Like Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

Philly's Spectrum to be demolished

My mother-in-law told me about it on the phone the other day, but it didn't have the nostalgic effect this article had. Oh the times I spent in that building.

I saw Dr J, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney & Bobby Jones play for Billy Cunningham the year they won the championship. Fo Fo Fo!

My dad took me to several Sixers games every year. When I was really little we used to ride the Broad Street Subway home. I also remember when we all loading up in the church bus and sat in the cheap seats to see Magic & Showtime or Bird & McHale. Growing up, it seemed like my father was always busy, always at a meeting or something, but we always had the Sixers.

See kids, back then dunking was the occasionally used art-form. Players could actually shoot. They knew how to dribble without palming the ball every other bounce. AND, they wore really short shorts.

It was during one of those games that my father realized I needed glasses. I borrowed someone's binoculars and didn't want to give them back. The next day he took me to get my eyes checked.

Rocky was filmed at the Spectrum.

Before Comcast SportsNet there was PRISM.

Remember that famous last-second shot by Christian Laettner in 1992 against Kentucky. Yeah, that was in the Spectrum. No, I wasn't there, but man do I remember that shot.

In highschool, I had floor seats for Aerosmith. That was increadible.

On the other hand, in college we had the worst seats for Rush. NothingKnew's ex got a really bad headache from the "contact high." I remember having to drive her car back to school. I can't for the life of me remember where he was. I just remember that it rained like a muth%#$& on the Northeast Extension that night.

I remember when my friend Jason scored us Flyers tickets just behind the Ranger's bench one season and the two of us spending the whole time banging the glass. I can't remember who won, but I do remember being glad there was glass between me and them. I swear it wasn't me who threw the beer!

The Spectrum was also the place where some seats had "obstructed views." What does that mean? These were seats that were partially blocked by a wall or stairwell. Seriously, there were spots in the stands where paying customers could not see sections of the floor, ice, concert stage. Can you imagine something like that in one of today's modern arenas?

I'm sure that I'm feeling the same way about the Spectrum as older Philadelphians felt about Convention Hall. How is it that the Colosseum of Rome was used for over 500 years & still stands today, but the Spectrum only made it 42 years? They just don't make 'em the way they used to...