The Pattison Avenue Potentate

This doesn’t have anything to do with politics, but it’s been bugging me for a little while now (and yes, I’ll admit that technically the address of the Wachovia Center is on Broad Street, but Pattison Avenue is in the vicinity). So, for that reason, I’m going to take a brief break from sifting through the flotsam of analysis of what Bushco is going to do about Iraq and the ISG – what is required is crystal clear to most of the world, but we know who “sits in the big chair” – and turn to Philadelphia sports, which I sometimes do.

For the sake of the uninitiated, I should provide some background of what it’s like to be a media consumer in this area, particularly when it comes to sports. As in other places, there is a “chicken or the egg” relationship to how much the media influences public opinion versus the other way around. And if the net effect of this were positive, I would have nothing to say.

I think that the proof of how detrimental this is concerns the recent episode with Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the two teams that play in the Wachovia Center owned by Comcast-Spectacor. I’m not a basketball expert, but I do recognize great players when I see them, and that describes Iverson. He is small in size, but he has more guts than I can imagine, competing against huge men with whom he has to make frequent physical contact in order to stick a basketball into a hoop. And he has done this in Philadelphia for the past 11 years, either leading the NBA in scoring or coming in a very close second or third in the process during that time.

However, he missed a practice a few weeks ago because of back spasms, and then was held out of a practice by Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks. Apparently in a fit of pique, Iverson then demanded a trade.

Enter Ed Snider (pictured), who I believe is the majority owner of the Sixers (I cannot determine the percentage of ownership from the Sixers’ web site – I’ll keep looking), who confirmed on national television that Iverson will be traded, stating that “it’s not working…he wants out, and we’re ready to accommodate him.”

Uh, Ed, can I ask you a question?

Exactly how do you think this is going to help your floundering basketball team? And why is a “cooling off” period apparently not an option here?

Yes, I know Iverson has a long history of lateness, brushes with the law, questionable stuff like urinating into a trash can at Bally’s at Atlantic City, arguing with coaches, fines – you could probably write a book about it (maybe someone has already).

But does it bear repeating to you, Ed, that Iverson is your best player? Do you honestly think coaches are going to come up with special defensive schemes because they’re worried about Kyle Korver?

Besides, most athletes are prima donnas any more – we all know that. They have been led to believe that the world revolves around them all their lives because of their ability and – sometimes – their hard work to achieve their accomplishments, so why should they change as adults (actually, Iverson has mellowed to a point, believe it or not, donating his time to serve food for the homeless at Thanksgiving, and I thought he represented this country well at the last Olympics for the men’s basketball team).

This reminds me a bit of the Terrell Owens fiasco in that one of our teams expected an elite athlete to suddenly learn how to act like a choirboy after ample proof had been provided, based on past performance and reputation, that this would not happen. And in the case of Iverson, how did Snider seriously think that Iverson would change in the way the team owner wanted?

What exactly is “not working” here, Ed? The Sixers? That’s not Iverson’s responsibility by himself.

Why don’t you take a long, hard look at Billy King instead, then?

You know, the guy who former coach Larry Brown anointed as the person to run your team (and though Brown deserves his due as a coach, he deserves scorn for his personnel decisions as head of basketball operations, and installing King definitely qualifies). How has this team fared under Brown’s protégé?

And isn’t this in keeping with your method of ownership, Ed? You know – letting your favorites run everything while you head off to vacation in California and travel as your means allow (not begrudging you that, but if you do, don’t act like you really know the sports landscape around here any more, because you don’t).

And as proof of that, I offer Exhibit A – Bob Clarke, the former G.M. of Ed’s pride and joy, the Flyers (the other team Ed owns, though it is a minority percentage after the Comcast-Spectacor deal for the Wachovia Center in 1996).

Clarke resigned a few weeks ago as general manager after some questionable personnel moves over the last year or so (long-term contracts to aging, injury-prone defensemen Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje, trading for forward Kyle Calder who FINALLY scored his first goal of the season Wednesday in a loss to Pittsburgh), as well as ignoring the way the NHL has changed over the last few years – I can recall a discussion with a former co-worker in 2001 about the Flyers’ need to upgrade their team speed, especially on defense.

Well, guess what? Snider has allowed Clarke to return to the team as a Senior Vice President in charge of player development, with nary a question from the media about whether or not this is actually smart given his past performance.

And speaking of the sports media (yes, I’m talking to you, Phil Sheridan and Bob Ford of the Inquirer, etc.), given everything I’ve just pointed out, when are you going to hold Snider’s feet to the fire on this for a change instead of blaming the team players and the fans exclusively?

Are you cowed because Snider once sued talk radio station WIP over made-up allegations concerning former Flyer Eric Lindros and reputed area mob leader Joey Merlino (a totally justified action on Snider’s part)? Do you think he’ll come after Philadelphia Media Holdings if you report or comment on what I’ve just said?

The Iverson situation brought this to a head, as far as I’m concerned. To watch the media gang on him and give Snider a pass in the process is ridiculous as far as I’m concerned (and hiring back Clarke is an un-reported joke of a move also).

Though I am but a casual observer of Philadelphia sports as things are now for a lot of other reasons, I fail to understand why our media continue to defer to Ed Snider, who has accomplished great things in his career but seems to be squandering that legacy now (and the best barometer of all of this, by the way, is fan attendance, and the Wachovia Center now has more empty seats than ever for Flyers and Sixers’ games).

Oh, and here’s a crazy thought, Ed – you could actually LOWER ticket prices next year instead of raising them as you continually do for these now-inferior teams that are allegedly competing in your Broad Street playpen.