September 02, 2008
Temple Football Team Has Winning Record
How about that! Local college football laughingstock Temple opened its season with a 35-7 win over Army, the program's first opening game win since 2002. (That was a win over Richmond, who is a I-AA school; the year before Temple opened with a win over Navy. The last time Temple opened the season with a win over a team that wasn't a service academy or a team from a lower division was when the Owls beat Eastern Michigan to open the 1996 season.)
Now that Temple has a winning record for the first time since '02, the school is attempting to do the unthinkable: Attract fans to the games! Temple plays a short subway ride away from campus at Lincoln Financial Field, and clearly the planned pre-game pep rallies will give the Owls the moral support for their first winning season since... oh, let's just say "ever." (It's actually 1990.)
La Salle's traditionally horrible football team, incidentally, remains undefeated this year as well, as the program was dropped.
Update: Here's more about the game from my buddy Tannenwald; Temple was outgained but still won by 28. Be sure to read the surprisingly somewhat angry comments from Temple alums!
Temple football opens with 35-7 win over Army [Daily News]
Owls hope to fill the Linc this year [Temple News]
La Salle University to drop football [GoExplorers.com]
Posted by D-Mac at 03:07 PM
| Comments (1)
July 17, 2008
The Doctor Who Made Temple Proud
While researching a column yesterday, I found this excellent piece on the history of recreational drug use in America. And a decent chunk of the story concerns a doctor from Temple University.
Where, oh where, in this story, are we going to find an expert witness? Here it comes -- sure enough -- the guy from Temple University -- the guy with the dogs. I promise you, you are not going to believe this.
In the most famous of these trials, what happened was two women jumped on a Newark, New Jersey bus and shot and killed and robbed the bus driver. They put on the marijuana insanity defense. The defense called the pharmacologist, and of course, you know how to do this now, you put the expert on, you say "Doctor, did you do all of this experimentation and so on?" You qualify your expert. "Did you write all about it?" "Yes, and I did the dogs" and now he is an expert. Now you ask him what? You ask the doctor "What have you done with the drug?" And he said, and I quote, "I've experimented with the dogs, I have written something about it and" -- are you ready -- "I have used the drug myself."
What do you ask him next? "Doctor, when you used the drug, what happened?"
With all the press present at this flamboyant murder trial in Newark New Jersey, in 1938, the pharmacologist said, and I quote, in response to the question "When you used the drug, what happened?", his exact response was: "After two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat."
Who knew Batboy was from Philadelphia? This article also contains this quote from said doctor: "I wouldn't know, I am not a dog psychologist."
Posted by D-Mac at 03:29 PM
| Comments (3)
April 04, 2008
Stupid Newsletter Editor Fired
The University Village Apartment complex near Temple sent out its newsletter earlier this month with a little April Fool's Day poem on the backside.
But whoops! The poem contained the line "Extinct are the Jews," and now somebody has been fired at University Village. As CBS 3's Jamie Smith reported, "The newsletter offended many at the apartment complex." Gee, you think?
Video after the jump. (Note: Yes, Redlasso clips crash some browsers still, and that's why I keep embedding them after the jump. I apparently hadn't posted this warning before; sorry about that.)
Continue reading "Stupid Newsletter Editor Fired"
Posted by D-Mac at 01:01 PM
| Comments (1)
March 20, 2008
Your Temple Pick Was Probably Wrong
Aw, nertz. Temple played good defense early, but is now simply getting outhustled down the court by Michigan State and it's
a big Michigan State lead at halftime. The Spartans went on a 15-2 run midway through the half and lead, 35-26. Ryan Brooks scored 7 points in just over a minute for the Owls and has 10.
Dionte Christmas has no points at halftime, and Mark Tyndale only has 2. For a while, Temple was shooting 20 percent from the field. Twenty percent! Temple had the 19th best effective field goal percentage in the country during the season.
Temple opened the second half with a 16-2 run in the Atlantic 10 Championship game against Saint Joseph's; it will take something at halftime from Fran Dunphy, the Wizard of North Broad Street.
On the plus side, Billy Packer isn't announcing this game. On the Xavier-Georgia game -- one of my Sweet 16 teams is losing by double digits! -- Packer just said a player "didn't start playing basketball until he was much later in his years. From Kentucky."
Posted by D-Mac at 01:21 PM
| Comments (2)
The Best Two Days Of The Year
I make a lot of jokes on this website, but here is something 100 percent serious: If you're not into the first four days of the NCAA Tournament, please don't bother talking to me this weekend. Or maybe ever. If you're not spending your day at work today sneaking out to watch Temple play at 12:30 or maybe
watching games online using a proxy
The moment I was 100 percent sure the Iraq War was an awful idea was when George Bush decided he wanted to start it on the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Clearly, he was a freedom-hating warmonger who interrupted the greatest sports days of the year with a stupid little war; I knew he couldn't have a post-invasion plan. Maybe if John Kerry had said that at a debate, we wouldn't have had to live through four more years of Bush.
Temple ate its pregame meal last night its game today is so early; apparently the Owls also are in a hotel somewhere in Wyoming for games at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Temple's at 12:30, Joe's and 'Nova are tomorrow night. There are 29 other games today and tomorrow, and I have no doubt once again watching 'em will be a blast.
Update: My buddy Dave wrote a March Madness column for the Daily Local; the website is actually working right now, so read it before it breaks again.
Posted by D-Mac at 09:15 AM
| Comments (1)
March 03, 2008
Frantic Final Minutes Of TU-SJU
Hey, I know not everyone who reads this blog is a sports person, but above is the last three minutes and change from last night's Temple-Saint Joseph's game at the Palestra. It's everything the best Big 5 games at the Palestra are like. Although the shorts are longer now, basketball games like this have been a part of the Philadelphia landscape for over 50 years. The Liberty Bell? Puh-leeze. Give me this any day.
Although, to the Temple kids: Storming the court? I dunno, I hate complaining about that because I feel like an old man and I'd have stormed the court, too.
Temple edges St. Joseph's in Palestra thriller [Inquirer]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:41 AM
| Comments (1)
January 29, 2008
Inquirer Narcs On Temple Puppy Auction
During Saturday's game against St. Joseph's, Temple
held an auction for its sports programs. One of the items up for bid was a nine-week old golden retriever puppy. (Since the school can't auction sex, it clearly knows "puppies" is about the best it can do.)
And guess who won the auction? Temple women's basketball coach Dawn Staley, hardly a Michael Vick of the sports world. She's going to give it to her mother, and something tells me Dawn Staley's mom might have enough time and money to care for the dog and give it a good home. Clearly, this is a win-win for all people.
But wait! The Inquirer was having none of this, and seemingly notified the authorities (or at least Temple) about the puppy auction. Even though the state is the puppy mill capital of the United States, auctioning off a dog is apparently illegal in Pennsylvania.
Anyway, the story has quotes worrying about how a college student could care for a dog, even though it was adopted by a multi-millionaire athlete. Yes, one shouldn't purchase a pet on a whim, but winning one at an auction and buying one in a pet store are pretty much the same thing, only the legal pet store option is much, much worse.
Temple could get fined for auctioning off said nine-week old adorable puppy. The Inquirer will get fined for using a record number of puns (345) in one news story. The puppy will probably get a bone or something.
Puppy auction buys Temple a little spot of trouble [Inquirer]
Posted by D-Mac at 11:45 AM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
December 03, 2007
Temple Paying A Bit More Than Penn State Per Win
Hey, there's something I missed last week (or, worse, read about and then missed):
Temple coach Al Golden makes more than Joe Paterno. Joe Pa has also donated millions to the school, so his salary doesn't really mean anything.
Paterno makes $512,664; Golden makes $575,000.
Golden makes more than JoePa [Broad & Cecil]
Posted by D-Mac at 10:16 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
November 27, 2007
It Does A Pavement Good
I'll have to agree with the
Temple News' blog over this
crime reported in this week's paper: What a waste of good milk.
Some (presumably drunk, only omit the word "presumably") Temple student hurled a gallon of milk out the window of his or her (only omit the words "or her") dorm, splashing the white tasty goodness onto the ground below.
Thanks to poor reporting, though, we don't know what kind of milk it was. One percent? Skim? Come on, people, this is important journalism.
Milk and Beer: a troubling mixed drink [Broad & Cecil]
Posted by D-Mac at 11:16 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
November 09, 2007
Street, Nutter Best Friends All Of A Sudden
Guess who Mayor Street asked to be a guest speaker at his Temple class? Our esteemed mayor-elect, Michael Nutter. Nutter praised himself, apparently: "I think that'd probably be one of the most well-attended classes that he gives."
More Nutter on Street: "He wants things to be as smooth as possible and I greatly appreciate that. We’re two very deeply passionate caring public servants, and from time to time we might have a difference of opinion about some public policy sisues. It’s not personal. And I think Mayor Street wants to make sure that the city of Philadelphia ... functions and operates well after his term is up."
On a side note, Mayor Street's adjunct professorship at Temple made the front cover of Metro today. Things are looking up for Johnny in his final weeks.
Posted by D-Mac at 02:19 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
November 08, 2007
Temple Having A Great Day
Fun fact: Back in 2003, Bill Cosby
believed John Street was being investigated by the Bush White House for being a black Democrat and (presumably) supported him in his bid for mayor.
Well, in related news, John Street is going to teach at Temple after he's done being mayor. A release says:
As an adjunct professor of political science, Mayor Street will teach two sections of a course whose topics will include the challenges of improving and funding public schools; the development of such major capital projects as stadiums and convention centers; public support for the arts, tourism, and recreational facilities; the city’s role in assisting private businesses and developers in locating and financing capital projects; and the design and execution of comprehensive programs to reduce inner-city blight and transform commercial districts and residential neighborhoods.
Street will also be teaching a class titled "The Wacky Hairstyles of Politicians, from James K. Polk to John Street."
Posted by D-Mac at 02:18 PM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack (0)
October 30, 2007
Temple Improves To Worse Than Last
The [Temple] men's cross country team placed 11th at the Atlantic Ten Conference Championships Saturday at Belmont Plateau, recording a program best.
Good job, Owls! Way to place 11th in the Atlantic 10.
Incidentally, the women's team finished 13th. There are apparently like 70 teams in the A-10.
Runners dismayed by weather; times [Temple News]
Posted by D-Mac at 10:15 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
October 22, 2007
Jello And Kodak Are A Good Cause
Dear readers, meet your new t-shirt:
Hat tip to Temple News blog Broad & Cecil.
The Only Coz T-Shirt [Lucky Threadz]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:17 PM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack (0)
September 10, 2007
Eco-Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Big story on NBC 10: A "local commuter" spends
only three bucks a week on gas!
I originally thought he was stealing the gas, which would have made for an hilarious story. But it turns out he's a Temple engineering professor who figured out a way to plug in his car at home so he doesn't have to buy much gas. Oh yeah, the car is also so environmentally conscious it's a 1978 El Camino. It also only goes 26 miles, but he just drives it from Bristol to Temple, which means he has to start pushing on his way back when he gets to the Street Road exit on I-95.
Oh, and thank NBC 10 for the photo, which was created with the font from Match Game, apparently.
Local Commuter Spends $3 Week On Gas [NBC 10]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:19 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
August 24, 2007
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Ahh, let's check the lead to the
Temple News intro-to-college editorial:
As the early 90s Nickelodeon show states, "Welcome Freshmen!"
Ahh, yes. This isn't quite nearly on the same level as the Neil Young/Philadelphia Parking Authority lead from earlier this week, since (1) this is a college paper and (2) at least the show Welcome Freshman is somewhat related to the subject at hand. Somewhat.
Hot Spot [Temple News]
Wednesday: The World May Be Free To Rock In, But Parking Is Not
Posted by D-Mac at 12:50 PM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack (0)
July 24, 2007
Temple: We're No. 118!
There are 119 Division I-A football teams. ESPN.com is ranking all of them over the past decade. And guess who's right near the bottom?
Oh, too lovely. You will note that although Temple is not ranked last, the Owls did lose to the program ranked last in 2006. But, hey, at least the basketball team is still... oh.
Cellar dwellers hoping to live the Boise State dream [ESPN.com]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:23 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
April 20, 2007
Temple Cops Focusing On Serious Crimes Only
You may have noticed today is April 20, the international holiday for marijuana smokers. (As you can tell from the graphic at right, other famous things happened on 4/20, too.)
The graphic is from the Temple News, which also reports today is 4/20, the pot-smokin' day and also reports today is "the blurriest day of the year."
Of course, rather than let Temple students enjoy their day by eating an entire bag of Oreos in under five minutes, the brass at TU is going to be cracking down on people just trying to enjoy a drug that is impossible to overdose on.
But for Campus Safety Services, it's a day when 85 of its officers will be on duty and patrolling the campus for signs of drug use.
"We are being very observant of students' behavior; this includes signs of blood shot eyes, nausea and staggering when walking," officer Marquis Robinson said. "Overall, we are looking at the well being of a person"
However, smoking students should not only be on the lookout for officers on Main Campus. "It will be more community police officers," Philadelphia Police officer Derrick Taylor said. "Like undercover cops, bike units and beat officers. Foot beat is very crucial in trying to keep the students and the community safe and intact."
While the cops are cracking down on pot smokers at Temple, criminals will be looting and robbing the surrounding areas. But, hey, at least the Wawas will be safe from hungry hungry stoners!
Want to help legalize marijuana? Join NORML, a group which fights for medical marijuana and reform of marijuana laws for only $4.20 today. Also check out the Marijuana Policy Project, Drug War Rant's 420 open thread and the excellent Philadelphia chapter of NOMRL.
A day to forget, 4/20 has police on the lookout [Temple News via Philebrity]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:34 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack (0)
February 09, 2007
'Temple News' Sufficiently Preparing Future Journalists For Pathetic, Dateless Lives
An email sent out to the staff of Temple's student newspaper, the
Temple News:
From: [Temple News Editor]
Subject: Writers Meeting
To: [redacted]
Hi ya'll,
The Temple News is holding a writers meeting at 7 p.m. on February 14th.
Sounds like journalists to me!
Temple News
Posted by D-Mac at 02:20 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
December 15, 2006
Keystone Cops: I Don't Think This Is What They Mean By A Press Defense
Keystone Cops is an occasional look at crime, public safety and police news.
• Former Temple hoops star Pamela Balogh -- the school's all-time leading scorer -- was arrested for allegedly molesting a player while she was basketball coach of Somerville's Immaculata High School. John Chaney continues to look more and more awesome every day. [NBC 10]
• Prosecutors argued yesterday they should be able to use Christopher Kornberger's rap lyrics in his capital murder trial. The 21-year-old, who has also confessed on videotape, received this impassioned defense from his mother: "He was a typical boy. He didn't have murderous thoughts. If he had those thoughts, don't you think he would have come to his mother?" Don't answer that. [Camden Courier-Post]
• In the continuing Week of Weird School News, Newtown Elementary School was closed today because 190 kids had been sickened with a stomach virus. The outbreak started Wednesday, coincidentally the same day as the "mystery toxic sludge lunch." [KYW 1060]
• Police were called to a meat packing plant in Souderton after there was a work stoppage after employees were upset about bonuses being delayed. The bonuses, of course, were for the company's championship football team that defeated the Pottsville Maroons last weekend. [AP/6 ABC]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:38 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
December 05, 2006
North Philly Residents Rush To See Crap
Yesterday was the grand opening of developer and
Joey Sweeney patron -- that's a
joke, people -- Bart Blatstein's new Avenue North complex in North Philly.
Although there are drawbacks -- "It's definitely going to bring a lot more people. A lot more traffic. I'm definitely going to have to use the crosswalk rather than jaywalking," Stanley Daniel told Metro -- the benefits of the retail/student housing project on Broad Street inbetween Oxford and Cecil B. Moore seem to outweigh having to cross the street at the light.
There $100 mil project features 1,200 student housing units, 20 retail spaces -- Qdoba! Foot Locker! Bank of America! -- and, best of all, a movie theater. Although Blatstein's company also built Riverview, The Worst Movie Theater In The City™, prospects are a little better for the Pearl.
But although you can put a $100 million dollar complex in North Philly, you can't buy taste. Just ask our friend Daniel:
With the gala red carpet opening for the first movie theater in North Philadelphia to open in 60 years going on across the street, Stanley Daniel was trying to get movie times. “Is the new ‘Van Wilder’ playing here?” he asked, while the well-dressed patrons inside ate popcorn and hors d’oeuvres at the opening of the Pearl Theatre at the new Avenue North complex on Broad Street last night.
Unfortunately, The Pearl isn't playing National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj. But the dollar movies running right now aren't so bad: They have Invincible!
Theater of engagement [Metro]
Posted by D-Mac at 10:39 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack (0)
October 30, 2006
Leftovers: Party On North Broad
• Fight on, Temple! The Owls
ended their 20-game losing streak Saturday with a 28-14 win over Bowling Green. (The Falcons, naturally, beat them 70-7 last year.) Could a bowl game be next? Uh, no, but this guarantees a few more "Golden Age of Temple Football" billboards on I-95 next year. And, for Temple, a win is a golden age. [Inquirer]
• Oh, yeah, if you're wondering, apparently Temple football fans can hold a grudge about being called a crappy football team for a long, long time. [Temple Football Forever]
• Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the first city to pass an anti-illegal immigrant ordinance in America, is now suffering from businesses closing (in the Hispanic business district) and such. But the mayor sympathizes with the business owners, so, y'know. [Inquirer]
• As much as I hate podcasts, there's a new podcast up on SoundAboutPhilly by the always-entertaining Once Upon A Nation people. Play it for your out-of-town friends. [SoundAboutPhilly]
• A former Republican staffer in Bucks County claims he was fired after criticizing an email sent by GOP supervisor Fred Gold. The email featured a topless woman promotion "Breast Appreciation Day" -- ho ho -- and a sentence saying, "Beats the shit out of Martin Luther King Day, doesn't it?” Gee, this ex-GOP staffer should learn that sexual correspondence over the Internet is part of the Republican party's platform. [Bucks County Courier Times]
Posted by D-Mac at 04:10 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
October 24, 2006
Leftovers: Then Again, It Was Only Tampa
• You'll be happy to know that, after his 62-yard game winner yesterday, Tampa's mayor proclaimed yesterday Matt Bryant Day in honor of the Bucs kicker. Just wait. If an Eagles kicker ever hits a 65-yarder, I bet he'll get a whole week in his honor. [Bucs Report]
• New Temple (and ex-Penn) coach Fran Dunphy has his players doing yoga in preseason, in addition to joining in himself in the stretching. Oh, now that's a scene we all need to see. [CSTV Slog]
• Here's some kickass YouTube footage of 'XPN's Top 10 artists of all time. The list, unfortunately, is about as predictable as you expected it to be. [All About The Music via Phillyist]
• Our city: A paucity of green roofs. Oh, come on, you're not surprised. [The Illadelph]
Posted by D-Mac at 04:20 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
October 23, 2006
'Metro' Debate Style: Obamarama!
As part of its goal to make every single person interviewed in Today's Debate
a student at Temple University,
Metro today interviews three more Temple kids.
Metro asks them about Barack Obama, who spoke at Temple Saturday, presumably the day after these three were interviewed. (Obama's speech at Temple didn't stop the man in the middle from sounding like he doesn't know who he is.)
The responses? Eh, pretty normal. Good for the Temple kids. (They're learning.) Now let's look at what they're wearing.
• Cody Glenn: Cody must have just hopped on the time machine from 1992, since he's wearing what appears to be a Chicago Bulls pullover hoodie. Well, okay, 1997, because if it was 1992, it'd be a Starter jacket.
• Mike Korostelev: My God! Not only is he approximately 50 percent bigger than the rest of the interviewees, Mike Korostelev is rocking the look! He has a stylin' leather jacket, uh, a sweater/shirt of some kind under it and what appears to be the makings of a beehive/mullet combination. Also, he may be I Love The [Whatever]'s Hal Sparks trying out a character or something.
• Steve Wood: He bought that sweatshirt at the school bookstore. (No, really, he probably did. Sorry it came out all sarcastic-like. Geeze.)
Sen. Obama gets a rock-star reception in Phila. [Inquirer]
Archives: Metro Debate Style
Posted by D-Mac at 02:19 PM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack (0)
September 26, 2006
Best Gay Porn Headline Of The Day
I don't know about you guys, but I prefer my manhole to be as fury-free as possible.
Manholes of fury [Temple News]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:05 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack (0)
