JerseyMan Magazine V9N4

Are we finally ready for

Electric cars?

George Anastasia’s

MOB SCENE

Volume 9 • Number 4 – $3.95

Flyers Preview

by Sam Carchidi

Julie & Zach Ertz Philly’s All-Star Couple

INSIDE: 76ers Broadcaster Marc Zumoff Temple Head Football Coach Rod Carey www.jerseymanmagazine com

INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS BUREAU

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ntroducing 1980 NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagle tight end Ken Dunek, former CBS3 news anchor Meisha Johnson, and local entrepreneur Mike Regina as they launch the Inspirational Speakers Bureau.

Each of these individuals has their own compelling story of success.

Ken Dunek went from not playing high school football to making the roster in his rookie year of the Super Bowl participant 1980 Philadelphia Eagles and the 2-time USFL Champion Philadelphia/ Baltimore Stars.

Meisha Johnson, founder of Mimi Ministries and Bethel Seminarian, has captivated broadcast audiences for fifteen years. After a life transforming “spiritual awakening,” she passionately shares her message of faith for everyday living.

Mike Regina, multiple Inc5000 winner, has built several successful businesses by being “intentional.” His presentations are energetic, engaging and challenge the way to approach each day, whether professionally or personally, to maximize impact.

Please contact Ken Dunek at 856-912-4007 for more information on how you can have these speakers contribute to your event.

PUBLISHER

FROM JerseyMan Magazine THE VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 4 ____________________________________________________________________________________

BY KEN DUNEK Ken Dunek Publisher

A Philadelphia Treasure

W

E LOST A PHILADELPHIA TREASURE THIS SUMMER. Former CBS and ABC Sports Anchor/Reporter Jack Whitaker passed away on August 18. He was 95 years old.

Always particularly well dressed and ruggedly handsome, Whitaker’s expertise ranged from covering 21 Super Bowls to calling Secretariat’s Triple Crown victory—and many, many sports in between.

He was a war hero, who was wounded on Omaha Beach in France three days after the D-Day invasion.

A graduate of Northeast Philly High and St. Joseph’s University, Whitaker began his broadcasting career at tiny WPAM-AM in Pottstown, PA before becoming a weatherman at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia working with such notables as John Facenda and Ed McMahon.

From there he went to CBS and covered the Masters, NFL football, and horse racing with a poetic prose that raised sport from the mundane with a Grace Kelly-like eloquence and style. He finished his television career with ABC covering the Olympics and boxing until his retirement in 1993.

I recall his post-game analysis of NFL games, and how he could give a five-minute dissertation of a contest with total recall—without a note or teleprompter. And the turtleneck sweater which became one of his trademarks.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ashley Dunek EDITOR George Brinkerhoff ART DIRECTOR Steve Iannarelli CONTRIBUTING WRITERS George Anastasia, Jan L. Apple, George Brinkerhoff, Michael Bradley, Sam Carchidi, Alexandra Dunek, Ashley Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Ken Dunek, Mark Eckel, Robert Kennedy, Sam Kraft, Dei Lynam, Anthony Mongeluzo, Tom Peric, Nick Santangelo, Kurt Smith Administrative Assistant Alexandra Dunek Event Coordinator Jamie Dunek Editorial 856-813-1153 Advertising 856-912-4007 Printing Alcom Printing, Harleysville, Pa. Controller Rose M. Balcavage Sales Associates Ashley Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Terri Dunek, Allison Farcus, JP Lutz

He was a member of Merion Golf Club and was one of the only players they allowed to ride a cart while playing the championship course, and he enjoyed the game well into his 80’s.

JerseyMan/PhillyMan Advisory Board

It’s football season. But it won’t be quite the same without Jack Whitaker.

Dave Czarnecki. . . . . . . . . . CzarStar/Kriebel Security

What a PhillyMan he was.

Peter Cordua (Chairman). . . HBK CPAs & Consultants Nick DeRose. . . . . . . . . . . Legacy Treatment Services Joseph Devine (Emeritus). . . . . . . . . Kennedy Health Ted Flocco (Emeritus). . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernst & Young Cate Heaman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prelude Solutions Bob Hoey. . . . . . . . . . . . . Janney Montgomery Scott Robert Kennedy. . . . . . . . . . The Kennedy Companies Julie LaVan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaVan Law Michael MacFarland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TD Bank Anthony Mongeluzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCS Mike Regina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Sky Enterprises Greg Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carvertise Les Vail. . . . . . Gloucester Co. Chamber of Commerce John White. . . . . . . . . . . . Peerless Business Advisors

“All coaching is, is taking a player where they can’t take themselves.”

Photo Jamie Dunek

– Bill McCartney JerseyMan Magazine/PhillyMan Magazine, products of a partnership between Ken Dunek, Anthony Mongeluzo, and Alcom Printing Group, are published by New Opportunity Publishing, LLC, with offices at 7025 Central Highway, Pennsauken, NJ, 08109. Copyright 2019.

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www.jerseymanmagazine.com

INSIDE “Don’t kill time—work it to death!”

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 4

– Dick Vermeil

COVER STORY

PHILLY’S ALL-STAR COUPLE

20 TOBIAS HARRIS

by DEI LYNAM

26

JULIE & ZACH ERTZ

Photo NHLI/Getty Images

Photo Brittany Waddell

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26 FLYERS SEASON PREVIEW

by SAM CARCHIDI

32 MARC ZUMOFF

Legendary voice of the Sixers

36 TEACHING SPEED

Former NFL player David Klemic

46 ROD CAREY TAKES OVER

Meet the new Temple head football coach

52 ELECTRIC ROAD TRIP

Are charging stations making travel easier?

60 BILLY SPROULE

Greater Philly’s new carpenter leader

64 WELCOME TO MONTCO!

COLUMNS Cover photograph Brittany Waddell

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1 2 J O T T I N G S • 1 8 G E O R G E A N A S TA S I A ’ S M O B S C E N E • 22 WHERE WE EAT 72 THE CIGAR GUY • 76 TECH TIME • 78 THE WINE MAN

jerseymanmagazine.com

JOTTINGS

“Mama wanted me to be a

BY GEORGE BRINKERHOFF

and preachin’ were a lot alike.”

______________________________________________________________________________ preacher. I told her coachin’ – Paul “Bear” Bryant

Photos playingcarddecks.com

It’s in the cards

H

ow about something eyecatching for your place that’s also cool and functional?

PlayingCardDecks.com, one of the largest retailers of custom, limited edition playing cards, offers over 1,500 decks to col-

lectors, players, magicians and cardists. Who are cardists, you ask? Why, someone who engages in cardistry. So, just what is cardistry?

It’s the performance of card “flourishing,” as in visually impressive cuts, displays, fans, patterns, sequences with cards. The word is a portmanteau of “card” and “artistry.” (So, what the heck is a portmanteau?)

The company works with artists around the world to come up with unique and innovative designs. They also collaborate with other creators to help get their decks funded and distributed through Kickstarter.

The website demonstrates the incredible variety of cards available for purchase. From historical figures, to mugshots of notorious people, antique motor cars or U.S. Presidents to famous works of art, you’ll find the per-

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fect deck or two for your next poker night.

Or collect and display them in your man cave for something totally different. On the site, you can order individual decks, or purchase monthly subscription boxes.

PlayingCardDecks.com

Everyone gets a trophy!

S

pike’s Trophies, with locations in Center City Philadelphia and the Main Line, as well as their showroom and corporate headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia, can help you celebrate that big day of yours with trophies, plaques, silk screened or embroidered shirts, signs, sportswear and more. And here’s the thing, they really are the experts in the recognition/celebration biz because they’ve been around a long time, longer in-fact than most people have been alive.

Myer “Spike” Shandleman opened Spike’s Trophies in Philadelphia way back in 1929, and 2019 is its 90th year in business! Current President Keith Baldwin bought the business with friends back in 2004 and they’ve been going strong ever since.

And if that wasn’t enough, when the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame had to move out of their old digs, Spike’s Trophies kindly offered them space to move into their corporate headquarters where they remain today. The Hall of Fame was founded in 2002 and “dedicated to honoring individuals, teams, events, organizations and venues prominent in the history of athletics in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.” They own “the fastest growing, most unique collection of Philadelphia sports artifacts, memorabilia, collectibles, antiques and architectural items,” which includes “day-to-day items such as programs and newspapers to major architectural pieces from area sporting venues.”

Yes, you bet, for being 90 years old and gracious, they too deserve a trophy!

For more info, check out Spike’s Trophies at gospikes.com, and the Philadelphia Hall of Fame at phillyhall.org.

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The pigskin.

T

he American football. There’s something primal in the feel and smell of the leather, the weight of the ball, and the oddly grippable nature of the strangely shaped, precisely inflated product.

Upon picking it up, and perching it in your hand with fingers across the laces, you’re compelled to, at first perhaps, smack it against your other hand several times, internalizing just how solidlyconstructed it is. Having savored that moment, continuing to hold it, you’re instantly transformed into a quarterback, as if you want to rear back and fire it into the outstretched arms of imagined wide open receivers. As the NFL celebrates its 100th season, here’s a brief overview of the football’s development into its current form used in the NFL: • In the 1850’s, in an earlier version of a game that became football, the ball used was an air-filled bladder of a pig, according to Newton’s Football: The Science Behind America’s Game

by Allen St. John and Ainissa G. Ramirez.

• In the first college football game on Nov. 6, 1869 between Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), a round rubber ball was used.

• Official NFL footballs have been made exclusively at the Wilson factory in Ada, Ohio since 1955.

• Today, each football is handmade from cowhide sourced from Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

• Each cowhide can usually make up to 10 footballs.

• Each football is made up of four pieces and a bladder.

• Five years later, an oval leather ball, resembling the kind used in rugby, featured in the HarvardMcGill game October 23, 1874 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• Footballs are to be 11 to 11¼ inches from tip to tip; 28 to 28½ inches in circumference (around it’s ends), and 21 to 21¼ inches around its middle (the girth) according to the NFL rules.

• The shape of the ball kept getting gradually narrower, becoming what’s officially called a prolate spheroid, after the legalization of the forward pass in 1906.

• The pressure must be 12½ to 13½ pounds per square inch when the rubber bladder is inflated (hear that, Mr. Brady?), and they must weigh 14 to 15 ounces.

• After the National Football League was founded, the ball’s dimensions began to be standardized in the 1930s.

• The ball’s pebbly texture comes from a 57,000-pound press that also has tiny Wilson W’s in the design to make it easier to catch.

• Wilson Sporting Goods Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, has been the official ballmaker for the National Football League (NFL) since 1941.

• Each ball contains Wilson’s logo, a panel with the NFL shield, Commissioner Roger Goodell’s signature, eight white laces and the longtime

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nickname for the ball, “The Duke,” which was also the nickname of former New York Giants owner Wellington Mara.

Through the development of the game we know as football, through trial and error and happenstance, the current NFL football seems proven and perfected.

Above: The 100th Anniversary “Duke” football the NFL will be using this season.

Hochman Unfiltered

S

TAN HOCHMAN was a Philadelphia institution, covering sports for the Philadelphia Daily News for over 50 years, starting as the Phillies beat writer and becoming a columnist in 1967. In his later years, Stan became known for his stint as the Grand Imperial Poobah on WIP’s Morning Show settling callers’ most pressing debates. In between he found time to write three books, write and co-produce sports documentaries, win numerous awards, and appear in Rocky V as a cynical Philadelphia sportswriter. With Stan Hochman Unfiltered, Stan’s wife Gloria Hochman, a New York Times bestselling author in her own right, has selected 100 of the late Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter’s greatest hits. She presents this treasury of Stan’s wit and wisdom in a way that reminds us of his impact as both a gifted, provocative and unparalleled writer and as a human being. The columns she’s chosen cover the whole panoply of sports,

including baseball, football, boxing, hockey, basketball (both professional and college) and horse racing as well as other things he was interested in like films and food. That Stan Hochman was a well-respected, one-in-a-million professional is aptly demonstrated by the variety of friends and colleagues introducing each section of the book, like Garry Maddox, Bernie Parent, Dick Jerardi, Larry Merchant, Jim Lynam and Ray Didinger, just to name a few. With a foreword by Angelo Cataldi and a message from Governor Ed Rendell, the depth of Stan’s writing is matched only by the number the lives he touched and entertained through his columns. (On a personal note, it was always an immense pleasure to get the first look at his work, when Stan was a columnist for JerseyMan Magazine a few years back penning profiles and food reviews.) As this enjoyable volume attests, Stan never lost his fastball. n 15

WCRE Charity Hockey Game with Flyers alumni – Voorhees, NJ

Primepoint Club Ribbon cutting ceremony at Talen Energy Stadium – Chester, PA

JerseyMan Magazine receives thanks for supporting Gateway Mortgage – Berlin, NJ

Philadelphia Union and Primepoint marked the official opening of the Primepoint Club with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Talen Energy Stadium.Primepoint was announced as a presenting partner and official payroll provider of the Philadelphia Union and Talen Energy Stadium earlier this year. The all-newPrimepoint Club is located inside of the Union Club and reserved for Manager’s Row and Presidential Row Season Ticket members before, during, and after games. Members can use the space pre-game for meals and after gamesthe space is used to mingle with Union players during postgame meals.

Ron Jaworski Dedicates 80 Football Jerseys to Bridgeton High School Bulldogs – Bridgeton, NJ

Chris Wilhelm (r) of Gateway Mortgage presents JerseyMan publisher Ken Dunek with a plaque, thanking him for support of a 5k run benefitting the Inter Community Celebration Association.

ADVERTISE WITH US Ron Jaworski has developed a strong relationship throughout the years with the Bridgeton Bulldogs. “Our youth is our future and because of that we must invest in them. The best way to do this is to provide opportunities for them to grow mentally and physically.

Lessons that are learned on playgrounds, ball fields and programming such as what the Bridgeton Bulldogs provide are easily transferable into life. It is amazing to see what these young children can accomplish when we as a community come together to nurture and inspire them,” said Ron Jaworski, Founder of Jaws Youth Playbook.

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contact: ken@jerseymanmagazine.com

Burlington CC wins South Jersey Junior League Championship – Burlington, NJ

Congratulations to Burlington Country Club’s Junior Team, who won a two hole sudden death playoff to defeat Medford Lakes Country Club in the 2019 South Jersey Junior League Championship. Pictured are the champions; Coach Scott Shirk, Alex Gross, Max Luz, Kyle Gross, Will Milligan and in front holding the cup Aiden Devine, who sunk the winning putt.

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MOB SCENE

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY GEORGE ANASTASIA

A License to Steal

T

HE WORK was never completed but the checks were always cashed.

That, in simple terms, is the way Anthony Persiano did business, according to those who dealt with the reputed mobster during his long and storied run in the “restoration” business in South Jersey and Philadelphia.

“He was a con man,” said one businessman who dealt with Persiano, “and he had a license to steal.”

That license, many believe, was issued by the FBI which used Persiano last year as a confidential informant in an Atlantic County drug case in which four mob members and associates were charged and subsequently pleaded guilty.

The drug case appeared to be the tip of the iceberg in a broader mob probe that was expected to spill over into Philadelphia and jam up several other prominent underworld figures.

But it’s been more than a year since the arrests in that drug case and nothing else has happened.

Persiano clearly helped the feds infiltrate the drug operation, but there are those who believe he wasn’t able to deliver much more despite talking a big game about his underworld connections.

While details about his cooperation have been sketchy, it appears he is the latest in a list of Philadelphia wiseguys and wannabes who cut deals with the government to get out from under their own problems.

Persiano, who was convicted in a murder case in the 1990s, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud charges earlier this year. Those charges offer a glimpse into the way he did business.

In 2014, authorities said, he was behind a bogus pawnshop robbery in Union Township that was apparently staged to settle an outstanding debt owed to the pawnshop operator. The “robbery” resulted in the 18

pawnshop owner filing an insurance claim for “losses significantly higher than the cash and jewelry actually taken” by Persiano, according to the criminal charge to which Persiano has pleaded guilty.

The pawnshop operator, authorities say, collected $174,025 from the insurance company.

During this same period, the criminal charge alleges, Persiano was running Code Red Fire Water Restoration, a company with offices in Glassboro and Pennsauken. The company was engaged in-home repairs built around insurance claims, usually for fire or water

“He was a con man,” said one businessman who dealt with Persiano, “and he had a license to steal.” damage. Many unsuspecting homeowners who availed themselves of the services of Code Red never saw the repairs completed. In some cases, they were never begun.

Instead, authorities said, Persiano pocketed the cash by “fraudulently endorsing the insurance checks that were made out to multiple payees.” It’s unclear how many people were scammed. The criminal complaint cites one Camden County case involving a claim for $22,124.33. A claims adjuster in Philadelphia says he knows of at least four cases there and other sources say there are more at the Jersey Shore.

More important, those sources say Persiano continued to run his scams after he

began cooperating with the FBI sometime in 2016 or 2017. The criminal charges to which he has pleaded guilty only cover the years 2014 and 2015.

Persiano is also being sued by two Floridabased investors who say they loaned $150,000 to Assured Fire and Water Restoration., a Ventnor-based company he owned. The money, according to a suit filed earlier this year in federal court in Camden, was to help fund three restoration projects undertaken by Assured Fire in Egg Harbor Township, Ventnor and on State Road in Philadelphia.

But the suit contends the money was instead “used for personal gain…and/or…other illegitimate purposes.” Neither Persiano nor his company have responded to the allegations in the civil complaint.

More details about his business practices could surface at his sentencing hearing which is tentatively set for December 19 in federal court in Camden. Victims will be allowed to come forward at that hearing, according to documents filed in the criminal case.

That hearing may also provide more information about his cooperation with authorities in the drug case and in any other pending mob investigation. The extent of that cooperation may be the only card Persiano can play to avoid a substantial prison term.

He faces a maximum twenty-year sentence on each of the two charges to which he’s pleaded guilty and a fine of $250,000.

HOSE WHO KNOW HIM say he has left the Philadelphia – South Jersey area. He remains free on a $100,000 unsecured bond and a very long federal leash.

He is permitted to travel anywhere in the “continental United States,” according to the bail bond document he signed earlier this year.

The document does not indicate where he is currently living. On the lines listing the city and state in which he now resides there are only the letters “TBD”—to be determined.

T

Another detail that will certainly be of interest to those who hired Code Red to repair their damaged homes was Persiano’s reply to a question about whether he is currently employed. He said he is currently working as a “senior project estimator.”

Somewhere out there right now he may be bidding a job and offering repairs for a home damaged by water or fire.

Some things never change.

In fact, Persiano was in the restoration business years before Code Red surfaced.

More than ten years ago he was working for a company linked to FirstPlus Financial, a Texas-based mortgage company that was used by mobster Nicodemo S. Scarfo and mob associate Salvatore Pelullo in what a federal jury ultimately determined as a multi-million dollar bust out scheme. Scarfo and Pelullo are now each serving thirty-year prison sentences.

Persiano and several others who worked for FirstPlus subsidiaries in the restoration business were never charged, but it appears from court records that at the same time Scarfo (the son of late mob boss Nicodemo D. Scarfo) and Pelullo were standing trial in federal court in Camden in 2014 Persiano started Code Red and began his own—albeit smaller—bust out operation.

While Persiano has been described in federal documents as a “made” or formally initiated member of the Philadelphia crime family, that also may be based on a fraudulent claim.

Sources have said that Persiano, Pelullo and two others involved in the FirstPlus operation were initiated into the crime family by the late Little Nicky Scarfo. Operating through a proxy because he was in prison, Scarfo was said to have arranged for “an old-timer” to stage an initiation ceremony. The validity of that making ceremony, if in fact it ever occurred, is questionable at best.

But then so would any blood oath taken by the initiates whose honor and loyalty were supposedly beyond question. In addition to Persiano and Pelullo, one of the other mob associates allegedly brought into the family at that ceremony was Salvatore “Sammy” Piccolo.

Piccolo had worked with Persiano at a FirstPlus affiliate.

Last year he was one of the mobsters arrested in that Atlantic County drug case, charged with twice selling meth to an undercover FBI agent. The case included surveillance video of drug deals in progress and secretly recorded conversations in which deals were set up and carried out.

The agent, who was wired for sound, was introduced to Piccolo by Persiano. n 19

DEI LYNAM

_______________________________________________________________________________ ___

Tobias Harris: The best is yet to come Photo courtesy Dei Lynam

S

IXERS FANS can still visualize that infamous four-bounce corner jumper of Kawhi Leonard falling through the hoop. The ball floated in the air for what felt like an eternity, before everyone realized time had expired in game seven of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Raptors were moving on while the Sixers were going home.

That bucket was a dagger to fans’ hearts. It ended the Sixers hopes of reaching the NBA Finals. Since that day in May, Jimmy Butler has left for Miami; J.J. Redick has departed for New Orleans. Tobias Harris, however, accepted a $180 million five-year contract to stay with the Sixers, and he is positive Sixers fans have yet to see his best, especially from downtown.

“Last year I think one of the biggest disappointments for me was the three-point percentage when I got here,” Harris said during an August visit to Philadelphia. “That was something I had done a lot of diligent work on in the offseason. I know I am one of the best shooters in the NBA, so how can that translate back this year. I have been able to evaluate those looks and see where I can get high-percentage looks that I was normally used to. It’s just a quick fix.”

When Sixers general manager Elton Brand traded for Harris last February, Harris was shooting 43 percent from three-point range through 55 games with the Los Angeles Clippers. Had he sustained that in his final 27 games he would have finished with the fifthhighest three-point percentage in the league.

Instead, he struggled in his new role and shot just 32 percent from behind the arc to close out his season. His offseason work coupled with a changing roster has Harris alerting fans that a deeper playoff run is in store for the upcoming season.

“For our group, I think the emphasis will be on the chemistry,” Harris said. “Knowing guys thoughts on the floor; knowing the different games of guys. Coach has emphasized us being able to move the basketball with our passing and to be a team that flows because of

‘‘

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Dei Lynam and Sixers forward Tobias Harris share a laugh on the set of 97.5 The Fanatic Fan Fest.

Every year I progress, and every year I get better. You are going to see a better player in me come [this] year.”

our many weapons. We have an opportunity to impose our will on our opponents.

“If you look at our dynamic of guys compared to last year—last year we had a great group— this year we have guys like Al Horford and Josh Richardson and more depth on the bench. That combination will have a huge impact on our group, especially come playoff time.”

Al Horford is a five-time all-star acquired in free agency, and Josh Richardson was part of the Jimmy Butler trade. He is entering his fifth NBA season. Richardson has steadily increased his scoring over his first four seasons, averaging 16 points per game last year. He is also developing a reputation as an up and coming,

elite two-way player. Richardson is not alone in investing the time at the defensive end of the floor.

“Defense has been a big part of my focus this off-season,” Harris shared. “Making sure I am lower, making sure laterally my quickness is there. I have put in a substantial amount of hours into working on my speed and agility to get myself lower. Every year I progress, and every year I get better. You are going to see a better player in me come [this] year, and you are going to see a better team too.”

Harris insists Sixers fans are in store for seeing a better Ben Simmons.

The two players have been working out

together in Los Angeles. According to Harris, Simmons has become quite the jump shooter. Sixers fans have rarely seen Simmons attempt a jump shot in his first two pro seasons. Harris thought they would be excited to learn of Simmons new skill. However, people were quick to question the truth of Harris’ words.

“Everybody thought I was lying until it goes out on somebody’s (social media) page and now everybody is on that train,” Harris explained. “It is because of confidence and repetition. He (Simmons) has been in the gym, locked in all summer, and the shot improved.

Obviously, he knows what is being said about him, and you get a feel from the playoffs, and you know the team is motivated. It just shows how great a player he wants to be for himself and the team.”

Of the 629 shots, Simmons attempted last year only 25 came from 16 feet or further; he made two of them. Simmons, who signed a contract extension for $170 million, has the incentive to show he has added a jumper to his repertoire. His new deal can be worth over $200 million if the third-year point guard makes first-team All-NBA in 2020. Across the board, Sixers players have plenty of motivation to better their individual and team success from 2019. Stay tuned. n

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Where We Eat 9th & Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA • 215.634.9800 FOR ANY AVID BRUNCH ENTHUSIAST the hours of noon to 2 p.m. on fall weekends are a coveted time. Local televisions are smeared with Eagles green, craft beer aficionados hunt for their next brew to love, and champagne bottles chill for the endless order of mimosas that will soon flood restaurants across the city. All while the most important question begs for Philadelphians to answer, “Where should we eat?!” Paul Sandler and team served up the answer on the edge of 9th and Chestnut.

With 15 years of experience as the Palms General Manager, Paul knows the insand-outs of what makes a restaurant successful. He took the best of those ideas and planted them into his latest venture, Sandler’s on 9th. Located inside of the Ben Franklin House, and just over one year old, Sandler’s is a seamless blend of luxury and comfort. The concept nails Paul’s goal for the space; to create a dining experience where “everyone feels comfortable.”

That idea, coupled with an all-day breakfast menu, seems to do the trick. Sandler’s is familyfriendly and shows off a creative menu with items like “Mom, You Pick” an alternative name for a classic kid’s chicken finger dish and sides of “homies” aka home fries. Boasting 7 large big screen TVs and Happy Hour twice a day (7- 9 a.m. & 5-7 p.m.), we encourage you to make this a game day stop. Here’s what we recommend:

Brunch Libations Grilled Cheese & Bacon Bloody and the Prosecco Punch $8/$6.50 The Bloody Mary was garnished to perfection: celery, lemon & lime, a crisp slice of bacon and a mini grilled cheese to top it off! It could’ve been a lunch on its own.

Poutine, Poutine, Poutine $12.90 Not your classic brown-gravy poutine dish, but these will steal the show!

We tried the Brunchy Brisket—a generous portion of crispy fries, topped with gravy-soaked beef brisket, sunny-side up egg and Cooper cheddar cheese.

Also available: Lobster, Bacon & Cheese, Chesapeake, and Buffalo Chicken (prices varied)

Wings $12.90 House Buttermilk Buffalo, Korean BBQ, and Garlic Parmesan, these wings (baked or fried) are a game day staple! If you like a little spice, try the Korean BBQ.

Bacon on a Stick $14.90 Thick cut, candied Martin’s Bacon topped with a honey BBQ glaze.

Lobster & Shrimp Salad Sandwich $16.90 Generous chunks of lobster meat and shrimp overflowed on top of a soft, buttery roll and garnished with fresh tarragon. This was hands-down our favorite.

Fried Chicken & Belgian Waffle $15.90 Paul agrees that there is no such thing as too much bacon and he incorporated that idea into his Belgium Waffle. Yes, a bacon-infused waffle. The chicken was crispy, tender and sprinkled with Maldon Sea Salt, a finishing touch we didn’t know we needed! n @sandlerson9th 22

Sandler’s on 9th

Photos Jamie Dunek

Sandler’s on 9th

BY ASHLEY DUNEK & JAMIE DUNEK

P R E V I E W F L Y E R S P H I L A D E L P H I A

2019-2 The Flyers look stronger than last season, but that doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot.

BY SAM CARCHIDI

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Photo NHLI/Getty Images

20 Having youngster Carter Hart in goal for a full season gives the Flyers reason for optimism.

27

Photo NHLI/Getty Images

New Flyers Head Coach Alain Vigneault is the 12th-winningest coach in NHL history with 648 victories.

T

he Flyers, thanks to a handful of off-season moves, look stronger than the team that missed the playoffs last season and finished with just a 37-37-8 record.

But are they strong enough to make a run at their first Stanley Cup since 1975?

That is highly doubtful. In fact, new coach Alain Vigneault will have a challenge trying to steer the Flyers into the playoffs in the talented Eastern Conference.

That said, there are a couple of ways to look at the 2019-20 Flyers:

Glass half-full: Vigneault is a proven winner, and by acquiring Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, a pair of veteran righthanded defensemen, the Flyers solidified their back end. Their defense, which finished 29th out of 31 teams by allowing 3.41 goals per game last season, should be much improved.

Having promising young goalie Carter Hart from the start of the season should also help.

Ditto the addition of 6-foot-5, 216-pound Kevin Hayes, a solid two-way player and their No. 2 center.

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Glass half-empty: The Flyers didn’t add a much-needed sniper, and Niskanen and Braun are coming off sub-par seasons and may be on the decline. Having dealt hard-nosed Radko Gudas in the Niskanen trade with Washington, there are also questions about whether the Flyers will have enough physicality in their lineup.

Chuck Fletcher, who is in his first full season as the Flyers’ general manager, prefers looking at the positive side, and it starts with Vigneault, who is the 12th-winningest coach in NHL history with 648 victories. He owns a terrific .588 points percentage.

“What impressed me about AV is his experience,” Fletcher said before training camp started. “He has a long track record of success in this league. He’s been able to go to teams and make them better quickly and keep them at a high level for a long period of time and that’s hard to do. He’s a guy who knows how to win, and I like what he’s done with his staff.”

Vigneault, who has had previous headcoaching stints with Montreal, Vancouver and the New York Rangers, retained goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh and Ian Laperriere, though the latter assistant no longer will coach the pen-

alty kill. Laperriere will be the “eye in the sky” coach from the press box and will also handle the pre-scouting for upcoming opponents.

Vigneault added two former head coaches as assistants: Mike Yeo and Michel Therrein. Yeo will coach the penalty kill, which was 26th in the league last season, while Therrein will direct the power play (22nd), and the Flyers need to make vast improvements in both areas.

After sitting in on some coaching meetings during the summer, Fletcher said he felt “very good about the preparation the coaches have put into the coming season and I’m excited about the collaboration and the communication. AV, even though he’s experienced and has been around the game for a few years, he’s very progressive.”

Vigneault “loves to play an attacking style, and we want to pressure, we want to play fast,” Fletcher said. “But in order to do that, you need to have good structure and you need to have good systems and you need to defend well. That’s the key. You always need to defend. The other team is going to have the puck and try to create and they’re going to get to your zone, and the whole key is how quickly

“[Vigneault has] been able to go to teams and make them better quickly and keep them at a high level for a long period of time and that’s hard to do. He’s a guy who knows how to win.”

– GM Chuck Fletcher

you can get the puck back. I think his teams have always played fast, have always been hard to play against, and have always been teams that have controlled the play. I think the foundation of a good attacking team is a strong defensive structure.”

Hiring Vigneault also helped the Flyers lure Hayes, who signed a seven-year, $50-million deal. Hayes spent four years playing for Vigneault with the Rangers.

“I had a great relationship with AV,” said Hayes, who had a combined 19 goals and a career-high 55 points with the Rangers and Winnipeg last season. “Obviously as a player, you want to play the most minutes and you want to play in every situation. But when you enter the league, you have to prove yourself, and I thought every year with AV, I got more and more ice time and more and more situational play. We had a fine relationship, to be

honest, off the ice and on the ice.”

Vigneault “definitely factored into my decision to come here,” Hayes said. “It’s not always easy going to a new locker room, meeting everyone and trying to figure out the new coach. For me, I played for him for four years so it won’t be hard to get acclimated.”

Hayes called Vigneault an “old-school coach who will do anything to win. He’s going to play the best guys that are going that night. He treats everyone the same, whether you’re a vet or a rookie. He lets you know when you’re playing well, and he lets you know when you’re not playing well. He’s a very open-minded coach.”

igneault will have much more balance in his top three lines than last year’s coaches, Dave Hakstol and his replacement, Scott Gordon. The Flyers averaged 2.94 goals per game a year ago, finishing 18th in the 31-team NHL.

V

The Flyers’ top line will feature Sean Couturier (33 goals, 76 points) and Claude Giroux (22 goals, 85 points) and could include Travis Konecny (24 goals).

Hayes and Jake Voracek (20 goals, 66 points) should highlight the second line, which might have James van Riemsdyk (27 goals) or Oskar Lindblom at left wing at various times.

The addition of Hayes drops Nolan Patrick down to the third-line center spot and, on paper, should give him better matchups. If the Flyers are going to be a playoff team, they need Patrick, who had 13 goals in each of his first two seasons, to blossom.

They also need Lindblom, who had 17 goals during an impressive rookie season in 2018-19, to keep growing as a player.

Perhaps most importantly, they need defensemen Ivan Provorov (seven goals, minus-16 rating) and Shayne Gostisbehere (nine goals, minus-20 rating) to rebound from disappointing seasons.

Niskanen, who is in his 13th NHL season, entered camp as the favorite to play alongside Provorov. Maybe he can stabilize Provorov’s game. Braun, in his 10th season, also lends experience to the back end.

“We added some really good key veterans that I think we needed,” forward Scott

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Laughton said.

Niskanen is excited to be part of a defensive unit that has a nice blend of youth and experience. He especially likes Provorov’s potential.

“He has high-end skill. I like the way he moves the puck, and he’s a strong player and a strong skater,” Niskanen said. “He has a big shot and good instincts, and those kind of guys are fun to play with. It would be an honor to play with him.”

f the Flyers are to improve on their sixthplace Metropolitan Division finish, they need to get off to much better starts to games. Last season, they faced a 2-0 deficit in a staggering 32 of 82 games (39 percent). They won just four of those 32 games.

“It’s tough to play that way, and part of it comes down to depth and the overall talent level of your team,” Fletcher said of the slow starts. “For me, training camp is extremely important any year, but in particular this season.

We have to change, and AV is going to come in and set a high standard in camp for our team, and he’s going to hold our players accountable. … We need to develop consistency in everything, in our systems play, in our habits, in our details in the game and our work ethic.

“Generally speaking, if you work at doing things the right way day after day, then you

I

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develop those good habits that allow you to have success when the game starts,” Fletcher added. “It all comes down to structure and habits and details and just playing the right way. If we do, not only will we be better defensively, but we’ll have the puck more often and we’ll be able to dictate the play instead of chasing games and reacting to what the other team is doing all the time.”

The Flyers hope a new coaching staff and the addition of three veterans (Hayes, Niskanen, and Braun) will help them play with more focus at the start of games—and that they will keep that focus for 60 minutes.

Having Hart (2.83 GAA, .917 save percentage) for a full season also gives the Flyers reason for optimism. Brian Elliott (2.96, .907) will also see time in the nets. The Flyers set a dubious NHL record by using eight goalies last season, but Hart was a stabilizer after being recalled from the AHL Phantoms.

“He made a huge impact on our group last year,” Laughton said. “We were struggling a bit before he came up and he kind of steadied us and gave us really good goaltending and gave us consistency. He’s such a mature kid and I’m really excited [to see him develop].”

The quicker Hart develops, the quicker the Flyers will take a step toward ending a Stanley Cup drought that has reached 44 years. n

Photo NBAE/Jesse Garrabrant

Sixers broadcaster Marc Zumoff acknowledges the crowd after ringing the Sixers ceremonial bell.

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Zoo

Marc Zumoff’s 76ers Passion Endures Through Parades and Processes

BY NICK SANTANGELO

The crowd went wild.

It was the late ‘60s, and everything was on the line for the 76ers. They’d turn to stars Hal Greer and Wilt Chamberlain to get them the bucket they needed, and a young Marc Zumoff would make the call: “Greer to Chamberlain, Chamberlain hook shot, gooooood!”

Except, Zumoff, had no idea whether or not Chamberlain had made his shot. He didn’t even know if he’d taken it or so much as received a pass from Greer. In those days—long before ESPN and NBC Sports Philly—Sixers games were only occasionally broadcast on TV. So instead of watching the game, a middle-school-aged Zumoff would turn his TV to channel 8, then nothing but static. The future Sixers play-by-play man would make up the events of the game in his head, call the plays into a tape recorder and then turn up the volume on the static to simulate crowd noise.

The man who’s affectionately known as “Zoo,” admits that this routine was “kind of geeky.” Maybe so, but his obsession with the 76ers and broadcasting eventually led him to a gig with the team in 1983. This past season, he celebrated 25 years as the team’s play-by-play announcer, a stretch during which he won an astounding 19 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards for

best sports play-by-play broadcaster. Now Zumoff is just weeks away from calling what has the potential to be the most successful 76ers season at least since his favorite with the team—the Allen Iverson-led 2001 NBA Finals run—or possibly since his first when the Sixers last became NBA champions.

Tanks and Triumphs The Sixers’ last championship was so long ago that the team hoisted the Walter A. Brown Trophy after sweeping the Lakers, not today’s Larry O’Brien Trophy. Zumoff was in his first season as the 76ers’ pre-game, halftime and post-game host on the now-defunct PRISM Sports Network. In the seasons since, the Sixers have spent time as everything from championship contenders to league doormats. As Sixers fans surely noticed over those years, Zumoff says his passion has never wavered regardless of the on-court product.

“For someone who grew up rooting for the Sixers, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, who remembers the team moving from Syracuse in 1963, it’s never been lost on me what an unbelievable treat and privilege it is for me to be the TV voice of the 76ers,” gushes Zumoff. “So, whether the team is winning 10 games or 50 games, my enthusiasm does not change at all.

“Now, that said, if you’re winning 10 games as the team did in ‘15, ‘16, there are the challenges that are inherent with that, which includes emphasizing individual stories, maybe

Summer Shots When the 76ers drafted Ben Simmons with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft, the consensus was that they were getting a generational player, possibly the next LeBron James. After winning Rookie of the Year in 2017-2018 and becoming an AllStar in 2018-2019, it’s hard to argue that Simmons doesn’t still have that potential.

But his almost completely non-existent outside shot remains a major hurdle.

Marc Zumoff has had as good of a view of Simmons’ development as anyone. So what did he think when sizzle reels of Simmons sinking perimeter jumpers in pickup games popped up over the summer? Will he take those shots in actual games?

“I would like to think that some of the videos that I’ve seen over the summer is encouraging,” says Zumoff. “And I am hopeful. And remember now, he’s only, what, 23 years old? And he’ll be entering his third year in the NBA. And there is a pretty rich history of guys in the NBA who are young, who have taken a couple of years to get used to the league, and then really began to blossom in that third season. So, I think the hope is a similar one for Simmons.”

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Photo courtesy Marc Zumoff

“ Turning Garbage into Gold”

Zumoff (L) with broadcast partner Alaa Abdelnaby

Trying to lock all windows and doors. Right down Broad Street. These are just a few of Marc Zumoff’s go-to sayings while in the broadcast booth. Known as “Zooisms,” they’re beloved by fans. But how did Zumoff come up with them, and how does he know when the time is right to use one?

“You get tired of saying the same thing all the time,” explains Zumoff. “So, in order to, I guess in some ways, amuse myself as well as the audience, I’ve come up with phrases.

And now when I do a game, they’re just kind of rattling around in my head, and I think it’s appropriate. I’m careful not to overuse it.”

Zumoff credits his early years with the team when he had to script features for on-screen talent with helping him develop the sayings.

But he credits a George Lynch put-back bucket off an offensive rebound with inspiring his creation of perhaps his most famous Zooism: “Turning garbage into gold.”

talking a lot more about the opponent. Whatever it is that I can do to keep people interested and engaged, it was incumbent upon me to do as a professional.”

But with the infamous tanking era known as “The Process” now well behind the Sixers, Zumoff, like almost anyone who follows the NBA, expects big things of the team this season. Most sportsbooks have their over/under win total pegged around 54 or 55 games.

Most fans and pundits, both locally and nationally, expect the 76ers to compete for a chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

The team may have lost “closer” Jimmy

“Last year’s Sixers team was very good, evidenced by the fact that they won over 50 games and went two rounds in the playoffs,” says Zumoff. “I was always concerned about them defensively, and it’s pretty clear that Elton Brand and the Sixers management team saw the same thing. And I think what they did was they went out and made the team that much better defensively, while not really sacrificing offense unless you consider the threepoint shooting. Certainly, in that regard, JJ Reddick is a big loss.”

But when you tabulate the team’s offseason losses and additions, is this year’s team more talented than the one that lost to the Toronto

“ I am as excited about this Sixers team as I’ve been in a long time.”

Butler and sharpshooter JJ Redick in the offseason, but it added veteran big man Al Horford and promising young guard Josh Richardson. Superstar center Joel Embiid and the wildly talented but confounding point guard Ben Simmons are still here, the latter having been extended on a new deal. And the starting five is rounded out by forward Tobias Harris, returning on a five-year $180 million contract, the biggest in franchise history.

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Raptors in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Kawhi Leonard’s heartbreaking, quadruple-doink, three-point buzzer-beater?

Zumoff knows better than to fall into the trap of predicting how many games this 76ers team can win, but he sees a better team now than the one Leonard sent packing.

“I think, all in all, they ended out very well,” says Zumoff. “And now with the Golden State Warriors not being the Warriors any-

more, and the defending champion Toronto Raptors losing their best player, it’s wide open. The Sixers have gone for it, and they have an opportunity now to win their first championship since 1983.”

Friends and Favorites Despite all the offseason changes, the core of the team remains Embiid and Simmons for the third year in a row, and top bench players Mike Scott and James Ennis are each returning for a second year. This sort of stability has allowed fans to feel an attachment to the team and its players that it couldn’t during The Process era when the roster experienced unprecedented turnover and featured a dearth of star power. But regardless of who’s been on the team and for how long, Zumoff has had no trouble befriending them.

“It’s always been easy for me to make friends with guys,” he says. “And by friends, I mean having a professional relationship with them. So typically, I will interact with players before games, after games, before and after practices. We might catch a quick conversation in a hotel or on a bus or on an airplane, that sort of thing.”

Zumoff has gotten close to all of them by explaining that, as the voice of the 76ers, it’s his job to promote the team and the players. These days, though, they need little promotion to win over the fan base. While the team that plays

its home games in the stadium next door to the Wells Fargo Center may always be number one in Philadelphians’ hearts, these 76ers seem to have far surpassed the other two teams in town in terms of fan enthusiasm. It’s conceivable that an NBA Finals run could even allow them to approach Eagles-level popularity.

“Our fan base is more galvanized than at any time in the team’s history,” says Zumoff.

“And I could say that strictly from a quantitative standpoint, in that not only don’t I remember us selling out every game in a stretch like this but the fact that they had a waiting list for season tickets? I mean, even in ‘82, ‘83 when they were on their way to dominating the NBA and going to the championship, their percentage of sellouts was not what it was even just last year. And there certainly was not a waiting list for season tickets.”

Like Zumoff, fans would likely point to the 2000-2001 team as the most exciting in memory. That year, the diminutive Allen Iverson reached a global stardom that was arguably bigger than any athlete in Philadelphia history. The (generously listed) six-foot guard almost single-handedly led the Sixers to a Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Lakers. Kids everywhere were wearing Iverson’s jersey and sneakers, and seemingly every other car in the Delaware Valley had a 76ers window flag

whipping in the wind.

“So, I’m very much into the now, and I am as excited about this team as I’ve been in a long time,” prefaces Zumoff before recalling his favorite Sixers era. “But I have to go back to the late ‘90s, early 2000s with Allen Iverson and what he did. Just the improbability of their run in 2001, and the way it captured the city, and the fact that they were led by this guy who was maybe six feet and maybe 165 pounds, who played such a daring brand of basketball that really endeared him to our audience. Because we always see ourselves like Rocky, like the underdog. And [Iverson] physically and in every which way was perceived as the underdog. So we really latched onto him.”

Iverson may not have looked or played like the prototypical NBA stars of his day, but he made it work and won the city’s heart. Overcome by how lasting that love has been, Iverson last month told screaming fans at 97.5 The Fanatic’s Fan Fest that they “love too hard.”

For a city with that kind of unbridled fan enthusiasm, it’s probably not possible for Zumoff to love the 76ers too hard. But he certainly seems to love them and his job broadcasting their games as much as anyone could. Judging from the fan reaction he himself got while being honored for his 25th year calling games last season, there seems to be plenty of love to go around. n

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Photo AthletesArbour.com

David Klemic

TEACHING SPEED

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BY MARK ECKEL

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Whenever a football coach, on whatever level, has a player that can run really fast, eventually he will use the quote, “You can’t teach speed.”

Well, David Klemic thinks you can and has been doing just that for the past 17 years.

Klemic, a Somers Point native, who starred at Mainland High School and Northeastern University before a short stint with the Kansas City Chiefs that ended prematurely because of injury, was always fast.

He ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the 2001 NFL Scouting Combine, which was the fastest that year and still ranks among the top 10 fastest of all time.

“ I wasn’t a world-class sprinter.

I was a world-class accelerator.

I could beat anybody at 40-50 yards, even Olympians.”

“I started a speed and agility clinic back home (in South Jersey) with my old high school trainer my first year with the Chiefs,” Klemic said.

“We had hundreds of kids show up. Every year it got more and more popular. We did it every year and it got bigger and bigger. So, when I retired I opened a business.

“I knew it would be a good business and it is.”

Photo courtesy D. Klemic

Klemic doesn’t lack confidence. He had it as a player and he He beat his one-time teammate Dante Hall in the Chiefs’ “Fastest Man Competition” during his rookie 2001 NFL season.

And now, among other sports performance enhancement he does with a group of well-known and respected doctors in the area, he helps athletes run faster.

“People always asked me ‘What do you do to run that fast?’” Klemic said.

That question, along with that worldclass speed, convinced Klemic to start camps Klemic with the Chiefs first for high school athletes looking to get faster and quicker to play at the college level.

But it’s grown from that to two businesses, in Northfield, N.J. and Collegeville, Pa., called Athletes Arbour and now to a third business, The Energy Lab, that was scheduled to open this fall in Pitman, N.J. Klemic and his staff, which includes Drs. Brad Bernardini, John Gray, Jim McCrossin and Nate Holmes, don’t just work with high school athletes.

They work with NFL players and NHL players and world-class track stars and swimmers. And they are not just helping them get faster, they are helping them recover from injury and getting back to their sport better than ever.

has it as a businessman. It’s part of what made him successful at both.

Ask him about his race with Hall, the former Chiefs star.

“Me and Dante Hall had two fastest 40 times going in, so we raced,” Klemic said of the “Fastest Man Competition that ran across the NFL that year. “It was on live TV in Kansas City. They made a big deal of it. And I won. That became a real big deal around Kansas City. I got to do all kinds of advertisements and commercials because of that.”

Did he think he would win?

“I knew I was going to win,” he said.

Klemic was a two-sport star at Mainland, also winning state titles in track and field. He picked Northeastern over other schools because they allowed him to do both spots on the college level.

On the football field, he caught 217 passes for 3,419 yards and 41 touchdowns in his four-year career. The 41 touchdown receptions, at the time, were the second most in history to a guy named Jerry Rice, who caught 49. In track, he won eight conference championships.

“I come from a track family,” Klemic said. “So, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in college—track or football. (Northeastern) let me do both.

“I actually lit it up in college. I lit it up for a kid who wasn’t supposed to be that good.”

Klemic’s speed, he says, was more acceleration.

“I wasn’t a world-class sprinter. I was a world-class accelerator,” he

37

said. “The first part of my run was world-class speed; the second part was just OK. I was never going to be in the Olympics (for the 100), but I could beat anybody at 40-50 yards, even Olympians.”

Kansas City signed him as a free agent, but a fractured right leg robbed him of his speed and essentially his football career.

“It basically snapped in half and ended my career,” Klemic said.

“It really didn’t end my career,” he quickly corrects himself. “I came back two years later, re-signed with Chiefs, made it through camp right till the final cuts. Coach (Dick) Vermeil sat me down and told me I probably should have taken another year off. He also told me if there was ever anything he could do for me, just ask. And he has helped me a lot.

He kept to his word.”

Klemic’s road to the NFL, along with that career-ending injury, is what helped him and inspired him in the business world.

“The whole thing with me was always ‘surprises’. It surprised everyone, but it didn’t really surprise me,” he said. “I always looked across at everyone and said ‘What can they do that I can’t do?’ My key was I was going to work harder, and I’ll get an edge from that. If I work harder and I’m faster, maybe I didn’t go to Florida State, or somewhere like that, but we’re going to show up at the same place and have to impress these coaches. It all evens out when you get there.”

And the injury, while difficult for any athlete to accept, gave Klemic the idea for his latest business.

“The recovery process was a soul searching process,” he said. “I was always an anomaly because I was the white guy who ran fast, that was always attached to me. I was doing what everyone told me to do. Ice, no heat, acupuncture, don’t ice, hydrotherapy, there were so many different things and I did them all. It became counter-intuitive.

“I vowed that someday if I could ever meet the right guys I would put

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together a business where we do the sports performance that I do, with the orthopedic and the physical therapists and athletic trainers and we would all be on the same page.”

Welcome to The Energy Lab.

“There’s nothing that has the capabilities like this,” Klemic said.

“When I broke my leg, I’m trying to recover to get back on the field and I need strong communication between my doctor, the physical therapist, athletic trainer, my coaches. This was an NFL team and there was little communication between everyone.”

So, with his team of physicians, and the knowledge he picked up working out at the Chip Smith Performance Systems in Atlanta, Klemic’s business took off.

“In physical therapy, you never get back to 100 percent, you might get back to 80,” Klemic said. “And if you’re not an athlete that’s fine. At The Energy Lab, we get you back to 100 percent.”

And he’s still helping young athletes run faster.

“There’s a formula that we used at the Combine to decrease ground time and increase stride length and frequency,” Klemic said. “If they do it at the Combine why not use it everywhere?

“Within a 3-month period, if a kid runs a 4.5 if he did what we told him, he can drop a tenth of a second, to a 4.4.”

Klemic and his team aren’t just making kids faster, which is interesting enough, he’s changing the way the game has been played.

“I know this is the future of how medicine is run and how sports performance is going to be run,” he said. “I really put all my time and energy into the lab, because it’s the way of the future.

“We’re in that world now. When we first started 17 years ago, it was only the crazy parent or the pro athlete who did sports performance enhancement. Now you’re crazy if you don’t do it.” n

Ertz so Zach Ertz

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We both wore #86.

Actually, my original number with the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles was 80, which I was thrilled about because it was my number in college at Memphis State.

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

But when I was put on injured reserve in preseason, the team signed veteran free agent WR Luther Blue who requested that number. Being a rookie free agent with no leverage whatsoever I accepted the change to 86 when I was activated to the playing roster midway through the season.

There have been a few interesting 86’s in Eagles history. TE Charlie Young (who the Eagles traded to the Rams for Ron Jaworski) wore the number, as did “Arkansas” Fred Barnett.

This is courtesy of CSN Eagles commentator and historian Ray Didinger: “Yes, there have been several other notable 40

‘‘

Watching Julie is definitely more nerve-wracking than playing. I just hope at the end of the day that she is healthy and plays to the best of her abilities.”

86ers, including Bud Grant, who later became a Hall of Fame coach with the Vikings.

He played two seasons with the Eagles (1951-52) as an end and in ‘52, he caught 56 passes (second in the NFL) and scored seven touchdowns. He jumped to the CFL the next year. Also, Norm “Wild Man” Willey, one of the first great pass rushers, wore 86 from 1953 through ‘57. News stories of the day report Willey had 17 sacks in one game against the New York Giants. The other notable 86 is Fred Hill who was a tight end from 1965-71 and caught the winning TD pass from Norm Snead when the Eagles won their first Monday Night Football game at Franklin Field in 1970. The Eagles Fly for Leukemia campaign began that same year to raise money for Fred’s daughter Kim who was stricken with the disease.”

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not comparing myself talent-wise to the current occupant of #86. As a matter of fact, he may be the LAST player to wear the number because he has a leg up on a Hall of Fame career that

BY KEN DUNEK

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Above: JerseyMan/PhillyMan publisher Ken Dunek wearing #86 for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1980-81 Super Bowl season. _________________________________________

could result in no one else ever wearing it again. I hope that is the case.

I remember talking to Zach at the Super Bowl parade. And as I introduced myself to him I mentioned that I wore #86 previously.

His response was, “I hope I am doing your number justice and you are proud of me.”

Is anyone really that humble? Apparently Zach is.

Zach Ertz is my favorite #86—and I can handle being in second place. Even with myself.

It was a pleasure to be able to talk with Zach [Continued on page 42] for the following Q&A:

good.

‘‘

Zach gives me so much perspective and ultimately makes me a better person... and has pushed me to be a better athlete.”

J

Julie Ertz

BY ALEXANDRA DUNEK

Julie Ertz

is a woman of many titles: professional soccer player, devout Christian, published author, loving family member, supportive wife to Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. And she’s also a World Cup champion!

Aside from soccer, her book also touches on her personal life behind the uniform and The Ertz Family Foundation, which is a non-profit dedicated to helping establish opportunities for families in need. Chase Your Dreams can be purchased at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon, and is a solid inspirational read for our younger generation, especially young athletes.

Julie was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me and answer a few questions:

Alex: Being a professional athlete, it’s clear that health is a top priority. Can you share your top three healthy habits?

Julie: One, have healthy snacks around so when you get hungry you have better choices. Two, I always have a packet of some sort of electrolyte on me to put in my water. It’s hard for me to drink water all day so mixing in flavor, and anything to help stay hydrated, is a plus. Three, I have my vitamins set out every day so I can make sure I get my daily needs.

Photo courtesy US Soccer

So how did a young woman from Mesa, Arizona end up becoming a national soccer star? From her first published book, Chase Your Dreams: How Soccer Taught Me Strength, Perseverance and Leadership, Ertz shares, “I don’t think I was especially talented or any better than the average nineyear-old but I was motivated and adventurous.” Challenging herself and her love for the sport over the years landed her on the

Chicago Red Stars and eventually representing the United States in two FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments as crowning champion in both titles.

Alex: What are your favorite hobbies outside of soccer?

[Continued on page 43]

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[Continued from page 40]

Zach: My reaction after the game, when the clock hit 0:00, was that there had to be one more play or something because there was no way we had just won the Super Bowl! After it set in that we actually won, it was just run towards everyone and celebrate with my teammates. It still is crazy to me that that was the first Super Bowl in this city’s storied history, but it truly is an honor to be a part of the first team to ever do that.

Ken: Were you aware of the decades of frustration Eagles fans endured and how much this victory meant to them?

Zach: I don’t know if anyone truly knew how much that win meant to this city until after the game. As players, we know this city loves their Eagles, but after the game I truly started to understand the emotional connection this city has for us. With that being said, that is the reason why I LOVE playing in this city!

Ken: I was fortunate enough to be a frontrow guest of the Eagles as they welcomed the alumni to participate in the parade and ceremony at the steps of the Art Museum. What are your most vivid memories of that day?

Zach: My most vivid memories from that day were just the joy that everyone had.

That game and that win meant so much to this city, so to be able to go out and celebrate with everyone and see the happiness this city had was truly special.

few short days to play the next week’s game?

Zach: Football is obviously a physically demanding game and it takes a lot to get through each week and prepare yourself to play at a high level each Sunday. It starts with a lot of massages, acupuncture, lifting, eating well, sleeping, more massages!

Ha-ha! With this being my seventh year, I have found a routine that works for me and that is the most important thing—just sticking to that routine and not taking any shortcuts.

Ken: Talk to me about your relationship with Doug Pederson and give us your opinion on why he is a successful head coach.

Zach: Coach Pederson is an amazing coach.

Obviously, he’s a great play-caller during the game and a great motivator throughout the week. However, the thing that separates him is his ability to get the best out of his players.

He’s always able to relate to us because he has been in our shoes and understands what it takes to be successful. He consistently finds ways to motivate us and keep us pushing each other to be at our best each week.

Ken: You signed a $42 million contract extension in 2016. What is your opinion of the economics of pro football and do you foresee any significant changes in the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA)?

Zach: I’m still learning about the economics of pro football and the whole CBA. Obviously, I feel grateful that I am able to play football for a living and provide for my family through my sport. I think there will be some significant changes in the next CBA and I’m looking forward to being a part of the players union during those discussions.

Photo by Drew Hallowell/Philadelphia Eagles

Ken: Explain to our readers what you physically go through during the season, and what you do to help your body recover in a

Book covers Harvest House

Ken: Describe your emotions when the clock struck 0:00 in Super Bowl LII and you secured the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.

Zach’s book, Focus and Finish, is a companion book to Chase your Dreams by wife Julie.

Ken: What is more nerve-wracking: being in the locker room prior to a big game, or in the stands watching Julie play for the World Cup? Zach: Watching Julie is definitely more nerve-wracking than playing. When I’m playing I always feel like I have some semblance of control and that if I play well and execute we have a good chance of winning the football game. However, when I am watching Julie I am just like every other person in the stadium... with just a little more personal investment! I just hope at the end of the day that she is healthy and plays to the best of her abilities.

Ken: What are your plans after your playing days are over? Coaching? Broadcasting?

Zach: When I am done playing I honestly do not know exactly what I am going to do.

I think about maybe going back to school and getting an MBA or maybe coaching high school football. However, what I do know for certain is that Julie and I are going to enjoy spending every day together and not have to worry anymore about long distance.

Ken: What characteristics do you possess that makes you successful as a player and person

Last year Ertz set the NFL record for the most catches in a single season by a tight end with 116.

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Zach: I think the number one characteristic that I have is a relentless work ethic. I want to give this career everything I possibly have so when I am done I can look back and say I did everything I possibly could to be the best player I could be, and I wouldn’t change a thing! n

[Continued from page 41]

recovery, and that has pushed me to be a better athlete.

Alex: What is something unique we might not know about you?

Alex: What is your favorite thing to do with your husband? Do you both workout together?

Julie: Oh, I hate this question, it always make me feel not interesting. I have an obsession with shoes!

Julie: My favorite thing to do with my husband is watch our shows. It’s a time for us to reflect and relax which we rarely get to do.

We also play video games or work on our foundation. We love to work out together and come up with new training sessions.

Alex: If you could hang out with two people (alive or dead), who would they be?

Alex: Was there a difference in emotion between winning the first World Cup vs the second World Cup?

Julie: Some favorite hobbies are hiking, watching football, yoga, and shopping!

Alex: How has Zach influenced you as a person and/or athlete?

Julie: Zach gives me so much perspective and ultimately makes me a better person.

He is also very routine and diligent with his

Julie: Yes! I was very emotional in 2015 because my journey to get there was very new and difficult. Being so young I was exhausted and new to this type of lifestyle.

As I have gotten older my perspective has grown. I have changed and become very grateful for my opportunities, and feel like I enjoy playing more. So 2019 was very unique because I was overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to share this moment with my family.

Julie: Jesus and my husband.

Alex: If you could ask (famous soccer player) Lionel Messi one question, what would it be?

Julie: I would hope I could get a question out. I would be very excited! I would ask him what moments in his career or life changed his perspective for the better.

Alex: What is the hardest part about being a professional athlete?

Julie: The time sacrificed away from loved ones. n Keep up with Julie by following her on Instagram @julieertz. For more info on the Ertz Family Foundation, www.ertzfamilyfoundation.org.

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TEMPLE FOOTBALL

ROD CAREY TAKES OVER

Photo Zamani Feelings/Temple Athletics

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

Carey was named Temple head football coach in January 2019 under some unusual circumstances.

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Rod Carey had seen the looks before.

It was December 2012, and Carey was preparing to coach Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl against Florida State after Dave Doeren had left DeKalb to take over the North Carolina State program.

Carey was the third NIU boss in fewer than four years (Jerry Kill had left the Huskies in 2010), and he was addressing a room full of skeptical players who no doubt were wondering how long this guy would stick around.

“Here they were, looking at me and thinking, ‘Oh, another one,’” Carey says.

Carey says this while sitting in his office at the Edberg-Olson Football Complex at 11th and Diamond Streets. A soaking rain had just cut short a light August workout, and Carey was in a somewhat expansive mood, which is relatively unusual for such an all-football type. He took over the Temple program on January 11, after a surreal 17-day period that saw Manny Diaz accept the job vacated by Geoff Collins and then bolt back to Miami when Mark Richt left the U. 47

Carey believes in four old-fashioned football tenets – running the football, stopping the run, playing great special teams and not turning the ball over. uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu So, as Carey addressed the Owl players for the first time, he couldn’t help but flash back to his initial group meeting at NIU. At least then he had the benefit of having served as a Northern assistant for five seasons. Standing in the meeting room in North Philly, Carey was the third coach to speak with Temple players in just over a month.

“I saw the same resolve with the Temple players that I had seen with the 125 at Northern,” Carey says. “Both sets of kids had bonded together through the transition.

That’s great to see for a coach and terrifying for a coach.”

The Owls had coalesced into a tighter group after Diaz left town, the older guys reassuring the younger players that no matter whose name was at the top of the org chart, the only

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thing that mattered was their bond. That’s something all coaches want, but if that group doesn’t turn its energy in favor of the new man, it can have catastrophic results for him and the program.

“I told my teammates to stick to our main focus,” senior linebacker Shaun Bradley says.

“Coaches come and go, but we needed to take care of our own stuff.”

Temple players, administrators and fans are quite experienced with football coaching transitions. In 2010, Al Golden left for the University of Miami after spending five seasons lifting the program from a dung heap of poor play, awful academic performance and general ennui. Steve Addazio succeeded him and lasted all of two campaigns before heading to Boston College. Up next was Matt Rhule,

who led the Owls to 10-win seasons in ’15 and ’16 and brought some national attention to Temple football. But the job was a springboard for him, too, and he became Baylor’s coach in December 2016. His departure led to Collins’ hiring, and after two seasons, 15 wins and a pair of bowl invitations, he was plucked from North Broad Street by Georgia Tech.

Give the Owl brass credit for one thing: while the coaching position has been something of a waystation, each of the four coaches prior to Carey has moved on to jobs at Power Five conference member schools.

Despite not having an on-campus stadium and ranking a distant third in the city’s football hierarchy, behind the Eagles and Penn State, Temple is a good job, and Carey likens it a lot to Northern Illinois, where he went 52-30 in six seasons (plus one game) and won or tied for four Mid-American Conference division titles.

“At Northern, we were a blue-collar team that was physical and kept grinding,” he says.

“It wasn’t an emotionally driven team. It was passion-driven and non-stop. I see that here.”

Often, “blue-collar” is a euphemism for a general lack of talent that players make up for with toughness. That’s something of a fair description of the Owls over the past several years. The “Temple Tough” moniker is wellearned. But this program has also built itself

Photo Zamani Feelings/Temple Athletics

into a more talented, deeper team. One won’t find five-star recruits dashing around the practice field, but there were 13 TU players on NFL rosters last year, hardly a shabby representation.

“Our depth chart is so deep,” says junior QB Anthony Russo. “We have a lot of guys here with game experience, and the young guys have gotten good reps in practice. Our confidence level has risen. We have 10 or 12 wide receivers we can roll out there and win.” uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

NO PROGRAM can be successful

without good players, even if it is the hardestworking, nastiest group of ruffians on turf.

Carey knows that, but he also believes in four old-fashioned football tenets—running the football, stopping the run, playing great special teams and not turning the ball over.

College teams may be spreading the field more than ever before and filling the air with passes, but Carey is ready to back up his style with evidence.

“Look at the history,” Carey says. “Even with the change, in the [2018] national championship, Clemson ran the ball [135 yards, two TDs] and stuffed the run [Alabama

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didn’t score on the ground] and didn’t turn it over [zero turnovers to two for ‘Bama].

“No matter what formations they ran it out of, they still did it. Look at the recent championships. No matter how things have changed, those four things still matter.”

Carey’s adherence to the old-school values is no accident. His mentors include some classic, straight-ahead types for whom the idea of “basketball on grass”, as some people call today’s spread attacks that pass it all over the place, wasn’t in the vocabulary. His high school coach, Roger Lipert, was a center and linebacker in college and believed in toughguy football. Carey played at Indiana for Bill Mallory, a Woody Hayes disciple and someone for whom pounding the ball was quite natural.

“He has gotten us back to where we wanted to be, playing hard-nosed football,” Temple AD Patrick Kraft says.

So, Temple will run the ball. But Carey isn’t about to employ the single wing or anything, not with Russo around. The junior threw for 2,563 yards last year, but he understands his coach’s approach.

“He definitely has a ‘ground-and-pound’ mentality,” Russo says. “He wants to control

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the line of scrimmage, and that will open up everything else— play-action, run-pass options.

We have playmakers, and it would be stupid not to spread the ball around to them.”

Carey understands that.

“You have to keep learning,” he says. “You can’t be hard-headed.”

As Carey continues to expand his offensive palette, he has worked to bond with his team, his school and his new town. Though hardly a comedian, he has demonstrated the type of personality needed to relate to 18-to23-year-olds. The players say he can joke around with them, and when he took the team’s Leadership Council to Top Golf, he was decidedly looser than he is on the field.

However, “when it’s time to work, it’s time to work,” Russo says.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

TEMPLE ENTERS

this season considered one of the better teams in the American Athletic Conference, although the Owls are still behind division bully UCF and will find it challenging to get past Cincinnati and South Florida. But TU has had success

in recent years, so there is little reason to doubt the program won’t continue to be a perennial bowl contender and make a run at the conference title at regular intervals.

The question isn’t about whether Carey will succeed; his track record suggests he will.

The issue is whether he will stay. At his introductory press conference, Carey said he wanted Kraft to insert a giant buyout in his contract, the better to show how committed he was to the Owls. Now, he talks about fit and how important it is. “It matters a little more than money,” he says.

Carey does fit at Temple. His style meshes well with the grittier Temple city vibe and with a team that has always used its underdog status in the city – it isn’t even Philadelphia’s favorite college team: Hello, Penn State – to its advantage. He didn’t arrive on campus as a hot assistant, like Diaz did, rather as a successful head man. He is charged with executing another successful transition for a program that has had a lot of them over the past decade and to create enough positive buzz that could possibly lead to Temple’s finally getting its on-campus stadium.

“Winning is the first thing,” Carey says. “If we win, we’ll take all the people who want to jump on at any time.”

Beginning with the players. n

c i r t c Ele p i r T Road

S

Car charging stations are springing up rapidly everywhere these days, making long-distance travel much easier for electric vehicle owners.

SURE, I WANT TO SAVE THE PLANET from carbon emissions. Our children’s future depends on it. But is it really worth being stranded on I-95 on the way to Florida in my electric car?

Okay, maybe we’re not that spoiled. Despite some limitations compared to fuel-powered vehicles, electric vehicles are selling pretty well these days. We just need to solve that range problem.

As recently as 2016, McKinsey Industries, a firm dedicated to sustainability solutions, listed limited availability of charging stations as the third biggest barrier to electric vehicle (EV) sales, after the price of cars and limited driving range. Most EV owners still charge their cars at home, and owners of less expensive EVs with shorter ranges generally use them only for daily commutes and short trips.

BY KURT SMITH

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80% in approximately a half-hour, while you stretch your legs, grab a bite, and take care of other business.

With new apps like PlugShare and ChargeHub available to route you to the next charging station, your biggest challenge on long road trips now is not spilling coffee on your phone.

Tesla supercharging station

B But we are a nation of doers, and that situation is changing fast.

In May 2019, the Department of Energy reported that there are now more than 68,000 charging units in the U.S., nearly 11,000 of which are fast charging stations that can “fill up” an EV in less than 20 minutes. The Tesla superchargers appearing in many spots, including Wawas in the area, are only compat-

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ible with Tesla vehicles. But other networks are growing for the rest of us.

You may not have heard of EVgo, but you’ve probably seen the name NRG on the Broad Street Line’s Sports Complex station. Same company. EVgo offers DC fast charging—the fastest form available as of 2019—in 66 metropolitan markets from their considerable grid.

As EVgo states, you can charge your car to

ill Evans, the CEO at Liberty Fox Technologies and one of JerseyMan’s esteemed Legacy Club members, is the proud owner of a Tesla Model S. The Model S isn’t cheap. It currently carries a price tag of $75K. If you’re a tightwad, you can drive a Model 3 off the lot for under $40K. If it helps, remember you’re going to be saving a lot of money in fuel over the long haul, even without the free supercharging for life offered to Model S owners.

Evans likes a lot of things about his Model S, but he considers the fuel savings to be “a nice perk”.

“I tend to drive between 1,800 and 2,000 miles per month. In my previous vehicle, I was averaging about $250 a month in gas. For the

BATTERY MYTH NO. 1 Full Drainage JerseyMan Magazine always goes the extra mile for its readers, so in addition to the useful information contained here, we can dispel a myth for you.

You’ve probably heard it before: let your smartphone drain completely before charging it up again. This will, supposedly, help your phone battery last longer. And it stands to reason people might find that useful with their electric car, too.

Here’s the real scoop from our friends at Mashable: “It’s better to charge your phone every day than to do a ‘deep charge’ from time to time. Lithium-ion batteries, like the kind used in Samsung and Apple products, fare better when they’re charged. If you constantly let them drain to zero percent, they become unstable. Your battery has a finite number of charge cycles, and every time it fully dies, that’s another cycle out the window.”

Leaving aside that you would have to let your car idle for an extended period of time near a charging station, this applies to your electric vehicle’s battery. Completely draining it can reduce its overall life too.

YouTube video. Second is the Nissan Leaf at just under $30K, which is more spacious and offers 150 miles of range on a charge. Good for daily commutes. For longer road trips, maybe not so much.

But compared to the limited range technology of not very long ago, this is quite the improvement, and Tesla CEO and extreme visionary Elon Musk has stated that one of his company’s goals is making electric vehicles available at prices the 99 percent can afford.

Given their great strides of late, this seems much more attainable than, say, colonizing Mars (which is also on Musk’s to-do list).

So, there’s no need to time your car charging station visit to the kilowatt-hour. Or wait for your phone to completely discharge, for that matter. A helpful tip at no extra charge!

same mileage, I am averaging $80 per month in electric. So, I am using about one-third the cost in electricity as I was in gasoline.”

The cost savings are generally typical of EVs. A Chevy Bolt currently averages 25.21 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per 100 miles. So, at 13 cents per kWh (the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Energy), then 100 miles would cost about $3.25. Even for the most fuel-

efficient cars, that soundly beats gas prices.

But if you’re considering buying an electric vehicle to save money, we’re not quite there… yet.

In July 2019, U.S. News & World Report listed the cheapest electric vehicle as the Smart EQ Fortwo, at nearly $27K. The Fortwo is aptly named—attempting to shoehorn three people into one of these might make for a humorous

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hile the convenience and cost of owning an electric vehicle continues to rapidly improve, longer trips still require more planning. It’s not terribly difficult, but it requires more than simply pulling off the road at a Wawa.

For one, it takes longer.

A Level 1 charge is the equivalent plugging your car into a 120V outlet in your home and can handle your short commute within reason

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if you charge overnight. With a Level 2 charge in a 240V outlet, available at most charging stations or from an adapter for your home, it takes about 4-8 hours to fill up. A DC Fast Level 3 charge gets the job done in less than a half-hour.

Evans describes charging his Tesla like this: “If you plug the Tesla into a regular 120-volt outlet like you’d plug in your television, the car could take up to three days to fully charge (which is absurd). If you use a higher voltage outlet, the car can fully charge in about five hours.

“But if you need the car to charge really fast, you can get a very powerful charge at the supercharging station in as little as 15 minutes, and Tesla is working to reduce this even further to about five minutes. At 15 minutes or less, I would say it is no less convenient than a conventional car.”

But it’s still not quite as fast as the gas pump, which is why Tesla has been smart enough to install Supercharger stations at gas station/convenience shops, including some Wawas, Royal Farms, and other stores in the area. It works great for the store owner as the charging EV owner can spend time in the store ordering a sandwich or coffee while they wait.

Another growing spot for chargers is an obvious one…hotels. As of this writing, Marriott

offers Level 2 charging stations at 3,137 of their hotels, including the Courtyard on Presidential Boulevard in Philly. Something to consider when choosing where to sack out in South Carolina on your way to Disney World.

One important caveat, though, plan your trip to avoid the isolated station on the busy highway if you can. That could be a busy place. It’s a problem that internal combustion engine cars had in their early days.

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ith a rapidly expanding network of charging stations and dropping prices of electric vehicles, we may all be able to hit the road to visit a few ballparks without emissions in the not too distant future.

As recently as April 2017, Eric Schaal at Motor Biscuit published a piece called “Five Biggest Problems With Electric Vehicle Charging”.

In it, he explained that it’s more challenging to charge your electric car—especially while you’re already on the road—than it is to simply stop at a pump and fuel up.

“It’s quite difficult to fast-charge your car

Car Charging Station Etiquette With charging stations still not quite as readily available at gas pumps, there is something of an unwritten code of conduct regarding their use.

One of the more common issues, according to the Green Car Reports blog, is called “ICE-ing.” It’s when a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE) parks in a spot with a charging station reserved for electric cars.

If you can’t page security in the garage, the most you can do is leave a note for the driver.

Green Car Reports recommends other guidelines for using charging stations. For one, don’t occupy the space longer than you need to for a recharge, even if it’s a parking spot. If you can’t get to your car to remove the plug, you can leave a note for other drivers that they can remove it if they see your car is fully charged.

Also, if you can make it home, leave the charging station for someone else. They could be down to their last few miles and need the charge more than you do.

With their Supercharging stations, Tesla is somewhat enforcing charging station etiquette with an “idle fee.” If you keep your car at a busy charging station more than five minutes after your car is charged, a fee is charged on your account. Tesla states that this isn’t intended for profit. It’s working towards the goal of keeping charging stations as available as possible.

Basically, it comes down to treating a charging station the same as a gas pump and not leaving your car there…but more so for now, at least until we go full electric.

in many U.S. cities, even when money is no object.” Schaal pointed out. “You have to drive through strange neighborhoods and try to locate chargers in vast parking lots where GPS is known to drop out of service.”

The apps help, but not as much as they should, according to Schaal. “You might need 56

BATTERY MYTH NO. 2 The Colder, Longer Lasting Battery In case you’re wondering, no, putting your EV battery in a freezer won’t make it last longer.

Like with gas-powered engines, EVs can suffer decreased performance and range in extremely cold weather. There are several reasons for this, including that the electricity running your car’s heater uses the same battery that is plowing a car through the snow.

But before you balk at buying a new Bolt out of concern for New Jersey’s sometimes biting winters, consider this: Norway—yes, Norway—is one of the world’s leaders in adopting the electric vehicle. Part of the reason is subsidies, but it’s hard to imagine Norwegians buying cars that don’t work in the cold.

Yes, there is definitely decreased range in electric vehicle batteries in below freezing temps, more so than in fuel-powered cars. But there are ways to overcome this, including “preconditioning”, or pre-heating your battery before it is finished charging, similar to remotely starting up your car before driving. Many EV models have this capability.

John Voelcker from the Green Car Reports blog also suggests bundling up and leaving your coat and layers on in the car. While it may be cringe-worthy to pay upwards of $30K for a car that still requires wearing a coat to drive, Voelcker adds: “Don’t worry if you think you look like a dork; the real dork is the guy stranded on the side of the road because he ran out of juice.”

Incidentally, extreme heat can do a number on your battery too, since batteries contain fluid that evaporates in high temps. Even more so than with fueled cars, it’s recommended that drivers park in the shade or in the garage whenever possible.

two or three apps just to know where a charging station is, and once you get there you might not be able to use it because it’s operated by a provider with whom you haven’t opened an

account.”

Just two years later, Bill Evans can testify that Tesla owners, at least, don’t need to be concerned about being stranded on the highway.

“You really, really need to be neglectful to put yourself in this position,” Evans explains.

“If you charge the car every day like I do, you start every single day with your full mileage range (240 miles or 330 miles depending on your model). Given that I rarely ever drive 240-plus miles in a single day, this is really a fringe case.

“Secondly, as long as you are using the GPS feature of your car, the Tesla is fully aware of its range, and if it is concerned you won’t reach your destination, it will route the most convenient Supercharging location into your directions to make sure you stop and top off before continuing.

“To end up on the side of the road with a dead Tesla and no chargers requires that you ignore every single warning and recommendation from the car to force that situation to occur.

“If you started in New Jersey and wanted to drive to Disney World, the Tesla will route multiple supercharging stops along the way and include the charging time at each in the projected Estimated Time of Arrival. As long as you use the GPS, the car will plan the entire drive and charging locations.”

And once there are charging stations at South of The Border, it’s likely the Northeast will be all in. n

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Photo Frank Mahoney

PROFILE

Sproule

GREATER PHILLY’S NEW CARPENTER LEADER William “Billy” Sproule sounded a tad tired when he answered the phone. “Just landed from Vegas, in my truck and now I’ve got 75 minutes before I get home,” he explained on a Saturday afternoon.

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‘‘

THE FACE OF UNION CARPENTERS IS ALREADY CHANGING, AND THAT’S A BENEFIT TO ALL.”

BY TOM PERIC

Sproule wasn’t tired from a gambling trip to sin city but returning from a four-day leadership conference sponsored by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (UBC), on its 17-acre campus that hosts the most advanced union carpenter training facilities in the United States. The conference amounts to a talent-spotting session for union carpenters, consisting of leadership training, mentoring,

coaching and communications, undergirded by lessons on improved productivity.

Sproule, 52, has spent 30 years in the carpenters’ union, and he attends conference sessions to provide the larger picture of the industry as the executive secretarytreasurer (EST) of Philadelphia-based Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters (KML). For nonunion folk, the title is a misnomer. Bylaws prohibit a president moniker, but if you think of his influence in corporate terms, he leads more than 40,000 carpenters in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and 10 counties in North Carolina and the District of Columbia that include 11 training centers that train 4,473 apprentice carpenters.

He also has a partnership with thousands of union contractors, business people who have contractual agreements to use union carpenters on their projects. It’s a very far cry from the young kid who grew up in Eddystone, PA, spent summers at the Jersey Shore and begin working as a roofer’s helper at 13.

After high school graduation he joined Roofers Local 30 on his 18th Birthday, Sproule faced that perennial “what should I do next” moment: more schooling or a job? He chose the job that turned into a career. “If you didn’t go the college prep route, there was the construction route,” Sproule recalls. “I had exposure to it and enjoyed it.”

Last year, the UBC merged several councils, resulting in KML’s latest configuration. Two major changes ensued that will have an impact in the Delaware Valley: Sproule got the nod as the EST and Philadelphia became the headquarters for the new council.

Unlike company mergers or consolidations, Sproule needs confirmation by delegates that represent the membership vote for a four-year term. [The delegates of 20 Locals

overwhelmingly confirmed him and his Executive Board in August.]

While construction activity is strong in the Greater Philadelphia area Sproule’s ascendency as EST comes at a time when various trades in Philadelphia have received less than flattering coverage by the media.

And beyond perception issues, there is the real-world concern of increasing membership while solidifying the union message: the besttrained workforce with a strong safety record.

“It’s unfortunate that if one labor leader stumbles, everyone gets tarred,” Sproule said.

“The business community and the public will judge the carpenters by what we do and not by someone else’s actions. My leadership team and I are committed to transparency and operating our organization with the utmost integrity.”

“What’s important for the carpenters and the public is to provide the best-trained craft workers in our region. And to do that, we have joined with the times by offering hightech construction training and broadened our outreach to women and minorities. The face of union carpenters is already changing, and that’s a benefit to all.

“Everyone should go to college if that’s their calling. But there is another choice that offers excellent wages, a pension and pride of workmanship and that’s becoming a union carpenter.” Sproule paused, then said: “Our apprentices earn money when they enter the program, and when they graduate four-five years later, they have no debt, which makes it an option many should consider.”

THIS BEGS THE OBVIOUS QUESTION: What will businesspeople and union carpenters find in Billy Sproule?

A three-decade co-worker who was an es61

tablished union figure during Sproule’s early days in the Carpenters union was blunt about his steady, seemingly obvious climb. “He was sharp, had boundless energy, and was creative in providing solutions to the problem,” according to the co-worker. “He didn’t stop with ‘we’ve got a problem,’ but always gave alternatives for solving the issue. The local had more than 1,500 members back then, and there were 30 to 40 candidates for the representative’s job. He jumped over the pack. Billy Sproule had all the attributes, smarts, work ethic, and he could be aggressive without being overly offensive. And that’s real talent.”

Another observer added: “Most executives say they’re open-minded and willing to change. Often that isn’t true. Bill is a good listener and he’s willing to change his mind.

No one will push him around but if you can demonstrate facts proving a better approach, he’s willing to change.”

IT IS EASY TO EMBELLISH

the little things that executives do to convey the larger picture of personality, intelligence, work style and social skills. Sproule has been blessed or doomed—depending on your perspective—that he never passes a construction site without trying to determine if it’s a union job. It’s a habit that goes back to his early days in the former Atlantic City Local 623 and remains a reflexive practice even today.

After spending a morning with Sproule, the two of us and Mike Hand, the assistant EST,

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were walking to a restaurant for lunch, a short distance from union headquarters on Spring Garden Street, to meet with Ben Connors, president of the Philadelphia-based General Building Contractors Association. We arrived early, and while Sproule and Hand remained on the sidewalk, I stepped into the restaurant and realized there was construction ongoing.

“Cerrado hoy [closed today],” said a construction worker.

“No lunch here,” I thought. I stepped backed to the street, looked at Sproule and said: “I wonder if this is a union job?”

“We already took notice, and we’ll have someone out here this afternoon,” he replied.

“The small size and scope of the project indicate this is probably not a union job.”

Over lunch, he abruptly returned to the restaurant incident. “That’s a small project, and it isn’t that it must be a union job,” Sproule said. He paused and then the intensity in his voice climbed a notch. “It’s not only about getting the job, but it’s also about fairness, and when I see a job like that, I wonder if the worker is getting a fair wage or whether he has hospitalization if he’s injured. It comes down to a very simple question: ‘Is anyone looking out for him?’”

Billy Sproule, though pleasant and polite in style, hardens like concrete on the fairness issue and protecting the legitimate interests of his membership and all carpentry craft workers throughout the KML region. “Given a fair playing field, we can compete with anyone in the industry because have confidence in what we deliver,” he said. n

Montgomery County, PA

A Hidden Gem Michael Bowman, president and CEO of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, welcomes you to Montco

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It’s all part of a marketing and rebranding campaign of the 501c(6) non-profit organization that receives partial funding from the county’s four percent hotel tax. “We strategically refreshed and relaunched our brand,” explained Bowman. “And we strategically launched subbrands.” The brand—“Valley Forge Tourism: Make it Montco”—has translated to more than $1.6 billion in economic impact in the region.

And the momentum has no signs of lessening.

Bowman explained that when he and his team initially brainstormed about rebranding, they discovered there were 17 Montgomery Counties in the country. So, it made sense to use the Valley Forge name, “a world icon,” and integrate the county as a tagline.

“We have the best shopping in the country,” beamed Bowman, citing King of Prussia as one of the top malls, which recently underwent a major expansion and will soon announce plans for another. Bowman elaborated on the numerous sub-brands: “We launched arts and culture (featuring Cirque du Soleil and the Harlem Globetrotters), Montco weddings, Crave Montco (cuisine to satisfy every taste bud),

Photos Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board

M

ENTION VALLEY FORGE and images of General George Washington, foot soldiers, a snowcovered battlefield and the Revolutionary War may surely come to mind. Yet the iconic Valley Forge and Valley Forge National Historical Park are located in Montgomery County, a region that in recent years has been exploding in tourism in leaps and bounds. It may be history that initially draws visitors from across the United States and internationally, but there is much more to this sprawling region located just miles from the City of Philadelphia.

“Montgomery County is the third-largest county in the state of Pennsylvania,” noted Michael Bowman, president and CEO of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board (VFTCB). And since 2015, when Bowman took the reins to lead the organization, the county, with a population of over 826,000, has been experiencing a new dimension as a multifaceted tourist destination (see valleyforge.org).

BY JAN L. APPLE

Monty the Fox at Valley Forge National Historical Park

Valley Forge Sports and Montco Golf (with 53 golf courses). There’s a lot to do in Montgomery County and we are family-focused.”

Even with all the success, Bowman and his staff of 28 employees and eight interns are not resting on their laurels. The team, comprised of a marketing and sales division, is hard at work to continue to drive economic impact. It’s the reason the rebranding effort was launched.

Prior to rebranding, that began about the same time Bowman assumed his position, economic

impact in the region was good. “We have taken it to another whole level, including expanding our reach to millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Ys,” said Bowman, 57, who was born, bred and still resides in the Philadelphia region.

He is also quick to point out the VFTCB’s support for interns, tapped from throughout the region. “There are so many great universities in our backyard,” said Bowman, citing schools such as Montgomery County Community College, Ursinus College, Arcadia University, St. Joseph’s University and the University of Pennsylvania, to name a few.

Bowman is clearly passionate about his home turf, the organization he leads and the county’s multitude of gems. It may come as no surprise then that Bowman, staff members and the non-profit have been the recipients of numerous awards, including the Main Line Chamber Nonprofit CEO of the Year Award, Best Cultural Tourism Advocacy–Northeast USA & LUX Excellence Award in American Heritage Tourism 2019 and the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce Hidden Gem Award.

Bowman’s Background

Bowman understands tourism and hospitality from a unique perspective. He has held an array of senior-level positions over the last 30 years in the hospitality and gaming industries.

Shoppers at the King of Prussia Mall

His expansive resume includes stints with Hilton Hotels, Wyndham Worldwide, Rush Gaming and Harrah’s (now Caesars) Entertainment.

Prior to his current position, he was president and CEO of the Valley Forge Casino Resort. He also worked closely with the owners to develop and oversee construction of the casino.

“I worked my way up the ranks, which has benefitted me,” said Bowman, a 1982 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde

Park, New York. He started his career—quite literally—in the kitchen, working alongside what he described as some of the most amazing, renowned chefs.

His affiliation with the VFTCB began around 2011 when he accepted a volunteer appointment on the governing board. He later served as board chair and was then asked to interview for his current job. “As soon as I got on the board, I fell in love with tourism,” said Bow-

65

with his wife of 30 years, Karen, and their two daughters, Oksana, 14 and Anastasia, 12.

Service-Profit Chain Business Model

John James Audubon Center

man who started attending conventions and traveling abroad. “It touches a lot of what’s in my DNA. I love it.”

That DNA also encompasses contributing to the community and acquiring knowledge on an ongoing basis. It’s the reason Bowman has long served on numerous boards and con-

66

tinues to do so. These currently include the Elmwood Park Zoo, Montgomery County Development Corporation and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Board.

Bowman’s passion for travel and tourism is also apparent in his personal life. In his free time, he loves to play golf as well as travel

Bowman is a firm believer in the ServiceProfit Chain, a theory and business model developed in the 1990s by Harvard University researchers. “If you value your employees, give them the tools to work with, survey your guests and communicate well and do that consistently in any business, you will drive financial results and have great morale,” said Bowman, a philosophy that has served him well over the years.

Bowman is also committed to growing international tourism. His on-the-job travels have taken him to London, Berlin and most recently, Beijing. “International tourists don’t have to pay tax on shopping in the region,” said Bowman, which has meant increased international sales in the county and the King of Prussia Mall. In addition, the mall accepts UnionPay. Bowman said that Philadelphia International Airport’s continuing expansion of direct international flights has been a big plus for tourism.

More Jobs

“We also support over 25,000 jobs in the hospitality industry,” said Bowman. “When

Photos Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board

VFTCB staff at the VF Park Memorial Arch

people book a wedding, they come early or stay over an extra day. When youth sports organizations have events, the hotels are filled.” Bowman said there are 76 hotels in the county and 8600 hotel rooms. When families book stays, they realize there are restaurants—1,700 to be exact—parks, over 100 miles of hiking and walking trails including those at the new John James Audubon Center, LEGOLAND, breweries, wineries, distilleries and more. They take advantage of the offerings.

With more and more visitors flocking to the region, expansions and renovations of hotels goes hand in hand. “In the next 16 months, there will be over $100 million in renovations of existing hotels,” said Bowman. In addition, the Valley Forge Visitor’s Center, located on the grounds of Valley Forge National Historical Park, is undergoing a $15 million dollar renovation. It’s expected to reopen in the summer of 2020. And plans are underway for the construction of three new hotels.

Bowman couldn’t be prouder of the domino effect and the plethora of industries that have been positively impacted. Yet, there’s always the need to look ahead. “The youth sports industry is blowing up,” said Bowman. Besides traditional sports like baseball, basketball and soccer, there’s pickleball, volleyball, lacrosse,

dodgeball, dance, cheer.

Due to the enormous growth and recognition that parents want to steer their kids away from their cell phones, the organization’s three-year strategic plan includes the design for a 175 square foot indoor sports facility with 12 potential outdoor fields. “We’re talking with developers and political partners,” said Bowman, clarifying that the construction wouldn’t

be funded by the VFTCB, but hopefully by private business and possibly local government.

The VFTCB will continue to market hotels and draw people to the region. “Once people visit the county and experience it, they become our biggest promoters,” said Bowman. n

Learn more at www.valleyforge.org www.johnjames.audubon.org

67

JerseyMan • PhillyMan

’ chairman s club

Contact ken@jerseymanmagazine.com or call (856) 912-4007 for more information • www.jerseymanmagazine.com

5TH ANNUAL

5TH ANNUAL

MAN & WOMAN OF THE YEAR HONOREES JerseyMan and PhillyMan Magazines are proud to recognize those in our area who demonstrate the rare combination of business excellence and dedication to community service. These Man & Woman of the Year candidates will be honored at our 5th annual Unmasking the Legacy event, held this November, where a portion of ticket proceeds will go to the winner’s designated charities.

Charles Holmes, CPA, CITP After graduating from Camden High School in 1982, Charles attended Drexel University where he earned a degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Upon graduating from Drexel University, he started his career at the “Big 4” CPA and Consulting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) and passed the CPA exam. After spending five years at PWC, he joined a regional CPA firm and became a Partner in the year 2000. In 2008, he founded his own Accounting and Consulting firm, Holmes & Company LLC. In addition to being a CPA, he also has a Series 7 license to sell securities and recently passed the Certified Information Technology Professional examination. Charles is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, New Jersey Society of CPAs, and Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. He serves as a board member for both the Nehemiah Project Community Development Corporation and the Camden Schools Foundation and serves on the Advisory Boards of both the Liberty Bell Bank and Fight to Learn. Finally, he is a former member of the Accounting Advisory Board at Drexel University.

Under Charles’ leadership, his firm also works with various commercial clients in the manufacturing, mortgage, and debt collection industries. Holmes & Company, LLC also advises and performs tax preparation and consulting services for closely-held businesses and physician practices. The firm also assists the City of Philadelphia Controller’s office on performance audits of city departments.

Charles is representing The Jason Thompson Foundation for JerseyMan/PhillyMan’s 5th annual Unmasking the Legacy celebration event.

Daria Torres ADaria Torres is a widely sought-after consultant and executive advisor for some of the most well-known companies, academic institutions and philanthropic organizations around the world. Daria got her start in business and ultimately discovered her professional calling at McKinsey & Company, and after a few years she had the conviction and courage to launch her own firm. Walls Torres Group (WTG) is now 15 years old with a stellar track record of engagements in both strategy and leadership. An expansive roster of clients cite support from WTG as a key driver of their growth, innovation and higher performance.

In addition to supporting organizations that aspire to excellence, Daria is deeply committed to empowering young people and uplifting traditionally underserved communities. Her spirit of social responsibility was spawned during her youth, as a member of Girl Scouts and Ferry Avenue UMC, and she remains active in many youth-focused initiatives: Camden Dream Center Freedom School, Rutgers University Student Executives & BizEd, and Mindbytes Young Entrepreneurs Program to name a few.

Daria is a Trustee of the IDEA Fund at the University of Virginia, where she completed her undergraduate studies. She also is a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her MBA/MSE. When not consulting, lecturing or volunteering, Daria invests time in her friends and family, including two amazing sons who are 16 and 14.

Daria is representing GivingCycle.org, a leading provider of experiential philanthropy opportunities for middle school students, for JerseyMan/PhillyMan’s 5th annual Unmasking the Legacy celebration event.

Save Date THE

11.7.19

A MasqueradeThemed Celebration Event 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Ballroom at the Ben • Philadelphia

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Dunek at ken@jerseymanmagazine.com or Ashley Dunek at adunek@jerseymanmagazine.com

jerseymanmagazine.com

THE CIGAR GUY ______________________________________________________________________________________________

BY SAM KRAFT

Sponsored by The

Smoking Dog

Henry Clay Stalk Cut

T

HE HENRY CLAY STALK CUT’S bright red and silver logo doesn’t resemble a typical cigar band.

While the stick is expertly crafted, the band looks like it’s advertising a sale at the local steakhouse. It’s a cigar that is easily overlooked while shoulder-to-shoulder with better known brands. Despite its appearance, the Stalk Cut rivals its competition.

The Henry Clay Stalk Cut is named after an alternative way of harvesting tobacco for cigars. Normally, the tobacco leaves are harvested in different primings at different times. These primings are usually categorized by the height at which the leaves grow.

The bottom leaves are known as seco, the middle are viso, and the top are ligero leaves.

When a company decides to stalk cut, they forgo the priming process altogether. Instead, workers take machetes and chop down the plant at its base, hence the name “stalk cut.”

From there, they hang the entire plant upside

72

down to dry. This process allows the stalk to contribute additional nutrition to the leaves after it has been harvested. What you end up with is an oilier and richer tobacco.

Because of this alternative process, the Stalk Cut’s Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper becomes highlighted, its sweet rich flavors drawn out. It also features Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. The cigar is box-pressed with a closed foot and a pig-tail cap. The wrapper is a beautiful chestnut color. It smells sweet and feels well-constructed.

From the beginning, the cigar’s oils are easily detected by the smoker. Oily cigars create the illusion of a moist smoke. The smoker feels less thirsty and is less likely to suffer from a dry mouth. With the oils, comes sweet floral and orange

notes. The cigar isn’t too spicy, but it does deliver bites of white pepper and clove.

Slightly further into the smoke, the cigar tastes like brick oven bread. It’s sweet and yeasty. Once the cigar is past the halfway mark, the spice picks up slightly. Clove is even more present as are notes of moss. It is still a sweet cigar, but it begins to taste like it’s been charcoal grilled.

Overall, the Henry Clay Stalk Cut is a fantastic cigar that goes unnoticed. It is a medium-bodied, flavorful cigar that is easy and fun to smoke. At a price point around $10, the Henry Clay is also budgetfriendly. If only the band wasn’t so ugly….

Be safe, have fun and enjoy your smoke! n

LegacyClub A social club

where business happens

We are proud to introduce you to our private business network n Do you want to expand your network

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LEGACY CLUB SPOTLIGHT “I’ve been involved with a number of different groups around Philadelphia but never quite found one that would help me grow both professionally and personally. When I came to my first event at the Tropicana back in December, I didn’t need to think twice about joining because it was such a natural fit. The Legacy Club differed from the rest because everyone enjoys working together and helping each other get to where they need to be. The JerseyMan/PhillyMan crew do a great job at making sure that everyone feels at home at every event, and don’t hesitate to set up an introduction between members. This group has given me another family away from my own, and I can’t wait for the next event!”

– TJ Smink of The Philadelphia Union

“As a seasoned entrepreneur, I have been a member of various networking groups and have become very selective. Last August we joined Legacy Club and have not been disappointed. The Duneks are readily available with a smile and willingness to make a connection, the events are well planned and enjoyable and the members are friendly, open to conversation and willing to share. Our steady commitment and participation has already resulted in a great return on our investment.” – Adrienne Hoffman of Snap 2 Marketing

To learn more about the Legacy Club contact Ken at: ken@jerseymanmagazine.com or call 856.912.4007 74

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@PCS_AnthonyM

TECH TIME

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY ANTHONY MONGELUZO

5G: The Latest Breakthrough in Faster Internet Speed

T

he search for faster internet speed is about to hit the finish line (for now).

If there’s anything that we want when using digital devices, it is faster speed, so that we don’t have to drum our fingers waiting for that page to download.

It’s about to happen with the introduction of 5G, the next tech wave, which offers increased speed and other enhancements.

The “G” stands for generation, and if we go back to 1G (which was essentially an analog system), we can easily trace the phases of faster speeds.

What makes 5G (Fifth Generation) so exciting is the power it will release.

Speed.

As they say in football, “speed kills,” or in our tech example, the response rate when you want it is thrilling. A 5G network should deliver speed from 10% to a whopping 100% faster than your current cellular connection.

You’ll get better coverage, and the pinging 76

time to the network and back will be much faster than WIFI. How fast is fast? It will go from one gigabyte per second to ten gigabytes per second. In English? Downloading a short HD movie in perfect conditions under the 4G umbrella should take about one hour, according to Michael Nunez, writing in Gizmodo. With 5G, “That means a full HD movie can be downloaded in a matter of seconds.” In addition to greater speed and improved responsiveness, you’ll be able to connect with many more devices.

When can I get it?

The reality is that all four major carriers— AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon—are already rolling it out in test cities throughout the country. (View it as a public beta test.) The timetable and the specific locations vary, even as of this writing. But think San Francisco and New York, and several dozen cities in between. What matters to our readers is when it will be available? Don’t expect the full rollout until 2020.

What about my 4G phone?

To fully benefit from this breakthrough speed, you will need a 5G phone. A few models on the market offer 5G service.

These include the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and Note 10+ (all carriers) and the LG V50 (Sprint and Verizon) and Moto Mod for the Moto Z3 and Z4 (Verizon). But these aren’t quite full-fledged 5G models because “different models support different bands.”

This affects performance.

Most of the other experts I follow share a consensus: Expect fully ready 5G phones to hit the market in 2020, though some are suggesting that it could happen as early as spring. I suggest checking in with your provider and seeing what deadline (and products) you can expect.

How important is this increased speed access?

The issue of how important increased speed is might be debatable. But do NOT dismiss the need for access, especially globally. The United Nations Human Rights Council, in a nonbinding resolution, called internet access a basic human right.

As with all technologies, no matter how exciting, we want more. Consider 5G the “more” for the 2020s decade. n Have any tech ideas you want to talk about? Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@PCS_AnthonyM) or email me any time at Anthony@helpmepcs.com.

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77

THE WINE MAN _______________________________________________________________________________

BY ROBERT KENNEDY

Great Wines Have Many Textures

A

H, THE NOSE OF A GREAT WINE. We know it when a perfect bouquet jumps out of that crystal stemware hitting our nostrils, and completely enveloping our senses. Our gaze is fixed on the wine as it swirls around the glass forming that quintessential vortex, then easily relinquishing to the wonderful legs streaming down as the liquid libation begins to settle.

We know these pleasing scents, and find them extremely valuable as part of an awesome wine experience.

Then comes the better part: The taste to the palate. This, however, can be somewhat trickier and much more difficult to accurately detect. Developing a good palate takes time, and doesn’t come naturally to most. It’s learned over a longer period of time, and for some, it never fully develops. But alas, there’s hope!

Making up the next part of the tasting phase

is the texture stage. There is a big difference between these two very important components making up the total experience, and the distinction should be made to fully appreciate the flavors that can wake up our senses.

To understand and appreciate how the palate works, texture must not be underestimated or ignored. Yes, we can describe flavors coming from a great bottle of cabernet sauvignon such as blackberries, graphite, plum, tobacco, and vanilla, to name a few. A Chard may be described as buttery or creamy, while a sauvignon blanc as lemony and limey. But, it’s the texture stage that’s a precursor to getting these flavors right.

When we allow wine to hit our lips, roll over our tongue, and breath air that cascades over the top, our senses once again kick into high gear. Many textures begin to form and take shape at this point. Viscosity may be a

texture we feel, and the tannins quickly make the mouth pucker. While wine viscosity is the thickness of the wine on our tongue, the tannins provide the dryness we feel following.

Tannins add complexity to wines with a combination of astringency and bitterness. Tannins can be biting or smooth, depending on the wine, but for the most part, tannins are a great friend of wines, particularly reds, since tannins come from fruit skins. (Fruit skins remain on reds longer than whites, thus delivering a higher percentage of tannins to reds.)

NOTHER TEXTURE found in wines is acidity. Acidity is much more difficult to distinguish, but the best way to define this texture is the way it feels at the back of the throat. Tart and sour come directly from tasting a lemon or lime, and as we know, these flavors hit the back of the throat. These same features are found with acidity. This ingredient is also essential in helping describe aromas and flavors that can dance on the palate long after the wine has left the mouth.

It simply is tannin’s dancing partner.

Yet another texture we know and love is the effervescence that we feel following a wonderful bottle of sparkling wine or champagne. Bubbles tend to linger on the surface of our tongue, and have a tendency to make our mouths feel alive, or explode like fireworks on the fourth of July.

So, aromas and bouquets are the beginning of an unforgettable wine experience, and flavors provide the crescendo to a great masterpiece such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, but texture is what most of us overlook or underappreciate. The lead-up to the 1812 overture often gets overshadowed by the crescendo, but Tchaikovsky couldn’t leave any note out. And a great wine would never qualify without texture. It’s a very important component of what makes wine wonderful.

Next time, give texture its due, and don’t leave it out! It will help round out the experience, and make the entire crescendo that much more enjoyable. n

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Please feel free to email me with comments or recommendations at rkj@Kennedy-companies.com.

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