JerseyMan Magazine V12N2

George Anastasia’s

MOB SCENE

James Harden

by Dei Lynam

®

Volume 12 • Number 2 – $3.95

Former Phillies outfielder, author and broadcaster

Doug Glanville 2022

Phillies

Season Preview

INSIDE: MINOR LEAGUE SPIRIT THE ABCs OF CRYPTOCURRENCY SPECIAL PHOTO SECTION:

SPRINGTIME IN THE PINES jerseymanmagazine com

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PUBLISHER

FROM JerseyMan Magazine THE VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 2 ____________________________________________________________________________________

BY KEN DUNEK

Ken Dunek Publisher ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ashley Dunek

Philly’s Favorite Son in the Hall of Fame

EDITOR George Brinkerhoff ART DIRECTOR Steve Iannarelli

So...

in 1980 I was an undrafted free agent TE trying to make the Philadelphia Eagles.

Never did I even attempt to play high school football. Yes, I played a little Pop Warner when I was 10 or 11, but that’s about it. I didn’t want to risk my basketball career. It was a wise decision at the time because I eventually got a full basketball scholarship to Memphis State University.

When it became obvious I didn’t Dunek (L) with his former have a snowball’s chance in hell of coach Dick Vermeil playing in the NBA, I accepted the offer from the football team at MSU to try to play TE. I was fast (and a little scared), but I could catch the ball and didn’t mind the contact.

Fast forward a couple of years and I had three offers to play in the NFL, from the Saints, Rams, and Eagles.

And I actually chose the Eagles, primarily using the logic that if I was released by the Eagles, the Saints might pick me up. If I chose the Saints and they released me, my career would be over before it got started.

But there was another reason why I chose the Eagles—Dick Vermeil was the head coach.

Yes, I had heard about his torturous training camps, but I was never afraid of hard work.

Especially on the athletic field.

The final deciding factor was when I came up there for a visit with about 20 other free agents they had signed to “try” to make the team. It is such a long shot to make an NFL roster as a free agent, but I was willing to give it a go.

Vermeil would meet with each prospect for 5-10 minutes privately so he could tell them (and me) what was expected of us. When I went in for my meeting, I was assuming he would spend the same amount of time.

He went into a long speech about why they offered me the contract ($4,000 signing bonus, $35,000 base salary, and $6,000 to make the final roster—pretty good money back then). He also gave me a detailed description of my entire college career. How I excelled at basketball and had the athletic ability to have a chance.

Realistically, not much of a chance because they had intended to keep only two tight ends on the active roster, and veterans Keith Krepfle and John Spagnola had those spots pretty much wrapped up. But he was very encouraging, as he talked to me for about 30 minutes, which I believe was far longer than he spent with any other free agent.

I left the room thinking I had a real chance of making the team somehow, and as it turned out, I did. I started a pre-season game due to injuries and spent the beginning of the season on injured reserve before being activated halfway through the magical season of 1980 and the run to the Super Bowl.

Dick Vermeil has been one of the great influences in my life, teaching me the lessons of hard (continued next page)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS George Anastasia, Jan L. Apple, Michael Bradley, George Brinkerhoff, Sam Carchidi, Alexandra Dunek, Ashley Dunek, Mark Eckel, Robert Kennedy, Sam Kraft, Dei Lynam, Anthony Mongeluzo, Kurt Smith Event Coordinator & Administrative Assistant Alexandra Dunek Website & Digital Coordinator Jamie Dunek Editorial gbrinkerhoff@jerseymanmagazine.com 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 Intern Chloe Senatore JerseyMan/PhillyMan Advisory Board Peter Cordua (Chairman). . . HBK CPAs & Consultants Bill Emerson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emerson Group Jerry Flanagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J Dog Brands Damien Ghee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TD Bank Bob Hoey. . . . . . . . . . . . . Janney Montgomery Scott Kristi Howell. . Burlington Co. Chamber of Commerce Ed Hutchinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hutchinson Robert Kennedy. . . . . . . . . . The Kennedy Companies Doug MacGray . . . . . . . . . Stonecrop Wealth Advisors Anthony Mongeluzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCS Charlie Muracco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CLM Advisors Ryan Regina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Sky Enterprises Scott Tanker . . . . . . . . . . . Tanker Business Solutions Joe Tredinnick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cornerstone Bank Les Vail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workplace HCM Jim Wujcik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Santander Bank

“I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.”

– Derek Jeter 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 5 Perina Boulevard Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. Copyright 2022.

www.jerseymanmagazine.com

We would like to recognize Damien Ghee, SVP and Regional Vice President of TD Bank to the JerseyMan/PhillyMan Advisory Board.

Welcome Damien! work and perseverance, qualities that would pay off for me after my football career was over.

He was also a rock star back then. I can remember when we would fly into another city women would line the fences at the airport and wait outside the hotel hoping he would cast an eye in their direction.

I was watching—and he never did return the gaze.

We stayed in touch over the years, and even though I was a player bringing up the rear of the roster, he has always treated me like one of his guys.

Coach was recently voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. And, in my opinion, it is long overdue.

Of course, he has lived in Philadelphia since his retirement. And when asked by the HOF what team he wanted to represent there, he chose the Eagles, even though he coached the Rams to a Super Bowl victory and spent several seasons with the Chiefs as well.

He is prone to emotion, and so am I. The tears welled up when I heard the news about him entering the hall as an Eagle.

We may not have brought the World Championship back to Philadelphia in 1980, but we did bring back its favorite son.

Dick Vermeil will forever be immortalized as a Philadelphia Eagle.

And for one magical season, this power forward from Memphis State was one too.

“Life is not a spectator sport.

If you’re going to spend your life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you are wasting your life.”

– Jackie Robinson 9

Photo by Joe Faraoni/ ESPN Images

INSIDE

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 2

40 Doug Glanville ON THE COVER……

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JAMES HARDEN

by DEI LYNAM

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WHERE WE EAT

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SCHILEEN’S PUB

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MINOR LEAGUE SPIRIT PLENTY TO CELEBRATE

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PHILLIES PREVIEW PLAYOFFS?

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CRYPTOCURRENCY WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Photo © 2021 The Phillies/Miles Kennedy.

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SPRING IN THE PINES PHOTO ESSAY

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BET PARX A RE-BRAND OF THE CASINO APP AND SPORTS APP INTO ONE Ranger Suarez

COLUMNS Cover photo by Kelly Backus / ESPN Images

1 2 J O T T I N G S • 2 2 G E O R G E A N A S T A S I A ’ S M O B S C E N E • 26 GET FIT 74 THE CIGAR GUY • 76 TECH TIME • 78 THE WINE MAN

www.jerseymanmagazine.com

JOTTINGS

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BY GEORGE BRINKERHOFF

Our New Jersey Roots Root Beer and Birch Beer Sodas were created in the Garden State

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S THE 19TH CENTURY WORE ON (and the Temperance movement against alcohol’s everyday usage gained traction), the leading lights of the day were persuaded that a market existed for flavored alternative drinks that were non-alcoholic. Enter Charles E. Hires, born in Salem County, NJ and apprenticed at age 12 to his two brothers-in-law who were partners a pharmacy. Apparently fascinated with liquids and medi-

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cines from a young age, Hires “Root Beer Tea” was inspired while on his honeymoon in Morristown, NJ, in 1875, after having been served a concoction by the wife of the farmer where they were staying. He persuaded her to let him have the recipe and, according to his biographer, spent a year refining this mixture until he had the perfect blend of barks, roots, herbs & berries before bringing it to market. He was then convinced by his friend, Russell Conwell, Temple University founder to drop the “tea”

in the name to better market it to hardworking folks after a long day’s work. He introduced it at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA and its popularity took off at nearly the same time that drugstore soda fountains with carbonated beverages came into being.

Sales rose so much that one ad in 1895 suggested that the 1894 sales of Hires Root Beer were enough to have provided 5 glasses for every man, woman and child in America. Sales continued to grow through Prohibition and beyond. (These days it appears to be a scarce

Charles E. Hires

commodity. This author hasn’t seen it in years but remembers when you could still buy Hires off the shelf in the supermarket. A product called Hires Big H Root Beer extract is offered on Amazon.)

Against this backdrop in 1891, another pharmacist, William Boylan created, in his apothecary in Paterson, NJ, an elixir using an extract of birch trees that he called Boylan’s Birch. He soon began selling it from the back of a horse-drawn wagon in individual cups. By 1900 Boylan’s Birch had grown in popularity, and he partnered with a local politician and began bottling the soda. The partnership soon dissolved, but Boylan continued bottling the drink through to the 1920’s. During Prohibition, Boylan’s Birch Beer was primarily sold in unused beer barrels. Upon Prohibition’s end, Boylan’s Birch Beer continued to be sold in its distinctive bottles right through end of the 20th century. Today, Boylan’s Birch Beer, part of the Boylan Bottling Company brands heritage, continues to be manufactured along with a full line of handcrafted sodas, as well as lines of seltzers and mixers. Check them out at boylanbottling.com.

Source: Charles E. Hires and the Drink that Wowed a Nation, by Bill Double (Temple University Press).

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The Painter of the National Pastime

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All images © Graig Kreindler

raig Kreindler is a different type of painter. His skill, attention to detail and mastery of his art are manifestly evident in his work, as is his commitment to his subject matter. So, just what is his subject matter, that to which he’s obsessively committed? Well, it’s baseball. Yup, the national pastime. Though much of his subject matter concerns players from those bygone days of baseball and therefore the majority of his portraits are of athletes now long deceased, Graig seems to have been blessed with the ability to capture each player at the top of their game and imbue each of them with life again, as they appeared in the glory of their prime. The baseball heroes of yesterday which Graig Kreindler portrays look as though they’re ready to

again step into the batter’s box and take one more swipe, field one more grounder or catch the next fly ball. From before the beginning of the 20th century right through to this century, he has captured those players, some of which are heroes and some whom are not, in stunning period detail with his finely honed perfectionism.

A few years ago, he was commissioned to do what became 235 portraits of the Negro and Latin American League players, again some well-known and some unsung, in celebration of

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All images © Graig Kreindler

100 years since the formation of the Negro National League.

Why baseball? From his website: “To Graig, no other sport embodied the relationship between generations and the sense of community like baseball. His goal is to portray the national pastime in an era when players were accessibly human, and the atmosphere of a welcoming ballpark was just as important as what happened on the field. He is proud to act as a visual historian, recreating a history that he has never experienced, yet, like millions of fans, maintains a profound connection with.”

Check out Greg Kreindler’s work for yourself at www.graigkreindler.com and follow him on Instagram.

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What we read.

The Other Side of Rock and War Billy Terrell with Rich Podolsky, Foreword by Frankie Avalon (National Foundation of Patriotism, 2018)

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ANT TO READ a cool Jersey-centric story about a poor kid from Newark who dragged himself out of tough upbringing to serve his country in Vietnam and then run with some of the most famous and infamous people in the entertainment world, while conquering his personal demons along the way? You bet you do.

Soldier, singer, songwriter, music producer, stand-up comedian, veteran, businessman and humanitarian, Billy Terrell has worn many mantles, met many compelling people from different eras, played many venues and succeeded in multiple fields. And he has the recollections and stories to prove it. From meeting 60’s musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, The Cream, The Doors, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, to rebooting Frankie Avalon’s career in the 70’s, to his stint as a stand-up comedian with the likes of Adam Sandler, Joe Piscopo, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Chris Rock and others from the 80s and 90’s, Billy Terrell has been in the eye of the entertainment storm.

While serving in Vietnam during the war, he assisted an orphanage at a nearby village however he could, providing money, teaching baseball and becoming attached to the children. In 2013 he went back to Vietnam, returning to the orphanage and an emotional reunion with a handful of the very same orphans.

His story is well-crafted and well-told, both an easy conversational tone and a page turning read. His honest, funny and moving tales of his life’s highs and lows are filled with colorful details and fascinating insights that bear witness to the turbulent times through which he’s lived and come out on The Other Side. While many entertainers have lavished praise for his book, former Howard Stern Show writer and stand-up comedian Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling’s endorsement seems particularly poignant: “Billy’s not only a huge talent, but quite obviously a wonderful human being. If you like music & hard-won success stories, and enjoy life-affirming tales, that we now need more than ever, you’ll love this book!”

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Baseball is back,

but for some baseball never left. Take that bastion of up-and-comers known as the minor leagues. They were going to “Play Ball!” no matter what. And the spirit in the minor leagues, it lives on, as our contributor, Michael Bradley, uncovers on page 30 in his look at some of our region’s most compelling minor league affiliates: the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Trenton Thunder and the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. And, besides, all 3 have cool names.

In fact, the “bush leagues” are chock full of exceptionally descriptive, wonderfully colorful club names.

Consider the Akron RubberDucks, the Double A affiliate for the former Cleveland Indians, now the Cleveland Guardians.

(Cleveland Guardians?? Yuck.)

Well, they used to be called the Akron Indians then later the Akron Aeros, a name that paid tribute to Ohio’s place as a leader in aerospace research, as well as the home of the Wright Brothers and Neil Armstrong. In 2013 a contest was held, and three other team name finalists included the Gum Dippers, Vulcans and Tire Jacks before deciding that the aforementioned floating bathtub toy was the winner. It was selected as a way of honoring the areas deep roots of the rubber tire manufacturing industry with both Goodyear and Bridgestone being located in Akron, and which had come to be known as the “Rubber Capital of the World.”

How about those Amarillo Sod Poodles? The Sod Poodles, or “Soddies” as they are known, are the Double A affiliate of Major League baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally the San Antonio Missions, once the team moved to Amarillo, a contest was held to pick a new name for the club. Here the five team name finalists included Boot Scooters, Bronc Busters, Jerky, and Long Haulers along with the eventual canine sounding winners. The name “Sod Poodles” was chosen over the others by a branding firm from San Diego and is supposed to reflect the presumed values demonstrated by the native population of prairie dogs in West Texas of sticking together, being family oriented and self-sufficiency. Ruff!

Those Jersey Shore BlueClaws? The Jersey Shore BlueClaws are the high–A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Following the 2000 season the Cape Fear Crocs relocated to Lakewood, NJ to become the Lakewood BlueClaws. Then, at the beginning of the 2001 season, they became a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate when the Phils moved their single A team, the Piedmont Boll Weevils (really, your team was named after a pest?), to Lakewood. They were finally rebranded the Jersey Shore BlueClaws after the 2020 season.

You can check out the complete list of Major League-affiliated minor league teams (and all the cool logos!) at www.milb.com/ about/teams.

Unmasking 11.3.22 17

Chairman’s Club at the Flyers game compliments of Joe Simone (2nd from left) of Regional Resources Energy Group

Infinity Club Game Night Four Star Event Catering • Wenonah, NJ

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Legacy Club Event Braddock’s Tavern, Medford, NJ

#75Hard challenge Telecorp Inc. completed the #75Hard challenge and collectively lost over 150 lbs.

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Legacy Club Event Splitz Bar & Grill at Laurel Lanes, Maple Shade, NJ

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MOB SCENE

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY GEORGE ANASTASIA

The Fiction of The Godfather

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he Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola’s Mafia classic, marked its 50th-anniversary last month. It has been described—and rightfully so—as one of the greatest movies of all time. It is a film that changed American cinema.

Based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel, it re-established a genre that began in the 1930s with films like Little Caesar and Scarface. And it was the precursor to modern-day classics like Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco. You could also argue that the HBO mega-hit The Sopranos traces its bloodlines back to the Coppola trilogy that started a half-century ago with the March 24, 1972, opening of The Godfather.

But in the midst of all the glowing stories about Don Corleone and his family, it’s important to keep one thing in mind.

It’s fiction.

Puzo saw the story as a family saga. That was part of the pull the book and the film had on viewers. But the honor and nobility that he attached to the Corleone family was based on a myth. The reality is that the Mafia took the values of the Italian American experience— honor, loyalty and family—and bastardized them to justify its existence.

If there ever were “men of honor” they had disappeared long before Puzo began cranking out his masterpiece.

The story also tapped into the American public’s fascination with the outlaw. There is part of our psyche that identifies with and grudgingly admires the rogue, the individual who sets his own agenda, who operates on his own terms and according to his own set of rules.

Billy the Kid or Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde or John Dillinger, Al Capone or Don Corleone, they all fit that mold and are examples of the phenomenon. Those of us who follow the rules watch and wonder about those who do not. Their success, however short-lived, is nonetheless alluring.

A New York Times review of the novel underscored that point, noting that the story “is 22

Violence, greed and treachery were all part of The Godfather.

It was set in a bloody and wantonly brutal world. But the film always offered a picture built around family values.

a voyeur’s dream, a skillful fantasy of violent personal power without consequences.”

Puzo’s first novel, The Fortunate Pilgrim, was a literary masterpiece about the Italian immigrant experience in New York. But from a financial perspective, it was a flop. He wrote The Godfather looking for a payday. He got much more than he bargained for. The bestseller brought him cash and celebrity, but there are those who believe he was troubled by the glorification of the Mafia that came with the success of his book and the movies that were based on the story.

That was not the primary intention when he wrote the novel, according to Mark Seal, whose book Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is a fascinating account of the trials and tribulations that went into the making of the movie.

“Beneath all the blood and gore,” Seal writes, “he (Puzo) realized that these criminals weren’t merely cold-blooded killers, but family men with wives and children and grandchildren. They were also consummate American entrepreneurs.”

Seal also describes the vociferous public opposition to the making of the movie, much of which came from the Italian American Rights League. The league had launched a campaign in 1970 decrying the stereotyping of Italian Americans as gangsters and blasting the FBI for targeting defendants whose names ended in vowels. The organization threatened to picket and disrupt the filming of The Godfather which was set to shoot on the streets of New York.

Tens of thousands of Italian Americans turned out for massive rallies organized by the league. In a compromise that allowed filming to proceed, the producer of the movie agreed that the word “Mafia” would not be used in any of the dialogue. (In fact, the word only appeared once in the original script and was never spoken in the movie itself.)

The Italian American Civil Rights League was led by Joseph Colombo, boss of one of the five New York Mafia families. Colombo epitomized the dark side of the Italian-Amer-

ican experience and contributed to the public perception that led to the stereotyping. But those facts didn’t seem to register with the thousands of Italian Americans who shouted and marched in lockstep with a Mafia boss.

Colombo’s morals and methods mattered less to them than his message. It was a page out of a political playbook that is still relevant today.

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Y THE TIME the novel, and then the movie, took hold of the American public, many of the Mafiosi on whom the story was based were gone. So, for the next generation of wiseguy, The Godfather was something like a training film. It was a demonstration of how a “real” Mafioso carries himself. For twenty-something goodfellas whose families had moved from the Italian ghettoes of lower Manhattan, South Philadelphia or Newark to the homogenized suburbs of middle-class America, the movie was a look into the past, a story about how things used to be when honor and loyalty mattered, when family trumped all else, when omerta was the code that everyone lived by.

Coppola’s take was to “use the Mafia as a metaphor for America,” wrote Seal, quoting from an interview the director did with a British magazine when the film debuted.

“Both the Mafia and America feel they are benevolent organizations,” Coppola explained. “Both the Mafia and America have their hands stained with blood from what it is necessary to do to protect their power and their interests. Both are totally capitalistic phenomena and basically have a profit motive.”

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N THE FANTASY that Puzo created, and that Coppola expanded, the Mafia was a way of life. But by late 20th century America, the profit motive that Coppola described had distorted everything else. For many, Cosa Nostra was no longer a way of life, but rather a way to make money.

“Vice is commerce” a Newark wiseguy once told me, explaining away any moral compunction about gambling, loan sharking, prostitution or drug trafficking.

“It’s all about the chicken,” said a South Philadelphia mobster now living in suburbia.

Making money is the goal and the driving force.

That philosophy helps explain the death of omerta and the demise of the American Mafia. If it is a business, rather than a way of life, then wiseguys who find themselves jammed up and looking at twenty-to-life in a RICO case, make a business decision.

Omerta is not part of the thought process.

The only question they ask is based on the business model: How do I cut my losses? Cooperation is the answer, and the Witness Security Program is the doorway out.

Violence, greed and treachery were all part of The Godfather. It was set in a bloody and wantonly brutal world. But the film always offered a picture built around family values.

“I believe in America” is the opening line in the movie. It is spoken by the undertaker seeking Don Corleone’s help to right a personal injustice that has befallen his family.

The scene sets the tone for the rest of the film.

There is something noble about Don Corleone’s “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” approach to life. And there is a certain admirable panache in Clemenza’s classic “leave the gun, take the cannoli” comment after a traitor is dispatched.

But these are fictions.

At its core, the Mafia is a corrupt, violent and evil organization. That shouldn’t be overlooked as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies of all time.

Back in March 1980, nobody made Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno an offer he couldn’t refuse. They just fired a shotgun into the back of his head. n

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DEI LYNAM

_______________________________________________________________________________ ___

Harden & Embiid: A Duo for the Ages

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HE ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC; the welcome was hardy. On Wednesday, March 2, James Harden made his first appearance at the Wells Fargo Center wearing a No. 1 Sixers uniform. For the 21,333 fans on hand, it was a pinch-me moment. Rumors that the organization was interested in the 10-time all-star had circulated for more than a year. However, making this acquisition at the trade deadline seemed unattainable because a disgruntled Ben Simmons had painted the Sixers organization into a corner. And yet magically, March 2, 2022, arrived, and the sellout crowd was on their feet, expressing gratitude for what they hope is a pairing of two superstars, Harden and Joel Embiid, that lead them to multiple championships.

“It was a movie,” Harden said after the Sixers beat the Knicks on his home debut. “It was everything I expected it to be. Everyone knows how great these fans are; how passionate they are about their Sixers. It felt great to be out here. I tried to get the jitters out early, and I am just happy we came out with the win.”

The Sixers had been winning a lot before the Harden trade, mainly because Embiid was playing at an MVP level. Doc Rivers’ team was three games out of first place in the East the day they traded for Harden. And yet the addition of the 32-year-old point guard instantly bettered the odds that the 76ers would win this year’s NBA title. Harden did not immediately take the court once joining the fourth team of his 13-year career; he got acclimated over two weeks, including the NBA All-Star break. There would be 24 games for the new-look Sixers to find a consistent winning formula that will challenge the likes of Milwaukee, Miami, or dare we say, the Brooklyn Nets to the Eastern Conference this postseason.

“We want to be good, great, by the end of this,” Doc Rivers said. “We have to win games doing it. I’m not using that like it’s some secret. I never put too much on regular-season games because you never know what a team is going through regarding injury or schedule.

In other words, the head coach will be looking at his team and how they are improving. He will be studying their strengths and weaknesses to prepare for the second season when the stakes are higher and the competition stiffer.

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OEL EMBIID KNOWS all too well that playing in May and June is significantly more challenging from the 82-game regular-season schedule. Last spring, he maintained his regular-season averages but still found himself at home after the conference semifinals. The memory of losing game seven to the fifth-seeded Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center has not

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faded. The group doesn’t rehash the experience; at the same time, no one wants a repeat performance. By adding Harden, the Sixers have upgraded their personnel in a way that has also boosted their confidence.

Embiid and his teammates, with No.1 in the mix, are counting on a collective focus being as good this spring as it was in Harden’s first five games in the Sixers lineup where the team went 5-0.

“We all just fit together,” Embiid described. “You have someone in James that comes in with experience, playmaking ability, as well as scoring ability. You combine that with what we have on the team, and it’s been amazing. As I said, it fits.”

THE SIXERS NOW HAVE TWO OF THE LEAGUE’S TOP 20 TALENTS IN HARDEN AND EMBIID. THE PLAY OF THIS TANDEM DRAWS YOU IN; IT IS MUST-SEE TV EVERY GAME DAY. “I think everybody’s mind is heading in the right direction,” Tyrese Maxey said. “Everybody has the same goal in mind, and we are stepping at the same pace. We all want to win, and that’s it. We want to play our best basketball moving forward.”

The excitement, expectation, and anticipation surrounding the 2022 Sixers have not been this high in 21 years. Unlike the 2001 team, who had an MVP in Allen Iverson, and a surrounding cast that knew their respective roles played them well, this team has two of the league’s top 20 talents, and Harden and Embiid bring out the best in each other. The play of this tandem draws you in; it is must-see TV every game day.

“People want to see greatness,” Matisse Thybulle shared. “Bringing a great player to a great team, and turning us into a serious contender; honestly, this addition turned us into a favorite in many people’s eyes. Philly has always ridden with us pretty hard, but having a championship being so tangible now, has upped that.”

The talent is here, with the proper mental approach in place. And the city has this team’s back. All everyone can do now is go through the experience of a long playoff run, enjoying an entertaining style of basketball that hopefully results in the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy parading down Broad Street in June. n Photo Philadelphia 76ers

GET FIT

For more guidance, follow Alexandra, NASM Certified

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Personal Trainer on Instagram at @TipsfromAFitChick

BY ALEXANDRA DUNEK

Simple Swaps

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HAT YOU CHOOSE TO CONSUME every day can be an overwhelming part of your fitness journey, especially with warmer days on the horizon. Many of us struggle balancing between enjoying ourselves while still staying on track with our goals. Before I share some ideas, here are a couple of things to note.

putting a pause on your goal.

• The only way to lose fat (or weight) is by eating in a calorie deficit, by definition, this means you consume fewer calories than you burn.

• You can lose fat (or weight) without tracking calories or macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats), but knowing your daily intake and how to reach it is an advantageous tool that will stay with you throughout your life. Quoting athlete Hana DeVore, “You have a speedometer in your car that tells you if you are going too fast or too slow, so you can adjust as needed. Very important data. Your tracking app is your speedometer for food, and your macros are your speed limit.” She also mentions, “it’s a skill you will use your entire life, whether you continue tracking or not.”

• Hunger is the toughest part of the dieting process. Although you can’t avoid it, you can set yourself up for success by planning ahead and making smarter choices that are more filling. If you are experiencing severe hunger, low energy or mood swings you might want to consider

• It’s a marathon, not a sprint. As humans, we are conditioned to walk a path that gives us instant gratification, which is why the diet industry is the most profitable and booming. The key is to make small changes, cement them into your lifestyle and have a lot of patience.

Instead of this:

Rice

Try this:

Instead of this:

Cauliflower Rice Peanut Butter

Bananas

Powdered Peanut Butter

Watermelon or Berries Sour Cream

Handful of Nuts

Popcorn (serving size bags are convenient)

Regular Bread

Siete Wraps or Dave’s Killer Bread (thin sliced)

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Try this:

Cereal

Ribeye Steak (fattiest cut)

Plain Greek Yogurt (tastes the same!)

Three Wishes or mix half your favorite cereal with puffed corn cereal.

Chicken, Seafood or Leaner Cuts of Steak (Sirloin Tip)

For example, if you want to increase your protein intake, try getting a ready-made protein shake (I like Premier Protein) somewhere in your day and consistently tackle this for a few weeks before you add in another adjustment.

• Don’t eliminate your favorites. You should enjoy the way you eat every day and yes. it’s possible to reach your goals while doing so! Fitness trainer Sohee Lee won her IFPA pro card (bodybuilding) by eating one full-size Snickers bar a day along with a nutritious diet and exercise routine. You can read about her experiment on www.soheelee.com in the Blog section.

Instead of this:

Try this:

Cliff Bars

Barbells Protein Bars or Beef Jerky

Grande or Venti Starbucks with regular milk and syrup

Tall Starbucks with almond milk and sugar-free syrup

Regular Condiments

Sugar-Free Condiments

Chicken Strips

Lightly Breaded Chicken Strips

Some other good choices to help keep you full are salads, broth-based soups and smoothies. I should note that none of the “Instead of” options are wrong. If you prefer eating regular rice over cauliflower rice then it’s perfectly fine to do so in moderation. These are just some examples of the swaps I tend to make when I am in a calorie deficit. The same concept can be applied to a calorie surplus (gaining muscle/bulking) by swapping choices the opposite way. The key here is to find options that help make your goal more manageable and most importantly, help you enjoy the days ahead. n 27

Where We Eat

Westville, NJ Photos Ashley Dunek

Schileen’s Pub

BY ASHLEY DUNEK

A friend told me about one of the best roast beef sandwiches she’s ever had and that was all I needed to hear.

WHO: The name Schileen’s is a combo of the husband-and-wife owner duo, Eileen and John Schillig, who opened their doors in 1995. A true family business, with all five of their children jumping in at the onset to help the restaurant succeed. A special shout out to the bartenders, Brittany and Kim, who made me feel like an instant regular.

WHERE: Schileen’s Pub is located in Westville, NJ. The restaurant is roomy, and the bar is the center of attention, even during lunchtime. They have daily food and drink specials and an excellent draft beer selection.

The pairing of a frosty pint and savory comfort food can’t help but leave you remarkably content. I really got that hometown pub vibe—comfortable, friendly, inviting and perhaps most importantly, flat out GOOD. WHAT: There is something to say about simple yet delicious food, and that’s what you can expect at Schileen’s. I knew I was getting the famous roast beef sandwich and I asked our bubbly bartenders for some other recommendations. They set me up for success (and a very full belly): the “Top of the Round” Roast Beef Sandwich, the Virginia Baked Ham Sandwich, Chili Fries and Crab Bites.

STAFF FAVES: The Roast Beef Sandwich comes on a super-soft kaiser roll and the meat is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Topped with gooey cheese (I picked sharp provolone) and served with a side of au jus and horseradish. Brittany hooked me up with her favorite sauce, a mixture of horseradish and honey mustard, and when I tell you this sandwich was heavenly, that’s an understatement!

The chili is another fan favorite, so I picked the chili fries, not expecting anything too special, and was delighted to be wrong again. The thick-cut fries were perfectly seasoned and somehow stayed crisp underneath a hearty pile of their sweet and spicy chili. Drizzled with sour cream and topped with green onions and shreds of mixed cheese—you won’t be able to stop eating them.

28

I have a feeling the regulars at Schileen’s will be dining there for many years to come. Be sure to add it to your South Jersey pit stops and don’t pass up on the roast beef sandwich! n

www.schileenspub.com •

@schileensirishpub

W

hen Mike Ventola looks back on the 10-plus years he has spent working in baseball’s minor leagues, he has a pile of great memories, from big wins to full ballparks.

But riding the bus with future major league players could well be at the top of the list.

“I take pride in the guys who have put on the IronPigs’ jersey,” says Ventola, Lehigh Valley’s Manager, Media Relations. “I rode the bus with [current Phillies] Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola when they were in AA ball, and I worked for Reading.

“With the Pigs, we get to celebrate the guys who go to Philadelphia.”

There is plenty to celebrate at all levels of minor league baseball these days, even though 30

the past couple of years have featured some upheaval—both Covid-induced and not. And in the Lehigh Valley, where the Phils’ AAA team competes in the relatively new TripleA East League’s Northeast Division, Ventola notes that the rhythm of the minors continues to beat along, even as Major League Baseball has reduced the number of teams and put into place standards for stadiums and operations that could spell the end of other franchises.

For Ventola, it’s about the basics: entertainment, affordable prices and the national pastime.

“Ultimately, minor league baseball still operates on its core value, family fun,” he says.

“Take a look at [the 1988 movie] ‘Bull Durham’ to get a look at minor league baseball.

It’s pretty accurate.”

“Ultimately, minor league baseball still operates on its core value, family fun.”

– Mike Ventola Photots Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs

Minor League Spirit.

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

There is plenty to celebrate at all levels of minor league baseball these days

Coca-Cola Park

Mascot photo Wikimedia Commons, Michael Stokes

for decades. Others were upset at the centralization of the minor-league world around an MLB axis. Yes, the vast majority of teams have been affiliated with big-league teams since their inceptions, but there was always a sense of independence for many of them over the years. Now that the majors have taken over the lower levels of baseball, there is a perceived loss of innocence and a sense that the traditions of the minors might be sacrificed as a result.

G

regg Caserta has been in the minor league baseball world for a decade, and at one point he worked for five teams in six years, so he knows a bit about the situation. Now the Director of

Photo Trenton Thunder

For some, the “bush leagues” remain a place to watch potential future big leaguers grow. The “Bull Durham” concept of long bus rides for players, campy promotions and a somewhat cavalier approach to winning and losing that emphasizes talent development still has merit, but as people are confronted with an ever-widening menu of entertainment options, primarily in their own homes, the minor league experience has become more sophisticated. Oh, there remain some crazy things, but things are changing.

The contraction of 40 minor league teams, some of them long-time fixtures on the professional baseball scene, was a big first step.

Many decried the move, accusing Major League Baseball of robbing small towns of institutions that have provided entertainment

Iron Pigs mascot FeRROUS

“There is a sadness for the teams that didn’t make it out of the contraction. There are some teams on edge now.”

– Gregg Caserta 31

Photo Trenton Thunder

Trenton Thunder Ballpark

32

I

n late 2020, when the Phillies’ HighA affiliate decided to embrace its true roots, there was only one name that would be appropriate. The Lakewood BlueClaws were out. The Jersey Shore BlueClaws were in.

It’s not like it was a big stretch. A couple of years earlier, the new ownership groups— which had bought the team in 2017—had added a collection of boardwalk arcade games to FirstEnergy Stadium. The ring toss, hoop shot and other traditional contests fit in well with the stadium’s beach town vibe. There would also be a mini-golf course on the premises and an outdoor bar that would host in-game concerts. Anyone dropped into the experience might be surprised to find that there was a baseball game going on, too.

“We want to create an affordable night out with friends and family,” says Greg Giombarrese, Jersey Shore’s Director of Communications. “Our on-field entertainment grades out

Photo Jersey Shore Blueclaws

Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Trenton Thunder and also its play-by-play man, Caserta has seen the team go from a New York Yankees affiliate to a member of the MLB Draft League, which features young players hoping to be selected by professional clubs. The Thunder is hoping to grab a spot on another big-league club’s developmental roster, and Caserta understands that Trenton’s uncertainty and that of other teams are quite real.

“There is a sadness for the teams that didn’t make it out of the contraction,” Caserta says.

“There are some teams on edge now. But even though a lot of teams are fixtures in their markets, they may be the only game in town. But they may not have an economy in the area that can support the team.

“When a club signs a player development deal that locks it in with a Major League team, that team has the ability to pull out whenever it wants.”

“When kids get to run around on a professional field after every game, they have huge, ear-to-ear grins.”

– Greg Giombarrese

well, too. It’s all part of the minor league experience.”

It’s important to forget that the game isn’t always the thing. Anybody who has taken young children to a baseball game knows it can be quite challenging. The kids aren’t that invested in what’s happening on the field.

They want food and souvenirs constantly.

At $35 a ticket to sit upstairs at Citizens Bank Park—and parking, etc.—the price tag can get high. Going to see the BlueClaws or another minor league team provides relief for the wallet and much more to do for the youngsters.

For instance, there is an “eyeball race” at every Jersey Shore game. There is also a nightly pork roll, egg and cheese race. Heritage nights abound. There are Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen-themed game nights. And since MLB has inked a deal with Marvel, the BlueClaws will have several nights when characters from the Marvel universe will be at the ballpark. Kids run the bases after every game.

And on Father’s Day, fathers and their sons and daughters can have a catch on the field.

Nobody ever wants to leave. Whether the team wins or loses, the experience is always great.

“You have provided an experience for

them,” Giombarrese says. “When kids get to run around on a professional field after every game, they have huge, ear-to-ear grins.”

Minor league players can have some smiles, too, since the reorganization of some of the leagues in which they participate has led to more favorable traveling schedules for them. For instance, in 2019, the BlueClaws traveled a total of 13,500 miles by bus to visit teams in locations as far away as Charleston, SC and Greensboro, NC. Now part of the High-A East confederation, Jersey Shore is in a division with teams from New York, Delaware and Washington, making for much more manageable travel. For instance, last year the team traveled only 2,500 miles, just 1,400 of which came on a bus. When the BlueClaws played South Division teams in North Carolina, they flew.

Also, the schedule has allowed for longer series on the road. In the past, the BlueClaws would play three or four games in a spot and then move on. Now, they play six games and then head home, making for fewer travel segments.

“It all adds up,” Giombarrese says.

The changes haven’t been all good. Along with the elimination of some franchises that

have had relationships with towns that lasted several decades have come mandates from Major League Baseball that could impact teams’ futures. For instance, MLB made it clear to the Reading Fightin’ Phils that 70-yearold FirstEnergy Stadium needed significant updates—coming in at $16.5 million—in order for the team to be able to stay in town. At first, it appeared as if that could be a problem.

But the state of Pennsylvania, the city of Reading, Berks County and the Phillies combined to provide the necessary funds.

“A lot of what Major League Baseball wants to do in terms of upgrading facilities is not unreasonable, in terms of making sure the players are taken care of with good facilities,” Caserta says. “Some teams will incur financial losses because of the changes, but they would have to make them anyway. This just pushed the clock.”

Changes have been made. More may be coming. However, when it comes to the heart of minor league baseball, the beat remains the same.

“It’s a circus,” Ventura says. “I call it controlled chaos.”

And the fans love it all. They might even watch the game, too. n

33

2022

Phillies Preview Excitement builds as it looks like long playoff drought will end.

Major League Baseball and the Players Association finally got their act together in March and decided how to divide billions of dollars. For the local nine, that means the Phillies will now try to end their 10-year playoff drought.

Can they?

Definitely.

When the lockout ended, the Phils were major players. They signed power-hitting outfielders Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, along with centerfielder Odubel Herrera (yawn), and two veteran relievers: lefty Brad Hand and righthander Jeurys Familia.

While the relievers are past their primes and the Phils are hoping they will stabilize their bullpen, the Schwarber signing was a standup double. Signing Castellanos was a home run.

Castellanos, 30, a righthanded hitter, and the lefty-swinging Schwarber should bolster an offense that needed an upgrade.

The Phillies gave Castellanos a fiveyear deal for a total of $100 million, while Schwarber received a four-year contract for 34

$79 million.

The Phillies, whose $240 payroll is fourth in MLB, are going all in.

Castellanos is coming off a career-best season with the Reds: He made the All-Star team and hit .309 with 34 homers and a .939 OPS. You want to know something about his personality? Well, after a brawl between the Reds and Cardinals last year, Castellanos had this to say about legendary St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina: “That guy could punch me in the face, and I’d still ask him for a signed jersey,” he cracked.

Philly is going to like this guy.

As for Schwarber…

“He’s a proven winner,” right fielder Bryce Harper said. “… Been around a lot of great teams. Good fan bases. I think being in the

BY SAM CARCHIDI

city of Philadelphia, being on this team, he’s going to fit right in.”

HR STROKE Schwarber, 29, has hit at least 25 homers in each of the last five full seasons. He won a World Series title with the 2016 Cubs, and he bashed a combined 32 homers in 399 atbats with Washington and Boston last season, when he hit .266, collected 71 RBIs, and was an All-Star selection.

An Ohio native who was also a catcher earlier in his career, Schwarber had a .374 onbase percentage last year, which makes him a leadoff candidate.

Schwarber is a weak fielder, as are most of the Phillies, and he might end up being a designated hitter on a team that is trying to improve on last year’s 82-80 record. That put them in second place in the NL East, 6½ games behind the Atlanta Braves.

Herrera hit .260 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs last season, and his defense was underwhelming. His on-base percentage was .310, which was even uglier when you consider he was their leadoff hitter a team-leading 63 times.

Photo © 2021 The Phillies/Miles Kennedy.

Bryce Harper hit .305, slammed 35 homers and 42 doubles, and won the league’s MVP award last year.

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Photo © 2021 The Phillies/Miles Kennedy.

Having a stable rotation is the most important thing a team can own, and the Phils are in good shape in that category, and it all starts with Zack Wheeler, last year’s Cy Young runner-up.

He may be platooned with Matt Vierling, a Notre Dame product who batted .324 with two homers in 71 at-bats.

ONE-TIME CLOSER Familia was once the Mets’ closer, but is now better-suited as a set-up man. The 32-year-old Dominican righthander still throws hard, but is far from the pitcher who led the majors with 51 saves in 2016. He went 9-4 with a 3.94 ERA with the Mets last season.

Hand, 32, a closer throughout his career, had a 3.90 ERA with three teams last year and struck out 61 in 64 2/3 innings.

At press deadline, the Phils were still looking to add a bench player and another reliever.

Before the lockout, the Phillies signed righthanded reliever Corey Knebel, who will become an important part of the bullpen 36

because Hector Nerris left for the Houston Astros. Knebel, 30, had a 2.45 ERA with the Dodgers last year; he saved 39 games for the Brewers in 2017.

In addition, the Phils signed utility infielder Johan Camargo, brought back once-effective reliever Seranthony Dominguez, who is trying to rebound from Tommy John surgery, and claimed three players off waivers.

Those moves won’t threaten the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, or the new-look New York Mets, for that matter.

Before the lockout, the Mets committed about $260 million by bringing in ace pitcher Max Scherzer, outfielders Starling Marte (who would have been a great fit with the Phils) and Mark Canha, and versatile infielder Eduardo Escobar. When the lockout ended, they acquired All-Star righthander Chris Bassitt and

signed reliever Adam Ottavino.

As it stands, the most reliable part about the Phillies is their starting rotation. Here’s a look at the 2022 Phils:

STARTING ROTATION Having a stable rotation is the most important thing a team can own, and the Phils are in good shape in that category, and it all starts with Zack Wheeler, last year’s Cy Young runner-up.

The rest of the rotation includes Aaron Nola, who is coming off a disappointing season; Ranger Suarez, the lefty who was stunningly good; Zack Eflin; and Kyle Gibson.

Wheeler went 14-10 last season and had a 2.78 ERA while leading the NL with 247 strikeouts. He pitched 213 and 1/3 innings, tops in the league.

If the Phillies are going to get into the playoffs, they need Nola to regain his form.

The righthander had the second-worst ERA (4.63) of his career. He had a 3.28 ERA the previous year.

While Nola had a mystifying season and struggled mightily on the road (5.27 ERA), Suarez was the Phillies’ feel-good story of 2021.

Converted from a reliever to a starter during the season, he finished with an 8-5 record and 1.36 ERA in 106 innings. The Phils can’t expect him to duplicate those numbers, but he looks like a solid No. 3 pitcher in their rotation, though one wonders how an increased workload will affect him. He made 12 starts last season.

Eflin is coming off a knee injury, so the Phils aren’t sure how many innings he can give them; they believe he’ll be ready for the season’s start. Last season, Eflin made his last start on July 16, and he finished with a 4-7 record and 4.17 ERA. When healthy, he gives the Phils a steady presence every five days on the mound.

Gibson struggled with the Phillies after being acquired from Texas at the trade deadline last year. He had a 4-6 record and a 5.09 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) with his new team, but he was superb in 19 starts with the Rangers (6-3, 2.87 ERA) before the trade.

BULLPEN Phillies relievers had a league-worst 34 blown saves in 2021, and they are hoping their moves addressed the sad-sack situation.

The bullpen leaders figure to be Knebel, who could be the closer, Hand, Familia, Connor Brogdon (3.43 ERA last season), Jose Alvardo (4.20), and Sam Coonrod (4.04).

Besides Knebel, the Phils picked up lefthander Ryan Sheriff off waivers from Tampa Bay. He has pitched just 44 and 1/3 career innings and has a 3.65 ERA. Maybe a defined role will help him.

The Phillies are counting on Dominguez to be healthy and to start resembling his old self.

Others who could be part of the picture: Bailey Falter, Jeff Singer, Cam Bedrosian, Yoan Lopez, and Nick Nelson.

INFIELD 1B/DH: The National League adopted the designated hitter, so Rhys Hoskins or Schwarber may spend time there. Like Schwarber, Hoskins is a below-average fielder, but his bat needs to be in the lineup. Hoskins hit .247 with 27 homers in just 107 games as his season ended because of an abdominal tear.

3B/1B: Alec Bohm (.247, 111 strikeouts in 115 games) will probably be given a chance 37

to return at third base, but he could move to first if Hoskins is the DH. Problem is, Bohm struggled defensively at first when used there, so he isn’t ideal.

2B: Jean Segura is an adequate fielder and is coming off a season in which he batted .290 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs. SS: Veteran Didi Gregorius (.209 with 13 homers last season) will get strong competition from Bryson Stott, 24, who batted .299 with 16 homers for three minor-league teams last season. The Phillies need an injection of youth, and Stott, a first-round selection out of UNLV in 2019, could give them a boost.

C: J.T. Realmuto (.263, 17 HRs, 73 RBIs ), who had a sore right shoulder in the second half of last season, anchors this position, and the Phils will have a new backup because they parted ways with Andrew Knapp and his .152 batting average. Rafael Marchan, who is strong defensively, could be Realmuto’s caddy.

OUTFIELD The outfield won’t remind anybody of Luzinski-Maddox-McBride, or Burrell-VictorinoWerth.

Bryce Harper hit .305, slammed 35 homers and 42 doubles, and won the league’s MVP award last year. The 29-year-old right fielder and Schwarber could combine for 70 homers.

Castellanos’ potent bat should put him in left field, where he isn’t the best fielder.

Schwarber could play left, but more likely will be used as a DH or first baseman. Both should hit a ton of homers at batter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

When spring training started, Herrera and Vierling were favored to split time in center.

Adam Haseley, Mickey Moniak, and Luke Williams—three underwhelming players— should battle for spare outfield spots.

BOTTOM LINE The Phillies’ bullpen is improved, their rotation is solid, and Schwarber—who could become a folk hero in the John Kruk mold—and Castellanos will give them more power. But their overall defense is extremely weak, and that will be a factor.

They need players like Bohm and Stott to have breakthrough seasons if they are going to be a National League East contender.

A wild-card spot is probable, but Joe Girardi’s Phillies will be hard-pressed to beat out the Braves or Mets for first place in the NL East.

Still, thanks to a post-lockout spending spree, optimism is high for 2022. n 38

Doug Glanville Believes The former Phillies star is currently hosting a TV show, contributing to several big-name publications, and giving speeches.

In life, he believes, we’re all on the same team.

BY KURT SMITH

40

Photo by Joe Faraoni/ ESPN Images

PROFILE

Photo by Kelly Backus / ESPN Images

A

s this article was written, MLB’s owners and players weren’t working together much to get an actual season started. It’s the kind of occasional event that deromanticizes baseball to fans, even if baseball probably shouldn’t be so romanticized.

To Doug Glanville, a player rep during his distinguished career, it’s nothing new.

“Knowing the history, it’s familiar. It’s not atypical to be on the threshold of missing games. That they had all these years without strikes, without lockouts, is pretty remarkable actually. Someone like Chase Utley had an entire career without work stoppages. That’s pretty incredible.

“But I also know historically it’s a contentious relationship. There’s no question you get to certain crossroads. The way I look at it is, at what point would owners test players who had never been on strike before? Is that a strategy, to see how much resolve you have when you start missing paychecks?”

So, are the players being reasonable demanding a larger share of the ginormous profits they generate?

“I think of A Few Good Men,” Glanville observes. “You know, it doesn’t matter what I believe, it matters what I can prove. Even

if you have reasonable objectives, you’ve got to figure out the balancing point, the space of equilibrium.

“The middle class was seemingly eroding; I think that was a reason for concern. Because when they were trying to bring people together, it’s easier to do that when you can say that each group of you, no matter where you are in your career, has seen growth.

“That’s the case you want to make, but when the young guy gets this or the old guy, you start to create a certain tension on who you’re taking care of the most.

“On our podcast the other day, I was asking, ‘What is it about veterans that they’re really pushing for rookies?’ That’s very different.

When I was coming up it was like, be seen, not heard, whatever, pay your dues.”

41

To Glanville, it might ultimately come down to who blinks.

“They don’t seem that far apart in theory.

You’re not introducing dramatically new economic systems. It doesn’t seem anywhere close to insurmountable. But there’s always this in the back of my mind, ‘Will someone test the resolve of the other?’ And that’s usually where things go off the rails.”

Doug Glanville has learned, both from growing up in Teaneck, NJ and playing professional baseball, that coming together means everything.

S

ome time after his baseball career ended, Glanville faced two of the types of incidents that African Americans encounter in their lifetimes, whether they’re famous exathletes or not.

The first happened at his home in Hartford, as he was shoveling snow in his driveway. A police officer out of his jurisdiction pulled up and questioned him brusquely, supposedly acting on a report elsewhere. The situation, thanks partly to Glanville’s defusing mindset, didn’t escalate, but it bothered the former baseball star enough to act.

“There’s a law in Connecticut called the Glanville Law, it’s from my police experience in my driveway. From day one, it was hard, but I ended up realizing that I need to learn what the police experience. I spent over two months learning and talking to people, to understand as many perspectives as I could, before I even wrote the article in The Atlantic about it. By then I was informed, and then when I did the long game of 18 months of political engagement to get a law passed, I had so many other people that were with me.

“It wasn’t because I was some pied piper. I realized that when you approach things with a certain humility, that you don’t have all the answers, that there’s a perspective you may not have considered, and you’re patient, I found you create a much more elegant solution.”

About a year later, in Los Angeles of all places, another incident motivated Glanville to push for changes.

“I’m trying to get a cab at LAX with my colleague who was white,” he remembers. “The 42

‘‘

I’VE ALWAYS TRIED TO EXPLORE THE BEST VIRTUES OF SPORT. WHEN YOU’RE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT FAIRNESS, YOU HAVE RULES TO ABIDE BY, [AND] THAT’S A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR A LARGER SOCIETY.” cab driver rolls down the window, sees my colleague and pops the trunk. I’m with him clearly, in my mind, clearly. I go back to put my luggage in the trunk. The guy says, ‘You take the bus, it’s $19.’ Refused to let me get into his car.”

It turned out Glanville wasn’t making some imaginary mountain out of that.

“The LAPD had a sting operation, with undercover African American officers that went in plain clothes, to see if there’s this major discriminatory problem at LAX. The first day they did it, 30% of the black riders, officers, got refused service. They ended up doing this sting, and getting information, and they changed the law, they changed the policy.”

Doug Glanville hosts a TV show, Class Is In Session With Doug Glanville. He has written a book called The Game From Where I Stand.

He has contributed to The New York Times and The Athletic among others. He is a motivational speaker who discusses everything from baseball culture to parenting. In all these forums, his goal is the same: focusing on what unites us and using that to move forward.

“My hope is that you will realize that we are all walking in the same shoes in a lot of regards. It’s important if you ever want to accomplish something that’s sustainable, that you bring people with you and that you learn their perspectives.

“When I have these experiences that involve race or dynamics of identity, yeah, it was hard, but I saw the long game.

“In the end, that’s what sustains.”

N

o athlete who has played for a Philadelphia team needs to be told about putting your heart into what you do.

“I was one of those fans,” Glanville remembers. “I knew to play hard. Play with your heart, run hard, run every ball out.

“Chicago (where Glanville played as a Cub for two seasons) was different. I remember [pitcher] Frank Castillo was a teammate of mine, may he rest in peace. He started off a season like 0-9, and the fans are like, don’t worry, Frank, you’ll win your next one, you’ll be 1-9!

“Just warm, fuzzy and friendly. In Philly, people would stop me in the street, and talk about how I gotta tuck my shoulder in and I’m pulling off the ball.

“They’re gonna be hard on you. But when someone’s hard on you for not running out a ball, they should be. When you’re not appreciating the game, the opportunity, the chance to do what you do for a living, I think that’s

Photo by Kelly Backus / ESPN Images

Glanville, first joined ESPN as an analyst in 2010.

He contributes to various ESPN programs including Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter.

Glanville played 6 seasons for the Phillies, including 1999, when he hit .325 with 11 home runs, scored 101 runs, stole 34 bases and drove in 73 runs.

totally fine. You may not hit the ball 500 feet, you may not throw 98 [mph], but you can run a ball out.”

As he reflects on running the ball out in baseball and in life, the soft-spoken Glanville is both proud of how his efforts helped make real changes, and grateful for his experiences during and after his baseball career. Not just the thrill of, say, meeting Hall & Oates, but also playing for the team he loved growing up.

“My first autograph, I wrote a letter to Bob Boone. He wrote back, he signed a 4x6 photo card. My first trip to the Hall of Fame, I came back with a Mike Schmidt headshot that I bought.

He remembers well being traded to his favorite team. “It was a tough time because my grandfather had passed away 24 hours before.

It was wonderful because I was traded to the Phillies, but I couldn’t embrace it completely because I was dealing with the loss.

“But once it actually happened, and I got to wear the Phillies uniform, that was beyond

44

W cool. I love how they keep legacy players connected. I got to see Mike Schmidt, Garry Maddox came to my wedding, Bowa was my manager. That’s a dream. I loved listening to Harry Kalas, I watched the Phanatic every game.

“I remember catching the first pitch from Steve Carlton, I was like, that’s the motion I imitated in Wiffle ball!”

ith his show, speeches, and articles, Glanville devotes his time today to using his experiences to benefit all of us.

“I’ve always tried to explore the best virtues of sport. When you’re in an environment that is concerned about fairness, you have rules to abide by, [and] that’s a good example for a larger society. For the rules to be fair, and the game to be fair, [so] that you can compete.

“I think of that one aspect, and another is that there’s a sense of unity and teamwork that exists in sports like very few places. Maybe the military, but there are not a lot of places that allow you to see the importance of coming together for a common goal like sports.

“It’s nice to get 200 hits, but one of the biggest joys every day was being around people from different walks of life, and figuring out how to come together, how to accomplish something.

“We have a lot more in common than we don’t.” n

The ABCs of Cryptocurrency If the terms Bitcoin and Ethereum sound like a foreign language, you are not alone. As mysterious as they may sound, they have become increasingly popular around the globe. This totally digital currency, frequently referred to as crypto, is used as a peer-to-peer payment system and as an investment. For online security, the currency uses encryption technology. This is how its name originated.

BY JAN L. APPLE

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Bitcoin is also referred to as BTC and Ethereum as ETH, abbreviations representing their value. For example, 1btc is the same as one bitcoin; much like one dollar is written as $1.

Stored in a virtual wallet of sorts, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most common and most recognizable but aren’t the only forms of this currency.

“There are at least 10,000 types of crypto,”

said Bill Evans, founder and CEO of Liberty Fox Technologies, LLC, a software consulting firm based in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.

Some of Evans’ consulting work focuses on blockchain technology. “It is this same blockchain technology that creates the opportunity to have unique and scarce assets in a digital world,” explained the 35-year-old Lansdale, Pennsylvania resident.

Blockchain-Enabled Cryptocurrency

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Blockchain enabled the creation of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). To put it in the most basic terms, Evans described this software technology as the opposite of being able to copy and paste limitless words and documents on a computer.

And although Bitcoin, in 2009, was the first implementation of blockchain technology, the software is based on something called a Merkle Tree. “Merkle Tree was patented in 1979 by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student, Ralph Merkle,” said Evans.

Ever since Bitcoin officially kicked off worldwide in 2010, it has created quite the buzz. Millennials were the first to jump in on the strategy, but they’re not the only ones. Its reach has evolved and expanded exponentially.

The cryptocurrency market became more mainstream in 2017 and, observed Evans, is drawing people from a broad population and age range—from 15 to 65 and beyond. Although minors may be greatly intrigued with crypto, it is their parents who partake in the investments.

Evans, who has been dabbling in crypto since 2014, is quick to add a disclaimer. “I don’t offer advice on the investment,” he said.

He does, however, have a plethora of knowl-

invited to speak on the topic. His presentations, called Blockchain in Practical Applications, are typically about an hour in length and serve as a basic primer to groups of investors.

The educational component also addresses what various companies are currently doing with the currency.

What Exactly is Cryptocurrency and How Did it Come About?

Bill Evans, founder and CEO of Liberty Fox Technologies, LLC edge on the topic as he’s been reading books, articles and abstracts for the past decade. He’s also involved in the crypto community and attends events on the subject.

His company, Liberty Fox Technologies, with about 20 employees, works with a variety of clients, including mid-sized and enterprise companies such as healthcare organizations and Fortune 500 businesses like Verizon, AT&T and Caterpillar.

Because of Evans’ work with businesses and relationships with community organizations like chambers of commerce, he is often

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– According to Evans, the international currency is a global phenomenon and unlike other currencies. For example, to be of equal value, a U.S. dollar must be converted to a euro. This is typically done at a bank or international money exchange. Yet cryptocurrency has the same value everywhere in the world. A bitcoin is a bitcoin no matter the location!

“People cannot touch or hold any coins or bills,” said Evans. The currency, however, is not regulated by banks or the United States government. Evans emphasized that most financial advisors in our country must be fiduciaries; the crypto market has no such requirement. The government, he said, is still trying to figure out if and how the currency can be taxed and regulated and what its future may be.

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Rapidly Moving Market

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– “The crypto market is very volatile and moves in substantial percentages every day,” said Evans. “The Bitcoin market moves faster in a month than the stock market does in a year.

One bitcoin today is worth about $40,000, but they can be purchased in fractions. People can invest as little as $5.00.”

Evans added that a myriad of factors can affect the market: world news, U.S. news, politics, people, businesses announcing their stance on the currency.

For anyone interested in getting started and learning the basics on investing, Evans cited two reputable websites: www.coinbase.com and www.gemini.com/cryptopedia.

“There are many websites, but these are the safest and the easiest entry for U.S. citizens,” he said. “The sites are set up like an exchange; they let you trade dollars for cryptocurrency.”

Evans added that more and more companies are starting to accept crypto as a method of payment. These include PayPal, Tesla (Bitcoin), overstock.com and Venmo (coming soon), to name a few.

Evans first became familiar with the currency in 2014. “At the time, there was a new buzzword called ransomware,” he said. “We

50

were trying to understand how to write better software to protect our clients from a cybersecurity perspective. Hackers back then were demanding bitcoin. So, I wanted to learn more about that technology.”

How Do Crypto Transactions Take Place?

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Cryptocurrency transactions are made directly from one user to another; there is no bank or financial institution involved, no middleman. Admittedly, according to Evans, one of the things people often struggle with is that

Cryptocurrency transactions are made directly from one user to another; there is no bank or financial institution involved, no middleman. the currency seems intangible. Evans, however, underscored that only about 10 percent of U.S. money is cash. “We all just look at

bank balances these days and swipe plastic cards,” he said. “We never really hold the money anymore.”

It is also no secret that people have become multimillionaires investing in crypto. “A good piece of these investments is purely speculative,” said Evans who believes their value is also driven by companies and industries that announce their affinity for the currency. “Bitcoin climbs, for example, when a big company announces that their using or investing in it.”

One example Evans cited was in Tesla’s recent quarterly shareholder’s report. The electric car manufacturer reported $1.2 billion in Bitcoin holdings. This announcement caused a surge of excitement.

Who Created Cryptocurrency?

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The answer to this question is somewhat cryptic. The person who created the currency has never revealed his/her identity, but took on a pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. It is not known where this person lives nor their motivation for being secretive. What is known, according to Evans, is that this person created billions of dollars of wealth and has never touched a cent of it.

Blockchain Code

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Interestingly, blockchain code is an opensource technology. Evans explained that it can be shared with the world, anyone can use it.

“If someone proposes an update and more than 50 percent of users agree to enact that change, it becomes the next version of cryptocurrency,” said Evans, adding that this happens on a regular basis.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NFTs are gaining in popularity but may seem even more abstract as they are in the early stages of development. Evans explained the concept: “Fungible just means that if I have a dollar bill and you have a dollar bill, they are basically the same. But if my dollar bill has Pablo Picasso’s signature on it, then it’s going to be worth a lot more.” Thus, it is nonfungible.

NFTs Represent Assets

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NFTs can represent a variety of assets, such as art, collectibles, real estate. “Each individual

52

NFT is solely unique in its own right,” said Evans, giving the example of original artwork where NFTs are gaining ground. “One piece of art can be sold at Target for four dollars; another piece of art can be sold at Christie’s Auction House for four million dollars. NFTs create scarcity and uniqueness. Artists, musicians and photographers can take their work product in a digital world/space and secure it

in a way that it can be uniquely sold and not copied and pasted.

“A song could be an NFT,” continued Evans.

“The NFT is the copyright; the creator owns the rights to it.” Recently, the well-known rap artist, Snoop Dogg, purchased Death Row Records and announced that he is converting the entire record label to an NFT organization.

Evans noted that going forward, the company will be producing all music as NFTs. NFTs will create new opportunities for digital artists, explained Evans. “They will allow digital artists to secure the uniqueness of what they’re producing. In the past, people could copy and paste digital artwork as opposed to analog artwork that is created on canvas.”

Evans predicts that NFTs—already a multimillion-dollar business—will increase in popularity as more and more people realize their value.

A Future in Crypto

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– “Crypto could shepherd in a future economy for the world,” said Evans. “The technology is fully there, but it would really depend upon whether governments and people are ready for it.” n

Springtime in the Pines

Photo Richard Beck

trate individually the stark beauty The photographs which follow demons sts forth and flourishes each spring and spectacular variety of life that bur New Jersey known as the Pinelands in this last bastion of wilderness in photographs weave a rich tapestry National Reserve. Taken together the for preservation of this spectacular and continue making an unassailable case hard Beck, who took these fine natural area for future generations. Ric entire life and has been finding and photos, has lived in South Jersey his rs. the Pinelands for the past twenty yea photographing compelling scenes in Jersey shore as well as all kinds of He also enjoys capturing scenes at the es in Burlington County. You can view wildlife. He currently lives in the Pin agram @ richardbeck_photography. more of his work on Facebook and Inst

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richardbeck_photography

Lightning strike, Whitesbog, NJ

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Photo Richard Beck

Foggy sunrise, Whitesbog, NJ

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Photos Richard Beck

Golden light, Whitesbog, NJ

Batsto River, Wharton State Forest, NJ

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Photo Richard Beck

Bald eagles nest building, South Jersey

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Baltimore Oriole, Burlington County, NJ

Short-eared Owl, Edwin B. Forsythe Refuge, NJ

Photos Richard Beck

Male Cedar Waxwing, Atsion,Wharton State Forest, NJ

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Get Comfortable, Bet Comfortable

BY MARK ECKEL

Photo courtesy Matt Alba/betParx

Matt Alba, Natalie Egenolf

It was 1986 and a then very young sportswriter, in his second year

covering the Philadelphia Eagles, had moved from New Jersey to Holland in Bucks County, Pa. In his new surroundings and brand-new condo, he began channel surfing through his television choices and stumbled on what appeared to be live horse racing from what was then Philadelphia Park in Bensalem. A long-time horse racing fan, the writer was intrigued at being able to watch live races from his couch. When a phone number (1-800-BET-PARK, yes, I still remember the number) scrolled across the bottom of the screen with information on “phone bet” they had him.

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He couldn’t wait to call his friends back in New Jersey and tell them how he could watch and bet on the races from home. It wasn’t long before those friends made the trip across the bridge with sandwiches and beers and turned his living room into their private OTB parlor.

That was long before the internet, cell phones and casinos anywhere but Las Vegas and Atlantic City. And what was then called Philadelphia Park was way ahead of the curve.

Some 36 years later Philly Park has morphed into Parx, the No. 1 casino in Pennsylvania and maybe the entire East coast. And the people who run it remain ahead of the curve.

Over the past month, Parx has introduced betPARX an app for your phone that has anything and everything a sports bettor, a slots player or any type of casino game player would want and more. It debuted in New Jersey and Pennsylvania last month and will be on its way to several other states throughout 2022.

“What is betPARX?” Matt Alba, Parx’s executive producer of interactive media asks as he can’t wait to tell you. “It’s a new app. We had a Parx Casino app and we had a Parx sports betting app. This is a total re-brand of the casino app and the sportsbook app into one. It’s

“We’ve grown through social media.

We post daily content that is different from our competitors. We don’t just want betting odds and the things you see everywhere.”

– Matt Alba been a long time coming.

“Download the app from the Apple store or the Google play store and you go in, and it’s such a clean product that we’ve been developing for years, you can play all the slot games you love, all the content you won’t find anywhere else. And you can go to the sportsbook side of the app and place bets on whatever games you want. Winners, over/under, props, live betting, whatever you want.”

With the iGaming industry getting bigger and bigger and sports betting now legal in 30 states and growing, the betPARX app has something for everyone and just as that writer did back in 1986 it allows you to make bets from your living room couch.

“We strive for creative original content to differentiate ourselves from other sites,” con-

tent producer Natalie Egenolf, who began with Parx last summer after 12 years in the sports radio business, said. “Anyone can read the odds and pick games. It doesn’t necessarily make for entertaining content.”

Egenolf, long-time Sixers writer and broadcaster [and JerseyMan/PhillyMan Magazine contributor] Dei Lynam and former NFL quarterback and Philadelphia native Rich Gannon all joined the Parx team to create that content and to make the site and now the app entertaining.

“The plan was to recruit local celebrities and athletes with dedicated followers from the Pa. casino market,” said Alba, who worked for several NBC affiliates before joining Parx.

“We’ve grown through social media. We post daily content that is different from our com-

65

– Natalie Egenolf petitors. We don’t just want betting odds and the things you see everywhere.”

Gannon appeared with Egenolf and Alba throughout the NFL season to give his insights on each week’s action. You can also hear podcasts that range from teaching the novice how to bet to more in-depth coverage of the gambling world.

Egenolf was a natural for what Parx wanted. She grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, a few furlongs from the old racetrack, went there as a young girl with her father and then made her name as a co-host on 97.5’s Mike Missanelli Show. She left drive time sports talk to become one of the faces of the new-look of sports media.

“The sports media landscape is changing,” she said. “I was so familiar with the Parx brand from growing up here and coming here for so long.

“What we want to do is utilize our personality and use content creators to feel brand inclusive. We want to open it to everyone because it’s not just the sportsbook online, it’s the casino as well. And it’s all piggybacked off the actual brick-and-mortar casino here at Parx. We want our content to feel good to the 25-year-old sportsbook player and the 55-yearold iCasino slots player.”

That’s what betPARX is doing, because that 25-year-old and 55-year-old have the same goal in mind (to win), they just have different ways of trying to achieve it.

“We want betting to become fun,” Egenolf said. “My job is to educate people as well.

Let people know where their money is going.

There are still stigmas around gambling. What we’re trying to do is show that it can be done responsibly and be fun. Gambling has become a part of sports now, a big part. I mean the numbers speak for themselves.”

One week after the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, just 11 of the states with legalized sports betting reported that $512.8 million were bet on the game according to Legal Sports Report. That’s up from the $486.5 million from 17 states bet on Super Bowl LV a year ago. In New Jersey alone $143.7 million was bet and in Pennsylvania, another $68 million was wagered.

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The debut of betPARX is just going to add to that total next year. And all through the following year leading up to Super Bowl LVI. “It’s going to be young and fresh and hip and cool and different and very inclusive because we don’t want anyone to feel left out,” Egenolf said just before the debut of the app.

“Parx itself reminds me of Disneyland. You can come and have fun and go home and still associate yourself with the brand.”

While Egenolf credits her father with helping her become a sports fan, Alba has a story about his father that connects with the new app.

“My dad, who isn’t a big bettor, asked me recently ‘I was out golfing with my buddies and they asked me what app I used to put in a bet?’ He was used to the old way, where you had “a guy” at the barbershop or wherever,” Alba said. “We want people to get comfortable betting. They want to sit on the couch and throw bets in, player bets or live bets, as they watch the games.”

A year ago, Parx partnered with the Pittsburgh Steelers; this year they developed betPARX. And there’s more to come.

“It’s really exciting what’s coming,” Egenolf said. “It’s like we’re almost at the finish line, but it’s really just the beginning.” n

Photo betParx

“We want our content to feel good to the 25-year-old sportsbook player and the 55-year-old iCasino slots player.”

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THE CIGAR GUY ______________________________________________________________________________________________

BY SAM KRAFT

Sponsored by The

Smoking Dog

HVC’s Hot Cake

H

Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés • Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

VC WAS FOUNDED IN 2011 by Reinier Lorenzo.

“HVC” stands for Havana City, the place Lorenzo spent most of his young life. Cuba is notorious for cigars and cigar manufacturing. The Cuban name is often used by cigar brands as a way to elicit excitement from consumers. For HVC, it’s not about associating the cigar with Cuba, but about bringing the wonders and culture of Cuba to its smokers. Many of HVC’s cigar lines directly reference the city of Havana. They have the Cerro Maduro, which pays homage to the oldest neighborhood in Havana, El Cerro. Another blend is called San Isidro, which is the name of a street in Havana where a notorious gangster was killed. Every cigar Lorenzo blends is saturated with love and pride for Cuban history.

HVC is a small company but has found much success over these past 11 years. They are known for producing small batches of high-quality, meticulously crafted sticks. A lot of what they release is limited to 2000 boxes or less and may only come in a few sizes. Their newest release is La Rosa 520. It premiered at the TPE this year, in 2022.

One of the most popular sticks in their lineup is the Hot

74

Cake. It has a beautiful rust-colored brown wrapper that smells like fermented honey. The dry pull is also sweet and tastes like fall fruit. On the first puff, this syrupy Hot Cake starts off surprisingly spicy. It has red pepper flakes on the retro-hale and dominates the pallet with richly bitter flavors.

In the first third, the Hot Cake is predominantly vegetal tasting. It holds that single note for a few puffs, before beefing it up. Meat gets added to the potatoes and the cigar becomes toastier and more well-rounded. The spice is hardly noticeable by the second third as the cigar transitions to velvety earth. At this stage, it’s more like a pot pie than a stack of pancakes. But true to its name, the cigar finishes sweeter. Its final third is warm bread with hints of inviting cinnamon.

The Hot Cake might be HVC’s most notorious cigar. It’s unique, exciting, and is packed with quality tobacco. But HVC has a lot to offer in its other blends as well. Their cigars range in strength and intrigue, but one thing remains consistent. All HVCs are ingrained with love and pride for Havana, Cuba. n

@PCS_AnthonyM

TECH TIME

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.

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY ANTHONY MONGELUZO

It’s a Scam!

Protect yourself against Phone Scams Imagine you’re working one day when you receive a phone call from a number you don’t recognize. You answer and politely ask the caller’s identity, only to have the voice on the other end inform you that the IRS is pursuing legal action against you. After threatening you with all manner of unpleasant consequences, ranging from imprisonment to deportation, the caller offers you a deal—pay a fee, and they’ll drop the charges. Seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it?

• Don’t give out sensitive information over the phone: Unless you’re 100% certain that the number is trustworthy, don’t give out private information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers or your social security number over the phone. If the voice on the other end claims they already know the information and just need you to confirm it, odds are it’s a scam.

However, if you were to follow through and pay the caller, you’d find yourself the victim of a phone scam. Phone scams are fraudulent calls meant to trick their victims into giving up money, personal information or both. Scammers will try to pressure their victims into making rash decisions, either by threatening legal action, offering short-lived deals or otherwise creating a sense of urgency.

Don’t give out sensitive information over the phone. If the voice on the other end claims they already know the information and just need you to confirm it, odds are it’s a scam.

Phone scams are a popular method of attack for fraudsters—in 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 1.25 million fraud cases with identifiable methods of contact, and nearly one out of three of those cases cited a phone as the method. In the same year, successful phone scams resulted in a median loss of about $1,170. The silver lining of these statistics is that phone scams are now common enough to be recognized and avoided, as long as you know what to look out for.

• Payment in gift cards is a scam: Even when impersonating professionals, scammers will often ask to receive their payment in prepaid gift cards. This is because gift cards are untraceable, whereas credit card numbers and banking transactions can be tracked. If the caller says you owe a fee but asks to be paid in gift cards, it’s a scam.

Common Phone Scams and How to Avoid Them You may think that you wouldn’t fall for a phone scam, but don’t be too hasty. Over the years, scammers have invented many different types of scams in order to swindle people out of their money and information. What type of scam they use usually depends on the target. For example, scammers could pretend to be the relative of an elderly victim, or a bank associate contacting a college student about loan payments.

Regardless of how you’re targeted, recognizing popular scams can help you to keep your money and information safe. There are also a few basic safeguards that can apply to all scams: • Don’t trust caller ID: You may think that by avoiding unknown phone numbers, you can avoid scam calls altogether. However, not only can this cause you to miss legitimate phone calls, a recognized number doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t a scam.

Anyone with sufficient knowledge and means can fake a caller ID, and scammers will use this to look more official.

In general, most of these official numbers won’t contact you first about the issues the scammers claim you’re having.

• Research numbers: If you have suspicions about the number calling you, do a quick search to see if the number has been marked as unsafe.

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If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll have an easier time recognizing scams when you encounter them. n

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THE WINE MAN _______________________________________________________________________________

For comments, questions, suggestions and/or feedback, contact Robert Kennedy at rkj@Kennedy-companies.com.

BY ROBERT KENNEDY

Storing Wine Correctly

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ANY OF YOU, who like me, enjoy fine wines.

After all, these fruits of our land turned into libation, enhance the flavor of foods, and markedly complement eclectic dishes that bring out the best in high-end wines. What a combination! But with the more sophisticated palate comes a price—more costly wines that are needed to maximize the dining experience, and thus may need time in the bottle, sometimes years. And, in this 21st century we live in, a large group of us want to increase our probability of optimizing the flavors of these beauts, while mitigating the chance of spoilage, and protecting our investment, frankly.

Spoiled wines, and we’ve all had them, not only are extremely disappointing when first hitting the palate but could hurt the pocketbook too. How do we protect our wine interests then? A wine cellar, of course. But what if some of us are not as lucky to have that perfect 21st-century wine cellar controlling just the correct amount of temperature, humidity

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and light? How can we store wine differently so we can be assured our wines will drink right at that perfect time?

Almost 7,000 years ago, the first Neolithic people stored wines in jugs buried in dirt floors, and sometime thereafter, in catacombs. (I am certainly not promoting this method of storage!) This system worked to a degree, but as you might guess, most of the wine was quickly consumed, not stored. The fact is that only 10% of all wines in the world today are meant to be cellared, with the balance intended to be consumed over a short period of time. However, for those special bottles that need to lay down for years to assure optimization at the peak of their flavor and aroma, these will need to be cellared.

So why not consider that basement of yours? After all, it’s cool, damp, moisturefilled, and has humidity all rolled into one.

What better environment of ingredients, right? Well, keep in mind that although all of these wonderful elements are needed to give our finer wines a chance at hitting their peak, controlling these elements is critical in maximizing this opportunity. Cellars are not well

insulated, temperature controls way too difficult, and frankly, more wines will spoil over time resulting from not having the proper balance. Humidity, over the course of four seasons, wreaks havoc with good wines. Basement cellaring is not a good option.

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LL WINE IS PERISHABLE, and will eventually spoil, unlike some of the other spirits we might imbibe from time to time. If good wine is not stored properly, the aging process will be skipped, and the spoiling process will be accentuated.

However, proper storage of our good wines will augment the wonderful flavors and aromas of the best wines cellared and will give us the best chance for optimization. Wines will age over time resulting from the natural chemical reaction known as phenolic compounds. These changes will be very noticeable over time in color, flavor and how it feels while dancing on your tongue.

Tannins, too, develop over time and must be cellared properly to bring out the best in acidity, aroma and flavors. This is critical to the maturation process.

So, do not store your finer wines in the basement or your garage refrigerator, even though that may seem to make sense. Do not store them in jugs under the dirt, or in catacombs either, if, of course, you can find them.

If a wine cellar, that controls a very consistent amount of temperature, humidity and light, is not in the cards at the moment, invest in wine coolers for now. These are a great alternative to a full-blown wine cellar and will not break the bank. There are many on the market of size and scope that will fit your at-home space and budget. You can certainly add another as you expand your collection, but know that a small investment in a wine cooler can save a larger investment from going south.

The importance of storing wine optimally will assure your palate of a great wine experience while saving your financial investment from getting poured down the drain.

Cheers! n