SHIT THAT PISSES ME OFF Part 1: People Who Wear New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys Gear

DISCLAIMER: The following piece is my sad attempt at humor. The truth is, I do fucking hate both of these teams, and I have a bit of a dislike for their fans. I do favor tossing a joke or insult at them for wearing the gear, but not more else. Hey, I'm tossing this in here to cover my ass, you damn Yankees fan!

You know what I hate? Those douche-bags who think wearing Yankees and Cowboys gear in Philly is "Cool"! FUCK YOU!

Seriously, don't you hate these assholes?

You're on your way to a Phillies game. You're psyched, you're happy, and you're pumped for the game! Then, on the way there... there HE is. THAT guy. The guy... in the Yankees hat! Or the jacket. Or the shirt. Or that stupid looking, incredibly ugly and tacky hat with all the "World Series Wins" on it!

What the hell?!

Folks, this is PHILLY. PHILADELPHIA! We fucking love our Phillies here! Win, lose, or bullshit season, we LOVE our Phillies! We will fight for them, scream for them, and root for them no matter what! In 2008, the City of Brotherly Love actually felt like it for a few brief days as all came together to celebrate an amazing World Series win! It was fun, it was awesome, and we all had a good time.

I used to not care about Yankees fans. I used to be OK with them. Then the 2009 World Series happened, and the hatred came! Hell, I don't even hate the Chicago Blackhawks this much, and THEY just stole the fucking Stanley Cup from us! Then again, the difference here is clear: The Stanley Cup Playoffs was a simply amazing story of two teams who had the crap beaten out of them and they were basically both underdogs. The series went to a Game 6 that was hard-fought, even if the winning goal was lame. The 2009 World Series came down to a great team battling a wallet. And, god dammit, the wallet fucking won!

I remember running into a pal of mine... and he was wearing... a... YANKEES... hat. "What the hell?! What's with the hat?! What, do you... you actually LIKE the Bankees or something?" His reply? "No, I just like the look." Knowing him, I'm sure it's true.

And then you have Dallas Cowboys fans.

The god-damn Cowboys.

Growing up in Philly, you learn the following things about local pride: 1, Your neighborhood may suck like hell, but you love it all the same. 2, All Philly teams are great, no matter how shitty they may play (1996 still gives me nightmares!). And 3, THE DALLAS COWBOYS SUCK AND MUST BE ELIMINATED.

Again, what is with these assholes who like the Cowboys in Philly, and oddly enough, actually wear their gear? The Cowboys?! Seriously?! Do... do they get their jollies by rooting for a team with T.O. on it? Do they like the fact they're rooting for a team that plays in a "Dome"? A DOME?! What, are the little football players afraid of a little rain? TOUGH! The Eagles? They play in rain, mud, sleet, snow, boiling hot weather, and snowballs. Hell, they'll play through 10 feet of shit if need be! The Cowboys? "America's Team"? HA!

Oddly enough, there's plenty of Cowboys fans around me, and every football season I give them hell for it. Heck, if I see a Cowboys fans giving me a look on the street, the scream can be heard from space: "COWBOYS SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So come on! Give them a hard time! Boo them, rib, them, live up to your rep! You're from Philly! You love Philly sports! Heckle these guys at lease once!

There Is No Joy in Philly...

...the Mighty Phillies struck out.

The Yankees Didn't Deserve This

"They'll win it in 6."

I was at a little deli from where I work, and it was early on a Friday morning. I was doing all I could to show my support for the Phillies, namely insulting Yankee's fans. I ran into a little "superfan." He was an older man, maybe in his late 50's, and he was dressed in a Yankee's coat and hat. I was making jokes about Cliff Lee's performance and countered with the results of Game 2. I said, "Well, we always give them Game 2; its us being nice." I don't recall the rest, but I do remember it came down to him saying, "Yankees in 6", and I remarked with some hesitation "Phillies in 5."

Over the weekend, this city got hit. Hard. Not only did we have to deal with 2 Phillies losts, but we also had to deal with the threat of a SEPTA strike. When that was gone, we had to worry about if our team could win a game again. We also got hit with the latest number, a 11% unemployment rate.

Life in Philly was taking a hit. Hard. The Phillies could and should have rallied this city back together again, but the SEPTA strike, in my opinion, spoiled the mojo of this city and its collective energy. At the same time, we brought this lost upon ourselves. How pompous and arrogant was it of us to start planning for a parade down Broad Street, simply assuming it would happen?

A win tonight and tomorrow would have given us all hope and joy. It would have been a much needed boost for the morale of this city that has been hit with more crap in the last week than we can imagine. A sports team brings us together and can bring out the best of us. Uniting for a common good, a common cause.

The Yankees didn't need this. They didn't deserve this win.

The Yankees aren't a team. In my entire life, they've never been close to a team. They are a group. They are a group of highly-paid men who play on the same team. The players are good, but there is no real sense of teamwork and collective will with the Yankees. Watching them isn't like watching a team effort, its more like watching a bunch of individual efforts.

On top of that, the Yankees have won the World Series nearly 25% of the time. TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT. They have 27 World Series titles to their name! Like one more or one less would make a difference!

And the fans... fuck you! FUCK! YOU! Come on! The stadium was empty sooner than you could imagine in Game 1 and 2, and tonight's game saw a crowd that was excited, but not even CLOSE to what you saw here in Game 5 of the World Series last year.

I saw no real passion in the Yankees, no real love of the game. The Phillies are a team in every sense of the word, and seeing Cliff Lee and Chase Utley set records and did incredible work and one of them should have been named the MVP, and Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victarino... they were all amazing.

The Yankees didn't deserve this, but we certainly didn't play like it at times this series.

Don't Win It For Us.... Win It For Harry

Going into the World Series, Philadelphian's had something they haven't had about a team with an amount of certainty you rarely see: Pure cockiness.

As soon as it was announced the Phillies were the NLDS Champs, talk began of the Parade down Broad Street, and how SEPTA would handle it compared to last year. Many were contemplating how great it would be to go see Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park and what they had planned that night. Phillies fans are smart, but we seem to have a short memory. In this city, there was no talk of parades last year until after the World Series won. We learned from the Eagles, Flyers, and 76ers, that you can't put the cart before the horse.

This year, though, we seemed to have forgotten why we fight.

This year was not about a "repeat". It was not about going back to the World Series. It wasn't about winning the NLDS or even the NLCS. It wasn't about selling out the stadium, a possible parade, or even the players. No, this season started out about being the best damn baseball team we could be, but by April, it meant something else.

This year is about winning it for Harry.

Harry Kalas, the voice of the Phillies, was taken from all of us on April 12th, 2009. In turn, we had a day of mourning for him and the Phillies have worn his initials over their hearts. Whenever I watch a Phillies game this season, I see that patch and I remember those great days with Harry and I always get a little sad. But all season long, no matter how sad, mad, or furious I may be over the Phillies, as the season and post season has gone on, I can only think of how Harry must be looking down from us and smiling that his team may just, just maybe, do it again.

To the Philadelphia Phillies

Churchill's Speech

We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France,
We shall fight on the seas and oceans,
We shall fight with GROWING confidence and GROWING strength in the air.
We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds,
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills,
We shall never surrender!

The SEPTA Strike and Philly Sports: This Could Get Ugly

TWU 234, you have a real public relations problem and here's why:

1. People feel you get paid too much and only want what you want out of greed.

2. You waited 7 months and until the World Series to strike, picking the busiest weekend possible.

3. You made your union members pay MORE IN DUES last year, which may be why they need more money.

4. You took out an ad that doubles as race-baiting against SEPTA because you weren't getting your way.

5. You have a provision in your contracts that allow your members who are hurt to become cashiers and get double-wages AND raises.

6. You want MORE money and MORE benefits during a time when everyone in America is cutting back and suffering.


Right now, here's the situation: TWU 234 goes on strike at 12:01AM tomorrow, this weekend is going to be fucked. "Messed-up" would be more polite, so would even "Screwed". But this... this is a situation where the word "fucked" is the only appropriate word, because it would be! This weekend, you have TWO World Series Games, the Eagles against the NY Giants, Pearl Jam, the Flyers, and if there's anything else, I must have forgotten. But ALL of that is happening this weekend!

So far, talks have been stalled with no progress from either side.

Now, during 99% of the time when people in Philadelphia aren't worried about a strike, we complain about how and why SEPTA sucks. How the service is slow, the workers rude (sometimes), the schedules off, the high fares, and countless other problems with nearly every aspect of the company. So why is it, when the strike looms and starts, we never take the side of the workers and of SEPTA?

Because while we may be mad and angry over the service, we know that this is partly due to the union in and of itself. One problem with SEPTA right now? The bus drivers and supervisors. On an average weekday, drivers may start out early but due to the GPS system in their bus they may have to slow down or stop in order not to get in trouble. On Sunday's, with no supervisors, buses tend to come and go as they please.

Who's to blame for this? I don't know. Maybe SEPTA for wanting accountability of their drivers, and maybe the union workers for not doing their job right and now facing these reprimands from management. I don't know.

Right now, this is about to get ugly.

I was speaking to a few people and we all have the same fear: A SEPTA strike is going to get ugly in the worst possible way. This is largely because of one fact both sides are ignoring one factor: The Philadelphia Sports Fan.

We are not easy people to deal with. We're fine and nice and polite most of the time, but when it comes to our sports, we don't screw around in this town! The riots when the Phillies won could be nothing compared to the reaction from fans unable to watch their hometown play in the World Series after paying over $300 to stand there. The anger of fans unable to see the Eagles play against the Giants.

Could people get so angry and upset over this that they would start actual fights against either side in order to get SEPTA union members back to work? Could we see crowds of people lining up at Broad Street Subway stations demanding to be let on despite a fight, starting riots? Could we see full-scale riots due to a strike? Yankees fans and Giants fans coming down from New York City, pissed that they can't make it to the stadium because of no public transit, mixed with Phillies and Eagles fans?

Sunday, bloody Sunday, it could be.

Personally, I hope this stays as civil as possible between everyone: The union, management... and all the fans. I doubt there would be actual fights, but I don't dismiss it. Try to stay cool, and hey, everyone could just walk down to the stadium and enjoy the game on radios and cheer and boo outside the stadium. A good time to be had by all!

SEPTA, TWU 234? Get your shit together, get to the bargaining table, AND WORK THIS OUT! NOW!

Photo courtesy of Brownstoner.

The Problem With TWU 234 and Unions: A Response to a Comment

It's rare that I respond to a comment in general, and this is the first time I've dedicated an entire entry to a response.

I saw this comment, and I honestly think it warrants a full response from me:

Hmmmm I spent most of my adult life avoiding working for a Union. Most of my family are in Unions, including TWU 234.

But I have a family and child with medical needs that had me chasing good Medical Benefits and pay all my adult "working" life!

I have had to pay up to $1300.00 a month for family coverage. And when I would get a raise, it would be dissolved into higher Medical Coverage costs! EVERY YEAR!

I had to work longer hours and spend less time at home. I would have to suffer no pay days off just to see the kid's school play. I would sell my vacation back to my work to afford Christmas.

So I have managed up to 30 associates and held a good Management position while doing all this.

Then after years of growing business and expanding the work as well as the companies profit. I was laid off.

That's when I understood Unions and their purpose.

It is not greed my friend. It is protecting your work and fighting for fair wages and benefits.

Last year I would have stood 100% behind you on this. But after what I have been through in the last 15 years. I was forced to face a question.

This question was where can I work that will give me affordable Medical Coverage for my child and wife, while make enough money to keep ahead of the quick rising cost of living while using my non-college educated experience in customer service?

Then I was faced with a tougher question. Who will hire me in 2009 while the economy takes a dive and companies are laying off all over?

SEPTA was the "ONLY" company that called me back. I had a CDL already so it was set to happen.

I once was on the out side. Now I am on the inside. But it was the outside that convinced me.

Ask not what is wrong with Unions/SEPTA/TWU 234. But ask why is it that in 2009, that people are fighting for just the cost of living increases? You have a few facts wrong, and so does the article you linked. That's why it is getting shredded as we speak.

You have every right to your opinion. But that's what should be noted. It is your opinion. Not facts, nor from what I see, you have no idea what it is like as a father and husband trying to give his family the best life he can give them.

I hope the Phillies win. And I get the deserved terms that I work my ass off for. You should get what you work for right?

gfunkerror: By no means am I trying to be anti-union, and I am sorry if my response came off as such. More than anything, and I think you understand, I'm not Anti-Union: I'm anti-TWU 234.

The leadership of TWU 234 is crooked, plain and simple. They have allowed the workers they are designated to protect to work without a contract without striking since March. Its been over 7 months. Within that time, neither side has made an effort to actually meet at the bargaining table, and SEPTA ran as usual without any strikes. All the while, the leadership of TWU 234 spent money on ads they took out in local newspapers and on Television complaining about how SEPTA isn't meeting their demands for more money.

The idea of a union is to protect its workers and demand fair treatment. The problem, though, is that the demands of the leadership of the union are unreasonable to most people. They originally went on strike in 2005 because they didn't want to contribute ANYTHING to their health care, and now they pay a simple 1%. With health care costs rising and co-pays with them, this is now the second biggest issue and here's why:

The union does not want to increase its health-care contributions, but does want to increase its pension benefit to $100, up from $75, for every year of service. The union also wants to remove the cap for those earning more than $50,000 a year, so that their benefits are commensurate with their salaries.

In essence, they want more for less. I've seen numbers saying that SEPTA wanted a measly 4% from them of health care costs and offered them a yearly raise, although I agree that it's not enough at only 2% during the 2nd and 3rd years.

Also, lets go back to the fact that last week was the first time SEPTA and TWU 234 sat down to actually TALK about this since MARCH. Seven MONTHS. Why, why, WHY did it take 7 months for TWU 234 to agree to sit down with management? Why did they, instead of sitting down in April and working out a fair and honest deal as soon as possible they benefit both sides, did they wait until AFTER the Phillies were in the World Series? Why did they wait to vote on a strike until AFTER the Phillies were going to play in the World Series? Why did they wait until the first DAY of the series in Philadelphia to actually go on strike?

Greed, for lack of a better word.

The leadership of TWU 234 doesn't care about their workers or protecting their rights. Instead of working over the last 7 months to get a deal, they now are holding SEPTA to the wall and holding the city hostage to get what they want. These thugs are holding economic guns to their heads and want their demands met.

A strike will hurt this city. Traffic will be a nightmare, the city could lose millions in revenue it would have gained from the playoffs, and they're forcing their agenda on SEPTA and the riders. If the cost of riding one of the most expensive public transit systems in America goes up AGAIN, the union will lose more public support! In fact, that's the biggest problem TWU 234 faces: Public opinion. In the eyes of many in Philadelphia, TWU 234 leaders are, as I've said, simply thugs hellbent of take as much as possible from taxpayers and riders for their own gain while their workers still struggle.

The fact that they decided to wait until NOW to strike doesn't help, and the public is far from the side of the workers.

No one is disputing that they deserve fair wages, but there are problems with the system, most notably the fact that SEPTA cashiers are pulling in duel-incomes of $55k a year with a 4% raise each year. SEPTA needs to eliminate the practice of letting people do that instead of getting disability, and TWU 234 needs to agree that this needs to stop.

Am I anti-union? No. I've actually considered joining a freelancers union myself because they offer benefits and protections you don't have as an independent worker. At the same time, they also offer various problems and restrictions. It used to be for a long time that you couldn't get certain jobs unless you were a member of a union, and that has changed greatly over the years. Will unions come back? I hope so to a large degree, but only if we start asking questions about how they are run, who runs them, and if they actually help the workers or hurt them.

TWU 234: What Happened?!

The leadership of TWU 234 have decided to not only get greedier, but also meaner.

Last year at this time, the entire city of Philadelphia was, for the first time in my life, filled with true meaning of brotherly love. Peace throughout the city as we all united as one to support the Philadelphia Phillies who, for the first time in over 25 years, were posed to win the World Series, giving the city its first major championship in decades. I knew then that if it happened again, it wouldn't be the same, but I was still sure we would all get along and enjoy the ride.

TWU 234 doesn't see it that way. They want to go on strike right before the World Series starts in Philadelphia and shut down the celebration.

To their credit, the leaders who have always been strike-happy, have worked without a contract since March. That's amazing, and I will give them credit for going on this long and still trying to handle this in a civil manner, trying all the while to get the public on their side. Sadly, they just blew it! BIG TIME!

Look, TWU 234, you want more money. Where? WHERE is it going to come from? The agency hasn't pulled a profit in a long time, and right now, everyone is hurting (except those bastards on Wall Street). Not only that, but you want a 6% wage increase and a higher-contribution to your pensions. Meanwhile, SEPTA is offering 3%. Take the 3%.

Not only that, but Philadelphia Weekly did some investigating, and its worth noting that TWU 234 doesn't seem to deserve that. Why?

Have you ever wondered how cashiers get their jobs in the subway system? Have you ever wondered how much they make to simply sit back there, walk around from time to time, and hand you a transfer? $55,000 A YEAR. The workers in the booths are disabled, and they earn their original salary as a bus driver, mechanic, or whatever, on top of their salary as a cashier!

So they want more money? Maybe their 250 cashiers need concede and let go of their cushy deal. Maybe TWU 234 should do more to eliminate waste on THEIR side as well before they start crying out that management has been unfair to them!

Did You Ever Wake Up and Know That the Day was Going to Suck?

When I woke up this morning, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. I didn't know what, I didn't know how... but something, something bad was going to happen. My bills were coming up, so that could have been it... no, they were taken care of, or at least enough so I didn't have to worry about it. I spent the rest of the morning angry, grumpy, and not in a good mood. I was mad and scared and I didn't know why.

I tried to keep it to myself, not take it out on anyone, and I did an OK job. Not great... just OK. People could tell something was wrong, but no one asked. Good thing, because I didn't know why.

At 1:50PM I went back to my desk. I actually was feeling a little bit better; the cleaning woman was looking over my shoulder while I was sketching and smiled and another woman in the room had told me she liked my work last week. It made me happy to know that I made others happy with my art, the one thing I enjoy... and it made me feel better. I was still grumpy when I went back to my desk.

Then I found out Harry Kalis died.

I don't talk about sports much, and I couldn't tell you more than 5 people on the Phillies right now, or really more than 2 any year before last. I'm not a sports nut, but I love my Philadelphia Sports teams, and I have ALWAYS loved the Phillies. To me, they're the embodiment of what it means to be a Philadelphian. The never say die attitude, to strive for the best, and to try to achieve the best, despite what others will say.

Growing up, I didn't listen to a lot of games. I still don't. It's largely because of lack of time. I've been to 3 games in person. My first was against the Washington Nationals in August of 2006, and the Phillies won in the 12th inning. The other two were night games against the Atlanta Braves in September 2008. The Phillies lost both nights.

But the one thing that always made a Phillies game a Phillies game was Harry. Harry had the type of voice that took you back to a time when, at least to you, things seemed better. His voice recalled the golden era of radio broadcasting, had a tone of having lived through the worst years and some of the best. He had a voice as familiar in tone and ring as a church bell, or, to me, like Lemmy Kilmeister.

A co-worker asked me why I was depressed, and I mentioned what I just told you; I didn't know. I didn't think they were a big baseball fan, so I said, "Did you hear? Th guy who announces the Phillies games died today." "Wow, really?! How old was he?" I was kinda shocked she knew, but I forgot she was a fan like me. "Yeah. He was 73." "How did he die?" "Well... old age, I guess. He was 73."

"But 73 is pretty young these days." Wow. It really is, isn't it?

THE PHILLIES ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

I love every single major team in this city. For only 2 years did I turn my back on a team (The 76ers for the 2 years before they finally got rid of Iverson), but my love for all these teams knows no bounds. Having the Phillies win... my god, I've never seen this city like this! EVER! EVER EVER! Let me put it like this: If I lived to be 100, I never thought I would see everyone in Philly smile and cheer and be happy! New Years isn't even CLOSE to what I saw here tonight!

NOTHING! NOTHING IN MY LIFE compares to what I saw and witnessed tonight! I.... I'm in tears! Without a doubt, this was the most beautiful moment this city has had in a long time! After all the crap we've been through as a city, we finally have something to celebrate that we can all agree with.

WATCH MY PHOTOS HERE!