JerseyMan Magazine V12N3 by JerseyManMagazine

George Anastasia’s

MOB SCENE

Ray Didinger Simply the best

Philanthropist

Dana Spain

Volume 12 • Number 3 – $3.95

Joe Piscopo, who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, currently hosts a radio show in the New York area. Working, he says, is what people from around here do.

Jersey Joe INSIDE Ocean City’s Music Pier 2022 Pro Football HOF inductees Eagles Training Camp

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PUBLISHER

FROM JerseyMan Magazine THE VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 3 ____________________________________________________________________________________ BY KEN DUNEK

Ken Dunek Publisher ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ashley Dunek

Living By The Golden Rule Normally, as a business, we stay away from the subjects of politics and religion. Two hot button issues, with strong views on both sides. But I ask you to indulge me as I make a veiled reference to both topics in this column. And I would like to emphasize this is my opinion only and not anyone else who is part of the JerseyMan/PhillyMan team. The June mass shooting on South Street in Philadelphia hit very close to home—both literally and figuratively. I have four daughters, and three of them live in the city. They often frequent South Street as many young people do.

EDITOR George Brinkerhoff ART DIRECTOR Steve Iannarelli CONTRIBUTING WRITERS George Anastasia, Jan L. Apple, Michael Bradley, George Brinkerhoff, Sam Carchidi, Paul Domowitch, Alexandra 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

One of my daughters is a nurse that works only a couple of blocks from the rampage. I thank God they decided to stay home that night.

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The wave of gun violence, both here and in other cities, is downright frightening. And it must be addressed.

Controller Rose M. Balcavage

The answers seem complicated. But, when you break it down, they really aren’t unsolvable.

Sales Associates Ashley Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Terri Dunek, Allison Farcus, JP Lutz

I believe in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, but I see no reason for assault rifles. Ban them. If not ban them, make them much more difficult to get. Raise the age to 21. Use extensive background checks. If you need to shoot prairie dogs and foxes to protect your livestock or property, get a 22-caliber rifle. The varmints will still die. Yes, I know about ghost guns and the bad guys will get the guns anyway. But we are at a point where we have to do something. Of course, this doesn’t address the root cause of the issue.

We live in an era of selfishness and greed. What good people need to stand for is charity and kindness.

Those who know me know I am not a regular churchgoer, and rarely talk about religion. But my faith is strong, and I have had to lean on it through several occurrences in my life including a wife almost dying in a car accident and a daughter diagnosed with cancer as a 1-year-old infant. My faith helped me get through. The Golden Rule reads “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.” Using and implementing this philosophy will change lives—and save them. We live in an era of selfishness and greed. What good people need to stand for is charity and kindness. I urge you to live by example. And change one life in the process. By changing one life, we may save one or more of them. And, at the very least, slow down this carnage and madness.

Printing Alcom Printing, Harleysville, Pa.

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 absorb summer’s deep array of color which adds beauty to my eyes.” – Yvonne Martinez-Ward 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.

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INSIDE

“See the blue pools in the squinting sun. Hear the hissing of summer lawns.” – Joni Mitchell

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 3

40 Joe Piscopo ON THE COVER

HELP FROM THE G-LEAGUE by DEI LYNAM

OCEAN CITY MUSIC PIER ATTRACTING LEGENDARY PERFORMERS

DANA SPAIN BORN TO BE A PHILANTHROPIST

RAY DIDINGER SIMPLY THE BEST

PREPPING FOR CAMP NOVA CARE COMPLEX READIES FOR THE EAGLES

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

DICK VERMEIL AND SAM MILLS

COLUMNS Cover photo by Jim Wu / courtesy Joe Piscopo

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 • 28 GET FIT 68 THE CIGAR GUY • 74 TECH TIME • 78 THE WINE MAN

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JOTTINGS

______________________________________________________________________________ BY GEORGE BRINKERHOFF

Stepping Away

HANGE IS INEVITABLE, and recently there have been some momentous announcements that have significantly impacted the Philly region’s sports scene. Though the term ‘retirement’ has different connotations for different people in different contexts, the recent departure of sports scene icons like Jay Wright, Ray Didinger and Mike Missanelli from their respective positions seems to herald a changing of the guard as much as it does a change in the sports landscape. Over the last 21 seasons as head coach for the Villanova Wildcats, Jay Wright (pictured, left) has amassed a remarkable 520 wins and only 197 losses. Under his leadership, the Wildcats

sports commentator on both radio and TV, Ray has covered Philadelphia sports and particularly the Philadelphia Eagles like no one else. In addition to being a nationally recognized sportswriter he’s also a playwright and author. In fact, Ray Didinger has met and talked to just about everyone who’s anyone in the world of sports. In his 2021 memoir, Finished Business: My Fifty Years of Headlines, Heroes and Heartaches, the five-time Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year, Emmy award winner (as a writer and producer for NFL Films) and best-selling author captures the highlights of his incredible five decades of living and breathing sports reporting. This spring Ray, too, has decided to retire from his various media roles. See page 46 for JerseyMan/

amassed six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, and along the way collected two national championships and four visits to the Final Four. Considered one the greatest coaches in NCAA history, Wright was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2021. This season, however, concluding that he had lost his edge, the now 60-year-old Wright made the decision to step away from his vocation, which he did in April of this year. Ray Didinger (center) has been a pillar of Philadelphia sports scene for over 50 years. From his early days as a sportswriter for the newspapers to his later evolution into a highly esteemed

PhillyMan contributor Mark Eckel’s look back with Ray about some interesting highlights of his career. In a similar but sudden turn of events, Mike Missanelli, (right) the longtime Philly sports talk personality at 97.5 The Fan announced on the air, on May 31st, that it would be his last show that day. Apparently the result of the organization and Missanelli not being in sync (though he had reportedly signed an extension of his contract in January), the lawyer turned sportswriter turned talk radio host, whose The MIke Missanelli Show had been airing on The Fan since 2010, did not announce his future plans.

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George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior

ANY HAVE SAID we live in an age of incivility. Let’s just say, if we’re honest, we could always find room for improvement in our discourse and behavior towards others. Whether it be how we treat others personally, face to face, or impersonally and anonymously, through social media, email or even on the roadways, there are ample opportunities to demonstrate our better nature, as opposed to the alternative. By the age of 16, George Washington, possibly as an exercise in penmanship, took it upon himself to hand write 110 rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. These rules had originally been written by French Jesuits in 1595, and then translated from the French and published in 1640 by Francis Hawkins (who is described as the 12-year-old son of a doctor.) It seems that these rules may have had an impact on the formation of the future founding father’s character. At present, it would appear that the importance of a review of the same rules of civility that may have guided Washington shouldn’t be overstated. Many appear obvious and some seem trivial, but most promote effective behavior and demand the reader show tact and remain courteous while avoiding uncomfortable or potentially embarrassing situations. Thus, they bear repeating. Due to space limitations, we present the following selection of the first ten rules, with the original spelling and punctuation retained. While they remain amusing in the archaic vernacular of the time, their universal theme of insisting on courtesy and respect for others interwoven with a respect for yourself, still resonates today.

1. Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present. 2. When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usually Discovered. 3. Show Nothing to your Friend that may affright him. 4. In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet. 5. If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkerchief or Hand before your face and turn aside. 6. Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop. 7. Put not off your Cloths in the presence of Others, nor go out your Chamber half Dressed. 8. At Play and at Fire its Good manners to Give Place to the last Commer, and affect not to Speak Louder than Ordinary. 9. Spit not in the Fire, nor Stoop low before it neither Put your Hands into the Flames to warm them, nor Set your Feet upon the Fire especially if there be meat before it. 10. When you Sit down, Keep your Feet firm and Even, without putting one on the other or Crossing them.

To view the rest of the list, check out www.foundationsmag.com/civility.html.

The original chocolate syrup has New Jersey Roots

OSCO CHOCOLATE SYRUP, the deliciously famous concoction that folks of a certain age may remember from their childhood, has New Jersey roots. Purportedly invented in 1928 by an unknown physician the manufacturing license was acquired by Wm S. Scull Co. of Camden, New Jersey and manufacturing began that same year. Through the years while the product line has expanded to include additional flavors (and even a candy bar), the original chocolate syrup is still available and now manufactured in Towaco, New Jersey. As a sidenote, to give credit where due, this writer found references to a “noted food chemist” as the “originator of Bosco,” a Dr. Max Wallerstein, in several newspaper accounts from 1933. Seems likely he might be the “unknown physician.” www.boscoworld.com

What We Read Here’s a cool new read for all the classic car collectors, restorers and dreamers out there. Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter: The Art of Finding Lost Collector Cars by Tom Cotter (Motorbooks, release date May 24, 2022) is a veritable cornucopia of entertaining stories showing the passionate depths that Cotter will plumb to uncover the classic cars he’s pursuing and to tell the stories behind them. As the star of the YouTube show, “The Bard Find Hunter” since 2016, with over 100 episodes to his credit, Cotter’s lively and informative stories demonstrates his tricks of the trade, his unique perspective and his unquenchable thirst for revealing the next dusty barn find wherever they may be lurking. Whether you’re going to the classic car auction or chasing the rusty oldies yourself, there is something in this volume for everyone. The book is liberally illustrated with photos of some of his most epic hunts.

“No matter where you are in the world, the soft murmur of summer draws you in as no other season can.” – S. L. Garber-Ortiz 15

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Inaugural Legacy Cup Golf Tournament: Seaview Bay Course • Pairings Party: Tropicana, Atlantic City, NJ

Photos: Wave Lane

Chairman’s Club at the Phillies game

Legacy Club Event, Medford Village Country Club, Medford, NJ

TD Bank suite courtesy of Rob Curley

Photos: Nichole MCH Photography

MOB SCENE

_______________________________________________________________________________ BY GEORGE ANASTASIA

“The Godfather of Rock and Roll”

N CERTAIN CIRCLES, he was known as “The Godfather of Rock and Roll.” It wasn’t always meant as a compliment. From the 1950s through the late 1980s he was a force to be reckoned with in the American music industry. He made millions for himself and his “associates.” He was an entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a gangster. And he seemed to enjoy each role. Morris Levy died in 1990 shortly before he was to begin a 10-year prison sentence following his conviction in an extortion case that included members of the Genovese and DeCavalcante crime families. The fact that he was friends with several high-profile mob figures was never in dispute. Sitting in his midtown Manhattan record company office in June of 1987 shortly after being indicted in the extortion case, he offered his standard reply when asked about his alleged mob ties. “I’ve been on Broadway 47 years,” said Levy. “I know some of these characters and some I like very much…I knew Cardinal Spellman, too. That don’t make me a Catholic.” It sounded like a line from Guys and Dolls, which was the image Levy clearly was going for. But the reality was his role and connections were more Goodfellas. Some of that is touched on in a new book about one of the most notorious attempted shakedowns in Levy’s long music industry career. The target was John Lennon who was recording on his own after the break-up of The Beatles. Lennon, the Mobster and the Lawyer is written by attorney Jay Bergen who represented Lennon in his 1975 legal battle with Levy. The dispute revolved around recording rights and a bootleg album of rock-and-roll songs by Lennon. Levy, no surprise, was the bootlegger. He claimed he had an agreement to market an album called “Roots” that he had fashioned after gaining access to some prelimi22

nary and less than quality tapes of Lennon performing classic rock and roll songs. At the time, Lennon was preparing an album called “Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The litigation ended with an almost across-the-board win for Lennon and the legitimate companies for whom he recorded, Capitol/EMI and Apple Records. Levy

Like so many others, they waited until Levy was dead before making their claim. To do so while he was alive would have been courting disaster. Bergen’s book is heavy on legalese and includes extensive chunks of Lennon’s courtroom testimony, transcripts that are sure to be fascinating for any Beatles fan. What gets lost in the telling is the underworld significance of the courtroom victory.

EVY HAD BEEN TAKING ADVANTAGE of recording artists for years, often claiming songwriting credits in order to grab millions of dollars in royalties that were due the actual singer-songwriters. He used fear and intimidation—and his mob connections— to keep those artists in line. Lennon was the one of the few to successfully challenge him.

Lennon’s status as a veritable icon in the industry may have been the reason Levy never took his case beyond litigation. Other entertainers weren’t as lucky. According to another lawsuit brought after his death, Levy once warned a singer who was complaining about overdue songwriting royalties, “Don’t come down here anymore or I’ll have to kill you or hurt you.” In that case, Levy had taken songwriting credit for the classic 1950s hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.” The artists who wrote and recorded the song said they had received just $1,000 in royalties for a record that sold over three million copies. They eventually won a $4 million judgment against Levy’s estate. Like so many others, they waited until Levy was dead before making their claim. To do so while he was alive would have been courting disaster. Bergen accurately describes Levy as “a music industry grifter who regularly cheated artists” and as someone who “would not know an F-sharp from an A-flat.” But what Levy did know was the music business—at least the business as it existed in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, when airtime on popular radio stations could make or break a new recording and when payola was the standard coin of the realm. Tommy James, a high-profile rock-and-roll star in the 1970s, detailed a lot of that in his book, Me, the Mob and the Music, which was published in 2010. James credits Levy with launching and steering his career. But he acknowledged in an interview shortly after his book came out that, “Getting your money was like taking a bone from a Doberman. It just wasn’t going to happen.” Another industry source tells a story about Levy negotiating royalty rights with an artist. Levy agreed to give the singer a substantial percentage. An associate, who was present when the deal was struck, later asked Levy why he had been so generous. “What’s the difference?” Levy replied. “I’m not going to pay him.”

UTHORITIES HAD BEEN AWARE of Levy’s mob connections for years. His ties to the Genovese crime family, first to mob boss Tommy Eboli and later Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, were outlined in an FBI affidavit that surfaced in the federal court case in Camden that brought Levy down. “An FBI investigation has shown that since before 1963 Morris Levy has been a lucrative source of cash and property for leaders of the Genovese LCN family,” the affidavit reads in part. Levy’s dealings, the document alleged, had been “primarily through and for the benefit of (Gigante) to whom Levy has passed large cash payments, property and shares in Levy’s recording enterprises.” Authorities suspected that the Genovese crime family had a big piece of all of Levy’s action, which at various times included a chain of record stores called Strawberries and several record companies, including Roulette Records, the company for which many of Levy’s recording artists worked. Levy’s empire came undone in the late 1980s after he and two mob figures, Genovese crime family capo Dominick “Baldy Dom” Canterino and New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family soldier Gaetano “Corky” Vastola, were charged in an extortion and shakedown scheme in which a wholesale record distributor named John LaMonte was targeted. The

convoluted case included allegations that Levy and his mob associates had insinuated themselves into a $1.2 million deal between LaMonte and MCA records, at the time a major Los Angeles entertainment company. LaMonte, according to a federal indictment, had agreed to purchase 60 tractor-trailer loads of “remainder “records and cassettes. For readers old enough to remember, these were products found in remainder or wholesale bins at record stores back in the day when cassettes and record stores existed. LaMonte, of Darby, PA, balked at paying, claiming that Levy and his associates had “creamed the load,” that they had taken all the best titles before LaMonte received delivery. He was badly beaten by mob figures working for Levy and Canterino and, after being treated for a fractured eye socket, he agreed to cooperate with the FBI.

HE CASE THAT PLAYED OUT in federal court in Camden offered a look inside organized crime’s involvement in the entertainment industry and spawned several books. Among the best is Stiffed, a True Story of MCA, the Music Business and the Mafia by Bill Knoedelseder. Levy is also the title character in Godfather of the Music Business by Richard Carlin and

is one of the principal figures in Dark Victory, Ronald Reagan, MCA and the Mob by Dan Moldea. More recently, Levy was the prototype for Hesh Rabkin, Tony Soprano’s entrepreneurial Jewish mob associate in the longrunning HBO hit. Like Levy, Rabkin (played by actor Jerry Adler) was a music industry impresario, and like Levy, he had a horse farm. Levy’s 1,400acre farm, near Albany, NY, was part of a sprawling real estate empire in which, authorities alleged, the mob held a secret interest. The FBI affidavit in the Camden case cited an informant‘s claim that Gigante had a “stranglehold on Morris Levy’s record industry enterprises, in effect turning Levy into a source of ready cash” for the Genovese crime family and that Levy was an “earner” who provided “cash for Gigante’s crew to buy real estate.” A small piece of that cash, no doubt, was generated by “Roots,” the bootleg rock-androll album that John Lennon went to court to discredit. Perhaps the most famous Beatle of them all, Lennon was ahead of his time in challenging Levy and, because of his status, never had to deal with the violence, fear and intimidation visited on many others who crossed the Godfather of Rock and Roll. Five years after winning his battle with the mobster, Lennon was the target of a different kind of American violence. n

DEI LYNAM

_______________________________________________________________________________ ___

Help from the NBA G-League

UESTIONS IMMEDIATELY AROSE when the Sixers made yet another second-round departure from the NBA Playoffs this spring. How can they improve their roster? Should they sign James Harden to a max contract? Can Joel Embiid ever play healthy in the postseason? As the summer unfolds, the actions of Daryl Morey will answer some of these questions. Unfortunately, Morey has little wiggle room.

The Sixers are currently over the league salary cap. Because of that, they can only sign outside players using their available mid-level exception, worth $6.4 million, and the trade exception the team received when they traded Andre Drummond to Brooklyn in February. That slot is worth $1.7 million. In addition to having little money to sign players, they also have only two available roster spots. Barring a trade or trades, both of which

seem unlikely, the only way the Sixers can show marked improvement is with a healthy Harden and reaping dividends on their Gleague investments. As part of the Sixers’ regular rotation, Paul Reed, Jaden Springer, and Charles Bassey are names you will likely hear next season. Reed was the Sixers’ 2nd round selection in 2020 out of DePaul. He earned MVP of the G-league in his rookie season, a season spent in “the

Charles Bassey (#23 in blue) and Paul Reed (#44) in action for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers G-League team

Photo NBAE/Mary Kate Ridgway

bubble.” He played nine games for the Delaware Blue Coats this past season, averaging 22 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. He shot 57 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three-point range. Additionally, he appeared in 38 NBA games but averaged just eight minutes. However, when the postseason began, it became apparent that neither Paul Millsap nor DeAndre Jordan was a capable backup center at this stage of their careers. The young, athletic, yet under-sized Reed was a better option. He appeared in 12 playoff games and averaged 11.6 minutes, four points, and four rebounds. “I think he plays bigger than his size,” Coby Karl said, having coached Reed in those nine G-league games. “He can get loose balls and offensive rebounds. He has a high activity level and high motor. Those things allow him to play that position even though sometimes he is physically outmatched. He has an elite level of focus; he can compete, and he wants to be great. “I think he has taken a step in understanding who he must be to fit in the NBA. He showed that he could be a consistent role player and be relied on in pressure situations. The next step is to display some of the skills that earned him the MVP. He can dominate a game for a five-minute segment defensively, offensively, energy, physically - all those things. I think you will see those things in the upcoming year.”

Going from being a G-league player to a significant NBA contributor is happening more and more. you don’t,” Karl explained. “I think it is easier utilizing the G-league, and you see the benefit. These guys might not know how to play in the NBA right now. They have the skills to play, they just need to learn how to play. They need to build confidence and find their rhythm. Organizations are investing more in their tal-

ented players, their higher draft picks because they see the benefits of sending a player like Jordan Poole down. He is talented enough; he just needs to learn how to play this game a little better.” The evidence suggests Poole was a fast learner. The NBA started its developmental league in 2001. They had eight teams initially. Today 29 of the NBA teams have a development squad, with Portland being the lone team without a G-league affiliate. Over the last two decades, the G-league product has improved as the talent increased. “I can go to Belgium and make $100K or play in the G-league and make $85K,” Karl shared. “From when I was a player, no one wanted to go to Europe and play. We all dream of playing in the NBA playoffs; we dream of playing at Madison Square Garden. “Because the line is so much closer now, you see some of our better talents decide to invest a year or two early on in the G-league because the money is marginal. A player says, ‘I’ll take that chance,’ because of how great the chance to get that call-up is. I think of the success of the players who led the way early on: Danny Green, Jeremy Lin, Alex Caruso. It is easier when you see it, and now you can believe it.” n

HARLES BASSEY is another promising big man under contract with the Sixers. The Western Kentucky product is 6’10 and was selected 53rd overall last spring. He appeared in 17 games for the Blue Coats this year, averaging 19 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks. “It is nice to have them both in our program for our organization,” Karl stressed. “They want to be great. They have ambition. They have a work ethic that will allow them to get better. It might be like the righty-lefty thing in baseball. Do you need the bigger guy? Or do you need the agile guy?” Going from being a G-league player to a significant NBA contributor is happening more and more. Last year the Warriors’ Jordan Poole, the 28th overall pick in 2019, started 11 games in the bubble for the Santa Cruz Warriors. He averaged 22 points. He played 76 regular-season games for the NBA Warriors a year later, making 51 starts and averaging 18.5 points. “The routine used to be sink or swim. When you get your opportunity, you play well, or 25

GET FIT

For more guidance, follow Alexandra, NASM Certified

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Personal Trainer on Instagram at @TipsfromAFitChick BY ALEXANDRA DUNEK

Fitness Equipment is Evolving Rock Weights

Monkey Feet

Pre Workout Pops

Rock Weights are a company that sells DIY concrete dumbbell and kettlebell molds. I came across this when I was in the market for iron dumbbells and thought it was a cool affordable option. Currently, you can only purchase a 40lb or 80lb dumbbell (gray or black) or a 40lb kettlebell. The company ships you the casing or mold and you fill it yourself by purchasing concrete from your local hardware store.

Monkey Feet created by Animal House Fitness is a shoe attachment designed to hold dumbbells (think ankle weights but with dumbbells). If you are looking for a way to complete exercises such as the leg extension, leg curl and even donkey kicks and don’t have access to a machine, this is a cool option to have at home. It can even fit in your gym bag.

This option isn’t equipment but since preworkouts are a popular supplement in the fitness industry, I thought it was worth including. They are usually a powder substance that you mix in your water bottle and drink prior to working out or training. They are known to give you a boost of energy which increases performance. I’m personally not a fan of them but for those of you who are, you might like this company that created pre-workout popsicles. Branded, “Pre Workout Pops,” a single pop contains 200mg of caffeine and 2000mg of Beta-alanine A variety pack of 12 will cost you $29.99 or you can try a sample pack for $10.

Instagram: @animalhousefit Instagram: @rockweights ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

T-Bell by Bret Contreras The BC T-Bell is a plate-loading training device (up to 400lbs) used for elevated exercises such as Romanian Deadlifts, Straddle Lifts, Squats and Bent Rows. All you need are standard Olympic plates.

Instagram: @bretcontreras1

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HYPERBELL by Jayflex Fitness Do you only have dumbbells at home? Consider purchasing the HYPERBELL. This attachment has two versions: Kettle & Bar. You attach your dumbbell(s) and can get a versatile workout done at home with minimal equipment. The kettlebell attachment holds up to 100lbs and the barbell holds up to 200lbs (each side).

Instagram: @jayflex_fitness

Instagram: @preworkoutpops ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

SnapClips SnapClips are a spin on the traditional barbell clips that you use to secure your plates to each end of your barbell. Remember the nostalgic 90’s snap bracelet…that’s exactly how these work. Snap them on each end of your barbell and your plates are safely secure with no more hassle.

Instagram: @snapclips n

Photo courtesy Gordon Lightfoot Management

BY SAM CARCHIDI

Gordon Lightfoot

The secret is out Ocean City’s Music Pier attracts legendary performers What do Graham Nash and Gordon Lightfoot have in common besides being music legends? Both will be performing in separate events at the thriving Ocean City Music Pier this summer. Nash, 80, is a founding member of the Hollies, along with Crosby, Stills and Nash 30

(and, later, Young), and he is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame inductee as a performer with both groups. He is in his seventh decade of performing and is still going strong. As is Lightfoot, 83, who was one of the most gifted singers/songwriters of the 1960s and ‘70s and continues to be an influential performer. Ocean City’s Music Pier, located on the Boardwalk at 8th Street, will welcome Lightfoot on July 18, and Nash on Aug. 8. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, the Ocean City Music Pier box office, and at brepresents.com. (While in the area, Lightfoot is also perform-

ing at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pa. on July 21). The summer schedule at the Ocean City Music Pier included a Beatles tribute on June 20 that featured Todd Rundgren, who went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, Christopher Cross, Jason Scheff (formerly with the Hall-of-Fame band Chicago) Joey Molland of Badfinger, and Denny Laine, who was with the Hall-of-Fame group the Moody Blues and Wings. Dave Mason, another Hall of Famer, performed in Ocean City on June 28. In addition to Lightfoot and Nash, the remaining schedule will also feature a tribute

Photo Ralf Louis/courtesy Graham Nash Management

Graham Nash

to Queen on July 11; the Moody Blue’s John Lodge on July 25; the Happy Together Tour, which includes the Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, the Association, the Vogues, and the Cowsills, on Aug. 1; the Bacon Brothers, Kevin and Michael, on Aug. 2; Girl Named Tom on Aug. 15; and the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band on Aug. 22.

THE MUSIC PIER HAS BEEN BOOKING EVENTS since 1994, and some of the “name” performers over the years have included Boz Scaggs, the Beach Boys, Jason Mraz, Dave Mason, Arlo Guthrie, The Hooters, Leon Russell, The Temptations, Joan Osborne, America, and George Thorogood. The list also includes Judy Collins, the Indigo Girls, Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby, Lightfoot, Nash, and many other marquee performers. Move over, Atlantic City. (center bullet) Lightfoot is arguably Canada’s most successful folk artist. Some of his legendary hits

include “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Early Morning Rain” and “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” He has had four Grammy nominations and 17 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent) and has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame. He last played in Ocean City in the summer of 2018 and is looking forward to returning to the Music Pier. “That was the last of a 10-run show of dates,” he said. “It was a sold-out concert and a fun audience.” Asked what inspires him to still perform at an age when most people are retired, Lightfoot gave a simple but heartfelt answer. “It’s what we do, and we love the work,” he said. In other words, performing doesn’t seem like a job to him and his crew. Nash, whose performance with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young at Woodstock in 1969 was the second show the new super-group had ever done together, had similar sentiments. Even at 80, he said, he is

still learning. “I want to stay curious,” Nash told the Miami Herald earlier this year. “I’ve seen a long and interesting life. I’ve seen and taken pictures of incredible moments, and I want to share them.” He shares them with the magical words he writes, the powerful songs he sings, like “Our House,” which was about his romance with singer Joni Mitchell. (center bullet) Ocean City teams with Rose Productions and BRE Presents to put together the shows on the Music Pier. The city began the series in 1994, and, over the years, more big names have made appearances. “One year, I remember someone from the city saying, ‘Can you get the Beach Boys?’ It was sort of tongue and cheek,” said Bob Rose, the owner of Rose Productions. “I looked at him like, ‘Are you (crazy)?’ ” But then Rose mentioned it to a colleague at BRE Presents who happened to have a working relationship with the iconic Beach 31

Boys. Before you knew it, the Beach Boys appeared in Ocean City in 2015, starting a fouryear run at the 900-seat Music Pier. “We originally booked them for one night and two shows,” Rose said. “They sold out instantly.” By popular demand, the schedule was adjusted. Another night and two more shows were added. When the Beach Boys’ Mike Love scanned the audience and the historic building that night in 2015, he sounded amazed. “This place has been here since the 1920s, and we’ve been performing over in Atlantic City almost that long,” he joked as the crowd laughed. “It took you until now to invite us here!”

they range from $49 to $89. Since 1994, locals or folks on vacation in Ocean City “have had a chance to see nationally known acts in a small-sized venue that they normally would not play in,” Rose said. “And I think one of the things that helps us is that we’re (primarily) a Monday night series, which gives people something to do at the beginning of the week rather on the weekend, when they are already jammed – whether with traveling or checking out or checking in. “That’s the philosophy we’ve had and it’s worked,” he added. Over the years, the series “has tried to offer a diverse series of performers, whether it’s legendary performers like Gordon Lightfoot and Graham Nash or the Beach Boys, or newer art-

WHEN THE BEACH BOYS’ MIKE LOVE SCANNED THE AUDIENCE AND THE HISTORIC BUILDING THAT NIGHT IN 2015, HE SOUNDED AMAZED. Photo www.ocnj.us

Ocean City Music Pier

The Beach Boys and Ocean City, known as America’s Greatest Family Resort, were naturals at the Music Pier, which overlooks the Atlantic. “They took things to another level,” Rose said of the concert series. “They loved playing here, and in this Jersey Shore market, there’s a lot of options for them. This summer, they’re playing in Wildwood” on Aug. 27. (Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com). Rose said he was particularly proud when he watched a PBS special on the Beach Boys. “Mike Love mentions Ocean City, N.J., in it, and I’ve never forgotten that,” Rose said. “He mentions two towns in the country – from the beaches of Ocean City, N.J., to Malibu.”

THE PRICES OF MUSIC PIER SHOWS VARY, depending on the artist. Tickets to see Graham Nash, for instance, range from $49 to $85. For Gordon Lightfoot, 32

ists being exposed to people in Ocean City for the first time, like Trombone Shorty, or Kenny Wayne Shepherd from New Orleans,” Rose said. “It’s also given us a chance to bring in acts that normally wouldn’t play in a small room, like Jason Mraz and Boz Scaggs, over the years.” Rose said he gets a kick out of seeing social media postings about those who perform at the Ocean City Music Pier. He mentioned one photo where Mike Love was on the Boardwalk eating ice cream with his daughter, and another where Kevin Bacon’s brother, Michael, was eating chocolate-covered bacon in town. “I think,” Rose said, “the marketing between the artists and the venue has been great.” But not as great as the legendary acts that have been resonating with Ocean City audiences for close to three decades—specially given the glitzy Atlantic City competition for some of the most adored entertainers. n

11.3.22

Unmasking

PROFILE

Photo Christopher Gabello

Dana Spain

BY JAN L. APPLE

in Philadelphia

Making A Lasting Mark

One might say Dana Spain was born to be a philanthropist. After all, the importance of giving back played an integral role throughout her childhood—a value imparted by her parents: Bernard and Joan Spain. “My father always instilled the value and necessity of giving back to the community,” said Spain. “So even when we didn’t have a lot of money and the family business was just growing, he felt a real responsibility to give back to the community. My father was my business guru in life and my mother is my social and community guru.” Bernard passed away in January 2021, but his memory and all that he held dear continue to fuel Spain on a daily basis. Spain, 52, who resides in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood with her husband, Walt Moore, and their two rescued cats (two more rescues reside in her office), explained that when one goal has been reached or one problem solved—whether

in philanthropy or business—she moves on to the next. Resting on her laurels has never been an option for this entrepreneur. Rather, her MO has long been rolling up her sleeves and doing what it takes to complete a job—with only the utmost quality. Her charitable endeavors run the gamut, all with a profound impact throughout the Philadelphia region, a place she has called home her entire life. Spain, her older sister, Debbie, and their parents, lived in Montgomery County until she was 16. They then moved to Washington Square. In fact, to the same high-rise condominium complex where she currently resides. Her foray into volunteering and philanthropy

& Beyond began before she was a teen. She distinctly remembers that first event—a fundraiser her parents were coordinating for Moss Rehabilitation Center. “When I was 12, going on 13, some friends and I went from table to table and sold scrip (like monopoly money) for the casino charity night,” she said. Spain also worked in the family business throughout her early years. Yet, she initially decided to take a different professional path. After graduating from Northwestern University with a dual major in International Political Science and French, she worked as a French translator on the currency option exchange. “This was before the euro,” she said. “I worked for a French bank. We had to translate deals from English to French.” Spain, who is fluent in the language, said her father wooed her back to the family business. For 12 years, she was director of training and communications for Spain’s Gifts/Dollar Express, until it was sold in 2000. She was also the COO and owner of Philadelphia Style 35

Photo courtesy Dana Spain

magazine, expanding the publication to the Washington, D.C. market. Currently, Spain is the managing partner of Spain Property Group, a real estate development company that focuses on historic rehab and the revitalization of Philadelphia neighborhoods. In 2018, she became director of community relations for Volumetric Building Companies (VBC), a global business that specializes in modular construction. “We’re one of the only end-to-end modular construction companies,” explained Spain. VBC has plants in Pennsylvania, California and Poland. “After the Northeast, the West Coast is VBC’s second-largest modular market,” said Spain, adding that the company is involved in the architecture, engineering, manufacturing and sometimes even the actual construction of a project. Modular construction, Spain noted, has a multitude of benefits. “Construction can take place year-round in an off-site, climatecontrolled environment.” And not only is the process more environmentally friendly than traditional construction, but manufacturing is much faster. The constructed components are then shipped to a site, unpacked and put together on the spot—much like one would snap Legos into place.

Dana Spain, right, with her mother, Joan Spain, on the construction site of the Veterans Village project in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.

SPAIN’S HISTORY WITH VBC goes back to 2016, when, while wearing her real estate developer hat, she built her first modular building with the owner. She then became a consultant to the company. With a growing interest in the potential of modular, in 2021, she founded and became president of the compa-

ny’s charitable arm: VBC Giving Foundation. The foundation, Spain noted, was born from the COVID crisis and escalating housing shortage. The purpose: to build affordable housing for vulnerable populations. That goal has translated into Spain’s most recent philanthropic endeavor—the construc-

Photo courtesy Dana Spain

Dana Spain and her husband, Walt Moore, at Lake Havasu in Arizona.

tion of a 47-unit modular building that will house veterans, a population she describes as largely underserved. Located in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, the Veterans Village is scheduled to open this summer. “It is their first step back into permanent apartments,” said Spain, elaborating that the project is a direct evolution from HAVEN (Helping Achieve Empowerment Now), a homeless shelter she founded in 2016 for female veterans. “The government was putting these women back into squalor,” said Spain. “There were scattered sites in the middle of nowhere. Some had no appliances.” These women, added Spain, were ready to get on with their lives. She grew exhausted and frustrated by what she saw and spoke with her father about finding a solution. They decided, with mutual resolve, to build a high-quality building, open to all veterans. The first $1 million to fund the building came from the Joan and Bernard Spain Family Foundation. The donation was made shortly after her father’s passing. “It’s my father’s legacy project,” said Spain, though he didn’t live to see it come to fruition. Spain’s passion for veterans was a sentiment she shared with her dad. “My father was an Army veteran of the Korean War era,” she said. “He later became a CPA. He always felt that veterans got a raw deal. They go and fight for their country to keep our freedom, and then they come back and are left to drift. He was very passionate about that.” Spain aspired to serve the country by “serving those who served.” That segued to board membership and later becoming president of 38

‘‘

EVERY FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, I EITHER CHANGE CAREERS OR CHARITIES. MY FATHER SAID THAT I BORE EASILY, ‘SO KEEP IT INTERESTING.’”

Liberty USO and as a consultant for the Veterans Multi-Service Center. Prior to that, her love and compassion for animals led her in 2005 to the founding of the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which operates veterinary clinics, adoption centers and retail stores throughout the region. “It’s the city’s largest no-kill center,” said Spain, who was at the helm for 11 years. “We went from a highkill city with a save rate of 11 percent to a nokill city, with a save rate of 85 percent.” Spain is also a longtime supporter and former board member of Mural Arts Philadelphia. She commissioned a mural that appears prominently on one side of the new veterans’ building. She previously commissioned murals for PAWS—in Brewerytown and Northern Liberties. “I promised Jane Golden, executive director, that whatever building I build, it will have a mural on it,” said Spain. Although her dedication to making the

world a better place continues to drive her, Spain still finds time for hobbies and simple pleasures, including yoga, kayaking, fishing and horseback riding, whenever she gets the chance. She described her husband as an avid fisherman. The two enjoy quality time kayaking and fishing. Moore, who was in law enforcement for 25 years, retired in 2016 and now works as a boxing trainer for professionals and amateurs.

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, the couple, who married in 2020, frequently traveled abroad. “We would spend every New Year’s Eve in Paris,” said Spain. Their worldwide adventures included African safaris. That all changed in 2020. Yet, they continued to be mobile, traveling to various parts of the United States and renting Airbnbs. Last year, the couple shocked their family and friends when they purchased a 318-square-foot RV and a pick-up truck to “see this great nation.” It’s given them the opportunity to visit numerous destinations, such as Las Vegas, Utah and Arizona—one of their favorite places. “It’s a full home on wheels,” said Spain. “Like a little Manhattan apartment.” They traveled the country from February through May of 2022 and will get back on the road in late July. Not only have they seen the nation’s beauty and relished the great outdoors, but Spain has also taken the time to visit VBC sites and meet with clients. Spain’s long list of accolades includes being honored by former Governor Ed Rendell as one of the 50 best businesswomen in Pennsylvania, named one of 40 under 40 by The Philadelphia Business Journal and the Next Generation Philanthropist by the Association for Fundraising Professionals. To what does she attribute her vast success? “You’ve got to be mission-driven, tough and have a strong stomach for risk,” said Spain. “You’ve got to do the hard work. There’s always more to do. “Every five to seven years, I either change careers or charities. My father said that I bore easily, ‘so keep it interesting.’” Spain has heeded his advice. “What I like about any business venture— whether it’s for-profit or non-profit—is the organic growth stage,” she said. “I like the roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty. Take a need and address that need. Once it becomes sustainable, I kind of look at my watch and say, ‘I did what I need to do here, there are other wrongs to be righted’ and I move on.” n

Jersey Joe Joe Piscopo was a cast member on Saturday Night Live alongside Eddie Murphy, helping to bring the fledgling show back to life again. After many years of movie appearances, commercials, and live shows, today he hosts a radio show in the New York area. Working, he says, is what people from around here do.

BY KURT SMITH

he first thing that strikes a listener to Joe Piscopo’s radio show is that he’s a pretty good pitchman. Even with radio titans like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, you could always tell when they were reading a piece of paper. When Piscopo tells you about a restaurant in Brooklyn, he makes it personal, telling a story about how it has the same ambiance and superb food that he remembers when he went to Italian restaurants as a kid. If you own a business in New Jersey, you could do worse than have Joe Piscopo tell people about it. “When somebody is kind enough to step on my show, they are family,” the veteran of show biz shares. “I go there, I know them. It’s more than just a sponsorship, it’s part of the radio family.” If you’re in your forties or older, you probably remember Piscopo’s years on the screen, as a Saturday Night Live star, a co-star in several movies, playing goofy characters in Miller Lite commercials, even in a couple of Law & Order appearances. Today he is the morning drive host on AM 970 The Answer. The Joe Piscopo Show streams nationwide and has listeners everywhere, but even broadcasting from the unforgiving New York market, he’s done well enough to stay on the air for eight years and counting. He marvels today at how it all started.

Photo by Jim Wu / courtesy Joe Piscopo

Jersey Joe “They lost their morning man. Jerry Crowley, legendary programmer at the radio station, I went to him and said, ‘Hey, Jerry, you know what? I love radio, man. That’s what I went to school for. Why don’t we put me on the air? If it doesn’t work, we’d just do a guest shot. If it works, we’ll talk. “That was eight years ago.”

Piscopo (L) with Eddie Murphy performing on Saturday Night Live

ike most hosts of politically driven talk shows, Piscopo sounds like a right-winger. But Mark Levin or Sean Hannity he’s definitely not. His show, while unafraid to tackle pressing issues of the day, isn’t a fire and brimstone indictment of all things left. Even if you were a proud Democrat, as he once was, you wouldn’t be annoyed with his tone. You’d probably even find yourself agreeing with him fairly often. “I like to think we are grounded, middle of the road, maybe right of center. A commonsense voice in morning radio. I’m proud to tell you, we have the best guests on any radio or television show, by the way. We work very hard at that. “It’s the most intimate medium. It doesn’t matter, online, social media, stage, television, film, there’s no more intimate medium than radio. You’re talking right to that person. People say to me, ‘Joe, I feel like you’re talking right to me.’ “And I go, ‘You know what? I am, I’m talking right to you.’” Ever since Chevy Chase left the show… back in 1976…there’s been a prevailing sentiment that Saturday Night Live today is nothing like its once glorious past. But there was a time after the entire original cast departed when the show truly was teetering on the edge of extinction. Piscopo doesn’t take credit, but he was a key player in helping to save the show. He was one of just two carryovers from a new cast that was being savaged in reviews. The other? Eddie Murphy, an obvious choice…it would seem. Unlike the overwhelming sentiment at the time, Piscopo considered the ill-fated second cast “very talented”. He praises Gilbert Gottfried, Denny Dillon, and Gail Matthius, who he credits with inventing the “Valley Girl” routine popularly attributed to Frank Zappa and his daughter. He believes, probably rightly, that they had an impossible standard to live up to following Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, 42

got kept on.” “If you’re a kid from Bloomfield [New Jersey],” he reflects, “and then you go to college, graduate college, comedy clubs, you just wanted to work. I just wanted to be an entertainer. I never wanted to be a star, never. “Then I hook up on Saturday Night Live and I see the comedy genius of Eddie Murphy. I can never describe to you how exhilarating it was to be on live television, with virtually no delay. You got your floor director going, ‘We gotta go to the station break!’ and Eddie was flying and brilliant. “I cherish those moments. I told him this about 4-5 years ago, when he did the Mark Twain Prize. I got up and said, ‘Eddie, thank you. Thank you for one of the greatest rides I ever had in my life.’ “Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams, two of the most brilliant guys I know. When you worked with Robin on stage, as manic as he was, he always stepped back to allow you to do your thing. Eddie was the same way, Eddie always gave. That is a true sign of a brilliant performer.”

“NBC thought Eddie [Murphy] was too caustic and too ‘edgy.’ I said, ‘This is the next Pryor! I’m telling you this is a superstar waiting to happen.’”

Bill Murray and Gilda Radner. Piscopo also deserves some credit for seeing Eddie Murphy’s brilliance before the show’s producers did. Unimaginable as it may seem to anyone who remembers Murphy on SNL, the network needed some convincing. “NBC thought Eddie was too caustic and too ‘edgy,’” he recalls. “I said, ‘This is the next Pryor! I’m telling you this is a superstar waiting to happen. They put him in as a featured player, then Eddie and I got together, and we started. “Then they said, ‘We gotta change the show.’ They fired everybody. Everybody, getting whacked one after another. Then they call us in. So (executive producer Dick) Ebersol, big, tall guy, he sits Eddie and me down and they go, ‘Well, we let everybody go, but we decided to keep the two of you.’ “I remember distinctly Eddie and I going, ‘Great, Dick. That’s great. Look, we got a couple sets at the comedy club. Do you mind if we leave?’ I didn’t think about it then, we were just so flippant and cocky. Probably why we

e’s been a cast member of one of the longest-running shows on television, starred in hit movies and ad campaigns, made the cover of a bodybuilding magazine twice, and today hosts two radio shows…on Sunday nights, Piscopo does the popular “Sunday with Sinatra” show on WABC in New York, a weekly tribute to one of his heroes. But when he reflects on his life, other than his five children, Piscopo is the proudest of things he’s done to help in inner cities. “I’ve gotta tell you a story,” he says when asked about it. “I’m in the Newark detention center. I said to the Newark police, ‘I’d like

Sundays With Sinatra In addition to his daily radio show, Piscopo hosts a weekly show on WABC 770 AM in New York…dedicated to the Chairman of The Board himself: “Sundays With Sinatra.” Piscopo’s SNL portrayal of Ol’ Blue Eyes was so spot on that the man himself labeled him the “Vice Chairman of The Board.” To this day, Piscopo still rolls his eyes in relief discussing how Sinatra enjoyed it. “I wrote him a letter saying, ‘Mr. Sinatra, you have my full respect, you’re the greatest performer of all time. My father’s your age, you’re from North Jersey, I’m from North Jersey. You’re Italian, I’m Italian. This is done with complete respect.’ “He invited me to perform with him at the Friars Club. I tell it differently for dramatic license on stage, but he’s got a Jack Daniels and a cigarette, and he goes, ‘It’s pretty good.’ Just like that. ‘That’s pretty good.’ So I go, in front of 2,000 people, ‘Can I call you Frank?’ He went, ‘No.’” (laughs) “He was such a Jersey guy, and this is what I love about Frank Sinatra too. He could be in Brazil and he would say, ‘I come from a little town called Hoboken, New Jersey, baby.’” Piscopo as Sinatra

On paying tribute to Sinatra, “Sid Mark wrote the book. One of my dearest friends. We’re all trying to carry on the legacy of Mr. Sinatra and Sid Mark. We’re still sad that we lost him just recently.” With all respect to Sid, it’s fitting that the Vice Chairman of The Board now hosts the long-running radio tribute to Frank. If you miss hearing Fridays With Frank and Sundays With Sinatra here in Philly, give it a listen.

Jersey Joe to give back to Newark a little bit.’ They said, ‘Joe, we’re gonna take you around town.’ “I saw a kid shackled, his ankles shackled with the handcuffs. He recognized me. ‘Hey, Mr. Piscopo, how are you?’ I say, ‘What are you in here for, if you don’t mind me asking?’ He says, ‘homicide.’ He said ‘homicide’ like you and I would say, ‘I got into a fight at school.’ He’s 15 years old! “So, I made it a mission, because there but for the grace of God go all of us, to help out the at-risk community. Walking the streets of Camden, to help out with Robert and Wanda Dickerson, who had an organization called Unity Community, I’d take the kids off the streets in Camden. Working with the Boys & Girls Clubs, putting in Jersey Joe’s Gym at the Boys & Girls Club in Newark. “I’m so proud of my work with the at-risk community because I just felt ‘there but for the grace of God, go I.’”

After starring in a couple of hit movies, two things happened…Joe Piscopo became a bodybuilding enthusiast, and he stopped appearing in films and TV. The two are somewhat related, but not in the way that it was perceived at the time. Piscopo began working out in response to a thyroid cancer diagnosis, and that same diagnosis caused him to have a different reaction to the leg work of getting a TV show or film project off the ground. “I remember the doctor telling me, ‘You got cancer.’ I went to a guy named Marvin Belsky, he’s the guy that told me, ‘You gotta work out. You gotta stop drinking. I wasn’t really a drinker, but on Saturday nights after the show, we’d always drink some. That changed my whole life around, changed my whole perspective of everything. “Ron Howard called me, and he said, ‘We wanna do a series with you.’” I said, ‘Wow, this is great.’ Ronnie called me out to lunch at the Russian tea room, the whole thing. He goes, ‘We wanna do a sitcom with you, a half hour.’ It never blossomed. Never had a meeting, just never blossomed. “I’m thinking, ‘I just had thyroid cancer. I could be dead in two years. I’m not gonna play this BS game of going out and trying to sell this, trying to sell that.’ And that drew me back a little bit. “I said, ‘You know what, let me work out.’” In reality, working out didn’t work out too badly for Piscopo…especially in the pitching business where he excels. He made the cover of Muscle & Fitness twice, and made quite a few bucks telling folks about Bally’s Fitness, Cybergenics and others. Photo by Jim Wu / courtesy Joe Piscopo

hen this writer searched the interview transcript for that quote, the words “grace of God” showed up six times. Piscopo is unquestionably thankful for his blessings. He is a busy man, living a calendar filled with two radio shows, charity appearances, gym ownership, and live performances. Running for governor of New Jersey, which he considered in 2017, would have been difficult. He isn’t the easiest person to nail down for an interview, but it’s worth it. Throughout speaking with him, he’s never the slightest bit embarrassed to let an almost goofy, infectious mirth show in his demeanor. He breaks into laughter easily, wears a ubiquitous friendly smile, and he makes anyone speaking to him feel as though they’re the celebrity. Piscopo treats everyone in his own congenial way, and he speaks ill of no one…even though, after a lifetime in show business and discussing politics on the air, he probably easily could. Endless geniality and childlike mirth might seem un-Jersey qualities to outsiders. But to a Garden State native, it makes total sense. A life spent in our state teaches anyone that they can’t put on airs or smoke people. His Italian mother taught him to be outgoing and friendly, so that’s what he is. And it doesn’t get more New Jersey than that. n

“Bodybuilding Will Ruin Your Career!”

Today Piscopo is a part-owner of the Retro Fitness in Flemington, with his business partner Stacy Lynn McCormack. Joe and Stacy have poured plenty of effort and money into refurbishing the gym, and today, Stacy proudly asserts that it’s got the most modern fitness equipment in Hunterdon County. “She introduced me to some of the Retro guys, and she said, ‘How about if we have a gym and we buy it together.’ I said, ‘Go for it!’ We want to open up more, just the other day she got 90 members that signed up. She’s unbelievable.” By the way, Retro Fitness in Flemington survived the pandemic too. “It was not easy,” he remembers. “Jersey makes it as difficult as they possibly can. But true Jersey, never say die. You know, momentum, we prevailed.”

Photo by NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Photo from Temple University Urban Archives

Photo courtesy of the Didinger family

SPORTS GUYS

Photo by NBC Sports Philadelphia

Photo by Maria Gallagher

Photo courtesy of 94WIP

Photo by Maria Gallagher

Photo by Brad Nau

Clockwise from top left: Ray interviewing Pete Rose during spring training in 1979; Ray interviewing NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1978; From the Super Bowl pregame show in Minneapolis; Ray with Daily News colleague Stan Hochman in the Comcast SportsNet newsroom; Glen Macnow and Ray broadcasting from Shop Rite of Williamstown (NJ) during the Eagles’ run up to the Super Bowl; The Dick McCann Award, which added Ray’s name to the writer’s honor roll in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, With NBC Sports Philadelphia colleagues Barrett Brooks and Seth Joyner immediately after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Some of Ray’s many press passes.

Ray Didinger:

Simply the BY MARK ECKEL RITING A STORY about Ray Didinger is akin to going skating with Wayne Gretzky or shooting hoops with Michael Jordan. Sure, it’s going to be fun. Just don’t mess up. Didinger is to sportswriting what Gretzky was to hockey and Jordan was to basketball, simply the best there ever was. Even though he hasn’t been a “full-time” writer since he left The Philadelphia Daily News in 1996, and younger fans know him better for his weekend radio shows on WIP or his Eagles pre-game and post-game shows on television, Didinger is a writer. “That’s true,” he said days after he announced he was retiring and days before his final show on WIP. “If someone asks me what I am, I would say a journalist. I never stopped writing, the books, the play, at NFL Films I wrote scripts. I did the TV and radio thing for years, but I’ll always think of myself as a writer. I think writing is one of those things that’s what you are. If you’re a writer, you’re always a writer.” Anyone can write, but not everyone can be a writer. Didinger did some sort of writing for 53 years. He started at the Delaware County Times, moved to the Philadelphia Bulletin and then The Daily News. He’s written 12 books and the fascinating play “Tommy and Me” about his boyhood hero and later friend,

Tommy McDonald. And he did it better than anyone else. And slower. “I have the record of being the last person out of the press box for 26 straight Super Bowls,” he says with a laugh. You may have heard that story before as well as several others about the last man on the planet without a cell phone. Here are some things you might not know and how Sister Claire Ursula, a fifth-grade teacher at Queen of Peace grammar school, and George Wallace, the Alabama governor and one-time Presidential candidate, were big influences on Ray’s career. And that his favorite story he ever wrote was not about football. Let’s start with Sister Claire. “I knew I wanted to be a writer from a very young age and I was always interested in sports,” Didinger said. “Wouldn’t it be great if I could put those two together and make a living?” So, in fifth grade, he was given an assignment to write an essay about the person he most admired. While some of the students chose celebrities, sports figures or, being a Catholic school, the Pope, Ray chose his father. Sister Claire approved. “Two days later she comes in with the stack of papers, and she says ‘Before I hand them back to you. There’s one I want to read to all of you.’ She starts reading it, and all of a sudden, I say to myself, ‘That’s my essay.’

She goes on to say this essay was written by Raymond Didinger. She looked at me and said, ‘Mr. Didinger you should be a writer.’ “It was the first time someone ever told me I was good at something. Maybe she’s right, maybe this is what I should do.” Young Ray took the nun’s advice. He wrote for his high school paper, went to Temple University, majored in journalism and wrote some more. When he graduated in June of 1968, he had a job two days later. “I graduated Friday, and started working for the DelCo Times, Monday,” he said. “No year off spent backpacking across Europe for me.” Europe? He barely had time to get to the Jersey Shore for the weekend. “They didn’t have an opening in the sports department,” Didinger said of that first job. “The opening was in news. That’s what they offered me. They knew I wanted sports, but they needed a news reporter.” The starting salary was $100.25 a week, or as Ray told his father when asked, “A hundred and a quarter a week.” “I didn’t want to lie to him,” he said. “I was hoping he thought it was $125.” nnn THIS TAKES US TO THE PART ABOUT Wallace, the controversial Alabama governor who ran as a third-party candidate against 47

Photo by Maria Gallagher

“I told myself this will never happen to me again. I will never go to any assignment unprepared. And you know how people make fun of me for my yellow legal pads. It all started that day.”

Didinger preparing for a Saturday radio show with his famous yellow legal pads.

Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey for President in 1968. All three candidates were campaigning in the Philadelphia area and swung through Delaware County. While Ray was on the phone in the office taking a local story from a stringer, the city editor came by and put a slip of paper on his desk. It read: George Wallace, Holiday Inn, Es-

sington, 1 o’clock. “What’s this?” Didinger asked. “He told me Wallace was having a press conference and he wanted me to go. I’m a kid. Do I really want to go interview George Wallace? He wasn’t exactly my favorite person. I figure I’ll just go stand in the back and listen and take down the answers. It will be easy.”

Ray took the assignment and headed over to the Holiday Inn. “I look at the paper again and it said, ‘Room 118’. I get there and 118 is just a room. I knock on the door, this state trooper guy answers and I tell him I’m from the Del-Co Times. He says, ‘OK, the Governor is right here.’ There were no other reporters there. It’s just me, the trooper, one other guy who was the press aide and Wallace. “I hadn’t prepared anything. And he could tell. I’m just a kid and I looked like a kid. It was bad. I didn’t know where to begin. I think

Photo by Maria Gallagher

I asked him how the Alabama football team was going to do.” It taught a valuable lesson and led to what has become a standing joke about Ray and his yellow legal pads. “I was so flustered I told myself this will never happen to me again. I will never go to any assignment unprepared. And you know how people make fun of me for my yellow legal pads. It all started that day. As painful an experience as it was, it was a really valuable lesson to learn.” nnn DIDINGER SPENT JUST A YEAR WRITING news in Delaware County. In June 1969, he joined The Bulletin to cover high school football and a year later became the Eagles beat writer. “I was 23 I was covering high schools for one year. I told my boss, ‘I don’t think I’m up for that,’” Didinger said of the Eagles. “He said it was a great fit.” He was right. Didinger covered the Eagles for The Bulletin for 10 years before moving to The Daily News in 1980 as a columnist and feature writer. While he covered other sports, football was and still is his passion. He was inducted into

All 12 books that Ray has written or to which he contributed a chapter or more.

the writer’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995 and three years later had a moment even greater than that when he introduced Tommy McDonald for his induction. “The highlight of my career was clearly Tommy,” Didinger said. “He meant so much to me. We were dear friends. The fact that I was able to help him achieve what he really

wanted, the Hall of Fame, by being so persistent. And then for him to turn around and ask me to be his presenter. We got to share that whole weekend.” Young Ray from Sister Claire’s class used to go to Eagles training camp in Hershey and wait to get McDonald’s autograph. Now some 40 years later he’s riding with him in an open

Didinger captured his long time friendship with former Eagle Tommy McDonald in his play, “Tommy and Me.”

convertible in Canton, Ohio, on the way to the Hall of Fame induction. “That,” Didinger said, “is the definition of dreams coming true.” When asked what he felt was his favorite or best story he ever wrote, Ray didn’t pick one about McDonald, or former Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, or the one where he termed the nickname “Invincible” on Vince Papale. He didn’t choose a football story at all. “Number one is a Moses Malone profile,” Didinger said when asked that question. “It was 1983, the Sixers were about to win the

NBA title and Moses was MVP. I was assigned to do a big take-out on him. He didn’t talk much to the press. But my boss wanted me to do this big take-out, find out what makes Moses tick.” Ray talked to legendary Sixers beat writer Phil Jasner, who told him it wasn’t going to be easy. But because the boss demanded it, he gave it his best shot. “I introduce myself to Moses, tell him what I wanted and he said, ‘I’m not talking.’ I told him people here wanted to know who he was. ‘Nobody knew me in Houston either. I like it that way.’ Persistent, as he was in getting McDonald inducted into the Hall years later, Didinger went on a four-city road trip with the team. It was to no avail. Malone didn’t want to talk. Finally, he tried a different route he went to Malone’s hometown of Petersburg, Virginia to talk to family and friends. “I called his mother and she wasn’t crazy about talking, either,” Didinger said. “But she agreed. Then when I got there, she was in the hospital. She had a heart attack.” Still, the story had to be written. “I interviewed all the people around him, some old friends, old coaches. I sat down and wrote this story about Moses through the eyes

of everyone else.” And it won The Keystone Press Award as the best sports story of the year. “It was a story I really had to write I couldn’t just lean on quotes. That taught me a lot too.” nnn DIDINGER LEFT THE DAILY NEWS in 1996 to work on “Football America” a movie for NFL Films and was hired full-time by them less than a year later. He joined WIP in 1987 when the station went to its all-sports format and became a part of what was then called Comcast Sports in 1996 when it debuted. But as he said earlier, he’ll always be a writer. “I love it. It was what I was meant to do,” Didinger said. “I feel fortunate that I came along during the last great wave of sportswriters. I sat next to Jimmy Cannon at an AFC Championship Game, Red Smith at a Super Bowl. “Back then newspapers were king. And I got to see those guys, meet those guys, work with those guys.” There’s at least one sportswriter, and probably hundreds more, who would say the same about Ray Didinger. n

PREPPING FORCAMP THE NOVA CARE COMPLEX READIES FOR THE EAGLES

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY 54

Photos Philadelphia Eagles

lthough plenty of Eagles fans remember taking the drive to Bethlehem to watch their favorite team prepare for the season at Lehigh University, heading to West Chester University before that and even showing up for practices at Widener, Jon Ferrari is past that. The team’s VP of Football Operations and Compliance started with the Birds in 2016, three seasons after the franchise moved its pre-season operations in-house, to the NovaCare Complex. Over the past nine seasons, the Eagles have joined the vast majority of NFL teams that holds camp at the same site where it practices during the season. In fact, only four teams (Carolina, Dallas, Kansas City and the Rams) continue to pack up and move elsewhere in order to prepare. “We’re embedded here,” Ferrari says. “The idea of going to Lehigh is a distant memory. We are dialed into the NovaCare Center. It’s

a benefit from a facility and work standpoint. The coaches and personnel can work out of their offices. We know the technology and how to set up the players so they can use it. Jon Ferrari The players meet in their meeting rooms, and the coaches and staff can get together in their offices.” The familiarity works in favor of the Eagles, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a substantial amount of work necessary to make sure the team is able to work efficiently and effectively during the hot summer days. Thanks to people like Ferrari and Ryan Hummel, the VP of Facilities Operations, the team succeeds, and by the time the Eagles open a season, they have accomplished pretty much everything they must do to prepare—or at least nobody

can blame the various departments that work together to produce a smooth camp for onfield problems that occur during the 17 games. “When you work in football operations, you do it because you love the game, but you also love solving complex problems,” Ferrari says. “Is it stressful? Yes. And the fact that it’s hot adds to it.”

his is no small undertaking. During the course of training camp, 90 players, two dozen coaches and countless trainers, equipment managers, grounds crew workers and other personnel— along with sponsors and select fans lucky enough to watch some of the practices—come together in a two-week frenzy designed to set the Eagles up for success. And planning for it begins as soon as the previous season is over. For the first 80 years of its existence, the franchise never held camp at its in-season practice site. The Eagles used universities— 55

“More players, more needs. With 90 players and long days, there is a big strain on everything, especially equipment.”

hen Ferrari discusses what goes into the equipment portion of training camp, he references the large number of interns that must take care of everything that goes into outfitting 90 players for a single practice. “More players, more needs,” he says. “Every day in camp, we have a full-speed practice and a walk-through. Players need different shoes for each and different equipment. “Interns have to get the balls prepped for the quarterbacks, make sure the jerseys are cleaned properly and the shoulder pads are dried properly. With 90 players and long days, there is a big strain on everything, especially equipment.” There are more jerseys, shoes, pads and 56

helmets. The team has to squeeze in temporary lockers. There’s more food. More hydration. More everything. Hummel reports that after every practice, Leonard and his staff have Tony Leonard to tend to the fields, so they will be ready for the next workout. The turf has already been brought to an optimal state before camp starts, with Leonard and his staff working during the “dead period” between OTAs [Organized Team Activities] and the start of camp to rehabilitate the NovaCare fields, and provided there is enough rain throughout the spring and early summer, it can stay in that state. Another large component of the training camp experience is housing. When the Eagles prepared for the season at a college, players lived in dorms, which meant highly-paid professionals were sharing accommodations more suited for 18-year-old freshmen. The Birds still bring everybody together, but this time it’s at a local hotel, which must have sufficient room to handle all of the players, along with coaches and staff, trainers, video coordinators and other team employees.

“Everybody will be together for a certain amount of time,” Ferrari says. “When we break camp, people are allowed to leave the hotel and go to their permanent residences, or if they don’t have them, hotel options are available.” The centrally-located living quarters allow for players to eat together, which handles nutritional needs. There is also a hospitality suite that offers hydration and snacks. Before the camp begins, the Eagles work with local law enforcement to make sure overzealous fans won’t be able to gain access to the hotel and “connect” with their favorite players. Ferrari and his staff must also prepare for the Eagles’ trips to other cities when they will stage multi-day practices with other teams. This year, the Birds visit Cleveland and Miami, and that means a collection of preparations that includes finding hotels, making sure that the entire football operation—strength and conditioning, training, equipment, video, personnel, etc.—works with Travel Director Dan Ryan to execute the move. Arrangements must be made for food, travel from the hotel to the practice site, the locker room and anything else necessary to assure peak performance. “The goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page so that we can move efficiently and maximize the days of practice that we

Photos Philadelphia Eagles

West Chester, Widener, Saint Joseph’s, Lehigh, Albright, Temple—high schools and various other facilities. They prepared in New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The nomadic life came to an end in 2013, and there is little reason to think anything will change in the future. “It makes sense, with the facilities we have in Philadelphia and the access to the great playing fields at NovaCare, thanks to [VP of Grounds] Tony Leonard,” Hummel says. “It’s a good idea.”

have,” Ferrari says. “We want it to be as seamless as possible. We don’t want the players to feel any of the behind-the-scenes work. We want them to get up, eat, watch video and get to the field and play.”

Photo Philadelphia Eagles

aying attention to fields in other cities is important, but the Eagles also must make sure the turf at their home stadium is ready for action, and that isn’t just as easy as watering the grass. For instance, this summer there are four significant concerts at the Linc, and there was also the Monster Jam in April, featuring giant trucks of all kinds cavorting in large piles of dirt. Although the staff puts protective flooring over the field, it takes a lot of work to make sure conditions are optimal for practice and pre-season play. Each year, the Birds host a preseason game or Ryan Hummel two but also stage a public practice that can draw more than 30,000 people. Although the workout is something of an exhibition, it is imperative the players don’t get injured, and a big way to help prevent that is by making sure the playing surface is in top condition. “It’s a little different than in the fall and winter when we don’t have concerts to contend with,” Hummel says. The NovaCare Complex can’t accommodate the big crowds that used to fill the stands at Lehigh, but there are a few hundred fans, sponsors and guests at practice each day, and that means Hummel and his staff must create an area to host them. That includes “500 feet of tents,” outdoor restrooms and hospitality areas to maximize the fan experience. As summer heads toward the season opener, the number of players participating in drills drops, and stress on facilities, fields and staff drops. There is still plenty to do, but there is a significant difference between the needs of 90 players and 53—plus practice squad members. Once training camp ends, the weekly rhythm of practices and games takes over. “Coach [Nick] Sirianni and [GM Howie Roseman] do a good job of reminding us why we are doing this,” Ferrari says. “It’s to build a winner. We are always doing this to get ready for the season.” n

2022 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

Dick Vermeil Ron Jaworski still remembers the in-season late-night calls he’d get from Dick Vermeil.

Photos Philadelphia Eagles

“I’d be home at 11:30 on a Thursday night and the phone would ring and it would be Dick,” the former Eagles quarterback said. “He’d say, ‘Put this tape in. I want you to see what we’re going to do in the red zone on Sunday. We’re adding these new plays.’ He wasn’t out. He wasn’t home. He was in the office putting plays together to help us win, make us better.’’ That was Vermeil. The workaholic coach who regularly put in 20-hour days and often slept on a sofa in his office during the season. “Dick was very demanding of himself,” Jaworski said. “He had a very high bar individually. He wanted guys who understood you’d better have that bar raised high because we’re going to build a team here and we’re not going to lose. Get on the train or the train is going to run you over.” Vermeil’s hard work paid off. He inherited a hapless Eagles football team bereft of draft choices when Leonard Tose hired him in 1976. One winning season in the previous 15 years. One! Five years after he arrived, they were in the Super Bowl. That’s the good news. The bad news is Vermeil’s workaholic ways eventually got the best of him. Two years after the Eagles’ loss to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV, he walked

BY PAUL DOMOWITCH

away from coaching. “By the end of ’81, I was having trouble getting over a loss,” said Vermeil, who will become the 28th coach in NFL history to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. “My own negative is I’m a blamer of myself. I would spend too much time after getting beat thinking [about] what I should’ve done last week. It was interfering with what I should be doing to win this week.” The Eagles opened the ’81 season with six straight wins. In mid-November, they were riding high at 9-2, one game ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East. Another Super Bowl appearance seemed a real possibility. Then they lost four of their last five and went one and done in the playoffs, suffering a stunning 27-21 wild-card loss to the Giants. A couple of weeks later, Vermeil’s wife Carol was in a serious car accident. She fractured her right elbow and pelvic bone. Needed 50 stitches to close wounds in her head from shattered glass. Very nearly lost her left eye. Then came the strike-shortened ’82 season. The players were out for 57 days. The league ended up cutting the regular season to nine games and holding a postseason “tournament’’ that included 16 of the 28 teams. The Eagles weren’t one of them. They lost their first four games after the strike and finished a disappointing 3-6. In their first game back after the strike, they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. As Vermeil began his post-game talk to the team, Eagles owner Leonard Tose interrupted. “He takes a drag on his cigarette and says, ‘I have something to say,’’’ linebacker John Bunting said. “He says, ‘Why don’t you all do this city a favor and go back out on effing strike.’’’ Vermeil and his wife had a cabin in Clinton County, about 25 miles outside of Penn State. They spent a lot of time up there during the ’82 strike, which actually gave the Eagles coach a glimpse of life without football. And it wasn’t terrible. “I remember driving up there and thinking, God, it feels so good not to have a stiff neck and strain on my back,” Vermeil said. “I never had a great ability to turn anything off. Now, I had no choice. And I enjoyed that feeling. “Carol once told me that what I come home with [after work], what I have left [to give], isn’t very pleasant. And she was right. It was

“He was very emotional. But it wasn’t the emotion of a coach. It was the emotion of a guy who was really struggling.’’ – Ron Jaworski

because I got so obsessed with what I was doing. And when you beat your own self up, you start believing it too.’’ After the strike, as the ’82 season dragged on, it became obvious to the people around Vermeil that he was struggling. “Some of the team meetings late in the season at the [team] hotel, he would address the team, but it wasn’t the same guy,’’ Jaworski said. “He was very emotional. But it wasn’t the emotion of a coach. It was the emotion of a guy who was really struggling.’’

ATE THAT SEASON, Vermeil pulled into his parking spot at Veterans Stadium one morning and couldn’t get out of the car. A few days later, he was sitting at his desk and the same thing happened. He couldn’t get up to go to practice. “When the strike ended and I went back to coaching, I just didn’t feel good about myself,” he said. “I said I owe these guys more.’’ The Eagles ended the season with a twopoint loss at home to the Giants. A week later, Vermeil, then just 46 years old, resigned.

“The night before I stepped down, I said to Carol, ‘I know what I have to do, but I don’t know what to say,’’’ Vermeil said. “She said, ‘Why don’t you just say you’re burned out. She hadn’t read any books on it or anything, but that’s what had happened to me.’’ Burnout isn’t a terminal condition. If it was, Vermeil wouldn’t be getting a bronze bust in Canton. He spent 14 years out of coaching, broadcasting NFL and college games for CBS and ABC before finally returning to the sideline in 1997 with the St. Louis Rams. “The minute I walked into the (Rams) building, you could smell the losing,” Vermeil said. “They had lost more games in the ‘90s than any team in football.” After going 5-11 and 4-12 in his first two seasons there, Vermeil and the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999. “When I went back into coaching, I knew I couldn’t be who I was,” Vermeil said. “It was a totally different game. I did a much better job of delegating and designating with the Rams.’’ Vermeil found out the hard way that he couldn’t work players as hard as he did when he was coaching the Eagles. “I remember the first player rebellion that first year after we went full-gear the day after the final preseason game,” said Bunting, who was the co-defensive coordinator on Vermeil’s Rams staff. “It was a sweltering day. High humidity. We go into the locker room after practice and there are eight guys laid out on tables with IVs in their arms. The next day, player boycott. They go on strike. He eased up some. But it wasn’t until the third year that he really changed.’’ Vermeil might’ve won another Super Bowl with the Rams, but he retired after the ’99 season. Returned a year later to coach the Kansas City Chiefs for his longtime friend Carl Peterson, who will be his presenter in Canton next month. He spent five seasons in KC. His 2003 team won 13 games. “When he came to Kansas City, I could see he had changed a lot as a coach,” said Peterson, who had been Vermeil’s player personnel director with the Eagles. “His ways, his practices. He was more like their father. He was having the players over to his house and teaching them how to barbeque and drink wine.” n 61

2022 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

Sam Mills When Sam Mills enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month, Jim Mora will be the late linebacker’s presenter.

Photo www.panthers.com

Mora coached Mills for 12 of his 15 professional seasons—three with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars and nine more with the New Orleans Saints. He has called the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker the best player he ever has coached. Considering that he also happened to coach a fellow by the name of Peyton Manning, that’s high praise. That said, Mora will be the first to admit that he initially had some serious reservations about Mills. In fact, if not for the persuasiveness of Vince Tobin, who was Mora’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach with the Stars, he probably would have done the same thing the Cleveland Browns and CFL’s Toronto Argonauts did and cut Mills. “I took the Stars job a couple of weeks before the start of training camp,” Mora said. “I didn’t know one guy from the other. All I knew about Sam was that he was 5-foot-9. “Every night during camp, I would meet with Vince and the rest of our staff and have each position coach comment on and rank his players. Every night Vince would come in and have Sam ranked No. 1. I’d look at him and say, ‘Vince, we can’t play with a 5-9 linebacker. We just can’t. People will laugh at us.’ “And he’d say, ‘I don’t know what to tell you. He’s the best guy out there. If you want

BY PAUL DOMOWITCH

to get rid of every other linebacker we’ve got and start over, that’s fine. But I’m telling you he’s our best player.’” Mills, who died of cancer in 2005 at the much-too-young age of 45, is being enshrined in the Hall of Fame this summer because of what he did during his 12 NFL seasons with the Saints and the Carolina Panthers. But if not for the opportunity he got—and capitalized on—with the Stars, Mills never would have played a down in the NFL. After getting cut by Cleveland and Toronto, Mills had pretty much accepted the fact that his pro football dream never was going to happen. With a wife and son to support, the former Montclair State star had accepted a teaching job at East Orange (N.J.) High School and was ready to get on with the rest of his life. Then, in August of 1982, just before he was supposed to start his new teaching gig, the Stars, called him and invited him to try out for their team in the new spring league. Mills went to the tryout and was offered a contract that guaranteed him nothing more than an invitation to training camp. He was so unsure that he waited two months before signing with them. He already had a job that would allow him to feed his family. What if the Stars were no different than the short-sighted Browns and Argonauts? What if they also couldn’t get past his small size, no matter how well he played? Did he really want to go through that kind of disappointment again? The guy who finally convinced Mills to sign with the Stars was Jim Garrett. Garrett, a longtime NFL coach and scout with several teams, convinced the Browns to sign Mills after he went undrafted out of Montclair. Mills often worked out with other North Jersey prospects in the large yard at Garrett’s oceanfront home in Monmouth Beach, which was a stone’s throw from where Mills lived in Long Branch. “I still remember Sam coming over to our house and telling my dad, ‘I’m going to give this thing up,’” said Garrett’s son Jason, who spent nine years as the Dallas Cowboys head coach. “My dad looked at him and said, ‘You can’t give it up yet, Sam. You can’t give it up. You have to figure out how to do this, how to convince them you’re big enough.’

“Nobody knew who Sam was at our first practice. But by the last practice, by the time we left Florida, everybody knew who he was.” – Bart Oates

the Stars,” Oates said. “Nobody knew who Sam was at our first practice. But by the last practice, by the time we left Florida, everybody knew who he was. And it wasn’t long after that the rest of the league knew who he was.” Glenn Howard played alongside Mills as the Stars’ other inside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme for three years. They became close friends. “He played with a chip on his shoulder,” Howard said. “Even after the first year, when he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, he still played like he needed to prove himself to people.”

A “My dad urged him to go down to Philly and give it one more shot. Sure enough, he went there and ran with that opportunity and never looked back.” Tobin eventually convinced Mora to look past Mill’s size, and he went on to become one of the best players the short-lived league produced. He racked up 592 tackles in three seasons. Was an All-USFL choice all three years. Led the Stars to three championshipgame appearances and two league titles. “Everybody thought Sam was an overachiever because of his size,” Mora said. “But he wasn’t an overachiever. He had a lot of ability and he achieved up to the level of that ability. He was the best player I’ve ever coached. He was an amazing guy.” Led by Mills, the Stars had the best defense in the USFL. Led the league in points allowed three straight years—giving up just 11.3 points per game in 1983, 12.5 in ’84 and 14.4 in the league’s final season in ’85. Center Bart Oates was Mills’ teammate with the Stars. Later played against him several times when both joined the NFL. “I remember that first training camp with

FTER THE USFL FOLDED, the Saints hired Mora as their head coach. He only took a handful of Stars players with him to New Orleans, but Mills was one of them. Mills quickly convinced his Saints teammates that his size wasn’t an impediment. He became the lynchpin of their great defenses of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Finished his playing career with the expansion Carolina Panthers where he helped them make it to the NFC Championship Game in their second season of existence. Mills played just three seasons for the Panthers but had such an impact on that franchise that owner Jerry Richardson had a statue of him erected outside the team’s stadium shortly after he retired as a player following the ’97 season. “Mr. Richardson wasn’t the easiest guy to impress,” said Vic Fangio, who coached Mills with the Stars, Saints and Panthers. “But he loved Sam.” Tobin spent seven seasons as the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator after the Stars folded. Coached another Hall of Fame linebacker, Mike Singletary, for all seven of those years. Singletary went into Canton in 1998 in his first year of eligibility. Tobin has openly acknowledged that, in his mind, Mills was as good, if not better, than Singletary. Yet, it took Mills 19 years to make it to Canton. Well, better late than never. “He went to heaven before he went to the Hall of Fame,” said Mills’ former Stars teammate and friend George Cooper. “That’s what God wanted.” n 63

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THE CIGAR GUY ______________________________________________________________________________________________ BY SAM KRAFT