JerseyMan Magazine V7N4

’S “JERSEY GIRLS” MAKING AN IMPACT P. 34

George Anastasia’s

MOB SCENE

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Volume 7 • Number 4 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES SAFETY

Malcolm Jenkins

PHILLY FOREVER

F O R M E R E AG L E S G M

JIM MURRAY

TACKLING FASHION WITH STYLE

2017 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PREVIEW

P. 42

Two-Time USFL Champions Reunite P. 60 www.jerseymanmagazine com

PUBLISHER

FROM JerseyMan Magazine THE VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 4 ____________________________________________________________________________________

BY KEN DUNEK

Walk of Life

H

aven’t been sleeping well lately.

My Dad is ill, and trying to help my brother Mike with him, long distance, is taking an emotional toll.

So my eyes flash open at 5 a.m.

Not much to do but take a walk around the neighborhood.

I open the front door of my home and step onto the pockmarked stone of my concrete driveway.

My senses are immediately overwhelmed by color and sound.

Ken Dunek Publisher EDITOR George Brinkerhoff ART DIRECTOR Steve Iannarelli CONTRIBUTING WRITERS George Anastasia, Jan L. Apple, Michael Bradley, George Brinkerhoff, Sam Carchidi, Alexandra Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Ken Dunek, Mark Eckel, John Hopkins, Robert Kennedy, Mike Kern, Sam Kraft, Glen Macnow, Robert Perez, MD, Anthony Mongeluzo, Daniel R. Morroni, Gervase Peterson, Andrew Ryan, Nick Santangelo, Kurt Smith, T. Jordan Wompierski Administrative Assistants Alexandra Dunek Allison Farcus

The sky is cobalt blue, with a hint of the black of darkness and the silver of the morning horizon in the distance.

Events Coordinator Ashley Dunek

Birds are creating a symphony of sound.

Assistant Events Coordinator Jamie Dunek

From a hearty hoot-hoot of the owl, to the cheerful chirp of the wren and robin, it is truly nature’s concert in hi-def.

Editorial 856-813-1153

On back-to-back days I saw deer running through my neighborhood. I’ve lived in the same development for 30 years, and have only seen one deer roam our street in all that time.

Advertising 856-912-4007

The silence has a roar of its own, but it is drowned out by the peacefulness of the stillness, sans the aviary of course.

Controller Rose M. Balcavage

So I guess there is a benefit to the unrest.

Sales Associates Ashley Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Terri Dunek, Allison Farcus, Chris Kazmarck, JP Lutz, Tinavalen Nguyen

But all the same, I dream of taking the walk with my father—just one last time.

Printing 856-813-1153

JerseyMan Advisory Board Peter Cordua (Chairman). HPK CPAs & Consultants Nick DeRose. . . . . . . . . Legacy Treatment Services Joseph Devine (Emeritus). . . . . . . Kennedy Health Ted Flocco (Emeritus). . . . . . . . . . . Ernst & Young Bob Hoey. . . . . . . . . . . Janney Montgomery Scott Jeffrey Jaskol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Jaskol Group Robert Kennedy. . . . . . . . The Kennedy Companies Julie LaVan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaVan Law Anthony Mongeluzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCS Ryan Niedoba. . . . . . Niedoba, Beppel & Co., LLC Mike Regina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Sky Enterprises Paul Tully . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eagle Wealth Strategies

“Everyday you either get better or worse. You don’t stay the same.”

Photo Jamie Dunek

– Jim Mora JerseyMan Magazine/PhillyMan Magazine, products of the partnership of Joe LaGrossa, Ken Dunek, and Alex Kazmarck, are published

by New Opportunity Publishing, LLC, with offices at 7025 Central Highway, Pennsauken, NJ, 08109. Copyright 2017.

www.jerseymanmagazine.com

INSIDE 26 THE LEGACY OF FLYERS GOALIES

Malcolm Jenkins

Three seasoned reporters bringing the “Jerz” to the network

TACKLING FASHION WITH STYLE

Photo courtesy CNN

COVER STORY

by GLEN MACNOW

34 CNN’S JERSEY GIRLS

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 4

48

Fletcher Cox photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

34 42 2017 EAGLES PREVIEW

How high will the Birds fly this season?

56 PHILLY FOREVER

Former Eagles GM Jim Murray’s impact still reaches beyond football

60 THE STARS ALIGN

The two-time USFL Champions reunite

62 NEW KIDS IN TOWN

Helping professional athletes acclimate to our area

66 ADAM CAPLAN

The changing landscape of sports television

70 A PASSIONATE DRIVE

RBC Heritage Classic Tournament Director Steve Wilmot

74 PLUSH VODKA

An innovative take on an old classic

COLUMNS 14 JOTTINGS • 22 FEEL GOOD PHILLY • 24 GEORGE ANASTASIA’S MOB SCENE • 28 MAN YOUR HEALTH 30 GET FIT • 32 THE ENTHUSIAST • 80 THE ENTREPRENEUR COACH • 84 WHAT WE WEAR 88 THE CIGAR GUY • 90 TECH TIME • 93 THE WINE MAN • 94 SAY GERV? BY GERVASE PETERSON

jerseymanmagazine.com

Malcolm Jenkins photos Austin Horton

THRU THE LENS Photographs by Jamie Dunek

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge—originally named the Delaware River Bridge—was dedicated as part of the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Until 1929, it was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world, with a length of over 1.8 miles.

The bridge is 128 feet wide and stands 385 feet tall. Source Wikipedia

JOTTINGS

“Success is not forever and failure isn’t fatal.” ______________________________________________________________________________

BY GEORGE BRINKERHOFF

– Don Shula

A Pinball Palace

W

– The Who

ERE YOU A PINBALL WIZARD back

in the day? Then the Silverball Museum Arcade is for you. The Silverball Museum Arcade has over 600 pinball, video and other arcade games in its rotation of inventory, all in great working order between its location right on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ and a second location in Florida. Whether you grew up in the 60’s or 70’s or 80’s or 90’s, there’s probably a game here you fondly remember playing. And unlike most other museums, this one lets you play all day with any and all of the exhibits for one reasonable sum. Nowadays most arcade game, like most arcades, have gone the way of the dinosaur and been supplanted by computer games. But here, in this time warp, you can still show off your skills to your kids on any of the actual pinball machines of your youth, and demonstrate what great flipper work and good ball control really look like. So go ahead, stop on in and relive those glory days!

Check them out at 1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ, or online at silverballmuseum.com.

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Photos Steve I.

“He’s a pinball wizard. There has to be a twist.

A pinball wizard. Got such a supple wrist.”

The First “Iggles”

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he Philadelphia Eagles have been around for so long it’s hard to imagine that they were once an NFL expansion team, created in 1933 from what were the ashes of the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Bert Bell and Lud Wray purchased the NFL rights to the Philadelphia area and were awarded the assets of the Frankford team.

Ultimately only one player from the 1931 Yellow Jackets team ended up on the 1933 Eagles squad, Art Koeninger.

The name “Eagles,” evokes the team’s working class roots, having been inspired by the symbol of the blue eagle used to promote President Franklin Roosevelt’s depression era National Recovery Act, and the first Eagles team continued to use the light blue and yellow colors of their Frankford forbearers. These newly hatched Birds held their training camp in

The Eagles battle the New York Giants at the Baker Bowl in 1933

chalking up additional victories over the likes of the Bridgeport Pros, the Orange Tornadoes, the Paterson Night Hawks, the United States Marines (3rd Battalion, 19th Regiment), and the Frankford Legion, and suffered their first loss against the Staten Island Stapletons.

All this before their first official league game on October 15, 1933 against the New York Giants which sadly resulted in their first loss in the NFL, and their second loss of the season, on the

wrong side of a 56-0 tally. All told they played eight “non-league” games in 1933. Though they finished their official NFL season in 4th place, behind the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Redskins (I know, sounds like an alternative universe), they did manage to stay out of the cellar of the Eastern Division. That honor fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yup, I said Pirates.

You can check out the standings and statistics at www.profootballarchives.com.

Atlantic City, NJ and would play all their home games at the Baker Bowl in North Philadelphia in 1933. Their official 1933 league record of 3-5-1, however, doesn’t take into account every game they played that year. The very first game played by the newly branded Philadelphia Eagles, resulting in their first victory as well, was an exhibition game played against none other than those Clifton Wessingtons (Who?) at Wessington Stadium (Where?) in Clifton, NJ, on September 17, 1933. The Eagles beat the Wessingtons 6-0. In fact, the Eagles opened their season with six wins and one loss in exhibition games against non-league opponents, 15

What We Read...

A soon to be released book, The Roastmaster: Joe Pagliei, A Lifetime of Stories from Western Pennsylvania to Atlantic City, by Ken Safarowic, tells the tale of a remarkable man who made the pros with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Titans, then fashioned a career for himself working in horse racing industry during the heyday of Garden State Racetrack and was right in the middle of the excitement during the golden era of Atlantic City. The A-list friends he developed along the way include Joe Dimaggio, Tom Lasorda, Joe Torre, Larry Holme, Julius Erving, Willie Mays, Bobby Rydell, Henny Youngman, Tom Jones and Lynda Carter. According to Ken Safarowic, Joe is a guy who gets invited everywhere and always causes people to light up when they see him. “Joe is like a friend, teammate, grandfather to everyone.” He can hold a crowd spellbound with his stories and he’s got a wealth of experiences to pull from—the casino, the racetrack, football, golf and a steel town during the depression. He remains an active participant in a number of regional celebrity golf tournaments and was the President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association. The following excerpt recounts Joe’s time and experiences making, and playing for, the 1959 Philadelphia Eagles and becoming an ‘honorary’ member of the 1960 squad.

T

Top: Pagliei (standing, right) with Leo Durocher and Wille Mays.

Middle: (left) with Tommy Lasorda, Joe DiMaggio and Joe Torre.

Bottom: with entertainer Charo

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HE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES opened training camp for the 1959 season in Hershey, Pennsylvania in July. The team had been only 2-9-1 the year before and had in fact been pretty dismal for most of the 1950’s. The Eagles won their second consecutive NFL championship in 1949, but mostly lean and downright disappointing seasons followed. I was new to the program, but I can tell you, the guys that I was joining up with did not in any way resemble a pack of losers. Everybody was upbeat and optimistic. I was soon to find out that this was a most special bunch of football players who in a short time would come to define what it really meant to be a team.

I didn’t know much about the Eagles organization when I joined the team, as I had never really watched much professional football. I was always playing, whether it was Clairton, Clemson, Calgary or Fort Knox and didn’t follow other teams than my own. When I got to Philadelphia, I learned that things had started to change for the better prior to the ’58 season.

The team had undergone about as big a facelift as a franchise can undergo in a single offseason. When the 1958 season opened, just about everything that mattered was new—new home stadium, new coach, and most important a new and special quarterback. In my opinion it was the quarterback that really made the difference in turning around the fortunes of the franchise.

In very short order, following the last game of 1957, the Eagles vacated Connie Mack Stadium and moved into Franklin Field, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania as their new home stadium. They also fired head coach Hugh DeVore. After flirting and being rejected by a New York Giants assistant named Vince Lombardi, they were able to lure Buck Shaw, a veteran NFL coach out of retirement. These

moves were significant, but the real franchise changer was a trade with the Los Angeles Rams that brought future Hall of Fame Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to Philadelphia. The acquisition of Van Brocklin, bumped another future Hall of Famer, Sonny Jurgensen to the bench.

Dutch was a naturally gifted leader, but more important, he was the force that brought a bunch of great guys even closer together. Dutch made everyone feel like they were part of the team and it worked so well that many of us have remained friends for more than 55 years.

There were no cliques within the Eagles: when Dutch got the guys together, everyone got an invitation. Hell, Dutch even served as a oneman car pool, driving around to pick guys up.

Some of the most important friendships of my life grew out of my association with the Philadelphia Eagles during that 1959 season.

Van Brocklin had made the Eagles an exciting team on offense. During the ’58 season, the Eagles developed one of the best passing games in the league with Dutch throwing to a receiving crew that had Tommy McDonald and Pete Retzlaff on the outside, and Bobby Walston at tight end. They were also deep at running back, so it was a pretty successful offense that I was looking to join in 1959.

I

SUITED UP for every game during the Eagles 9-5, second place 1959 season, seeing action in seven games. My stat line for the season, reads 2 carries for -5 yards, and two catches for 9 yards. One crown jewel, black ink achievement does stand out—I led the team in punting average for the season, with 45.0. That does come with an asterisk, and of course with me being me, there is a story attached.

Norm Van Brocklin did all of our punting that year, I was his backup. One game in Washington, it was wet, rainy, and Dutch didn’t want to go in and kick. We were pinned down on about the five yard line and he turns to me and says

“hey rook; you take this one, go in and kick.” I got off a good kick and pulled us out of a hole.

The team stats for the year show, Pagliei, one punt, 45.0 average; Norm Van Brocklin, 53 punts, 42.7 average. I always rubbed that in with Van Brocklin; he’d say to me ‘You son of a bitch, one punt and you lead the team.”

Van Brocklin also served as the team social director and he personally made sure to get as many guys as possible together every Monday morning. It was those Monday sessions that really stand out in my memory. They brought us close and I have no doubt helped make the Eagles the team of destiny they were to become the next season.

All of the single guys lived at the Walnut Park Plaza at 63rd and Walnut. Every Monday morning Van Brocklin, who was married and living in the suburbs, would drop his kids off at school, come by the hotel, pick up my roommates Theron Sapp, Billy Ray Barnes and me, and we’d go over to Donahue’s, shoot the breeze and drink beer. The other guys would all start drifting in during the morning. This was a very close team. Everybody hung together, even in the offseason. Those of us who stayed around Philly would get together, go to the racetrack, play basketball, just hang out. But those Mondays during the season were special; all of us sitting around Donahue’s, talking football and becoming brothers.

Dutch was an exceptional person…He was also physically, about the strongest person I ever met. He must have retired undefeated as the all-time arm wrestling champion. We would go into bars and Dutch would announce “Anyone want to Indian arm wrestle? Drinks for the bar if I lose.” The biggest guy in the place would come over to take him on and Dutch would just about tear the guy’s shoulder out of its socket.

B

ILLY RAY BARNES and Theron Sapp were my roommates that year. Theron was a good old boy who loved to sit around, drink wine and talk Georgia football.

But he was no simple redneck. He made a ton of money owning and operating a chain of fried chicken restaurants in the South after he retired. Billy Ray and I would become lifelong friends, we still stay in touch. One year, he went down to Wake Forest to play in their alumni game against the current roster and he invited me to tag along. We get down there and the alumni were short a running back. He asked me if I wanted to suit up and I said “Hell, yeah”, so I played one game as an alumnus of Wake Forest University.

Billy Ray was one of the most colorful people you could ever hope to meet. He used to drive around Philly in a powder blue Cadillac convertible and when I saw all the action he was

getting with that car I went out and bought a dark blue Cadillac for myself.

Billy loved to drink and he was always surrounded by beautiful women. One night we were coming home in his Cadillac with a couple of women in as passengers and a cop stopped us on Walnut Street for running a red light. The cop comes over, asks for ID, and when he realizes that he had just stopped Billy Ray Barnes, he says “Oh, my God; I’m going to help you out”. He ended up letting us go.…

These were the Philadelphia Eagles that I was part of and I was looking forward to the 1960 season.…

I was the last cut in 1960, the Wednesday before the first game. That really sucked. I always believed that it was as much for budget reasons as anything else. The team ended up carrying one player less than the roster allotment for the whole season.

I was leaving practice at the University of Pennsylvania and got to the end of the driveway when general manager Vince McNally called me back. He acknowledged that they might be making a mistake, but they were still letting me go. The day they cut me was picture day; they didn’t announce the last cut until after the team picture was taken, so I can be found in the team photo of the 1960 NFL Champions.

Excerpted from The Roastmaster; Joe Pagliei. A Lifetime of Stories from Western Pennsylvania to Atlantic City

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Where We Eat Follow along as we taste and sip our way through Philly’s well-known establishments and hidden gems.

Founding Fathers Bar & Grill

G

ame time is “go time” at Founding Fathers, the place to go whether you’re craving beers, bros, or brawls. This relaxed sports bar offers a clean, modern atmosphere perfect for downing a few pints between halves. With 13 large flat screens, you can watch up to 8 different feeds simultaneously without anyone blocking your view! And while Founding Fathers is happy and able to play all kinds of sports action, Philly sports fans will be thrilled to know they have NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL packages that allow them to play your favorite Philly teams in addition to out-of-market games. Fly, Eagles, Fly! Go long, but don’t go hungry! Founding Fathers offers a wide range of bar food options including burgers, nachos, salads, taquitos, flatbreads, and more.

Don’t forget about their Happy Hour specials during the week from 4-6:30 pm which include $4 select drafts, $5 house wines, and $6 select cocktails. Pair these drink deals with $5 Jerk chicken taquitos, tomato & basil bruschetta, bacon-stuffed potato skins, or mac & cheese fritters for the ultimate score. With over 20 beers on tap, consistently great bar food, and a friendly neighborhood vibe, Founding Fathers is the perfect home field advantage!

What we recommend:

•“ Vet” Stadium Flatbread mushroom, truffle and herb goat cheese, and arugula. Pairs with an Allagash White: Witbier, 5% •C ooperstown Burger 8oz. short rib and brisket blend with maple-bourbon jam and Cooper sharp cheese. We added some sweet potato fries!

• J erk Chicken Taquitos This HH special is crunchy, spicy and perfect for a quick bite. Pairs with the locally brewed Victory Hop Devil Ale: American IPA, 6.7%

Founding Fathers Sports Bar & Grill 1612 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146 • (267) 516-0253

@ffbarphilly OUR MISSION: In Between Rivers was founded to unite Philly locals from river-to-river over a shared passion for food, booze and the restaurant community. Our philosophy is simple: Please your eyes, please your palate.

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Leather Head Sports Bringing back the good ol’ days

So maybe you’re looking for a truly unique gift for that big sports fan. Or maybe you’re just looking for sporting equipment with that old school style. At Leather Head Sports, located in Glen Rock, NJ, they specialize in heirloom quality sporting goods. What that means for you is that you can get footballs, baseballs, basketballs, or soccer, rugby and even medicine balls that have a distinctive, way-cool vintage appeal while still retaining modern day functionality.

Leather Head also has a line of modern but classic, state-of-the-art baseball gloves. Though the equipment is designed to be played with, you can also get the products customized and personalized for that special someone or for any occasion. Or maybe you’re just looking for tasteful, refined corporate gifts for clients or colleagues. You can check out their refined looking inventory at www.leatherheadsports.com.

Lemon Ball™ baseballs are classic baseballs inspired by the original lemon peel style base ball from the early 19th Century.

Leather football

Medicine ball

Winning!

Photo The Meadows Racetrack

Congratulations to Dave Palone, harness racing’s all-time winningest driver, who reached a new high water mark on July 12, 2017 at the Meadows Racetrack in Washington, PA, with his 18,000th career victory. This win adds to his more than $135 million in career purses. Palone, age 55, achieved this distinction in the 11th

race, winning with the horse Outburst.

Palone’s string of victories has continued methodically. Palone passed Herve Filion on July 5, 2012 to become North America’s all-time leading driver with 15,181 victories. On September 24, 2013, Palone passed Germany’s Heinz Wewering to become the winningest driver in the world, with career win 16,754.

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PhillyMan event at the National Liberty Museum featuring Beam Suntory and Maker’s 46 – Philadelphia, PA

Community Medical Center Hosts 11th Annual Food Drive Over 20,000 Pounds of Food Donated to Area Food Banks

The Beam Suntory team, Bradford Lawrence, far left and Michael Betman, far right, with NBA veteran Jason Thompson and Kenneth Jackson. Photo by Cipollini Productions, LLC

Michael Mimoso, MHSA, FACHE, President and CEO, helps weigh the food donated by Community Medical Center staff with the assistance of Thomas Yanisko, Administrative Director, Hospitality Services, and Patrick Ahearn, Chief Operation Officer. Donations during the hospital’s 2017 Health Care Harvest Food Drive totaled over 20,100 pounds of food donated to area food banks and pantries.

Academy Mortgage travels to build a community playground – Mount Pleasant, MI

Samaritan Healthcare Golf Outing Little Mill Country Club – Marlton, NJ

The Academy Mortgage Sales Team

Brooke Anderson (left) and Sharon Huth 20

From left; Ken Dunek, publisher JerseyMan Magazine, Ryan Regina, Big Sky Enterprises, Tim and Bill Brandt from Traino’s Wine and Spirits

Petro Cohen Law Firm and Kids’ Chance of NJ announce 2017 scholarship recipient – Northfield, NJ

Attorneys Frank Petro and Susan Petro present Scott Kwiatek with a $10,000 Scholarship Award at the 2016 Kids’ Chance of NJ Gala. The scholarship benefits young adults enduring financial burdens due to the loss or serious injury of a parent during a workplace accident. Kwiatek of South Amboy, NJ, currently pursuing a Bachelors of Arts degree in Business at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Photo by EpicShottz.com.

Tabula Rasa HealthCare Welcomes Teen Prodigy to Moorestown, NJ Headquarters to Discuss Answers to Adverse Drug Effects

President Orsula V. Knowlton PharmD, MBA, (right) welcomes Sofia Tomov (left). Tomov is a teen prodigy, software developer, medication safety advocate and Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Finalist, who has developed an algoritham to assist in the fight aginst adverse drug effects. Her presentation “Make the Pill Fit the Ill” was presented to the TRHC staff. Tomov discussed how her algorithm uses genomic testing to help physicians decide what drugs patients can use.

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contact: ken@jerseymanmagazine.com 21

Feel Good PHILLY

_______________________________________________________________________________

Local stories to live inspired…

Journey of Hope Origin: Long Beach, California Destination: Washington, D.C.

Q

UITE OFTEN, people raise awareness for causes that they truly believe in. Whether it is by selling personalized t-shirts and bracelets or participating in 5Ks and charity events, these types of gestures never go unnoticed.

Dunmore, PA native, Brendan McDonald, a recent software engineering graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology, is no exception.

Instead of spending his summer celebrating with family and friends, McDonald chose to cycle 3,600 miles across the country in an effort to spread recognition for those with disabilities.

The project is the “Journey of Hope,” and it is run by a nonprofit organization called “The Ability Experience,” affiliated with his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

His trip began in Long Beach, CA, on June 10th and ended in Washington, D.C. on August 13th, touching 13 states. The 37 members of the

22

team alongside of McDonald who actively rode in the 30th anniversary of the event, took over two months to finish, averaging 75 miles a day.

McDonald (front)

The crew also did something special at almost every stop, spending time with those who have different physical and/or develop-

mental disabilities through what are called “Friendship Visits.”

For those who don’t know, RIT is the second largest college for the deaf and hard of hearing, and McDonald is familiar with American Sign Language. On the trip, he met two deaf kids who were thrilled someone was able to communicate with them. Moments like those truly shaped his journey and the experience.

All rest stops were sponsored so the group had a place to eat, sleep and shower. McDonald recalls one memorable moment with a pastor in Barstow, CA as he prepared to get ready for 85 miles through Death Valley (Las Vegas), a ride that would test his stamina.

“He told me that being able to push through a ride like this will give me power to overcome many other struggles in life, such as relationships and work. It really made me understand that there is more to this trip than just bicycle riding.”

Collectively, the Journey of Hope has raised around $700,000. For more info, visit www.abilityexperience.org/journeyofhope.

Photos Reid Cooper

The cyclists of the “Journey of Hope” 2017

by Alexandra Dunek

A Promise to Keep

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by Jamie Dunek

HE OLDER I GET the more I realize the importance of helping others. I credit most of that to learning from my mother, who spends all of her time and energy thinking about others more than herself. My mother has always taught me to give more than I get and has shown me the reward in doing so. Because of this, I’ve always been drawn to people who inspire me by choosing to impact the world in a giving way. Cathy Davis’s impact is making promises.

An example would be when she promised herself that she would someday adopt children. After a couple of brewed iced teas and brief conversation at the Rooster Soup Co., (check this place out if you’ve never been), I learned that Cathy is a woman of her word. At 33, she decided to become a single foster parent which ultimately led her to her first adopted daughter, Jasmine. Currently having three children (Jordan, Abrielle and Jasmine) with two of them being adopted, Cathy and her husband joke that their family is complete, at least for now. But there’s always room for house guests at her home in West Mount Airy.

“I learned about Hosts for Hospitals (HFH) 16 years ago,” Cathy explained to me. “Many of the stories deeply moved me and I promised myself that when I had the room (in her house) I would become a volunteer host.” With the purchase of her present home, that’s just what Cathy did.

After being interviewed by Michael Aichenbaum, Executive Director, Cathy became a Host family and has been working with the organization for over 10 years. “Hosting families in need made every day a teaching moment in our home. Our children witnessed how people all over the world become unified when faced with challenging medical situations. They realize what a difference everyone can make showing kindness and hospitality to others we don’t even know.” Her home now provides patient-families in need with affordable lodging through the program and serves as a classroom for lessons in diversity and compassion to her children. It also provides the patient-families comfort, support and a break from the hectic cycle of hospital visits. Seems like a promise well worth keeping.

Guests pictured with Cathy Davis (back left) and her family.

Interested in becoming a Host family? Learn more at their website: www.hostsforhospitals.org.

Hosts for Hospitals 326 Conshohocken State Rd., Gladwyne, PA 19035 • Phone: 484-380-2999 Our goal is to provide patient families with a place to stay for as long as they may need. We accept guests associated with patients receiving treatment at any medical facility within the area of Greater Philadelphia, including as far south as Wilmington, Delaware and as far north as Princeton, NJ. n 23

MOB SCENE

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY GEORGE ANASTASIA

In the Interest of Justice

A

guy I know from South Philadelphia has been sending me text messages with references to cases the Feds have screwed up. They include links to stories that hammer away at the same theme: The FBI doesn’t play fair.

There was a piece from the Boston Herald about three mobsters being framed for murder by the Feds. And another from the New York Post about drug charges being thrown out after a judge found the evidence “misleading” and “insufficient.” And a feature from USA Today about a study that found that in 2011, the FBI had allowed confidential informants—“rats” in the eyes of my correspondent—to commit 5,658 crimes.

My friend said he wanted to make me aware of these developments “in the interest of justice.” He was, of course, being sarcastic, playing off a legal term that has to do with fairness and equity. It’s a term used by judges when they dismiss charges that may be based on improper investigative techniques, for example.

Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, use it as a fallback to cover some action they really don’t want to explain. A charge is dropped “in the interest of justice” when, in fact, the real reason is that someone in law enforcement messed up and the powers that be don’t want to talk about.

The text messages were interspersed with references to the case pending against Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, the Florida-based wiseguy who many believe is still the boss of the Philadelphia mob.

Merlino hasn’t said much about the case, but privately he and his friends believe the charges won’t hold up, that the indictment handed up last August was a rush to judgment built around a flawed investigation conducted by overly aggressive FBI agents and an unreliable confidential informant.

“They break the rules whenever they want,” said the text messager.

There is a certain irony in mobsters who have been convicted of racketeering and who 24

remain suspects in several murders complaining about those who don’t play by the rules.

They don’t have the moral high ground in a debate about doing what’s right.

That being said, in the case pending against Merlino

The charges against Skinny Joey have begun to unravel. And the Feds have only themselves to blame.

Merlino, they have a point.

The charges against Skinny Joey have begun to unravel. And the Feds have only themselves to blame. A hearing late last month (too late to be included in this column) may have shed more light on what appears to be a

botched investigation.

It appears the FBI played fast and loose with the rules. How fast and how loose is a matter of conjecture because most of the details are contained in sealed documents filed over the past three months in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Tapes were erased. Evidence was mishandled. There’s an ongoing internal FBI probe. Two agents and their supervisor face possible disciplinary action.

As a result, Merlino’s lawyer, top criminal defense attorney Edwin Jacobs Jr., has filed a motion seeking to have the charges against his client dismissed. But that, too, has been placed under seal. The document is 11 pages long.

Only the cover page and the signature page can be read by the public. The remaining nine pages are blacked out. Only the judge has seen them.

Another defense attorney in the case, who has joined in the motion to dismiss, has made reference to “misconduct by investigating agents and a cooperating witness” and a “failure to maintain proper integrity and chain of custody of evidence.”

Prosecutors aren’t saying much, but they have acknowledged there is a problem. More important, they have offered plea deals to all 46 defendants in the case, deals that indicate things have come undone.

Forty of the defendants have agreed to take those deals which include a dismissal of the most serious charge, conspiracy to commit racketeering, in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser charges of gambling and extortion. Without the racketeering charge, sentences will be substantially less than what had been anticipated when authorities announced the indictment last August.

ACK THEN, prosecutors flushed with the prospect of taking down several major mob figures, described the operations of an “East Coast LCN Enterprise” run by Merlino and New York Genovese crime family capos Pasquale Parrello and Eugene Onofrio.

By most accounts, the “East Coast LCN” is

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an organization that exists only in the fertile minds of an overly ambitious group of federal prosecutors and FBI agents. These were just a bunch of wiseguys who knew each other and occasionally did business together.

The indictment was trumpeted as “the culmination of a multi-year joint investigation” built around “thousands of hours of consensual recordings obtained by a cooperating witness and an FBI Special Agent working in an undercover capacity.” It was Donnie Brasco all over again, several sources told renowned mob reporter Jerry Capeci shortly after Merlino, Parrello, Onofrio and their co-defendants were arrested.

But if this was supposed to be a Donnie Brasco sequel, recent developments have turned it into a straight to video production.

HE INVESTIGATION BEGAN in New York about five years ago when a mob associate, John “JR” Rubeo, got jammed up in a drug case. Not wanting to spend the next decade in jail, Rubeo, 44, agreed to cooperate. The fast-talking gambler and wannabe wiseguy strapped on a body wire, began recording conversations with Parrello and other New York players and introduced the undercover FBI operative, posing as a former high

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school friend, into the game.

All of that was fairly standard. It’s a scenario that has played in the criminal underworld for the past 20 years, successfully contributing to the overall demise of the American Mafia.

“You can’t cross examine tapes,” defense attorneys will tell you as the voices of their clients bounce off courtroom walls while jurors listen intently to self-incriminating conversations.

But three years into the probe, Rubeo moved to Florida. And that’s when things started to sour. He befriended Merlino and, according to the indictment, began to work with him in a gambling operation and in a highly lucrative medical insurance fraud scam.

The Feds in New York, however, didn’t bother to inform authorities in Florida that they had a man on the streets there. Rubeo continued to report to his FBI handlers in New York and apparently had unfettered control over the tapes he was making, tapes that might incriminate Merlino and others in crimes but that now may very well be thrown out as evidence because the “chain of custody” has been tainted.

Rubeo arbitrarily erased some phone tapes, according to information that has surfaced.

What he did with body wire recordings is open to question. But what is obvious is that without a local FBI handler to whom the tapes would

have been surrendered on a daily basis, Rubeo had control of that evidence for much longer than what is considered proper.

The defense will argue that all of those tapes are inadmissible and should be thrown out.

The tapes made in New York by Rubeo and by the undercover FBI agent along with conversations recorded by an FBI listening defense planted in Parrello’s Arthur Avenue restaurant go a long way toward legitimizing the charges against many of the defendants.

Parrello, in fact, has agreed to take the government deal, pleading guilty to charges that will carry a prison sentence of about five years.

Most of the other defendants have taken deals that will result in less than three years in jail.

Some may get probation.

Merlino and Onofrio may be the only two defendants who go to trial. They have rejected plea offers. In Merlino’s case, reports are that he turned down an offer that would have carried a two-year prison sentence.

If it goes to trial, Merlino has a good shot at beating this case.

Or prosecutors could opt to drop the charges rather than put Rubeo on the stand and risk a full public disclosure of how the investigation was mishandled. That would be a face saving move… taken “in the interest of justice.” n

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GLEN MACNOW _________________________________________

The Legacy of Flyers Goalies

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n the beginning, there was Bernie. Only God saved more than Bernie Parent, of course, and few NHL goalies ever came close. Two Stanley Cups, countless awards and a Hall of Fame induction bear that out.

Soon after Bernie came Pelle Lindbergh.

What’s most remembered now is Lindbergh’s death in that 1985 New Jersey car crash. But for those of you too young to recall his play, the Swede had already emerged, by age 26, as one of the NHL’s elite net minders.

And then, a year later, Ron Hextall barged in—swinging his stick like a brush-clearing machete, handling the puck like a forward and leading the undermanned Flyers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Wayne Gretzky and Friends.

Face it, Flyers fans. We were spoiled back then. Add in vagabonds like Wayne Stephenson and Pete Peeters to fill the gaps, and you get this: Flyers goalies made the NHL All-Star Game in 13 of the franchise’s first 22 seasons.

And since then? Thud.

In the 28 ensuing seasons, one goalie made one All-Star Game (Trivia answer: Roman Cechmanek in 2001). A position once manned by superstars has become a roving parade of lunatics (Cechmanek, Ilya Bryzgalov), disappointments (John Vanbiesbrouck, Ray Emery), nice-guy

mediocrities (Brian Boucher, Martin Biron) and reclamations (Jeff Hackett, Steve Mason). Oh, and thanks again, Michael Leighton, for giving up that impossible-angle Cup-losing cheapie in 2010. I haven’t forgiven.

Sports curses are usually nonsense, but this downspin began the moment the Flyers traded Hextall (and much, much more) for Eric Lindros in 1992. Since then, an astounding 28 men (including Hextall a second time) have played between the pipes in orange and black. A lot of false hopes and failed prospects. Oh, and the one that got away—Sergei Bobrovsky, who just won his second Vezina Trophy as the league’s outstanding goalie in Columbus.

Ahh, but what used to be.

“I knew the legacy of goalies who preceded me when I came to the Flyers,” says Hextall, who is now the team’s general manager. “Bernie was my goalie coach, and he was a legend.

Pelle was on a path of greatness when he died.

A position once manned by superstars has become a roving parade of lunatics, disappointments, nice-guy mediocrities and reclamations.

Everyone knew how terrific they were.”

Did Hextall feel pressure to continue that legacy when he joined the Flyers at age 22?

“I didn’t feel like I had a torch to carry, because I was just trying to make the team,” he says. “I knew that (Coach Mike) Keenan liked me, but I worried that a bad night or two and I might get sent down to the minors.”

Those bad nights were few and far between.

Hextall played 66 games as a rookie, leading NHL goalies in wins and save percentage. He was a first-team all-star, won the Vezina Trophy and became only the fourth player in history to win the playoff MVP award on a team that lost the finals. After Edmonton beat the Flyers, the Great Gretzky said, “Hextall is probably the best goaltender I’ve ever seen in the National Hockey League, the toughest I’ve ever played against.”

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Hextall

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hile Parent was fundamentally perfect, and Lindbergh had the reflexes of a squirrel dodging traffic, Hextall was another story entirely. He was goalie as enforcer. Goalie as third defenseman. Goalie as penalty killer. No opponent would dare crowd Hextall in the crease, lest he receive a twohander to the back of the knees like poor Kent Nilsson.

Three goalies, three different styles. What Parent, Lindbergh and Hextall shared was consistency and excellence. The franchise has been searching for someone to measure up to that standard for nearly three decades.

This season, the job falls to Brian Elliott, signed as a free agent, and Michal Neuvirth, a career backup who sometimes looks solid and more often looks injured. Six-foot-six Anthony Stolarz is in the mix, but I don’t sense the Flyers see the 23-year-old behemoth as their future.

Maybe the answer lies in a younger prospect—either 20-year-old Swede Felix Sandstrom or 19-year-old Carter Hart, whom the Flyers made the first goalie picked in the 2016 draft. Hextall is especially effusive (or, at least as effusive as Hextall gets) about Hart, who put up a stunning 1.99 goals-against average in junior hockey last season.

“I like him a lot,” says the GM. “When you evaluate a young goalie, the first thing you look for is athletic ability and hockey sense. I like what (Hart) shows in both areas.

“Can he read the play? Can he rise to the pressure in the last five minutes? Does he play best in big games? That’s what we’ll continue to learn.”

Hextall is patient—probably more so than his team’s frustrated fan base. Hart will almost certainly play another season with the Everett Silvertips of the WHA, learning to enhance his innate skill with improved technique.

But maybe, a year or two down the road, Hart will be staring down Sidney Crosby on a breakaway. And maybe, just maybe, Hextall will have discovered the Flyers’ first star goalie since, well, Ron Hextall. n 27

MAN YOUR HEALTH

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VIRTUA ROBOTIC SURGEON – VIRTUA SURGICAL GROUP

Robotic Hernia Repair Offers Faster Recovery and Less Pain

H

ERNIA SURGERY used to be painful and often resulted in a slow, difficult recovery. But, not anymore.

Thanks to innovations in robotic technology, surgeons are able to perform hernia repair surgery through tiny incisions rather than the large incisions associated with traditional open surgery. The result is less damage to surrounding tissues, less pain for the patient and a much quicker recovery—often within days.

Robotic surgery techniques have been used for years to provide advanced treatment for cancer as well as urologic and gynecologic conditions.

Now, general surgeons apply the same technology to other types of procedures, including hernia repair.

• Robotic surgery is used to treat all types of hernias, including: • Inguinal and femoral (inner and outer groin) • Umbilical (belly button) • Incisional (previous surgery sites) • Hiatal (reflux/GERD/upper stomach)

WHAT EXACTLY IS A HERNIA? Hernias are caused when an organ squeezes through a tear or weak spot in the tissue that surrounds it. Common locations for hernias include the groin, belly button and previous surgery scars. Hernia repair surgery involves returning the organ to its proper place and fixing the tears in the surrounding tissue.

WHY IS ROBOTIC HERNIA SURGERY A BETTER OPTION? Robotic surgery provides a number of advantages over traditional open surgery and standard laparoscopic procedures. While open surgery offers a full view of the abdomen and the ability to work freely inside the affected area, it requires a large incision through muscle and tissue. This type of incision can be more painful and take longer to heal.

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YEARS AGO, MANY PEOPLE WOULD PUT OFF HERNIA REPAIR BECAUSE THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT PAIN AND LENGTHY RECOVERY TIMES. SUCH DELAYS CAN LEAD TO DANGEROUS COMPLICATIONS AND EMERGENCY SURGERIES. Laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery uses small incisions, but the instruments and surgeon’s visibility are limited.

The robotic surgery system, which is controlled by the surgeon at all times, uses tiny instruments and 3-D cameras to precisely repair the affected area.

The advantages of robotic surgery include: • A small incision. An incision that is the about the size of a pencil eraser reduces scarring, recovery time, blood loss and risk of infection.

• Better visibility. Using a high definition, 3-D camera provides the surgeon with better visibility than laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery.

• Increased precision. The wristed robotic arms have a greater range of motion than a human hand. This allows the surgeon to maneuver instruments in ways that deliver the best surgical results.

HOW PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM ROBOTIC HERNIA SURGERY Because of robotic technology, many patients experience significantly less pain after surgery and return to normal activity much more quickly. In fact, 90% of our surgical hernia repair patients go home the same day.

Robotic hernia surgery can benefit almost anyone. This includes first-time hernia repair patients and people who need hernia revision surgery. It’s appropriate for the most common to the most complex hernia procedures.

Many of our hernia revision patients are especially pleased when they experience the benefits of robotic surgery. Often, they’ve had a long recovery and other problems after traditional open surgeries or laparoscopic procedures. After robotic repair, they can’t believe how good they feel and how quickly they’re able to resume their normal activities.

DON’T POSTPONE YOUR HERNIA SURGERY Years ago, many people would put off hernia repair because they were worried about pain and lengthy recovery times. Such delays can lead to dangerous complications and emergency surgeries. With such advanced technology, there’s no reason to put off hernia surgery.

If you need a hernia repair, talk to your doctor.

Or, call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 to make an appointment with a Virtua robotic surgeon. n

Y

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chairman’s club Contact ken@jerseymanmagazine.com or call (856) 912-4007 for more information

www.jerseymanmagazine.com 29

GET FIT

For more guidance follow Alexandra, NASM Certified

Personal Trainer on Instagram at @TipsfromAFitChick ______________________________________________________________________________________________

BY ALEXANDRA DUNEK

Catching Waves

Get Out!

A

S I LAY ON MY SURFBOARD waiting to catch my first wave, I panicked for a moment, “I’ve never done this before” I thought.

“What if I fall?” I said out loud.

“If you’re falling, you’re having fun” Dean Randazzo answered.

My worries were cut short as he then yelled, “Okay, start paddling!” I realized it was now or never.

I popped up on the board for a brief moment before I tumbled off, but Dean was right.

I was having fun.

I had the opportunity to be taught by professional surfer, Dean “The Jersey Devil” Randazzo from Somer’s Point, NJ. His love for the sport came at 8-years-old when a friend let him borrow his surfboard. He recalls, “and that was it.” Becoming a pro surfer quickly became his dream, and after high school he moved to California to be in the heart of the surf industry.

He told me, “Becoming a pro surfer from New Jersey is like a pro snowboarder coming from Miami.”

Despite the odds, the New Jersey native holds quite a record. He competed in the US Tour and East Coast Tour before becoming the only surfer in the Northeast to qualify for the World Tour Elite by finishing in the top 44 at the World Qualifying Tour. He won the gold three times in the X Games and earned himself an MVP. Today, he’s back on the east coast, still leaving his mark, one wave at a time.

But his surfing notoriety isn’t what stood out to me.

Randazzo is a four time Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor and creator of the Dean Randazzo Cancer Foundation. Since forming it in 2001, the foundation has raised almost $1 million with 93 percent going to those affected.

He and his team host annual events, such as “Paddle for a Cause” and “Surf for a Cause”.

Funds are raised to help support families with financial needs when dealing with cancer and some donations help support hospitals with cancer research. For more info, check out www.thedrcf.com.

He is also part owner of the “Jersey Devil Surf Shop” (branded from his nickname), whose original venue on the Atlantic City Boardwalk has now expanded to two additional locations. Along with the store, he launched, “Dean Randazzo Surf” in 2015, a school located in North Wildwood, NJ dedicated to teaching others how to begin the basics.

Photos Jamie Dunek

The author with pro surfer Dean Randazzo

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Life is like a wave. You can’t stop it from coming, but you can learn to ride it.

In 2014, he was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame.

He’s no stranger to taking risks, whether in competition or business. “I once jumped off the highest (at the time) bungee jump in the world on Bloukrans Bridge in Western Cape, South Africa.”

Dean Randazzo shows me that life is like a wave. You can’t stop it from coming, but you can learn to ride it. Just take it from him.

I know I will.

If you are interested in surfing lessons, check out www.randazzosurf.com or head over to the surf shop www.jerseydevilsurf. com for apparel. n

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THE ENTHUSIAST ______________________________________________________________________________________________

BY ANDREW RYAN

Mixed Signs of the Times

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VERY FEW YEARS an album is released that will just drive you crazy.

A white whale you’ll obsess and lose sleep over trying to figure it out.

Well, this year’s white whale has been Harry Styles’ Sign of the Times. You probably don’t know who Harry Styles is (although his poster is probably hanging in your teenage daughter’s bedroom), and there’s certainly no shame in that, but for lack of a more unique description, he’s this generation’s Justin Timberlake. The breakout member of Simon Cowell’s latest pop

machine, the English-Irish boy band One Direction, Styles shot to popularity thanks to boyish good looks and long hair that would make an ‘80’s Richie Sambora very proud. One Direction has since broken up, prompting Styles to attempt the difficult transition from boy band eye candy to bona fide rock star (he’s already wearing velvet bell-bottoms, which, all things considered, is a pretty good start). As the entire industry waited with bated breath, many speculated this would be classic-rock’s greatest test of the last decade. Can a boy band superstar make a not only great, but mainstream classicrock album? And if not, can anyone?

His first solo album, Sign of the Times, has

confused and confounded me to no end. Terribly clichéd at times and nearly brilliant in others, I’m almost unable to generate a cohesive understanding. This album took me to highs and lows I’ve never experienced before, all set against the backdrop of what will either become the great rock ‘n’ roll underdog story of this generation or the classic-rock genre’s final appropriation into nothing more than gimmick and ironic fashion.

Somehow it’s a little bit of both. So instead of trying to bridge the cognitive dissonance that resulted from a long, unbroken listening session that took place one fateful Saturday night, I’ve decided to let you experience it for yourself. Below are my reactions to Sign of the Times, live and unedited, cover to cover.

Illustration by Dan Dinsmore

The Cover You know what, I’m rooting for this kid. I really am. If rock is dying then this is the kind of guy who’ll be able to re-bridge the gap between classic-rock and the mainstream. He’s a talented musician who currently has the entire pop industry wrapped around his little finger.

Putting credit where credit is due, the guy’s got Morrison-level good looks, Bowie-level fashion sense, is already carrying legitimate pop-star credentials and has just the right amount of British accent to make me think he’s probably quite intelligent. He’s on a roll. For God’s sake, this is the guy who made boy bands relevant again in 2013! That’s the equivalent of being popular enough to ask your co-workers to “hit you up on Myspace” tomorrow, completely non-ironically, and everyone being totally cool with it.

Track 1: “Meet Me in the Hallway” Wow, this is a truly terrible name for a song.

But all the instruments sound right. There’s some McCartney-ish bass noodling—that’s an auspicious start to any record as far as my Rush-honed sensibilities are concerned—some early 70’s acoustic guitar and delayed-out piano. Vocals sound right on—perfectly recorded to emulate that iconic, imperfect 70’s recording equipment. But something’s not quite right.

This doesn’t really feel like something written by The Rolling Stones. It feels like someone broke into the Rolling Stones equipment bus and started writing One Direction songs.

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Should someone ask Keith Richards if all of his telecasters are accounted for?

Track 2: “Sign of the Times” David Bowie meets…the Backstreet Boys?

As sonically pleasing as the actual band is (I honestly can’t stress enough just how great and effortlessly retro the instruments sound), Styles’ falsetto vocals read as more Bruno Mars than “Spiders from Mars”.

Track 3: “Carolina” Dude, this is literally every Beck song.

Track 4: “Two Ghosts” Ok, maybe I was a bit hard on the poor kid. He sounds sad. But in all seriousness, this guy can sing. I can get behind a well-written catchy pop ballad any day of the week, but I’m not sure he’s quite earned the title of “rock star” yet. It’s not really a bad song, but there’s just no feeling in this one either. It’s almost as if this song was

but dammit this song is the best kind of cliché.

This is lowest common denominator cliché.

And not just regular lowest common denominator. I’m talking drummer-riding-the-floortom, big, repetitious, shouting refrain lowest common denominator. Real KISS lowest common denominator. I hate myself but I love this song.

Track 8: “Ever Since New York” F*** this, I’m playing that “Kiwi” track again.

Track 9: “ Woman” The kid finally found a sound of his own!

Think Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America” performed by the Black Keys and produced by Kanye West. Maybe it’s not traditional classicrock, but it’s certainly got my attention.

Track 10: “From the Dining Table” This is by far his most biographical song. Just one acoustic guitar, sprinklings of a string

Styles is attempting the difficult transition from boy band eye candy to bona fide rock star (he’s already wearing velvet bell-bottoms, which, all things considered, is a pretty good start). recorded by aliens who’ve spent the last fifty years observing rock ’n’ roll through some kind of powerful telescope. I mean, “The fridge light washes this room white”? Really?

Track 5: “Sweet Creature” Ok, now he might be on to something. This one’s got a nice little “Blackbird” acoustic vibe going on here. Now I’m finally starting to pay attention. See, just keep things simple! Styles truly shines brightest on these stripped down, more broken tracks. Well worth a listen.

Track 6: “Only Angel”

By George, he’s got it! Now THIS feels like something The Rolling Stones would write.

Not lame early-eighties “Tattoo You” Rolling Stones, but peak “Some Girls” Rolling Stones, which is unquestionably the most underrated album in classic-rock history (and I don’t want a single email trying to convince me otherwise—Van Halen’s 5150 is NOT underrated, it’s crap). How could this track get any better?

Wait, it can’t be…COWBELL!?

Track 7: “Kiwi” Cigarettes and hard liquor BOTH mentioned in the first line? I’d accuse him of cliché,

quartet, and brutal honesty I can actually believe. I may not be able to relate to the multimillionaire’s problems (“woke up the girl who looked just like you / I almost said your name” sounds like a pretty tolerable problem to have in the grand scheme of things), but I really can feel his emotion on this track. This isn’t some manufactured hit, this is from the heart, and maybe the first and only peek behind the big budget and even bigger expectations into Styles’ actual talent as a songwriter.

If you’re looking for an easy, simple conclusion to this album you’re not going to get one. Almost begging more questions than it answers, Sign of the Times is actually a fascinating peek into the uncertain future of classicrock. With great tracks like “Kiwi” and “Only Angel” reminding us to have a good time all the time and terrible tracks like “Sign of the Times” reminding us just how hard that can be, Styles’ debut album is almost impossible to pin down. But of course, the most important question of all still looms: is it a real classicrock album? And unfortunately, the answer is this: I don’t really know. If it mostly quacks like a duck and sometimes walks like a duck, is it really a duck? n 33

PROFILE

The “Jersey Girls” of CNN, from left; Elise Labott, Michelle Kosinski and Dana Bash

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“JERSEY GIRLS” MAKING A BIG IMPACT AT

BY SAM CARCHIDI

Photo courtesy CNN

THEY ARE TOUGH, SEASONED REPORTERS who say their Garden State upbringings prepared them for the competitive world of journalism, prepared them to ask difficult questions, prepared them to take a strong stance against the media-unfriendly atmosphere created

by President Donald Trump.

Meet Dana Bash, Michelle Kosinski, and Elise Labott, CNN’s version of the Jersey Girls.

Bash grew up in Montvale in Bergen County, Kosinski is from Cinnaminson and is a Holy Cross High graduate, and Labott hails from Marlboro in Monmouth County.

“I like to say I’m from Springsteen country because it’s right next to Freehold, where Springsteen grew up,” Labott said.

All three proudly display mugs on their CNN desks that proclaim: KEEP CALM and let the JERSEY GIRL handle it.

The mugs were purchased by Bash, and they are a way to boast about their roots.

Labott said she and Bash “are always exchanging Jersey stories. Dana’s a really good friend of mine at the bureau, and we’ve really bonded over our Jersey upbringings.”

Bash said that when Kosinski first became a part of CNN’s bureau in Washington, D.C., “I immediately took to her—and I guarantee it was because she’s got the ‘Jerz’ going on.”

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“The truth is, you will climb in the ranks in whatever you choose to do if you love what you do.”

– Dana Bash

T

hese three women all have a long list of accomplishments and awards, including several Emmys.

Kosinski is CNN’s senior diplomatic correspondent who covers the State Department.

Bash is CNN’s chief political correspondent and is the network’s lead reporter covering the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and Labott is CNN’s global affairs correspondent, covering U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.

Bash, who attended Pascack Hills High, said she didn’t think about becoming a journalist until her years at George Washington University.

“I put my head down and started to focus more when I went to college and started to think what I wanted to do,” she said. “My dad was in TV news as a producer for ABC News, so I was always around it. But frankly, when I was younger, I was turned off by it because as a kid, my perspective was that you don’t make your own schedule and when news breaks you have to go home from vacation. That was the way I looked at it as a little kid.”

Bash paused.

“But as I got older, I was definitely drawn more to it,” she added.

Bash said she still gets a “rush” when covering a major story.

“It’s the adrenaline, right?” she said. “When there’s a big story and you’re trying to get information on it or trying to get it first, I think that’s the rush that keeps us all going. There are a lot of days where you’re working on a daily story that’s not going to get your adrenaline pumping, but (major stories) happen a lot, particularly working at CNN and in cable news and obviously these days in this environment.”

Kosinski says it’s exhilarating to cover a major event, “but sometimes it’s really controlled.

For big political events, it’s so orchestrated and so controlled that sometimes you almost roll

your eyes and think, ‘OK, this is theater.’ It’s still important and it’s still a big deal, but it’s a lot of theater and a lot of spin.”

But when you get to do some one-on-one reporting and “ask questions on behalf of the American people, Kosinski said, “that’s when it touches you and you get that tingle and feeling, ‘Wow, I’m really doing something that is significant or that I feel really good about.’”

Labott got her first journalism job at a weekly shopper magazine in North Jersey, reporting on several Bergen County towns. “That’s where I learned community journalism, covering school boards, local elections and council meetings,” she said. “That’s really where it all started. A town like Englewood was really a microcosm at the time for what was going on in a lot of other areas of the country.”

After going to grad school and doing some TV work, Labott took a job at CNN as a producer in 2000 before “working my way up” to a correspondent. “I like being in front of the camera because I like talking a lot,” she said.

“I actually was voted the most talkative in high school. I really like explaining things and being able to learn and explain it to people.”

A

ll three women are puzzled and disappointed that since Trump entered the White House, there has been much less media access than in other presidencies.

“There’s a big danger in that,” Bash said.

“We as the press, we are not the enemies. The way the Founding Fathers envisioned a democratic government is very integral to challenge elected officials—the President, Congress, local and all around. When access is limited and when we’re not told things in an accurate way, it’s bad for us (in the media) but it’s worse for the public. It’s terrible. It’s a big problem, and that’s why you see across the board, networks

Photo courtesy CNN

The “Jerz,” the three women said, is a relentless work ethic to pursue a story no matter how many obstacles are in the way.

“Not only were my formative years in New Jersey, but I still consider myself really a Jersey girl,” Labott said. “I mean, when you think of Jersey, you think, ‘Tell it like it is, no bullbleep, keep it simple. Proud, humble.’ And I’ve really always tried to approach my work that way.

I’ve lived in Washington for 17 years, but I really don’t consider myself a political insider in Washington. I still just consider myself a Jersey girl. When you say you’re from Jerz, you kind of consider yourself a little punky, a little gritty.

I think a lot of time, officials don’t like it that much, but I’ve always kind of kept that Jerz attitude, I think.”

Growing up in a suburban South Jersey town in Burlington County, Kosinski said, was an idyllic environment.

“I spent a lot of time outside exploring, and luckily we felt safe enough to do that,” she said. “We were always walking around our neighborhood, riding our bikes to our friends’ houses, and one of our hobbies was just exploring. The parents either didn’t know or didn’t mind, but I don’t think they knew how far we would wander. Back then you felt like you could do that. I think I always had the freedom to have that sense of exploration; it gave me a sense of freedom and bravery.

“I wish I could give my kids more of that kind of freedom of childhood and space that we have in New Jersey,” she added, referring to her seven-year-old twins, Nikita and Sofia.

New Jerseyans have a competitive drive, Kosinski said, and that has aided her career.

“You have to be kind of street-wise,” she said. “Being so close to Philadelphia, it’s a tellit-like-it-is kind of place, and also the level of education is high, and like I said, the competition really drove me to want to rise to the top in my school environment.”

The “fast-talking, street-wise” characteristics of her region, Kosinski said, “make you think fast on your feet to survive and that absolutely helped me.”

Kosinski used to be NBC News’ foreign correspondent based in London, but now that she works for CNN in Washington, D.C., she returns to her Cinnaminson roots every few weeks.

“It’s great being so close to my family. It’s only a three-hour drive up the old turnpike,” said Kosinski, who joined CNN in 2014. “I love going back. The thing that always grabs me is the smell of summertime in the New Jersey suburbs. It’s so green and full of trees and flowers—and the smell of it just kind of fills [me] with memories of childhood.”

Photo courtesy CNN

like CNN and newspapers and other outlets fighting for more access” from Trump.

Bash added that “the irony is that he was incredibly accessible during the campaign. It’s odd because he changed for lots of reasons. He claims we turned on him, but he just became a more prominent figure and the tough questions we were already asking became more important as he became one step closer to being president of the United States.”

And now that he is president, “he can’t live in a bubble of (his) Twitter followers and people who just agree with you.”

The Jersey Girls were asked their reaction when Trump sarcastically referred to CNN as the Clinton News Network during his campaign against Hillary Clinton.

“The thing that’s most disturbing is when he called us fake news, because we’re not,” Bash said. “And one of the reasons it’s so disturbing is because there actually is fake news out there. Really dangerous fake news that people should not take seriously on the Internet. He tried to blur the lines and make legitimate news organizations—organizations he knows are legitimate—into ‘fake news.’ It isn’t just irresponsible, but it’s dangerous.”

“I’ve covered Republican and Democratic

“When you think of Jersey, you think, ‘Tell it like it is, no bullbleep, keep it simple.”

– Elise Labott

administrations and we’ve always approached it the same way, which is really to keep being an equal-opportunity offender in the sense of holding people accountable,” said Labott, who has reported from more than 80 countries and has interviewed and traveled the world with five Secretaries of State. “I won’t say they like it or enjoy it, but they’ve always understood that it’s the fabric of a healthy democracy. So I hope it gets better. All we can do is keep doing our jobs. All we can do is what we have control of, and that’s to keep asking questions and to keep

showing up. Even if they’re not going to say anything at the press conference or photo ops,” you stay on them.

“And that’s really the Jersey attitude. Keep going at them and keep getting in their faces, and keep trying to demand answers.”

Kosinski said it was “ridiculous” how Trump has put limitations on the media. “Less access is always dangerous in a democracy,” she said.

“If you openly state that the press is an enemy of the American people, where have we ever heard that before in a democracy, let alone in

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“[New Jerseyans] have to be kind of street-wise.

It makes you think fast on your feet to survive and that absolutely helped me.”

– Michelle Kosinski

B

ash, who was once married to CNN’s chief national correspondent, John King, has become one of the network’s most visible reporters. She credits others for giving her direction.

“I’ve had a lot of mentors and I’m really lucky,” Bash said. “Candy Crowley, who used to be at CNN for a long time, was the best writer in television news, and was a pioneering woman in television news. The same goes for Judy Woodruff, who is now the anchor at PBS NewsHour. When I first started at CNN, she was an anchor at CNN. They’ve both been huge role models for me.”

Labott knows exactly when she decided to pursue journalism.

“I was always interested in cultures in the world, and social studies was one my favorite

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subject,” she said, recalling her time at Marlboro High. “And in my senior year, I took an honors class called Global Studies. I really wanted to get into this class, and the teacher, his named was William Gorman, had an amazing class. It was all about international relations, and we were reading foreign affairs long before it was fashionable. This was the late ‘80s and he was talking about all these international stories that he heard about on CNN. I mean, I hadn’t heard about half these places. I was like, ‘I want to work for this

CNN one day.’”

That class, Labott said, steered her on her career journey.

She said Gorman, her high school teacher, is now a professor at Monmouth University “and we’ve kind of reconnected on Facebook and I always tell him he really is responsible for putting me on this path.”

Kosinski, the Cinnaminson native, remembered a fifth-grade project at St. Charles Borromeo School in which students had to write about what they wanted to be when they grew up. “I couldn’t decide, and our teacher, Sister Chris, said, ‘I think you’re going to be a journalist.’ (I guess) she had a communication with God,” Kosinski said with a grin. “She knew something.”

Labott said her job is less glamorous than many think.

“There’s a lot of shoe-leather reporting, doing your homework and being prepared. It’s hard work and it’s also very rewarding work,” she said. “Again, the values I learned in Jersey (were critical). It’s showing up, doing the work and just not taking ‘No’ for an answer. That kind of dogged-reporting mentality is really what has been instilled in me my whole life.”

Labott, who covered the United Nations for ABC News before joining CNN, has interviewed several heads of state and international newsmakers.

“It’s about staying humble and realizing you’re really fulfilling an important service for the country,” she said. “It’s not about fame and it’s not about glory. It’s about public service.”

For aspiring journalists, “the most important thing is to do what you love,” Bash said. “You can be ambitious and that’s a good thing, but the truth is, you will climb in the ranks in whatever you choose to do if you love what you do.

If you love it, you’re more than likely going to excel at it.”

Especially if you developed your tenacity by growing up in New Jersey. n

Photo courtesy CNN

America? If you’re just going to be blocking it off and saying those kinds of things, that just makes you look scared of it. You would think they would be wanting to do the exact opposite and fully explaining (their positions), and I think over time, this administration probably will realize that.”

2017 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PREVIEW

HOW HIGH CAN THE BIRDS FLY?

BY MARK ECKEL

Quarterback Carson Wentz lets it fly while tackle Jason Peters provides protection.

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Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

W While Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie preached patience to a fan base, patiently waiting 57 years for a NFL title, his team took on a win-now approach.

The Eagles surrounded secondyear quarterback Carson Wentz, who they traded five draft picks and three players to move up and select with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 Draft, with two veteran wide receivers and a veteran running back in free agency and also kept his offensive line intact.

Will it be enough to get the Eagles back to the playoffs, an event they have sat out five of the past six years? Taking it a step further, can it lead to a playoff win, something the Eagles have never experienced in Howie Roseman’s seven years as general manager?

Here’s a position by position look at what to expect from the Eagles during the 2017 season.

QUARTERBACK The Eagles need Wentz to play the way he did the first month of the 2016 season as opposed to the second half of the season.

Wentz had three games last season with a quarterback rating of 100, or better, and they came in weeks one, three and four. After that he only had two games over 90 in a win and a loss over the Cowboys. From week five, a loss to the Redskins, to week 16, a win over the Giants, Wentz’ QB rating was less than 80, eight times.

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RUNNING BACK It will be interesting to see how the carries are divided between free agent addition LeGarrett Blount, second-year man Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles and rookie Donnell Pumphrey.

Blount, 30, carried 299 times for 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Patriots last season.

But in three playoff games, including the Super Bowl, he carried 35 times for just 109 yards and one touchdown. His final three games of the regular season weren’t that great either (51-1324). You have to wonder how much he has left?

Smallwood, a fifth-round draft pick in 2016, wasn’t bad when given a chance as a rookie.

The two games he was given an ample opportunity he delivered. In an upset win over the Steelers, he carried 17 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. And in another upset win over the NFC Champion Falcons, he carried 13 times for 70 yards. A knee injury cost him the final three games of the season where he may have gotten more work.

Sproles, who turned 34 in June, is going to realize how old he is one day. The Eagles hope it doesn’t come before 2017 ends. Last year, at age 33, was his most productive as an Eagle, with 438 yards rushing, 427 yards receiving and 46 percent playing time. That was his best season since 2011 and 2012 in New Orleans when he combined for 2,224 total yards. He’s still one of the league’s best punt returners, as his 13.2-yard average testifies.

Pumphrey, one of the team’s two fourthround draft picks, is kind of a Sproles’ clone, so he’s learning from the perfect mentor.

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

He finished his rookie season with 16 touchdown passes to go with 14 interceptions. On the surface that isn’t terrible. But he began the season with seven touchdown passes before his first interception.

With another year in the system, Wentz needs to take the next step in becoming the franchise quarterback the Eagles envision.

Nick Foles is back as the No. 2, and while he’s proven that 2013 when he threw 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions was an aberration, he’s more than an adequate backup.

Tight ends Zach Ertz (86) and Brett Celek (87).

TIGHT ENDS Zach Ertz’ first four years in the league are eerily similar to the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten.

Through four seasons, Ertz has played 61 games, caught 247 passes for 2,840 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

In his first four seasons, Witten played 63 games, caught 242 passes for 2,838 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

Witten’s fifth year is when his possible Hall of Fame career took off with 96 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. The Eagles are hoping the same pattern follows for Ertz.

Brent Celek is back for his 11th year with the Eagles. If the veteran ends his career as an Eagle, he will be the first player to play at least 10 seasons, all with the Eagles, since Jerry Sisemore who retired in 1984.

Trey Burton is the No. 3 tight end and has shown he can be a vital piece to the offense in multiple tight-end sets.

WIDE RECEIVERS There was a concerted effort to get better here and the Eagles hope they did. They signed two veteran free agents in Alshon Jeffery, from the Bears, and Torrey Smith, from the 49ers.

They also spent two draft picks on North Carolina’s Mack Hollins and West Virginia’s Shelton Gibson. Add that to returnees Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor and that should be the team’s six-pack of receivers.

Jeffery, who signed a one-year, incentive laden deal that could go from $9.5 million to $14 million, is the key. Injuries and a suspension for PED use hampered Jeffery the past two seasons as he averaged 53 catches for 814 yards and

Here’s a guess at how the 2017 NFL season plays out.

NFC East: Dallas None of the other three teams – Giants, Eagles, Redskins – did enough to catch the Cowboys. And that young offense, with quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and the game’s best offensive line, is just going to get better.

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NFC North: Green Bay Making the playoffs in Green Bay is as much of a lock as the weather getting cold. The Packers, behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers, have made the postseason eight straight years. This will be nine.

NFC South: Carolina While the Falcons suffer the Super Bowl loser jinx (yes, it’s real, just ask the Panthers), Carolina bounces back behind quarterback Cam Newton and a newly-explosive offense.

NFC West: Seattle The Seahawks aren’t as good as they were, but they’re still the best team in what has become the conference’s weakest division.

Wild Cards: Tampa Bay, New York The Bucs came close last season and added key pieces to their offense in DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard. The Giants didn’t get any better, but they didn’t get any worse, so they’ll be a wild-card again.

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox hopes to improve on his sack total from last year.

three touchdowns. The Eagles would like to see him return to his 2014 season of 85-1,133-10.

Smith, who was signed for his speed and ability to stretch a defense, also needs to forget about last year’s 20-catch, 267-yard disaster and go back to his Baltimore Ravens days when he went for 65 and 1,128 in 2013 and scored 11 touchdowns in 2014.

Matthews, who goes into his contract year, has been more productive than any Eagles receiver in history through their first three seasons. His 225 receptions, 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns top all other Eagles in their first three years.

Agholor, a disappointment since being the team’s first-round pick in 2015, had a very good spring in the OTAs and minicamp and with less pressure because of the addition of Jeffery and Smith, might finally realize his potential.

OFFENSIVE LINE If all goes well, the starting five of left tackle Jason Peters, left guard Isaac Seumalo, center Jason Kelce, right guard Brandon Brooks, and right tackle Lane Johnson could be very good.

By going right, it means Peters makes it through 16 games and doesn’t see his play slip any more than it has. That Suemalo, in his second year, can handle starting; that Kelce reverts back to his Pro Bowl form; Brooks get over his anxiety issues and that Johnson continues to test clean for PED use.

There is depth in the form of veteran Alan Barbre, who can fill in at either guard spot, tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and center Stefan Wisniewski.

For the Eagles to be a playoff contender, however, that starting five needs to stay intact and not have anything go wrong.

DEFENSIVE LINE Coordinator Jim Schwartz’s 4-3 scheme relies heavily on a pass rush from its front four.

In their first year in that system, the Eagles defense recorded 34 sacks, which tied for 16th best in the league. The defensive linemen combined for 27 of those 34 sacks.

Despite greater needs, the Eagles selected a pass rusher in the University of Tennessee’s Derek Barnett, with the 14th overall pick of the NFL Draft. Barnett broke Reggie White’s sack record in college with 33.

The rookie should rotate with veteran returnees Brandon Graham, who had 5.5 sacks last season and Vinny Curry, who battled a knee injury throughout 2016 and had just 2.5 sacks. The team also added veteran free agent Chris Long, from New England, to basically replace Connor Barwin, who was released and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Inside, Fletcher Cox begins the second season of a contract that guaranteed him $64 million and is the player offenses fear the most when they play the Eagles. Cox will have a new player next to him, as the Eagles traded for Timmy Jernigan, from the Ravens, to replace Bennie Logan, who signed with the Chiefs as a free agent.

LINEBACKERS If the trait of a good linebacker is his ability to make big plays (sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, fumbles recovered), the Eagles have one in Jordan Hicks.

The third-year linebacker from Texas had seven “big plays’’ last year and 19 in his career.

Hicks, who would probably be even more effective on the outside, is the leader of the defense from his spot in the middle.

Nigel Bradham, who could face a league suspension from one to six games for off-the-field issues, played a strong first half of the 2016 season and tailed off in the second. He returns on the strong side, but needs to be more consistent.

Mychal Kendricks, who played less than 30 percent of the defensive snaps last season and had three games where he was on the field less than 10 snaps, is still the starting weak side ‘backer. Rookie Nate Geary, a converted

Here’s a guess at how the 2017 NFL season plays out.

AFC East: New England Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Enough said.

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AFC North: Pittsburgh The Steelers have distanced themselves from a division that isn’t nearly as good as it was just a couple years ago. They will cruise into the playoffs, but won’t get very far.

AFC South: Tennessee Quarterback Marcus Mariota and the rest of the Titans are a team on the rise. They get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

AFC West: Oakland The Raiders, before they leave for Las Vegas, give the city of Oakland a going away present with their first division title since 2002 and a whole lot more.

Wild Cards: Houston, Kansas City If Houston could win the division with what it had at quarterback last year; it can make the playoffs this year.

Andy Reid knows how to make the playoffs and he will again.

And then lose.

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

Here’s a guess at how the 2017 NFL season plays out.

NFC Championship Game: Dallas over Green Bay AFC Championship Game: Oakland over New England Super Bowl LII: Oakland over Dallas

Safety Malcolm Jenkins is the backbone of the Eagles secondary.

safety, could push Kendricks.

The team has very little depth at the position, which could make a suspension to Bradham even more concerning.

SECONDARY This is the team’s biggest question mark as it heads to the preseason and into the season opener at Washington. Second-year man Jalen Mills is almost certain to be a starter outside.

Mills showed confidence as a rookie, but as most rookie corners do, also struggled at times.

Free agent Patrick Robinson, third-round draft pick Rasul Douglas, and Ron Brooks, a career backup coming back from a ruptured quad injury, will battle for the other outside spot opposite Mills and the nickel position.

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The Eagles are also optimistically hoping that secondPredicted Eagles round draft pick 2017 Record Sidney Jones, who tore his Achilles in a post-season workout, can contribute by the end of the season.

Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod form a more than competent set of safeties.

SPECIAL TEAMS It will be status quo here and for good reason.

Coach Dave Fipp’s unit remains among the best in the league and kicker Caleb Sturgis, punter Donnie Jones and long snapper Jon Dorenbos are three of the reasons why. n

Individual Awards MVP (Offense): Marcus Mariota, Tennessee MVP (Defense): Khalil Mack, Oakland Rookie of the Year (Offense): Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers Rookie of the Year (Defense): Jamal Adams, New York Jets Coach of the Year: Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay

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S TA N D I N G OUT

BY T. JORDAN WOMPIERSKI

Photo Austin Horton

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A PHILADELPHIA EAGLES SAFETY

Malcolm Jenkins

IS MAKING A STATEMENT OFF THE FOOTBALL FIELD TOO

Photo Austin Horton

ATHLETES ARE COMPETITIVE by nature, especially those in the National Football League. They want to be the best they can be on the field, garnering attention by making game-changing plays, but they also like to stand out off the field, too. When he first broke into the NFL in 2009, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins quickly realized that professional players don’t hold back when it comes to making a fashion statement.

“Every Saturday in the NFL is basically a travel day, and most teams have a coat and tie dress code for traveling,” Jenkins said. “That basically turned into a fashion show in the locker room.”

As a first-round draft pick, Jenkins was used to being noticed when it came to his football abilities, but his fashion game wasn’t initially at an NFL level.

“That’s when I really started paying attention to the things that I wore,” he explained.

“My second year in the league, 2010, is when I started getting into bow ties as a way to kind of stand out. That took off and became kind of my signature thing.”

Damari Savile partners Jay Amin and Malcolm Jenkins

After first dipping his toes into the fashion business in 2013 with his company Rock Avenue Bow Ties, Jenkins decided to take a full plunge into the industry this spring with business partner Jay Amin. In June, the duo launched Damari Savile, a full men’s line with a storefront at 709 Walnut Street.

“It was always my end goal,” Jenkins, 29, said. “It was just all about timing, whenever the time was right for me and I felt good about it, but also having the right team and partners in place to actually execute it, knowing that I am

still a full-time football player. That’s what really allowed me to take that jump this offseason.”

Jenkins has learned on-the-job through the years running his bow tie company, but he doesn’t have any formal fashion training. He actually sees that as an advantage when it comes to the mindset and target customer at Damari Savile.

“You don’t have to be fashion forward to be a customer of ours,” he explained. “Our suit is for the everyday consumer. We have suits that you can literally wear every day. We focus on 49

small details that will separate your everyday suit and still make it look good.”

Men in search of a new suit for their wardrobe can choose a made-to-measure custom suit, or shop from the line of ready-to-wear styles at Damari Savile. Both Jenkins and Amin had a hand in designing that line.

“For our ready-to-wear suits, we basically split the line,” Jenkins said. “I made six of them and Jay made four of them. You can see the different styles in each one, especially when you open them up and you look at the linings.”

Jenkins and Amin each have their own distinct sense of fashion, and that shows in the suit designs.

“You can usually tell who made what,” Jenkins said with a laugh. “If you look at our ready-to-wear collection, the linings and the small details from the lapels and pocket combinations that we use, are not your traditional way of thinking, I guess you could say. I enjoy not having a fashion background because I’m not locked into these age-old traditions. The creativity is kind of where my strength is.”

Damari Savile’s unique approach to design is what sets the store apart from a typical men’s clothing shop.

‘‘

said. “We’ll ask them what their style is, what they already have in their closet, what they’re looking for. We’ll suggest some fabrics, or they might pick out their own, and we help facilitate the building of the suit.”

THE NAME OF THE STORE is a nod to the

personal backgrounds of both co-founders.

Damari is Jenkins’ middle name, while Savile is a reference to Savile Row, a street in Amin’s hometown of London that’s world-renowned for its bespoke tailoring shops.

Just as they each contributed something to the Damari Savile moniker, Jenkins and Amin each bring certain fashion strengths to the table, making them a perfect fit.

“Jay does all of our fittings and he’s been awesome at it,” Jenkins said. “His tailoring and eye for detail is great, and my ability to think outside of the box and kind of break some fashion rules and really focus more on style makes our looks unique.”

Damari Savile isn’t just an investment for Jenkins’ portfolio; he’s heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the business.

“Everything you see in our store or in our

With the platform that I have, I want to make sure that I do more than just play football. I can actually have an impact on lives” Giving Back

Jenkins is grateful for his success in both football and business, and he makes it a point to give back to the community.

“With the platform that I have, I want to make sure that I do more than just play football,” Jenkins said. “I can actually have an impact on lives and generations after that, and that’s what I want to do, what I feel like it’s my responsibility to do, and I want to do that in my own unique way.”

In 2010, he founded The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, an organization that “is committed to youth development in underserved communities through programs and initiatives that emphasize education, character development, leadership, life skills, health and recreation,” according to its website.

“It’s something that’s been ingrained in me,” Jenkins said of making a difference in the community. “I’ve seen my father give back to the community and be a great figure and leader in our neighborhood, and I’ve seen the impact that it’s had on not only me, but other kids in the neighborhood. Dwayne Gratz, who’s with the Eagles now, a corner, literally grew up next to me. My father used to take us all to Pop Warner practice, signed him up for Pop Warner. I’ve been able just to see the impact of his actions.”

In addition to the work he does with his foundation, Jenkins will also be organizing charitable initiatives at Damari Savile.

“We don’t really push fashion, because fashion is really all about trends and seasons and colors and what’s ‘in,’ Jenkins said. “Fashion is not individualistic, it’s very mass produced.

We don’t want that. It’s hard to take something that everybody is using and make it fit the individual. We try to bring out the individual in the clothing that they wear.”

The ready-to-wear collection at Damari Savile runs between $599 and $749, while madeto-measure custom suits start at $899.

“Our custom suits are usually a collaboration between the customer and us,” Jenkins 50

suits, I’ve had my hands on at some point,” Jenkins said. “I’m in the store, making decisions. I don’t just throw my money into things, I like to actually be part of the process, and that’s been fun.”

This offseason, Jenkins has been at Damari Savile three to four times a week, but once the season begins, he will have to scale back.

“I’ve been involved a lot, especially knowing that I’m probably going to be very unavailable once the season comes,” he said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of time just to make sure that things are in place, that we kind of get moving

“One of the things we’ll be doing is partnering with a company called MenzFit, and they provide suits for men who are coming out of the criminal justice system trying to get jobs, or men who are coming out of rehab centers, or can’t afford suits,” he said. “We’ll be collecting suits once a month to donate to them, because that’s one of the things that we think is important. Your image says a lot about you.

It’s the first thing people see. Often times, a suit will change someone’s entire perspective of you. So we want to be able to give back, but in our own unique way.”

and started on a good foot. I also honestly just enjoy being there. It’s an awesome space. I enjoy helping people put together looks that they feel good in.”

ALTHOUGH HIS FAVORITE JOB is suiting up for the Eagles, Jenkins cherishes the opportunity to engage in his hobbies and interests during the offseason.

“I enjoy learning,” he said. “I have a personality that once I learn about something, I like to pursue it. Whatever I have my eyes on at the time gets 100 percent of my attention.”

Pursuing interests outside of football is something Jenkins thinks is extremely important for all NFL players, because a professional career in sports can only last for so long.

“When the offseason is here, I’m able to work on some other skills, some other crafts, some other businesses, because I am starting to think about life after football, and I want to try to use my celebrity to help me in these areas before all of a sudden I don’t have any celebrity because I’m done playing,” Jenkins said.

“I think that’s one of the things you’re starting to see league-wide. There’s an urgency among NFL players to get things done while they’re still playing, knowing that your shelf-life, influence, and popularity is very short once you step out of this league. Often times, once you

Rising Up Against Injustice Jenkins has garnered praise for his willingness to stand up for what he believes in. While many professional athletes shy away from potential controversy, Jenkins feels a responsibility to call attention to social injustice. Last season, he made headlines for raising his fist during the national anthem each game to symbolize resistance against oppression and violence—particularly racial oppression.

“I do think it’s important to use this platform to speak up for other people, because I have access to that platform, and it’s powerful,” Jenkins said. “If I chose not to use it just because I was afraid of what would happen to me, I think that’s a little bit selfish, as opposed to thinking about the people who need someone to speak up.”

While his pre-game demonstrations drew lots of attention, Jenkins stressed that his efforts have involved a lot more than simply raising his fist to get people talking.

“When I think of the whole last year, I visited police on multiple times, I did a ride-along with police, I visited a prison, I’ve been to Capitol Hill twice, multiple speaking engagements and appearances,” he said. “The protest really was just the grand announcement, but the work really started before and after that. I’m more proud of the actual work than the protest. The protest was really just to spark conversation and spark awareness, but the work that ensued after that from myself and my colleagues has really been impressive.”

Jenkins speaks at congressional forum on community-police relations

Thinking about all of his accomplishments in life, Jenkins is most proud of his social activism.

“I’m most proud of what I’ve been able to stand for,” Jenkins said. “I’ve won Super Bowls, I’ve won awards, I’ve won a bunch of different things, but the last year or so, starting last July, has probably been the most rewarding year of my life because I feel like I’m having a real impact, or I’m at least pursuing something that is worth a legacy, that is worth living for. I’ve seen the look in my parents’ eyes when I’ve won games, when I’ve had awards and accolades, but nothing like the pride that I’ve seen in their eyes over the last year, to know the type of things that I’m pursuing for my kids and my family members and other peoples’ kids and this next generation. There’s just been a big sense of self worth that has come out of really putting myself out there for others, and that’s really what I’ve been most proud of.”

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Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

Fly Eagles Fly After a disappointing 2016 season, Jenkins is excited to get back on the field and prove to Philadelphia that the Eagles are a legitimate contender.

“Last year, I think everybody on the team felt disappointed and was left with a bad taste in our mouths,” he said. “We felt like we were on the cusp of being a good team, and it just didn’t pan out that way. Now, with the additions that we have, all of the hype and the expectations that are building in the city, we don’t want to feel like things will automatically happen now because we just added a couple key players. We want to go out and earn it. We’ve been down that road before, where we look really, really good for half of a season, and then suddenly, we take our foot off the gas and it just crashes and burns by the time we hit December.”

With the lessons learned last season in mind, Jenkins believes the Eagles are poised for a strong year.

“This training camp is going to be great,” he said. “We want to focus on every day that we have to get better, every day that we have to gel. We’re going to need to stay healthy all year, we’re gonna need some luck, but I’m really excited. We’ve got a lot of new additions and a lot of players that we think can help take this team to the next level.”

Having won a Super Bowl in 2010 with the New Orleans Saints, Jenkins knows firsthand what it takes to capture football’s ultimate, and he thinks the Eagles have a legitimate chance to do so over the next few seasons.

“I definitely do,” he said. “I think it’s about talent, it’s about culture, it’s about being lucky sometimes, and about staying healthy. It’s a fragile combination of all of those things, and there’s only a few of those that we can control, and that’s the talent – and I think we’re doing a great job of adding talent – and culture, and that’s one of the things we’re working on daily. After that, you gotta pray that your team stays healthy and you catch a couple breaks here and there. I think, the two parts of that we can control, I think we’re doing a good job of it.”

step out, you don’t have much experience in anything. You’re under-prepared. The amount of hands that reach out to help you once you’re done playing are a lot less than the ones who are willing to help while you are playing. We’re trying to take advantage of the platform and the influence that we have right now.”

Between his football career, his two fashion companies, his charitable foundation, and his family (Jenkins has a wife, Morrisa, and a 3-year-old daughter, Elle), Jenkins admits he has a lot on his plate, but he isn’t concerned with being able to juggle all of his duties and responsibilities.

“It’s one of those things where I’ve kind of 52

looked up like, ‘Oh man, I’ve got my hand in a lot of different things right now,’ but I do a good job of putting together a team to help me manage it all, to help me keep things running so that I can focus on one thing at a time,” he said. “I enjoy working. None of this really seems like work to me. I get to learn a lot, I get to do new things, be creative, feel like I’ve made something, and it’s awesome. To be able to even wear my own clothes is mindblowing. It’s a rewarding feeling.”

When football season comes around, Jenkins is confident he’ll be able to excel as usual, despite the increased workload in his life with Damari Savile.

The Road to the NFL Growing up, Jenkins loved to play football, but he never dreamed of making it to the NFL, nor did he really watch much football on TV. “I actually liked playing video games a lot more,” Jenkins said with a chuckle.

“I hated Sundays, because my dad would watch football for, you’ve got three games every Sunday, that’s like eight hours of football that I couldn’t play my video games and he was hogging the TV.” As he got older, though, Jenkins started to pay more attention to the collegiate and pro game, and he took inspiration from players like Ray Lewis and Larry Fitzgerald. Despite excelling at Piscataway Township High School, leading the football team to multiple championships, he didn’t initially expect to continue playing in college.

“I was good and I enjoyed competing, but I didn’t think I was good enough to go to college for it,” he said. “I was just playing because I loved the game.”

A number of college teams thought otherwise and offered Jenkins scholarships.

After giving it a lot of thought, he chose to attend Ohio State University.

“I was like, ‘OK, well I don’t think I’m good enough to go to the league, but I’ll just keep playing,’” he said. “But once I saw some people [from Ohio State] make it, I think Donte Whitner was a junior when I was a freshman, and he went like 8th overall. Ashton Youboty was another corner who went in the 3rd round. I’m like, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure I can fall somewhere in between those two guys, so I think I got a chance to make it.’”

Jenkins was dead-on. The New Orleans Saints drafted him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 14th overall pick. However, even once Jenkins started to get playing time in the NFL, he wasn’t comfortable or confident.

“I think my first two years, I don’t think I even enjoyed the league—and I won a Super Bowl—because I was so bent on trying to live up to these expectations that I had, these pressures that I had never felt before,” he said. “My whole life, I never had many expectations out of football. I always wanted to be the best person that I could be, and any day that I step on the field I’m trying to be the best, but I never really had expectations to go beyond that game or that season.

Now, here I am in the NFL, I’m a first-round draft pick, and I was starting to focus more on what kind of player am I going to be, what kind of career am I going to have, what am I going to do? There was a lot of pressure on me. I honestly really didn’t enjoy the first two years, and it wasn’t until after that where I ended up changing teams and positions and that really kind of propelled my career.”

Now, in Philadelphia, Jenkins couldn’t feel more at-ease. He’s confident in his abilities and enjoys playing in front of the city’s passionate fans.

“I love playing here,” Jenkins said. “It’s that East Coast attitude, that blue collar attitude, and the fan base, they really don’t care who the most talented players are,” he said. “They really care about the guys that work hard, that play with passion, that love being in the Eagles green. Those are the guys that they usually gravitate to, and I can definitely respect that.”

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Eagles

“ We’ve got the most passionate fans in football, and so, when they love you, they love you, and when they’re mad at you, they let you know about it, and usually in a loud way.”

A younger Jenkins might have struggled in Philadelphia’s notoriously tough environment, but Jenkins has thick skin these days.

“Being an Eagle, it’s a gift and a curse,” he said. “We’ve got the most passionate fans in football, and so, when they love you, they love you, and when they’re mad at you, they let you know about it, and usually in a loud way. It’s a home field advantage, but it makes it a little bit tough sometimes when things aren’t going well.”

Facing the ire of fans is part of being a professional athlete, and Jenkins wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Being a professional athlete, it’s fun,” he said. “It’s given me and my family everything that we have. Honestly, every time I step onto the field, I can’t believe that they’re paying us to do this, because it’s the same game that I’ve played since I was in the fourth grade, just bigger, faster, opponents. It’s a blessing to be able to have the amount of talent that it takes to stay in this game this long.

It’s definitely humbling.”

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Photo Austin Horton

been Carson Wentz, Brandon Graham, Jaylen Watkins, and Mychal Kendricks. Former teammate Marcus Smith even wore a custom Damari Savile suit at his wedding.

“It’s a lot of guys, and I’m sure we’ll get a lot more as guys get back to the city,” Jenkins said, adding that the Eagles will be the best-dressed team in the NFL “by far.”

DAMARI SAVILE CLOTHING is turning heads

“I don’t see this as affecting football at all,” he said. “My play isn’t going to drop off because I’m distracted. I’m able to focus wholeheartedly on the team and the season and my play.”

Both the Eagles organization and Jenkins’ Eagles teammates have been supportive of his new endeavor this summer. Among the players to purchase suits or stop by for fittings have

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outside of Philadelphia, too. At the 2017 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles this July, Dewayne Dedmon of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks wore a custom Damari Savile jacket on the red carpet.

Jenkins, of course, also sported a custom suit from his store. Not surprisingly, Jenkins and his wife Morrisa were tabbed as one of the evening’s best-dressed couples by Esquire.

Jenkins’ fashion game is clearly on point these days, but for those who still haven’t quite found their look, he’s happy to help.

“We don’t try to reinvent the wheel or force our personal styles on someone else. We want people to embrace who they are and embrace their own style, and if they don’t know what their style is, to find it, and that’s kind of what we base our designs and consultations on,” he said. “We put people in things that make them comfortable, because when you feel good, you look good.” n

The Best and Worst Dressed Eagles Asked which of his teammates has the best fashion sense and style, one name immediately came to mind.

“Rodney McLeod is probably the second-best dresser on the team,” Jenkins said.

Second-best? Is that assuming Jenkins himself takes first place?

“Oh, of course,” he said, laughing.

“Another guy, I think he’s kind of a sleeper that dresses really well, especially when it comes to suits, is Vinny Curry,” Jenkins added.

As for his worst-dressed teammates, Jenkins has already influenced a number of them to improve their look.

“I got asked this question a few years back and I said Beau Allen, but ever since I said that, he’s stepped his game up 1,000 percent,” he said. “Now, I think the only guy who probably needs help but really doesn’t want it or care to get it would probably be Jason Kelce (pictured).”

Looks Back

Journey with us down memory lane as we gaze wistfully at the past four years of our football issue covers, and what might have been. Chip who?

EAGLES 2016 RECORD 7-9 4th – NFC East

2nd – NFC East

EAGLES 2014 RECORD 10-6 2nd – NFC East

EAGLES 2015 RECORD 7-9

EAGLES 2013 RECORD 10-6

1st – NFC East • Lost Wild Card Playoff

Covers by Art Director Steve Iannarelli

Photo Kurt Smith

PHILLY FOREVER.

BY KURT SMITH

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JIM MURRAY was the Eagles GM who persuaded Dick Vermeil to come to town and lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl, but the born and raised Philadelphian’s impact reaches much farther than a football field even today.

Nearly half a century after an incident involving Santa Claus and snowballs at an Eagles game—you may have read about it—the City of Brotherly Love still has a reputation for harboring hideous monsters posing as sports fans.

One can imagine how, just eight years after that incident, it was enough to give a champion college football coach pause before taking a head coaching job in Philly.

Fortunately for all of us, Jim Murray, the Eagles’ general manager at the time, is prone to occasional moments of prescience.

“Vermeil’s very intense, very thorough. I remember inviting him to the Beverly Hills Hotel, he answered the phone and hung up, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’ And then the phone rang ten minutes later and it was him.

“During the interview, he stopped and said, ‘Jimmy, can I ask you a question?’ I said ‘Sure, that’s why I’m here.’

‘Why would I come to Philadelphia?’

I said, ‘What does that mean?’

He said, ‘Well I’ve been there, I was the special teams coach for George Allen and the Rams, those fans!’

As GM, Murray brought Vermeil (right) to Philadelphia

“I said, ‘Coach, I’m gonna be Jeremiah.

I’m gonna be the prophet. I’m gonna tell you something. You come to Philadelphia and we hire you, and these three things will happen: Not only will you move to Philadelphia, you’ll bring your family, and you’ll stay there the rest of your life. You’ll never leave, and you’ll become a household word, no matter what else you do in your life.’”

One could argue Vermeil has wanted to prove Murray right ever since, but it would have been a pretty big commitment if he didn’t like the area a little bit.

“Hiring the coach…that was the moment.

You’re all in. If you hire the wrong guy, game over. People really, really care. The sports guys know that. Sports can change your life.

“And he is Philly. When he won the Super Bowl in St. Louis, Blue Cross had a big billboard. They didn’t even have his name on it.

They just had him, ‘Congratulations on winning the Super Bowl.’ He became Philly.”

J

im Murray will tell you that he was probably the youngest GM in the NFL whose father didn’t own the team. He was a sports information director at Villanova when he was told about an opening as a publicist for the Eagles.

Murray was happy at Villanova…he claimed to be the richest guy in the world despite a vow of poverty…but applied halfheartedly for the position at the Eagles anyway.

He got the job. Five years later, Leonard Tose fired GM Pete Retzlaff and promoted Murray.

“I wasn’t afraid to look Leonard in the eye and tell him what I thought about anything, and he hired me to be the GM.”

“YOU’RE ALL IN. IF YOU HIRE THE WRONG GUY, GAME OVER. PEOPLE REALLY, REALLY CARE.” It turned out to be a wise choice. Murray found the right words to persuade Vermeil, after all, but Murray was also a great organizer, and thanks partly to him, a house at 4032 Spruce Street received a makeover and became a place where emotionally drained parents of sick children could rest. Today there are 365 Ronald McDonald Houses in 42 countries.

That all started when former Eagle, Fred Hill, asked his neighbor Stan Lane to organize a fundraiser to help Hill’s daughter, who had been diagnosed with leukemia.

“Eagles Fly for Leukemia’s first event was this big dinner. Stan put on a bash, really good

stuff. Leonard (Tose) says, ‘Get Murray over here.’ He told me, ‘Check it out.’

“I went to see Kim Hill’s doctor, at the old St. Chris’s. He said, “There’s a woman, her name is Dr. Audrey Evans, she’s at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.”

Dr. Evans didn’t know what a Philadelphia Eagle was—she didn’t even own a television— so Murray had to explain that the owner had money and wanted to help. The two met with Tose.

“She said, “We need these rooms called life islands. We give kids chemo, radiation, they have to be in a sterile environment. And he’s counting, ‘All right, how much?’ She says $50,000.

How many rooms? Two. That’s $100,000. But Leonard, he was all in. He said, ‘How much for the whole floor?’ And she didn’t hesitate, she said $1 million. And he didn’t hesitate. He said, ‘I’ll tell you what, the Eagles pledge a million dollars. Jimmy will raise it.’

“Are you kidding me? I have no clue, oh, what the …!”

Murray’s first idea, a telephone fundraiser during a televised game against the 49ers, raised a grand total of $1,800. The Eagles did a bit better with a telethon following that, raising $125,000, which Murray presented to Dr. Evans at the blue line of the Spectrum.

“The most amazing thing was, I just wanted to get her off my back! And in the most beautiful words that only a woman can say, she says, ‘Well that’s great! Do you know what else we need?’

“I said, ‘We’re in for a mil, here’s a buck and a quarter, what else do you need?’

“That’s where the House was born. She said, 57

‘Do you know what happens when I tell a family their child has this disease? They don’t hear one more word I say. They come from all over the world to this hospital. If we could get a room at the YMCA, something like that.’

“I said, ‘No, no. This is Philly. We’re the old neighborhood, we’re poor. We took care of everybody. You need a house.’”

Murray made phone calls to ad execs and McDonald’s regional managers, who offered donations from sales of the new green milkshakes and in turn asked for the House to be named after the new clown mascot.

“God’s hand was in that,” Murray says, “because naming it after Ronald, the kid’s not afraid to walk through the door. One freezing night I was waiting for a ride outside, Ronald’s statue is in the front yard, and this man pulls up from Tennessee. Seven kids, I didn’t even know which kid was sick. They all were like, he’s in there!

“I love that it’s a Philly story. I love that Ray Kroc, Frank Rizzo are all standing there, (former Eagle) John Canuso, his kids are there, renovated the second house. All these things… the planets lined up. You can’t put limits on God, prayer, or the power of sports for good.”

M

urray frequently talks about life coming full circle. Eagles fans may remember the hiring of Dick Vermeil, the impossible story of Vince Papale, and the Super Bowl appearance during his tenure. When Murray reflects, though, it’s rarely if ever about victories on a football field. It’s the continued success of the Ronald McDonald House, the lives saved by Eagles Fly for Leukemia, and Vermeil hosting fundraisers with former players still talking about what Coach meant to them. Vermeil adopted Philly as his home; the man who predicted that he would knew exactly why.

Murray has too many stories to fit into this 1,300-word article. He is currently writing a book with “McMiracle” as a working title…but they all revolve around that theme. He never stops marveling at the impact of sports, and the kind toughness of the city where he grew up.

“I never get used to it. I could tell you story after story,” he reflects fondly. “You talk about sports, playing with pain, when you see what these families go through. To me, it’s the Rocky statue. It’s Vince Papale, it’s Invincible. You don’t forget your roots; you don’t forget where you grew up. I don’t think it’s complicated. I think we make it complicated.

“I have been lucky enough to be a little part of it. My book could never get finished. Most of the stories will never be written. And they won’t all be happy endings.

“But you know what? Everybody will be pulling for them.” n 58

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The Stars Align

A.

T

his past June, the two-time USFL Champion Philadelphia Stars had a reunion in the VIP Room at Chickie’s and Pete’s in South Philadelphia, coordinated by Stars staffers Ruth Kreutzer Herbert and Betsy Kuharich (daughter-in-law of the late Eagles Coach Joe Kuharich).

Attendees included President/GM Carl Peterson, Head Coach Jim Mora, QB Chuck Fusina, LB John Bunting, WR Scott Fitzkee, Radio Color Analyst Vince Papale, and Defensive Coordinator Vince Tobin. Well over 100 players, coaches, staff, media, and wives were there.

The Stars had a record of 48-13-1 in three magical seasons, and with the exception of the Cleveland Browns in the old AAFC, it remains the best three-year record in professional football history.

Hall of Fame players who started their careers in the USFL include Jim Kelly, Reggie White, and Steve Young. Recognizable names such as Herschel Walker, Doug Williams, Mike Rozier, Doug Flutie, Anthony Carter, and Bobby Hebert provided the competition.

USFL coaches in that era were George Allen, Marv Levy, Steve Spurrier, and Lee Corso among others.

The Stars remain an example of excellence that may never again be rivaled. An ill-conceived lawsuit may have stopped them from being one of the most recognized franchises in sports.

B.

C.

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D.

E. A. USFL Championship Trophy: 1983, 1984, 1985 B. Offensive Coordinator Carl Smith, Jackie Fusina, DL Dave Opfar, QB Chuck Fusina C. Head Coach Jim Mora, TE Ken Dunek, President Carl Peterson D. OL Scott Burris, OL George Gilbert, DL Frank Case E. The coaches: DL Coach John Pease, LB Coach John Bunting, DB Coach John Rosenberg, Head Coach Jim Mora, Offensive Coordinator Carl Smith, RB Coach Jim Skipper, Defensive Coordinator Vince Tobin F. RB Allen Harvin , Jim Skipper G. Signed helmet H. Radio Announcer Vince Papale, Video Coordinator John McGuire, WR Scott Fitzkee I. DB Jonathan Sutton’s 1984 & 1985 USFL rings, 1983 Runner-Up watch J. LB John Bunting, OL Chuck Commiskey

F.

G.

H. I. J.

Photos Lisa Mongulla

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New kids in town

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

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“ The less stress they have, the better they play.”

Josh Gros remembers meeting the Philadelphia Union’s latest conscript, a fellow from Africa, when he arrived in Philadelphia. The young man was carrying a backpack.

“Where are your other bags?” Gros asked.

Uhhh…

“I don’t have any,” the player answered.

A backpack.

“That was everything he owned,” Gros says.

And it was a big challenge for Gros, who has spent the last eight years as the team coordinator for the Union. In addition to his responsibilities for team travel, Gros must make sure players acquired in trades, free agency, through the draft or from the Union’s developmental teams have soft landings in the Philadelphia area. He helps them find places to live, arranges transportation for them, helps their families learn where good schools are and generally provides them with launching pads for their first weeks and months in the region.

He and people at professional teams like him are responsible for making sure the players don’t have to worry about the details of everyday life. They have to perform at high levels, and they can’t do that if they are concerned 62

Josh Gros of the Philadelphia Union

with where they’re going to live or if there is a grocery store nearby.

“I want to help the players get acclimated as quickly as possible here so that they can perform at a high level,” says Gros, whose own promising soccer career was torpedoed by injuries. “The less stress they have, the better they play.”

As teams try harder to accommodate their personnel, they rely more and more on people like Gros, who can create environments to which players want to come and feel comfortable. For years, players were more on their own for the kinds of assistance that now comes standard. Sure, teams had hotels where newcomers could stay for a little while when they first hit town. And some team staffers could offer tips on where to live more permanently and how to get around.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Today teams like the Union and Phillies even employ firms that provide concierge services to players,

the better to make their lives easier. The goal is to make sure that the player is ready to perform immediately after arriving. It’s tough enough to learn new systems of play and various signals and signs. Wondering where your kids will be going to school makes the job even tougher.

It’s important for teams to make sure their new players are able to feel comfortable and ready to excel as quickly as possible.

“For us, it’s very much part of our culture,” says Brandon Williams, VP of Basketball Administration for the Sixers. “You can’t skip key components of building a winning team, and if you ask players to make sacrifices for each other and the team, it’s so important that they see you making sacrifices for them.

“It’s little things, like meeting them at the airport, driving them around, showing the fabric of the team culture. If we get buy-in from them, and they feel like they are sharing their experience with us, it creates a level of comfort and trust that makes other things easier.”

Many new players are young and don’t have families, making their lives somewhat transient. Because of that, they aren’t often looking to put down deep roots—at least during their first encounters with the area—and require solutions that are quick and easy. For instance, when someone joins the Phillies, Director of Team Travel Frank Coppenbarger sets him up in one of the hotels with which the team has a

Frank Coppenberger of the Philadelphia Phillies

relationship, the better to make the player comfortable right away.

The timeframe is extended somewhat if the team is on the road, because the player will join the club in whatever city it is playing and stay at the team’s hotel there. That takes a little of the immediate pressure off and provides

Coppenbarger with more time to find temporary housing. According to the Major League Baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement, each new player gets seven days in a first-class hotel and seven days of meal money.

“Everything is reactive for us,” Coppenbarger says. “We are blessed to have a couple hotels that will work with us.”

From there, it’s a little more complicated.

Many players’ agents have relationships with realtors and other people who can help with the acclimation process, although the team does help as much as it can with things like getting cars shipped to the area. In some cases, a player will have a friend on the team who has a spare bedroom that he can use in the short term, or even longer.

Things can get even more hectic if a minor leaguer gets the call to the big club. If the Phillies are at home, the player will drive from the Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia, often on very short notice, with little more than a couple bags of clothes and personal items. That situation requires a trip back to the farm for a more complete retrieval—provided the player is going to be around for a while. Sometimes, like when a pitcher has to make an emergency start, he’s in town for a few days and then back to the farm.

“We help the players in any way we can,” Coppenbarger says. “And we point them in the right direction and assist them.”

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“ I’ve had wives tell me ‘We’re putting all of our trust in you.’”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

From the minute Markelle Fultz put on a cap emblazoned with the Sixers logo on Draft Night, the franchise was committed to making sure he would feel comfortable immediately. Since top picks have several family members, friends and agent/representatives with them in the green room at the NBA Draft, it’s the perfect time for the team to begin figuring out what the player’s needs will be—and what his family will require.

The Sixers assign operations and logistics personnel to their top picks, the better to handle travel arrangements and the early steps in the acclimation process. Because there is a press conference in the area to introduce the picks, the Sixers have the opportunity to get everybody together for the drive down and learn as much as possible about what will be required.

“You have to be flexible,” Williams says. “It starts with an interview with the player and the agent and others to find out what they need.”

The first stop for rookies is usually a luxury hotel in the city, and the Sixers have relationships with several. Since the draft picks will likely be playing in a couple summer leagues, it’s more important to make sure they can get to the team’s Camden training facility for the

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“We want to help out, but we don’t want to enable them,” Williams says. “The experience has to be customized to their tastes.”

Colleen O’Hara of Athlete Relo

mini training camp staged before the summer competition begins. In addition to playing some ball, they can get laundry done and grab some meals. As they get more comfortable, they begin to learn about the city on their own and start to figure out where they might want to live. The Sixers can provide some guidance, answer questions and support, but the young men do have to learn how to live on their own.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Since teams aren’t in the business of finding homes, setting up cable TV accounts and the other requirements that come from settling into a new town, they can rely on outside consultants, like Colleen O’Hara, a former Penn State lacrosse player who started Athlete Relo just under two years ago. O’Hara specializes in helping athletes who are new in town find the right places to live and locate top school districts. Athlete Relo works with furniture rental companies and car dealerships. Its staff will even wait for the cable guy, if it’s inconvenient for the player to do so.

She and her staff work with the Phillies and Union and are able to help people who move from another city or another country. Some players who join the Union don’t speak English, making things a little more challenging.

But O’Hara isn’t cowed by the test.

“I’ve had wives tell me ‘We’re putting all of our trust in you. You need to find a school district for us,’” O’Hara says. “We have set up meetings with school principals for them.”

It’s always easier for employees to get comfortable in their new settings when there isn’t work to do. In the world of sports, that isn’t always the case. Trades happen. Teams summon players from the minor leagues. It’s often difficult to guarantee a soft landing when games are being played, but franchises work to make things as simple as possible, the better to have the newcomers feel capable of performing at high levels as quickly as possible.

“I think players are resilient,” Coppenbarger says. “By the time they get to the majors, they have been around a little and seen things and experienced things. They’re used to going from town to town.”

With just the clothes on their backs.

And maybe a backpack. n

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Inside the Changing World of Insider Adam Caplan

Change is coming.

Hopefully, it’ll be for the better, but no one can say with 100 percent certainty that it will be. That’s equally true of the Philadelphia sports scene, the sports media and NFL Insider Adam Caplan.

“My time with ESPN has come to an end due [to] layoffs...” tweeted a “very disappointed”—but not surprised—Caplan on May 1, his ellipsis, perhaps unintentionally, alluding to that unknowable future change always brings.

BY NICK SANTANGELO 66

SHOTS AT THE KING In his tweet, Caplan also thanked various former co-workers, beginning with friend and once-and-future-rival for NFL scoops Adam Schefter, who recommended Caplan for his ESPN gig in 2013. Caplan describes the competition between NFL reporters as “cutthroat at times.” And yet, it’s his fellow reporters and other coworkers he misses most now that his old show, NFL Insiders, has been canceled and the worldwide leader in sports has sent him home to wait out his expiring contract and noncompete clause.

“It was wonderful,” recalls Caplan of his time at ESPN, contradicting how some fans, bloggers and media commentators looking in from the outside have described Disney’s sports network over the years. Caplan has heard those whispers—and screams—but they don’t match up to his experience.

“It was better than I anticipated. Because you would hear rumors and read media articles of what people really think is going on in there, and unfortunately the people writing these articles have never worked in television, at least it sure seems that way. I can only talk to the NFL group. I didn’t see the narcissism or entitlement that people talked about or would write about. Didn’t see that at all. People were great.

We laughed a lot, had fun with each other.”

THE MEDIA BLAME GAME For sports fans who dream about covering their favorite teams and leagues, the reporters, analysts, producers, etc. they would ostensibly call coworkers are probably not close to their top reason for wanting such a job. But why shouldn’t they be for those who’ve actually lived that dream? For Caplan, this is his career, and it’s natural to miss the people you worked alongside after leaving a fun job. Of course, Caplan will almost assuredly get to call some of them colleagues—or at least rivals—again someday. He’s been at this NFL reporting business for 18 years, and he’s confident he’s set himself up to keep on doing it.

“The good thing is I’m lucky that I learned early on once the internet came about to do versatility,” he says. “I can do radio, TV, I can write. There’s a lot that I can do.”

He’s not wrong. In 2017, anyone who wants to work in media, especially in an extremely

A TALE OF THREE COACHES Eagles head coaches are a big deal in Philly, and Caplan has some thoughts on the three most recent ones. In June, Caplan’s friend and former coworker Adam Schefter got former head coach Chip Kelly to finally settle the “do the deal” debate around trading up to draft now-Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. Unsurprisingly to Caplan, there never was any deal to be done. Although Chip wanted Mariota, the price – “a lot of star players” – was prohibitive.

Kelly’s time here was sandwiched between Andy Reid and his disciple, Doug Pederson. Now in Kansas, Reid saw his GM fired this offseason. But Caplan says Eagles fans shouldn’t read “the biggest surprise of his career” as a classic Reid power move. This was strictly an ownership decision.

Speaking of, Eagles ownership has its own decision to make with Pederson. Though Caplan is high on the Eagles coaching staff, he says it’s “up in the air” whether or not Pederson is the long-term answer at head coach. But owner Jeffrey Lurie is more plugged into his team than ever, adds Caplan, who thinks Lurie will know with certainty if Pederson is a success or failure after this season.

right now on your phone. What do you see?

Lots of video and audio, sure, but the homepage alone also has a few thousand words on it.

And while plenty of consumers may be cutting

…IT’S THE FIRST TIME THERE’S SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY IN SPORTS TELEVISION. desirable NFL media job, had better be at least a triple threat like Caplan. The written word has been proclaimed dead more than a few times, but go ahead and pull up ESPN.com

their cords and tuning in only for the hottest of takes and highlight reels, not everyone is. Point being, no one really seems to know where this whole media thing is going.

Caplan sees this and acknowledges that sports media is changing and has to keep changing, but he doesn’t think anyone can fully see its future. When I mention that no one network or website seems to have it all figured out, he can’t agree quickly or vigorously enough. “If you and I were doing a radio show, I would have rang the bell,” he quips. “No one knows what is going to work, which was not the situation even two years ago. I think what happens with cord cutting is companies are very reactive, which makes sense, but in the end, it’s the first time there’s significant uncertainty in sports television.

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“The only certainty…is that companies are going to pay for rights fees. You know they’re going to broadcast games, you know there’s a need for games. People are going to watch.

As far as studio television, people don’t know.

They just don’t know what’s going to work and what’s not going to.”

That hasn’t stopped them from looking for answers. Caplan has his own thoughts about what’s wrong and what the answers are, but he won’t share them for print—maybe over a beer sometime, he suggests.

TRUST IN SOME PROCESSES, BUT NOT ALL But you won’t find him sitting around drinking his troubles away. After taking just a bit of post-ESPN downtime, which is normal for NFL reporters in late spring and early summer anyway, Caplan has been covering sports however he can without running afoul of that non-compete clause. He’s made his usual appearances on 97.5 The Fanatic and has a Sirius XM deal lined up for the fall. He even stepped behind the booth for the first time, filling in as Philadelphia Soul color man for friend and 94.1 WIP host Joe DeCamara.

“The thing that I loved about it is it’s something different than I’ve ever done before,” says Caplan. “I’ve never worked an NFL game in terms of calling a game. Yes, this is the Arena league, but it’s so much faster than an NFL

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game. I was familiar with the Soul personnel, but not as much with the Cleveland personnel, so it certainly was a challenge and one I look forward to again sometime.”

And just because he’s not on ESPN anymore doesn’t mean he’s stopped reporting on the NFL. He’s still tweeting about sports, and he’s planning on starting a public Facebook page soon. Caplan isn’t holding back on thoughts about the home teams either.

“I just don’t believe in all four teams and their structure,” he says. “I do believe in what the Sixers are doing. Eagles, I do to a certain extent.

I just want to see it. They need to have more stability. Flyers, it’s hard to see. There’s some upside to the team, but they haven’t achieved.

Phillies are just so unbearably bad, that I’m just not there. I don’t know if they’ll ever get it.”

Yikes. For a city that hasn’t seen its beloved Eagles make the playoffs since 2013 or any of its teams win a playoff series since 2012, that’s not what most fans want to hear. Eagles’ fans are looking forward to seeing year two of Carson Wentz with new weapons. Sixers fans are hoping to see “the FEDS”—assuming numberone pick Markelle Fultz’ ankle heals—take the court this fall. Flyers fans are hoping numbertwo pick Nolan Patrick will make the big club this season. And Phillies fans, well, they’re just wishing for anything other than the current season.

Caplan gets it. He stopped being an Eagles

fan when he became a reporter, but he still loves his 76ers, and he remembers when all four teams made or won their respective finals between 1980 and 1981. He doesn’t think that’s likely to happen again in his lifetime.

Still, a former Sixers season ticket holder, Caplan is excited for that young team’s future and astonished by how Philly fans, especially millennials, have gone gaga over it. But he knows this is ultimately an Eagles town and always will be.

With their improved roster, the Eagles should have a better season than in 2016, but a tough schedule, difficult division and a weak secondary will hold the birds back from soaring to greatness, Caplan says. He pegs them at 9-7, finishing behind the Cowboys and Giants but ahead of the Redskins. “The thing about the Eagles is they’re going to be fun to watch. I still think the offense is going to need to carry the defense. Last season, the offense couldn’t do it; they had a record a little under .500. This season, I don’t know about carrying them, but their offense just will be better than their defense.”

Even if he’s right and most of Philly’s teams aren’t about to enter a renaissance after their elongated dark ages, at least there’s always the Soul. Don’t knock them. They could be the next big thing. After all, no one knows what the future holds, so it’s good to keep your options open, like Caplan. Just be sure to brush up on that Cleveland Gladiators roster first. n

SPORTS GUYS

Steve Wilmot (right) with PGA TOUR Pro Jason Day

A Passionate Drive When Steve Wilmot was growing up in Moorestown, NJ, he never envisioned life leading him to Hilton Head to become the Tournament Director of a PGA Tour event, something he’s done for the last 21 years.

Funny how the journey proceeds sometimes.

BY MIKE KERN

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“To be really honest, I thought I’d be here about 10 months,” he said recently. “I was looking to gain some experience, use it as a stepping stone. I’ve just been blessed to be down here and be part of something like this.

“I tell the people down here I’m southern at heart, being from exit four of the Turnpike in South Jersey.”

He didn’t play golf as a youngster, but he did the football-basketball-baseball thing well enough that he made it into his high-school sports Hall of Fame. That took him to Guilford College, where he played against Towson and returned punts from Sean Landetta. Then he was an assistant coach at Wake Forest for a season. “I loved it, but I wanted something else,” Wilmot duly noted. So he got a master’s degree in Sports Management at Miami’s St. Thomas University. That took him to a job with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars.

“We just had a reunion,” he said.

“Leo Carlin, who’d just left the Eagles, gave me an opportunity. He took me in, because we had a mutual friend. I was a nobody. We joked around that I used to go get lunch and watch

Carl Peterson’s car once in a while.

“I was only there for the last go-round (here before the franchise relocated to Baltimore). That was truly an experience in itself.

We had away games closer than home games.

We got evicted from the Vet (due to a conflict with the Phillies) and went to Penn (for their playoff games).”

He worked mostly in public relations, for a team that won the title. Later he was hired and fired in one day by the Eagles, because the USFL decided to sue the NFL. “I was home by 11 (a.m.),” Wilmot recalled. “My parents wanted to know what I was doing home so early.”

Did we forget to mention that he had a friend in an employment agency who got him a gig playing Santa Claus at the Cherry Hill Mall?

And if something else hadn’t come up, “I would have been the Easter Bunny (too).”

the Masters. He was the Director of Operations, then the Assistant Tournament Director. When his boss left in 1996 to take a position with the PGA Tour, Wilmot took over. And the rest has been all good.

He’s also the president of the Heritage Classic Foundation, which has raised over $35 million for those in need, including nearly $2 million this year.

“We’re the biggest sporting event in South Carolina,” Wilmot said. “The economic impact to this community exceeds $100 million, because we are a destination event. We’ve had our little hiccups. A couple of years ago (2011), we didn’t have a sponsor. That was one of the most difficult things I’ve been through. We’re somewhat unique, in that we probably support close to, if not north of, 100 charities. We’re like a team. It’s not about me. It’s about ‘We.’

Harbor Town Golf Links has always been a favorite stop for touring pros.

point of this community was, ‘We’ve got to be up and running for April. We have to be ready for the eyes of the world.’”

It’s played on the scenic Pete Dye designed

“The day you stop learning is the day you ought to get out of the business.”

After that, he did some “soul searching.”

Through his college athletic director, he ended up at the Carolina PGA Section, which at that time was headquartered near Myrtle Beach (it’s since moved to Charlotte). He eventually ended up at the Sea Pines Resort, where the RBC Heritage Classic is held each year the week after

I’m fortunate. We’ve built a lot of relationships. You do your job, so others can do theirs.

Everyone just wants to help to give back.

“We went through a real disaster back in October, with the hurricane (Matthew). A lot of people have forgotten about it. The people visiting now don’t even know about it. The focal

Harbour Town Golf Links, which doesn’t hurt.

And it’s always been a favorite stop for touring pros with families, sort of a week to take a breath again following the cauldron that is Augusta National. And it’s only a three-hour drive away. So it’s got plenty going for it.

Behind the scenes as well.

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“I’m a head coach,” Wilmot offered. “I look at my offense as the sales and marketing team.

The operations guys and volunteer coordinators, all of them are the defensive unit. Then we have the community relations and charities, which is kind of the special teams. They handle everything from A to Z. That’s how I do it. We work together. The only way to get better is to be better. I’m not the sharpest guy out there. I like to think from common sense you do the best you can. It’s important that you continue to learn. I’ll learn something today. The day you stop learning is the day you ought to get out of the business.”

That means a considerable investment of time. Especially the week of the tournament, when they show up at 5 in the morning and don’t leave until about 18 hours later. But nobody complains. Particularly when they get to see the end result.

“You do take (the hard work) for granted,” he stressed. “One thing I always share with interns is, ‘I’d rather make a lot less money doing something I enjoy than doing something that I don’t.’ And there’s obviously perks of living where I live. My boss at home, she’s from Georgia. But when we go on vacation I’m like, Jersey. Ocean City. I want to share that with my family. My parents are still there. Hey, I’m looking at my mouse pad. It’s Eagles.”

Speaking of which, when he first moved

there, the Carolina Panthers didn’t exist yet.

So all he got to watch were the Redskins and Falcons. Sometimes it’s all about sacrifices.

Atlanta owner Arthur Blank has a home in Hilton Head too. Small world. If nothing else, Wilmot has always found a way to stay in touch with his roots.

“When I first moved here, my Dad’s older sister, who passed away two years ago, used to send me (newspaper) articles in the mail,” he said. “Not weekly. Every day. I’d get a Bill Lyon article (from the Inquirer) and she would have it highlighted. She would clip it out. It never got to the point where I’d look at it online. It was just something she wanted to do. She did that for me.”

A

ND SO IT GOES, for over three decades now. He has 11 full-time employees. And every year, no sooner is the tourney over than they’re planning for the next one. That’s the way it works.

They have a contract with RBC that runs through 2023.

“It truly is year-round,” Wilmot said. “The worst week, the toughest week, the longest week is the week after the tournament. Leading up to it, there’s excitement and adrenaline and everything’s going. Monday morning is teardown and cleanup. My goal is to get to the

long-range planning meeting. That takes about six weeks. We pay bills and count money. Hopefully we’ll be counting more. We’re always discussing things. I wish I could find more time.

“At the end of the day, you do it for the bottom line. A lot of people come down here because they watched the tournament on TV. My problem is I like to make everyone happy.

You can’t. There’s a certain self-motivation that’s involved in all this. And that’s gratifying.

They know I’m passionate about it. There’s a lady who wants me to speak at a luncheon in March of next year.

“It truly makes me feel good. But I never take credit for anything. The Foundation does some wonderful things because of a lot of people coming together. It’s not just about handing a check to somebody. It’s all about helping us help you.

“Then you look out over the 18th green and see a boat going by as the sun’s setting, I guess that’s pretty nice too.”

Just watch out for the alligators.

“You see them every day,” Wilmot said. “You get used to it. But at first it’s, well, different. So we went up to visit my parents when my son was young, and we went to the zoo and what’s the first thing he wants to see? I told him, you know they’ve got gorillas and elephants and lions. But that’s what he associated with.”

And you don’t see many of them in Moorestown. n

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E

e Beyond

74

Expectations

BY JAN L. APPLE

Vodka lovers beware.

THERE’S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK and its name is PLUSH Vodka. Make no mistake, the passion and brains behind the brand don’t view their product as a passing trend, but as one that will continue to grow as people have the chance to taste its unique plum flavor—whether over the rocks, with club soda, cranberry juice or in any number of signature cocktails. Topping that list are the Royal Plush, Plumjito and Club Plush (more can be found at www.plushvodka.com).

Owner/creator/founder Malcolm Hale describes the smoothtasting, sophisticated brand as the first and only pluminfused vodka that is also gluten-free. The brand was first introduced to the public in May of 2016 and the feedback to date has gone above and beyond Hale’s expectations. “People are often shocked and surprised at how smooth it is, how good it is,” said Hale, who also created and operates a clothing line in Brooklyn, New York. “People love it.”

The idea for an innovative vodka evolved—

quite simply—from a moment a couple of years ago as Hale was sitting back, sipping a glass of—you guessed it—vodka. It suddenly occurred to him that there had to be a way to create a better, smoother tasting variation of this sought-after libation. In fact, he not only thought there could be a better vodka, but believed he could create such a product.

From that brief yet significant “aha” moment, PLUSH Vodka was born. Launched in Brooklyn—where Malcolm was born and bred—the brand rapidly became available at liquor stores, restaurants and bars throughout his hometown as well as Manhattan, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island. Soon after, people could purchase it at numerous locations in Florida and one in New Jersey.

The vodka will soon make its entrée into South Jersey and Philadelphia, explains Hale, who is currently working on expanding the brand throughout the tri-state (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) region.

PLUSH Vodka has already been the beverage

of choice at a number of large-scale charity functions and special events across the country. It’s something that Hale and his partners are particularly proud of.

In Manhattan, it was selected for MTV’s “Wild N Out” Premiere and Red Carpet Celebration, as well as VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Viewing Premiere. The brand was featured at the 2017 Super Bowl Legends Lounge in Houston,

WE WANTED TO MAKE OUR MARK WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE. WE WANTED TO ENTER THE MARKET WITH A REPUTATION THAT WOULD GET US NOTICED.”

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Texas; a Verizon Golf Outing on Long Island, the 2017 NFL Alumni Golf Outing in South Jersey, Atlantic City’s Boxing Hall of Fame at the Claridge Hotel and the “Fix My Life” TV show Viewing Party in Atlanta.

Although the smooth tasting beverage has made its mark over the last year or so at restaurants, bars, hotels, lounges and special events, over a year of intensive legwork, market

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research and tastings took place prior.

“There was a lot that went into the launch,” explained Ramein Rasoli of Manhattan, chief creative director/brand partner, who also maintains a photography business, as well as a career as a VP pharmaceutical brand developer.

“We wanted to make our mark with something different right out of the gate. We wanted to enter the market with a reputation that would get us noticed.” From there, Rasoli elaborates, their plan was and is to continue to build upon that reputation.

Other investor partners are former NFL player Fred Baxter and Romelle Archer. The PLUSH team also includes employee Kevin Bracey, an account manager.

According to the 27-year-old Hale, who recently relocated to Philadelphia from Brooklyn: “Our vodka is six times distilled. It’s infused with natural plum flavor.” The distillation process takes place at a facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. While other competing brands may be just four or five times distilled, Hale underscores that being six times distilled yields a purer, more natural product.

And plum, it seems, has been around as a complement to alcohol for centuries. Rasoli, who was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, points out that in the Far East, the plum has been used for hundreds of years, often in the form of plum liquor, also known as plum wine.

“In Medieval times, people were always drinking wine,” said Rasoli. “A lot of alcohol was paired with one fruit—the plum.” Suffice it to say the partners behind PLUSH understand full well what history has taught: the plum is the ultimate fruit as a complement to top-shelf liquor.

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RASOLI ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE MARKET

is crowded and the competition stiff. He says that some of the big brand vodkas have gone a bit over the top with flavors, citing examples such as cheesecake, cherry pie, watermelon.

“You take those and you lose the vodka aspect; it just becomes about the flavor,” he said.

Besides being the only plum-infused vodka, Rasoli attributes their success to date to the brand’s total package: “It’s having the ability to tell our story and have people hold the bottle in their hands. When people hear the story of why the plum was chosen, it really does elicit that sentimentality towards the historic aspect.”

“Most companies will come out with a straight vodka first,” he continued. “The fear there was that we would just get lost in the market. There are so many brands that come out every day. When the plum idea came to Malcolm, it just made more sense to start with that.”

The partners work with mixologists to create palate-pleasing cocktails. “We found that cranberry juice and plum vodka is just as good of a mix as cranberry and straight vodka,” said 34-year-old Rasoli. “It has a little bit of a unique flavor.”

Rasoli notes that with any start-up, it’s all about the hustle: getting to the liquor stores, having them try the product, holding tasting events, whatever it takes. Yet, it is specifically that hustle that has earned the brand rave reviews. “We started off small,” said Rasoli, adding that in a very short span of time they were at the Super Bowl Legends Lounge (where many former NFL players/legends gather and celebrate during Super Bowl weekend).

The word PLUSH connotes something richly luxurious. “That is the feeling we want our customers to experience when they sip PLUSH,” explained Rasoli. “While the product itself is not overly expensive (pricing is competitive— from low to mid-level range of vodka), the taste is that of sophistication, which invokes the feeling of something luxurious.”

Sure the market is crowded, yet the PLUSH brand is focused on the opportunity to tell its story. Each and every component of the product, says Rasoli, complements the next—from the unique bottle design, to the flavor, the marketing and promotions, the branding, the story behind it. “We want everything to line up and really be as one so the customer gets the PLUSH experience.”

To achieve that goal, much of Hale’s day is often dedicated to the vodka and myriad of business details: checking in on existing accounts, maintaining customer relationships, setting up and attending events, trying to establish new accounts, events and more.

“It’s not easy to create a liquor,” acknowledged Rasoli. “We want to be able to grow a home base and create a stronghold here. We don’t want to be all over the place. We want to build relationships and show our customers—each and every one of them—that we’re a brand that they can look to, that they can count on; that we’re not just in it for the money and the growth. We’re also in it for the passion for our product.” n To learn more, visit www.plushvodka.com or inquire at plushspirits@yahoo.com or 718-600-2869.

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3rd Annual

A Masquerade-Themed Celebration Event JerseyMan Magazine and PhillyMan Magazine are proud to recognize those in our area who demonstrate the rare combination of business excellence and dedication to community service. These professionals will be celebrated at our 3rd annual Unmasking the Legacy event on November 2nd, 2017 at the beautiful Ballroom at the Ben in Philadelphia.

Each of our honorees has chosen a cause they are involved in and passionate about. When purchasing a ticket, simply choose one honoree and cause you want your ticket to support. The top two individuals will be awarded a portion of the event proceeds to benefit their charity.

Don’t expect long speeches or announcements. The night is meant to celebrate, masquerade-style!

Visit www.jerseymanmagazine.com to purchase your Early Bird tickets now until September 1st!

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A social club

where business happens

• Do you want to expand your network in Philadelphia and South Jersey?

• Do you want to create powerful connections with other business professionals in the area?

• Do you want to attend exclusive networking events once a month at local venues?

We are proud to introduce to our readers the members of our private business network.

“I heard about JerseyMan for a long time but never gave it a second thought. Fortunately some friends strongly suggested I attend a meeting. One meeting – that’s all it took – from that point on I was sold. JerseyMan – and the Legacy Club specifically – is different than any other group I’ve ever been involved in. In most other groups help comes passively – if you ask for something you can get help but you have to ask first – but that’s not JerseyMan. Never before has a group of people actively tried to help me succeed. Thanks so much to JerseyMan and all of its members. I am privileged to be part of the group.”

– Casey Price, Price and Price, LLC “I, having not been involved all that long (maybe 8 months), have watched the tireless efforts of the Dunek family and staff, provide a fresh breath in business networking. I have 30 years as a business owner before I merged last year. In that time, I have entertained countless groups of professionals in all forms of networking. This application you have come to hang your hat on, is truly special. Add a constant change in venue, a new cast of characters, a slightly different twist and you have an evolution of social networking in the making. I like to observe, listen more then I talk, reflect on what I absorb. When I reflect on the last eight months I see paths and directions for this yet to come. I feel the energy gaining momentum every event.

People seem to be bringing more people and I’m hopeful they are joining.”

– John Hiltwine, NJLS

To learn more about the Legacy Club contact Ken at ken@jerseymanmagazine.com or call (856) 912-4007 78

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THE ENTREPRENEUR COACH _______________________________________________________________________________

BY JOHN HOPKINS

Emotional Fortitude

The behavior of a business leader is ultimately the behavior of the organization.

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MOTIONAL FORTITUDE is probably the single most impactful principal to practice in business. Lacking in emotional fortitude is the primary reason why things don’t happen the way they should.

Like anything that makes you the best you can be, being mindful of emotional fortitude requires vigilant attention which for most of us it isn’t easy.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE? It is being honest and courageous, saying what has to be said, dealing confidently with reality in open settings. It requires that we have strong mental and emotional conviction to speak our mind in times of difficulty, adversity, and avoidance.

WHY IS EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE ESSENTIAL IN BUSINESS AND LIFE? More than a management principle, emotional fortitude is a leadership ethic. Very early in their book Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done the authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan emphasized that emotional fortitude gives you the courage to accept points of view that are the opposite of yours, to deal with conflict, and have the confidence to encourage and accept challenges in group settings. Emotional fortitude enables you to accept and deal with your own weaknesses, be firm with people who aren’t performing, and to handle the ambiguity inherent in any organization particularly those that are fast moving and complex. Emotional fortitude is essential to steady, sustainable execution and enhanced personal and business growth. It takes emotional fortitude to be open to whatever information you need, whether it’s what you like to hear or not.

THE CAUSE: EMOTIONAL BLOCKAGE What keeps people at any level in an organization from practicing emotional fortitude is emotional blockage. This could mean fear in properly dealing with situations, lack of trust in self and others, not using the proper words to explain the difficulty or believing it is easier to avoid unpleasant situations and let “a sleeping dog lie.” Examples include: 80

• Self-imposed Myths – not being honest with yourself about the brutal facts • Forthright Assessments – not adequately sharing performance concerns • Accepting Mediocrity – not raising peoples’ bars because it will rock the boat •P rocrastination – not delegating, deciding or following through THE SOLUTION: HOW CAN WE PRACTICE EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE? First and foremost, it must be understood that this does require practice. It must be at your core to practice this often. It is the foundation of people skills and culture. Here are some ways to practice emotional fortitude that ensure better people and business results: EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE PRACTICE TIPS 1. Self-Awareness – knowing how you deal with decisiveness is a compass to how you approach conflict, adversity, and the unknown. “Know Thyself” as Socrates said.

2. Facts – emotional fortitude is about surfacing the right facts. Facts blow away myths, opinions and misunderstanding every time. Emphasize the essential importance of facts.

3. Clear Expectations – in the fast pace of business, communication always suffers.

Ensure people know that you don’t have all the answers and be clear what is expected.

4. Ask, Don’t Criticize – the best way to help others face and resolve difficulty, adversity and avoidance is to ask the question, “how could we have done that differently?”

5. Thoughtfulness – being reflective about what needs to be said. While you cannot control how others initially react, positive thoughtfulness is usually returned in kind.

“You will never regret saying and doing the right thing”

WHO NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED IN EXERCISING EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE? Everyone! This is a top down organizational concern. Everyone has emotional blockages. It is completely normal. Emotional fortitude is a two-way street. A leader must lead by example in practicing and coaching the emotional fortitude tips above. As a leader, you must also solicit it from others. Make it easy and clear it is expected from everyone to reinforce it as a mutual exchange.

WHEN SHOULD EMOTIONAL FORTITUDE BE EXHIBITED? Everyone needs to practice emotional fortitude… often. Some of the most critical and essential matters of the business are left unsaid daily.

Left unsaid, they are left undone.

Be proactive and confident about emotional fortitude. Encourage everyone (including yourself) to practice saying what has to be said so they can do what has to be done. It saves time, operates the business better and increases profitability. It is not an intellectual exercise. It is an ethical principal that goes beyond honesty or integrity, beyond treating people with dignity.

Earn your leadership. Remember, the behavior of a business leader is ultimately the behavior of the organization. n Want to learn more about Emotional Fortitude?

Contact john@inspiritgrowth.com

Man & Woman of the Month JerseyMan and PhillyMan Magazines are proud to recognize those in our area who demonstrate the rare combination of business excellence and dedication to community service. These Man & Woman of the Year candidates will be honored at our 3rd Annual Unmasking the Legacy Celebration on Nov. 2, 2017, where a portion of ticket proceeds will go to the winner’s designated charity.

C E L E B R A T I N G M A N

&

O F

T H E

O U R

W O M A N Y E A R

H O N O R E E S

Dennis Flanagan is the former Chief Operating Officer of The

Ayers Group in New York City and is the former president and CEO of Oki Data Americas; he is currently a partner in Always A Good Sign a business founded by his son Sean. Dennis had more than 40 years of experience in the computer and communications industries being employed by Texas Instruments and Burroughs Memorex prior to OKI. Joining the US-based division of Oki in 1986, he opened new channels for sales and developed numerous partnerships and led the growth of the local business to revenues of more than $550 million in the Americas and through acquisitions and geography outside of the Americas assisted in the growth worldwide to build the business to a $1.250 billion. He was elected to the Board of Directors in Japan in 1997.

Dennis is a past chairman of The Virtua Healthcare, CompTia (The Computer Technology Industry Association), Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of publicly traded Neoware, King of Prussia, PA, which was sold to HP in 2007.

Flanagan is a member of the board of trustees at Quinnipiac University, and past member of Samaritan Hospice and Healthcare, CCIA (Computer and Communications Industry Association) and a member of the CEO Council for Growth for Greater Philadelphia.

He has been inducted into the Rocky Hill Ct and Quinnipiac University athletic Hall of Fames, received the Honor Marine Graduate award at the USMC recruit depot Paris Island NC, the Technology Hero award from the New Jersey Technology Association, the Globe and Anchor Award from the USMC Scholarship Foundation, Distinguished Alumni award from Quinnipiac University and the Trustee of the year award from the New Jersey Hospital Association.

Flanagan graduated from Quinnipiac University is a former United States Marine a father of three a grandfather of 4 and married to his wife Linda for 47 years.

Today Dennis enjoys most of all continuing to make his experiences available to his friends and family providing pathways to living their dreams quicker.

Dennis is representing Virtua Foundation for JerseyMan/PhillyMan Magazine’s 3rd annual Unmasking the Legacy event.

Yasmine Mustafa is a tech entrepreneur and community leader. Championing the underprivileged has been a core part of her identity since her family was rescued from the Persian Gulf War. Yasmine started the Philadelphia chapter of Girl Develop It, a nonprofit focused on providing affordable and accessible programs to women who want to learn software and web development. She sits on the board of Coded by Kids, a non-profit that helps inner city youth learn how to code. Once she received her naturalization status, she embarked on a six-month solo trek across South America which inspired Yasmine to found her latest venture, ROAR for Good, a safety wearable technology company aimed at diminishing attacks against women and addressing the underlying causes of violence.

A TEDxPhilly speaker, Yasmine was selected as one of the BBC’s 100 Women of 2016 as well as Upstart 100’s most dynamic people shaping business. She was also recognized as one of Philadelphia’s Top 20 Tech Disrupters for her work empowering women.

Yasmine is representing Coded by: Kids for JerseyMan/PhillyMan’s 3rd annual Unmasking the Legacy event.

3rd Annual A Masquerade-Themed Celebration Event November 2nd, 2017 • 6-10 pm Ballroom at the Ben Philadelphia, PA FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

jerseymanmagazine.com 83

WHAT WE WEAR

_______________________________________________________________________________

BY DANIEL R. MORRONI

What is a Gentleman?

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RIGINALLY, the term referred to a man of wealth or high social position. There was also an implied expectation of exercising one’s best behavior and being chivalrous.

Today, a gentleman is he who values and seeks high quality-not just in his acquisitions and possessions, but also in his own behavior and appearance. Any of us can become today’s definition of a gentleman, but it’s not an easy task.

Those who aspire to become a gentleman will be kind to others, live up to high standards for his own conduct, be open-minded with others, exhibit good manners, be genuinely interested in the well-being of others, keep his promises, and improve the world in his sphere of influence.

As your custom clothier, of course we focus on assisting you to create the appearance of a gentleman. We hope that, as we work together to create that outer appearance, you’re also creating the inner character of a gentleman to match. This is one of life’s greatest aspirations in our individual journeys, and we wish you all success in the endeavor. n

Q&A

Ask Daniel

“Clothes and manners do not make the man; but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.”

– Arthur Ashe

Question: I see a lot of men whose socks show when they walk. Does that mean their suit slacks are too short, or is that the current trend?

Answer: The newer trend in style is for slim-fitting, narrower trousers. This cut means the hems have to be higher because the trousers are not wide enough to fall over the shoe because they are narrow at the ankle. Hence, the socks will show. If you like slim-fit trousers, we can design them with this cut and suggest you wear fun, whimsical, or fancy socks. If you prefer a wider pants leg that falls over the shoe, we will design your next trousers that way, and your socks will stay hidden.

Caution: Wear over-the-calf socks so that you don’t show your uncovered calf when you sit down.

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MIND YOUR BUSINESS ADVERTISE WITH US

contact: ken@jerseymanmagazine.com

JerseyMan • PhillyMan

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HBK CPAs & Consultants

The Cronin Firm

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Richard Green & Son Disaster Recovery Consultant

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

THE CIGAR GUY _____________________________________________

BY SAM KRAFT

Sponsored by The

Smoking Dog

Las Calaveras Crowned Heads

L

AS CALAVERAS means ‘the skulls’ in Spanish. When death takes a friend or a family member, it is not always easy to celebrate a life lived.

Many people view death as only a loss. The message of Las Calaveras is meant to celebrate a life when it ends, much like Las Dias De Los Muertos holiday. In June of this year, Crowned Heads released their fourth edition of their Las Calaveras cigar. Each year, the line is reborn with different tobacco and a different blend. The limited release is meant to honor those who have passed in the previous year in a unique way.

The wrapper of this cigar is lighter in color than last year’s 2016 Connecticut Broadleaf.

2017’s wrapper consists of an Ecuadorian Habano Maduro. The fillers and binder are both Nicaraguan.

Before lighting, Las Calaveras tastes sweet and fruity. Once lit, however, spice takes over.

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The type of spice is a distinct jalapeno as opposed to the black pepper that accompanies most stronger smokes. Notes of cedar and vegetal flavors are also present.

A centimeter into the cigar the fruit flavors from the initial draw start to come forward.

It is reminiscent of the Emilio XO, only with a smack of jalapeno. The cigar is decadent, a sweet and spicy treat.

Coming up on the 2nd third, Las Calaveras becomes grittier. Earth and diesel come forward to form a dusty gunslinger of a smoke.

Upon the last third, anise becomes detectable.

The cigar stays consistent throughout the smoke with only slight variation.

In 2014, Las Calaveras was the first cigar from Crowned Heads to be produced out of the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It continues to be an amazing joint effort between two accomplished brands. Fans of these limited releases usually favor the 2014 blend

over all others. Those smokers may be excited to hear that Jon Huber of Crowned Heads has described the cigar by saying, “The 2017 tastes like the 2014 and the 2016 had a baby.”

Las Calaveras is full of body and full of flavor. It is a fantastic cigar and an excellent way to celebrate a life well lived.

Be safe, have fun, and enjoy your smoke. n

2115 VOORHEES TOWN CENTER, VOORHEES, NJ 08043 • 267.228.9578 • WWW.HMCHOME.COM

@PCS_AnthonyM

TECH TIME

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BY ANTHONY MONGELUZO

Amazon – A Lesson in Domination

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MAZON has been quietly (not so much lately) growing and growing as a technology company. Many folks think of Amazon as an online retailer, but behind the scenes, they are becoming one of the largest technology companies on the planet. They are in your home now with Echo.

You can order things with your voice. They just purchased Whole Foods.

Oh yeah, they also solved the problem with shopping for clothes: online with Amazon Wardrobe.

Apple, Microsoft and any other “large tech” companies had better take note and they better be scared. When Amazon enters a marketplace, they dominate it. Plain and simple. Let’s also respect what they have done.

They have eliminated shipping costs, changed the world to always expect items at their home within two days and of course deliver on the weekend. They have their music platform, they have their video platform, and their stock is through the roof.

Amazon’s big bet on technology, automation and doing things their way has paid off. I will be very interested to see how things unfold with the new Whole Foods purchase and what new technologies they will bring to our grocery stories. Will drones come and do same-day delivery

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from Whole Foods? Will you buy your food through Amazon.com? Will you be able to let them know how to cut your deli meat? Time will tell.

As always, let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear your feedback, or if you would like to make a suggestion for a future article, reach out to me at Anthony@helpmepcs.com or on Twitter @PCS_AnthonyM. If we use your question, I will send you a $100 American Express gift card. n

STAY CONNECTED jerseymanmagazine.com

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THE WINE

MAN

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BY ROBERT KENNEDY

Vermeil Wines: Commitment to Excellence

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O ANYONE WHO LOVES SPORTS, Coach Dick Vermeil is a true legend and, more specifically, an icon to all Philly sport’s fans. His many accomplishments as a coach on every level throughout his football career are well known, including being named Coach of the Year in high school, college, and twice in the NFL. No other coach achieved all three at any time, and Philly loves and reveres Coach Vermeil. “Coach” as he is simply known, took UCLA to the Rose Bowl on January 1st, 1976, beating undefeated and top ranked Ohio State 23-10. And we enjoy reminiscing over and over again how Vermeil went on to coach the Eagles in Super Bowl XV, finally winning XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams.

But what we may not know about Coach is his prowess off the field, specifically his affinity and penchant for great wines. What’s known is Coach doesn’t give anything less than his best.

Vermeil coached with a tenacity like no other, and he values and produces wines that way.

His commitment to excellence shows both on and off the field, including his wines.

In 1936, Richard “Dick” Vermeil was born in Calistoga, CA. Yes, that Calistoga. The place where the “nectar of the gods” has as much respect in the world’s best production of grapes as Coach Vermeil did coaching at football’s highest level of X’s and O’s. Now, following the fame and fortune achieved by the likes of Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Francis Ford Coppola

and others, who subsequently lent their name, and/or bought into the wine business, Vermeil was practically born into it. Long before good fortune was realized, Coach was surrounded by, arguably, one of the best appellations in the world. Those early years proved powerful, and brought Coach back to his roots where his “hobby” of winemaking turned into yet another Super Bowl, only this time it was the Super Bowl of winemaking in Napa’s appellation.

It was during Coach’s formative years in Calistoga where he learned his incredible work ethic, taught by his father, Jean Louis, who operated an automotive garage in the valley known as Owl Garage. Louis taught Coach much, but primarily three things: fast cars, football and wine, and not necessarily in that order.

A family friend, Jeanne Frediani, and husband Eugene, farmed grapes not far from the Vermeil household. Jeanne also babysat young Dick Vermeil for the family while assisting Gene during the harvest. Not foreign to Coach was a willingness to earn some additional money working the annual Frediani harvests, pruning vines and helping out with the wind machines.

This was Coach’s formal introduction into wine production and the grape growing business.

AST FORWARD TO TODAY, and you’ll find that Coach put together yet another strong team. Forming a strong partnership with the Frediani Family, Mary Sue Frediani-

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Vermeil (front) at his vineyard

Vermeil Wines are available at Total Wine, Traino’s Liquor Store, PA State Stores and others, or you can order directly from www.vermeilwines.com

Smith and vintner, Paul Smith, the team runs the day to day operations, and together with Coach Vermeil, are proving to be as formidable as the Eagles were in 1980.

Still considered to be a small winery with a total production of around 2,000 cases, Vermeil produces many different wines for such small lots. However, Coach is more concerned about quality over quantity. No surprise there, right?

The winery is located in the middle of the Spring Mountain District, which has limited public access, but there are two different wine tasting fronts that serve as the face of Vermeil Wines. One of those tasting rooms is located in Calistoga, which opened in 2002 under the label OnThEdge Winery, but renovated and reopened in 2009. The other is in downtown Napa, opening recently in 2013. Both have outdoor seating providing a more enjoyable tasting experience.

Much of the Vermeil grapes are produced through a leasing arrangement with the Frediani Vineyard, just south of Calistoga and off the Silverado Trail. Some of the grapes produced for Vermeil Wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, as well as dessert wines which are also sold. Additionally, the Charbono grape, an unusual varietal uncommonly found in the Napa Valley is produced, and needs hot days and cooler evenings to thrive. Moreover, the Jean Louis Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Vermeil’s flagship wines, named after both of Coach’s great grandfathers. A very nice touch, and quintessential Dick Vermeil.

Coach Vermeil continues to excel at everything he does, including off-the-field ventures, such as Vermeil Wines. This is indicative of the many 90-plus ratings bestowed upon his wines from the likes of Wine Enthusiast, and gold and silver medals awarded to Vermeil Wines at the American FineWine competition, to name a few.

Given his insatiable appetite to win, and his drive for personal and professional excellence, does it astonish anyone that Coach Vermeil, with his award winning wines, is once again, at the pinnacle of something very special? For all of us who marveled at his coaching greatness for so many years, we can still feel connected to Coach Vermeil by investing in another one of his incredible passions: Vermeil Wines. n 93

Got a question for Gerv?

SAY GERV?

Send your questions to:

saygerv@jerseymanmagazine.com

_______________________________________________________________________________ and look for his answers in the next issue!

BY GERVASE PETERSON

Gervase Peterson was a cast member on the reality series “Survivor” and is an actor and entrepreneur. He keeps busy fulfilling personal appearance requests and speaking engagements across the country.

S

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MARK SOME WOMEN AS “OFF LIMITS.” AND THIS, MY FRIEND, IS ONE.

ay Gerv? My business partner’s daughter and I have a very flirtatious relationship. How can I take it to the next level without ruining our business and our friendship?

– Jonathon, Moorestown, NJ Jonathon, you are definitely playing with fire in this situation. Now I can give you quite a few ways to make this love connection work so that your partner won’t find out, but I feel compelled to enlighten you on the other side of this scenario. If you really like this woman, tell your partner how you feel. If you were my business partner and you kept that from me, I would wonder what else are you keeping from me? What happens if this ends badly? Do you think your partner is going to take it kindly? What if you get married? Now you’re more than partners, you’re family. Are you ready for that? Are you willing to throw away your business over a flirtatious relationship? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you hook up with her. There are so many women out there. Sometimes you have to mark some as “off limits.” And this, my friend, is one. But if you’re hardheaded and hell bent on this, then it’s really quite simple. Just keep your mouth shut. Don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. No one. That’s it, but that’s the hardest thing for people to do. Silence is golden and you will be too. I hope she’s worth it. _________________________________________ Say Gerv? Am I supposed to tip when ordering carry out? I always feel like they are expecting one and then I feel like a jerk when I don’t leave one.

– Mike D, North Philly, PA Mike D, no you don’t have to tip when ordering carry out. Tipping is for when you’re sitting down for dinner. Now you can tip your carry out server if you want to be extra nice, but that’s going above and beyond. People split hairs over tipping on carry out mostly if your order is very big or complicated, but again no tipping is required for that. If I order a lot from the same place and develop a good rapport with the carry out servers then I’ll tip them.

Not every single time, but if I have a couple extra dollars I don’t mind giving that up for a tip.

You said you feel like a jerk for not tipping, but you still don’t tip? So you’re okay with being a jerk then? I guess so. I’m not judging you, just 94

stating the obvious. Ultimately it comes down to a personal choice. If you can afford it then tip, if you can’t then send the kids in to pick it up. Nobody expects a tip from a kid. _________________________________________

las. That’s supposed to be fun and stress free time. Make sure to keep it that way. _________________________________________

Say Gerv? I get together with the fellas once a week and I always bring something, it’s just how I am. One guy never brings anything and it bothers me. Should I say something to him?

– Brian, Sicklerville, NJ

– Rodney, Cherry Hill, NJ Rodney, did you and the fellas discuss that everyone needs to bring something for your weekly get together? If not, then your buddy isn’t wrong for not bringing anything. If the owner of the house isn’t upset, then you shouldn’t be.

That’s the man that really makes the call on this one. Maybe your buddy can’t afford to bring something every week. I know, you’re probably saying well then he shouldn’t come, but that’s kind of messed up too. I do a live weekly podcast every Tuesday at 6:45pm called Partynerdz Live Podcast on Wildfire radio and on Itunes (yes, that was a shameless plug) and I bring pizza and wings. Another guy brings drinks and the other five people bring nothing. Do I care?

No. Why? Because they’re like family. And I do it because I want to, and I’m not looking for anything in return. Rodney, you said you bring something because “it’s just how I am.” Well, if you’re that guy, then keep bringing something, but if it bothers you that much, speak up and say something. Why continue to stew over this and have it ruin your time together with the fel-

Say Gerv? I’m new to smoking cigars. Can you tell me what I should and shouldn’t smoke?

Brian, great question and the best answer I can give you is don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t smoke. That’s like someone telling you what you can and can’t drink. I know people always think if you’re a new smoker then you should only smoke mild or flavored cigars because a medium and full body will be too strong for you. And while that’s a general rule of thumb, that’s not always the case. My taste buds are different then your taste buds so a cigar that might taste strong to me, might not taste strong to you. Gurkha Cigars makes some great cigars, but their mild and medium taste like a full body cigar to me. Other people don’t feel the same way. I always suggest when you go to buy a cigar buy two. One that you like that’s your go to cigar, and one that you never tried before. Don’t close yourself off, because there are some really great cigars on the market. The only way you’ll know if it’s a “good cigar” is to smoke it yourself.

Brian, you can always come by my spot, Burnz Cigar Vault & Lounge, and get cigar educated.

We can have a drink and a smoke and talk about all things cigar or whatever else you want to talk about. Like Guillermo Cabrera Infante said, “A good smoker, like a good lover, always takes his time with a cigar.” n

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