lot of sports teams, there were very few restaurants with bars/TV’s in the area I was staying, I was surprised, but did find my space and it was right in front of the TV. By the way, I was also the only person who was “quietly” rooting for the Blackhawks; the people around me were civil as I was very complimentary of the Flyers. I am no dummy---this is Philly, I don’t want it to be my last place seen alive.
Similar to what’s happening in Chicago, many people are wearing team jerseys, t-shirts and hats, with in this case the Flyers logo on them. The city is into the games as Chicago is; to get this far in a professional sport is a real accomplishment---they know it, we know it. It’s when a city is oblivious to their good fortune, that you hope they lose. However, it usually doesn’t happen that way---I think of certain cities, rhymes with “L” “A” where their teams have been in the finals for several sports and there are empty seats in the stands. I now believe this same city is into their NBA team, “rhymes with fakers” (had to)---but I do want the Celtics to win the NBA championship. I happen to have a lot of respect for the Celtics---but not as much as I do for the Bulls. (However, they were out of contention very fast.)
If the Blackhawks do win the Stanley Cup, and I hope they do, I am planning to attend the celebration; yes I am a bit of a fair-weather fan in this instance, but I am also a photographer and I want to capture the moment. We don’t have a lot of champions in the Windy City, and this is my first time as a photographer being in a city that is this close, so I am going to be there! (If I can’t photograph the win, I would like to photograph our former Governor outside the courthouse---it could be one of the last photos of him for a long time.)
The photo above was taken last night as I walked around Philadelphia. I had never been to the city and went out in search of some interesting sites. Looking up, I saw many signs wishing the Flyers good luck in the playoffs; for me it reconfirmed how this city sticks behind its teams---they are true sports fans. I do wish the Flyers luck, just not this year---I want to be able to say, “I was there when Chicago had another champion. “
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