ICYMI in October: The Eagles' little big man, a monster mashup and an early morning search for waves
by PhillyVoice Staff
After hosting Pope Francis and The World Meeting of Families over the final weekend of September, the city of Philadelphia took a deep breath and returned to a sense of normalcy, which meant the spotlight turned back on the city, its surrounding suburbs and the people who make up our diverse neighborhoods.
In October, we met a unique couple who teach yoga to the homeless and the Montco man who was the architect of Tractorgate, discovered what drives the Eagles' little big man and literally walked down the side of a building in the name of Philadelphia school kids.
And we -- along with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame -- learned that Temple football was indeed for real.
Here is a sampling of some of October's must-read stories at PhillyVoice:
Darren Sproles used to be ridiculed. By kids in his grade school. By ignorant teachers who didn’t understand or never bothered to look past a struggle he waged through much of his formative years. Words came out of Darren Sproles’ mouth in halting starts and stops, sometimes so forced his face would twitch, which incurred the wrath of children too young to comprehend. So he learned to stay quiet and not say much at all. The stutter is a part of him, in addition to his size, and why he carries a Grand Canyonesque-chip on his massive shoulders. It’s what makes Darren Sproles who he is and it’s a reason why he’s endured for so long as one of the greatest return men in NFL history, tied for eighth all-time with six punt return touchdowns, three of them with the Eagles. It’s a reason why Chip Kelly always notes Sproles runs out everything in practice, why he’s all-go and no-stop.
Travis Skidmore is an avid Philadelphia bicyclist who bikes anywhere and everywhere – from the grocery store to the library – sometimes with a kid or two strapped into accompanying seats. Yet, as Skidmore bikes throughout the city, he says he “constantly” must swerve around vehicles parked in lanes reserved for bicycle traffic. Not only do the blocked lanes present an inconvenience, but bicyclists say they also constitute a public safety issue. And it’s an issue bikers say the city must better enforce as Philadelphia aims to become more bicycle-friendly.
Yoga class is ended with the calming Shavasana pose. (Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice)
Inside the cucumber-green studio of Roots Yoga, students -- many of them homeless -- rise to their feet and balance on one foot, with at least one starting to tilt and ease into a tip-over. Instructor Erik Burling takes notice and ushers in what appears to be the theme of this afternoon's session. It's not so much posed as a literal request but rather inserted as a thought for later mulling. Bernise, the woman nearing a fall, responds with an ear-to-ear grin and continues on with her pose. She doesn't fall.
In the second quarter of the Eagles-Giants game Monday night, Oct. 19, Eli Manning made what looked like a terrible throw to the outside that was picked off by Nolan Carroll and returned for a touchdown. Carroll's play made the score 14-7, and the Eagles never looked back. However, it was less of a dumb throw by Manning and more of a great play call from Billy Davis, executed to perfection by the Eagles defense.
In the grand hall of the Mutter Museum, a bustling crowd of death enthusiasts gathered to hear talks by medical examiners, morticians and other professionals who come face-to-face with human mortality on a daily basis. This macabre-sounding gathering was the fifth incarnation of Death Salon, a symposium that encourages open conversations about death, mortality and mourning. Needless to say, the event was a unique experience that hovered somewhere between science and art. I left Death Salon having learned more about the science of death than I ever knew to ask, including how "CSI" differs from real life, why some cultures keep mummies of loved ones in the house and how to test if your book is bound in human skin.
Two words: Prosthetic. Boils. For Casey Paul, special FX makeup artist at Eastern State Penitentiary, this gruesome phrase is just part of her everyday vocabulary. As one of the 14 makeup artists at Terror Behind the Walls, the historic site's seasonal fright fest, Paul spends each October turning actors into monsters, ghoulish clowns and zombies. Together, the elite team creates over 200 creepy creatures in under three hours and sends them out onto the site's 11 acres to scare the pants off visitors almost every night.
In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Notre Dame's Will Fuller makes a diving grab on a pass from DeShone Kizer during the second half of a game against Massachusetts in South Bend, Ind. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
It wasn’t anything big, just a side conclave Brian Kelly felt compelled to have with his “Philly guys.” The Notre Dame head coach wanted to speak to them about Saturday night, Oct. 31, knowing full well it wouldn’t be an “away game” for Will Fuller, Mike McGlinchey and Josh Adams when they stepped onto Lincoln Financial Field to play No. 21 Temple on national TV. For anyone else on No. 9 Notre Dame, it could be defined as an away game, although the sold-out Linc would probably be filled with screaming Fighting Irish fans. For Fuller, a Roman Catholic grad; McGlinchey, out of Penn Charter; and Adams, from Central Bucks South, it marked a homecoming.
Christopher Malloy is not a big fan of nanny bureaucrats, especially when it comes to his kids. He has a history of pushing back when it comes to weighing common sense against rules he questions, which pretty much explains how a two-block ride he took on a suburban sidewalk to pick up two of his daughters and then ferry them home from Fort Washington Elementary School has grown into Tractorgate since it happened on Oct. 5. It seems the bureaucrats have won.
Manayunk resident Lance Loethen peels himself out of bed at 4 a.m., loads the car in the dark and drives an hour directly southeast across New Jersey -- all in an effort to catch a few waves before getting to work. Loethen, a 41-year-old researcher for a nonprofit, has lived in Philadelphia for 12 years. And though he’s fairly new to surfing, his dedication proves evident in his die-hard surfing routine. Loethen has made dozens of round-trip surfing trips to the Jersey Shore over the past two years, many of them on weekdays before he arrives at his Philly office, typically around mid-morning.
Sam Bradford has been rather ordinary in his first season with the Eagles. But you shouldn’t be surprised. He’s played up to his underwhelming career numbers. For those of you thinking the Eagles were getting the record-setting Heisman Trophy winner from his college days, think again. To borrow a line: He is who we thought he was.
The instructors, as helpful as ever, eased me off the ledge, and I stepped back into empty air. The harness held my weight and I began a slow, careful descent along the edge of the building. Oct. 22 was media day for the Building Adventure fundraising event put on by the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. Looking around, I felt tense at times. Buildings that seem so large from the street shrunk into railroad models at this height. I had just been outside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for the pope's visit, and now its green-hued dome looked minuscule over my shoulder. I stepped back, lowering slowly, and smiled at a sign posted behind the glass my sneakers were softly scuffling against – "Floor 25, Smile and Wave," it read.
As an adult and parent witnessing the severe consequences of a world often intolerant of differing faiths (“the others”), I believe it’s become extremely important to raise children who are independent thinkers capable of being tolerant of others’ beliefs and perspectives. I NEVER want my children to miss out on the blessing of learning from someone who doesn’t think or believe as they do.
After his 26-point effort on Wednesday night, Oct. 28, in Boston, Jahlil Okafor had his performance compared to some of the greatest NBA debuts of all-time. Unfortunately, for the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, they weren’t rookies during a time when technology allowed their fathers to talk smack for the whole world to see. What a time to be alive.
Polites Florist is the oldest store on Garrett Road, a spoke of Upper Darby’s downtown commercial hub that represents the awesome diversity of Delaware County’s largest municipality. The ethnic businesses have moved in as the Upper Darby neighborhoods closest to Philadelphia have diversified since the beginning of the 1990s, a shift that prompted an exodus of older, white-owned businesses and residents. The township went from a white population of 92.5 percent in 1990 to 56.6 percent, the 2010 census shows. The Garrett Road commercial strip has been entirely transformed in that time, with one exception – Polites Florist.
Leaf-peeping season is upon us, and bartenders are updating their drink lists. Here's a sampling of local cocktails to toast the arrival of sweater weather.