Frozen on Ice

I remember when I was a kid back in the seventies watching commercials for the Ice Capades. I never got to go see stuff like that, although I did get to see the Philadelphia Flyers fight to the Stanley Cup on my big brother's black and white TV on UHF channel 29. So tiny and blurry, it was hard to tell they were on skates. Ice skating escaped my youth because of the lack of a lake I suppose, but I remember sliding on ice puddles in my sneaks.

Yeah, so no background in ice skating here, and the Olympics barely count because they were so boring, to me at least. I think the final nail in the coffin for me was more than two decades ago, I was invited by The Bride and her parents to go see Starlight Express, their favorite show, on ice in Philly. I embarrassed myself badly by dozing off for most of the show. Ice was not my thing.

Jump ahead to now, and The Bride loves the movie Frozen, so when she saw "Frozen on Ice" was going to be at the Wells Fargo Center, former home of the Philadelphia Wings, we made plans to go. Upon sitting down, the first thing I noticed was that the Wings banners had been removed, the team since last season having moved to Connecticut and renamed the New England Black Wolves. So not happy.

Frozen being the little girl phenom it is, we were the only adults I saw there. Perhaps we should have brought a niece or two as a cover, but no one seemed to say anything or stare. The merch was out of this world and everywhere. The Bride got a plastic mug made of Olaf's head to eat a sno-cone out of, and I got Chickie & Pete's Crab Fries. The fries, like the parking, was noticeably jacked up much higher than they ever were when we were Wings season ticket holders.

Despite a barely enthusiastic yogurt commercial for an opening sequence (the one host sounded like. a. robot. as. he spoke.), the show was amazing, even the post-commercial pre-show with the regular Disney characters was cool. The players, through dead on lip sync, brought the movie Frozen to life on the ice. And ice is key here. Everyone was on skates, including seemingly blind animals with no eyeholes.

It's like what folks say about Ginger Rogers. She did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in heels. Here it was ice. These players did everything on ice, in skates, and usually fast, while acting, dancing, running, etc. They were very good. As I mentioned, previously I was not an ice skating guy - now, I would do this again. Great show, and it was fun too.

For more on "Frozen on Ice," check out the latest episode of The Make Mine Magic Podcast right here.

My Wings Press Conference

I've been a Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse season ticket holder for over two decades. So from their championship years to the present day when they just can't seem to win a game at all - I've been there. And despite the fact that a person off the street can get a ticket in our area for less than we've paid in advance, and that that ticket price is still dwarfed by the cost of parking - I'm still there. I'm not as excited, but I'm still there.

Over the years, I guess to make up for the above, the Wings organization has offered certain premiums. Sometimes it's a towel, or a welcome mat, sometimes a pre-season party like this. There are also the Red Status bonuses, which usually allows ticket holders onto the field when the team is introduced. That's fun a couple times, but once you've done it, you've done it, ya know?

One of the alternatives to going down on the field this year was attending a press conference after a game. Both The Bride and I have semi-journalistic backgrounds so we thought it would be a cool idea. They lost, again, I think it might have been more exciting if they won... as it was the Rochester Knighthawks crushed the Wings 11-7.

The press conference was small and quick, as might be imagined. There were nine people in attendance other than myself and The Bride. They gave out a fact sheet listing penalties and scores, just in case folks weren't watching I suppose.

The head coach came out, stood at the podium, made a brief statement. No apologies, no excuses. He did have a little bit of an attitude, but I guess after so many losses I might have had one as well. Captain Kevin Crowley then came out, obviously just out of the locker room, and spoke briefly. Again, quick and painless.

And that was it. Just as quickly as it began, it was over, and those who showed up scampered away as if they had never been there. They really couldn't wait to pull the Wings logo off that podium. I guess a more winning team was going to have a press conference next.

All in all, I think it was worth attending. It was amazing to imagine what such a meeting might have been like during a championship season. And it was also heartbreaking to think that the days of lacrosse in Philly might be at an end. There are far too many empty seats any more, in the press hallway, and in Wells Fargo Center. Go Wings!

The End of an Era

Yesterday WYSP-FM changed their format and call letters to all sports and WIP-FM. I'm not a big sports fan other than Wings lacrosse and sometimes the Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys (you know where to send the hate mail), I think it's unfair for me to ask why we need another sports station in Philly, but there it is, ya know? It's not the first time WYSP has changed formats, but never so drastic a change before.

I grew up with WYSP, from when I first became aware of FM radio in the mid-seventies to when I fell away from terrestrial radio a few years back and discovered the more eclectic satellite radio. In the radio wasteland of Philadelphia, WYSP was always the cooler, hipper choice when compared to direct rival WMMR and distant competitor WIOQ. I envisioned stoned ex-hippies at the former and future NPR listeners at the latter, whereas WYSP listeners seemed like either myself, or folks I wanted to hang out with. WYSP always had the new, newer and newest music and trends.

WYSP was originally the FM version of AM pop/rock station WIBG, and its call letters stood for "Your Station in Philadelphia." It started rocking in the early 1970s and quickly became WMMR's biggest competition. As I mentioned, WYSP always seemed to have newer music and harder rock than WMMR. Those that listened could usually tell the difference with hearing a DJ or a station ID. WYSP was the first place I heard DEVO, Adam and the Ants, the Sex Pistols, Joan Armatrading, and even Rick Springfield.

When WYSP had news, it was cool news, same with the talk. I remember the Source days with Cyndy Drue, the Dr. Demento show and the Comedy Hour on Sunday nights. I remember the engineer who did the dead-on Mr. Rogers imitation and recorded versions of "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Iron Man." I remember Ask Anita. I remember listening to "Innerview" with Jim Ladd, as he talked with Roger Waters about what "The Wall" was really about, and when he interviewed Ray Manzarek telling apocryphal tales of the late Jim Morrison. I remember learning of John Lennon's death from WYSP.

I remember the Howard Stern years, along with the Opie and Anthony years. I remember the two weeks after 9/11 when WYSP was all talk, taking calls from listeners twenty-four hours a day and letting them vent, grieve or just talk. This is not as sad as that, but it like losing a lifetime friend. Even if I haven't seen you in a while, you were a friend. I will miss you, WYSP, and so will all of Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Goodbye, old friend...

Low Budget Lacrosse

I am a huge Philadelphia Wings fan, I love lacrosse and I love the Wings. I’ve been a season ticket holder for nearly two decades. Now I realize that the team hasn’t won a championship in nine years but in the years before that, they nearly scored every one. There’s a long history here. The team has unfortunately fallen into that terrible losing pattern most Philadelphia sports teams get caught up in – almost to the play-offs.

I attended the home opener on Saturday and was a bit shocked by what I found. It seems the Wachovia Complex (or whatever the hell they are calling it this week) has decided to put the squeeze on the Wings. I guess no wins means no money, but this is just ridiculous. It feels like they are trying to tight-ass Major Indoor Lacrosse out of Philadelphia.

Prices have gone up, not just a little but a lot. Parking up by 30% and most of the food up by a buck. That’s not a big thing really, that’s business as usual for a sports complex, but it gets worse. Let’s start with the tickets. They didn’t send them out via snail mail so we would have real tickets – they went out via email, to save paper I suppose, and that was just the start of the cheapness.

The program which are normally thick books of articles and stats was now basically a folded over flier. They had closed off the entire upper level and turned out the lights up there. A grade school choir sang the National Anthem rather than a big or local name singer. Only the starting line-up of the team was announced as opposed to all the players participating in the game. Our mascot, Mad Dog, who had previously been stripped of his ATV a couple years back, lost his whole costume save just a dog mask. And then the kicker, not that our half-time shows have ever been all that spectacular, but – there was no half-time show!

What the hell is up, Wachovia Complex?

The Wings won Saturday’s game 12-8. The players gave as good as they usually do. I have no complaints in that department, at least I don’t now that Jacobs is no longer on the Wings. There could have been more fights, but then again, there could always be more fights.

National Lacrosse League Cancels 2008 Season

From the Baltimore Sun:

Players' Association rejects league's last collective bargaining agreement proposal

The Associated Press
12:37 PM EDT, October 16, 2007

NEW YORK - The National Lacrosse League canceled its 2008 season after failing to reach a labor agreement with the union.

The executive committee of the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association rejected the last collective bargaining agreement proposal, the NLL said today.

"The plan is to take the season off and try to get with the union and negotiate a deal that works for both parties and get back playing in '09," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said.

The 14-team league was scheduled to open the season Dec. 27.

"It's devastating," Jennings said. "We're in a position right now where we're just starting to build momentum with our fan base, our teams, with television and sponsors over the last four, five years. We're not the NHL, not the NBA. This is going to cause a lot of pain to a lot of people."