The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from October 2007

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from October 2007

Hybrid systems bring cell phones home.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Cell phone enhancements from GE, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel. Are you one of those people who feels the pain every month when paying for both home and mobile phone services? Do you get annoyed...

Philadelphia Daily News Bill Conlin column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bill Conlin Oct. 1--Dan Baker was announcing the Phillies' starting lineup and the Marlins had five runs. When the ballclub's longtime PA voice got to "Greg Dobbs, third base," in the jammed Money Pit, Mets manager Willie Randolph...

A very neat idea.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Leigh Zaleski Oct. 1--Horns honked and residents cheered as the caravan made a right turn onto the 5600 block of Ormes Street in Olney. Freshly manicured lawns lined a trash-free street, as neighbors excitedly greeted several...

Philadelphia Daily News Tattle column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Howard Gensler Oct. 1--David Hans Schmidt, who became a tabloid fixture in recent years as a purveyor of celebrity smut, was found dead in his Phoenix home Friday, a probable suicide. Schmidt had recently agreed to plead guilty...

Philadelphia Daily News Dan Gross column.(Column)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Dan Gross Oct. 1--Jerry Seinfeld's met some obsessive "Seinfeld" fans before, but when we shared the obscurity level of some of the questions from the "Seinfeld" Trivia events we host, he got scared. "So you're the guy who's...

S Kennel: Danger zone.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Dana Difilippo Oct. 1--Far away from the Pennsylvania SPCA's adoption kennels, where tail-wagging, tongue-lolling dogs gaze imploringly and adorably at visitors in hopes of getting a new owner -- or at least a scratch behind the...

Sacks Fifth Avenue.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Les Bowen Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- OK, maybe a win was a lot to ask, with no Brian Westbrook, no William "Tra" Thomas, no Brian Dawkins, no L.J. Smith, no Lito Sheppard and no pretty powder blue and yellow uniforms, as the...

Philadelphia Daily News Ed Moran column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Oct. 1--Probably the most interesting comment about Steve Downie and the hit he put on Dean McAmmond came from the injured center's coach. "I think for the good of Steve Downie, he needs to be suspended for a long...

Sharon Hill firefighter dies.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Stephanie Farr Oct. 1--Volunteer firefighter Michael Reagan always wanted a tattoo, but he never could decide what to get. The 19-year-old seemed to have decades left to make that decision. But on Saturday, Rea-gan, a member of...

You call this Justice?
October 1, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Lost in the citywide Kumbaya surrounding Jeff Garcia last season and the false sense of security brought along by the Detroit Lions last week was perhaps the most significant...

DeLucas shows mettle for Wood.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Ted Silary Oct. 1--What's a modern football player to do while killin' time on a L-O-N-G bus ride from Warminster to Yeadon? Click on his iPod, of course. It's a shame Bob DeLucas is not standing in front of you. If so,...

Looking back, this sack record could leave a nasty scab.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Eagles' record book, rewritten in a good way last week against the Detroit Lions, took a beating last night when it came to the subject of sacks. The club record for sacks...

Philadelphia Daily News John Baer column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: John Baer Oct. 1--I laughed out loud at a press release from Philly Congressman Bob Brady. Government sure can be entertaining. Brady is newly raised (last May) to chairman of the Committee on House Administration, a total plum...

Philadelphia Daily News John Smallwood column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Paul Domowitch Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If you'd care to look on the bright side, the Phillies were in much more dire straits when they trailed the New York Mets by seven games with 17 remaining. Look where they are...

Free Library now equals free wireless.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jenna Oskowitz Oct. 1--The Free Library of Philadelphia will offer free wireless access to the Internet at each of its 53 branches, the library will announce today. That's right, free access. Better yet, the free hot spots will...

Shea it isn't so: Glavine, Mets fall apart.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Oct. 1--NEW YORK -- In the bottom of the first inning, a few Mets fans were chanting: "Let's go Washington." In a 28-minute, 52-pitch, top-of-the-first fiasco, a microcosm of all that had gone wrong for the Mets as...

Philadelphia Daily News Mike Kern column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Oct. 1--PLAYERS OF THE WEEKEND National True freshman Wes Byrum kicked a 43-yard field goal not once but twice (thanks to a late timeout called by Florida coach Urban Meyer) as time expired to give visiting...

Philadelphia Daily News Paul Domowitch column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Paul Domowitch Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- When you're playing without five starters like the Eagles were last night, there are some things you can't do if you hope to have any chance of winning. One, of course, is give up...

'The type of team Philadelphia loves'.
October 1, 2007... Byline: John Kopp Oct. 1--Brett Myers squatted to the ground, hurled his glove into the air and gave a double fist pump seconds before Pat Burrell pummeled him in celebration. That moment will forever be etched in the minds of the...

Die-hards savor their sweet reward.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Damon C. Williams Oct. 1--Muted optimism gave way to borderline hysteria in South Philly yesterday when jubilant Phillies fans poured into the streets of South Philadelphia after their beleaguered team clinched the National League...

It was all perfect timing.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Ed Barkowitz Oct. 1--If you were looking for good omens, there were plenty to be found. The weather was perfect. The veteran lefthander and hometown favorite was on the mound. And for a game in South Philly, could there be a...

For Gillick, playoffs a perfect ending.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen Oct. 1--Through all the cold and empty Octobers, autumns without postseason baseball to warm the civic soul, there was one constant. Phillies players, coaches and managers came and went. But as time passed and...

Mets' Wagner praises Manuel, says Phillies were better team.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Oct. 1--NEW YORK -- After the 2005 season, Billy Wagner had a decision to make -- stay with the Phillies or go to the Mets. There was more money with a longer contract in New York. There was, it appeared, a better...

Playoff-bound Manuel gets the last laugh.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Oct. 1--Usually, when Charlie Manuel struggles up the steps of the home dugout at Citizens Bank Park, boos and catcalls greet him. His heritage is derided; his accent, mocked; his baseball acumen, slurred. ...

Victory triggers sidewalk yelps & autos become glee-mobiles.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Christine Olley and Jenna Oskowi Oct. 1--Almost every car that went through the intersection of Cottman and Frankford avenues last evening beeped its horn, waved a Phillies flag or just plain yelled out the window -- making the...

Never in drought.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Oct. 1--"I think we are the team to beat in the NL East -- finally. But, that's only on paper." -- Jimmy Rollins, Jan. 23, Citizens Bank Park Diamond Club, perched on a stool, incredulous faces around him. ...

GA's Marko sets rushing record.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Ted Silary Oct. 1--A guy who won't be playing football much longer certainly knows how to leave a Marko. The city record for one-game rushing yards used to be 399, thanks to the performance by Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley (now at...

Philadelphia Daily News Rich Hofmann column.(Column)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann Oct. 1--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Life without Brian is a meager existence, unless you like sacks and punts. It is an unimaginable life for the Eagles' offense. For two seasons, at least, Brian Westbrook has been the...

Philadelphia Daily News Sam Donnellon column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Sam Donnellon Oct. 1--IT WAS about 5:30 yesterday afternoon when Jamie Moyer stopped answering questions long enough to notice the Phillies' clubhouse had emptied. "Where is everyone?" he asked. "Out on the field, pouring...

Kevin Truluck, 'Identity Theft King'.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Kitty Caparella Oct. 1--Kevin Truluck, dubbed the "Identity Theft King" after scamming victims in the Camden-Philadelphia area for 22 years, died of cancer Sept. 17 at the Federal Prison Hospital in Butner, N.C. The 51-year-old...

Philadelphia Daily News Stu Bykofsky column.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Stu Bykofsky Oct. 1--I'll show you mine if you show me yours. (No, not that.) I mean the real-estate tax reassessment that 413,000 Philadelphia property owners received in the mail over the past few weeks from the Board of...

More workouts, less ice cream helped drive marathon man Rollins.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Steve King PHILADELPHIA _ Before the Philadelphia Phillies beat out their bitter rival New York Mets for the National League East championship, a mountain of questions surrounded Jimmy Rollins. How dare he say the Phillies, who...

'We'll never be the same'.
October 2, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta Oct. 2--NICKEL MINES, Pa. -- It is so quiet here now, a year after the massacre. The one-room stucco schoolhouse that became instantly recognized around the world is gone, replaced by a lonely field of grass...

Philadelphia Daily News Bernard Fernandez column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Bernard Fernandez Oct. 2--Promoter J Russell Peltz had to stop and think when I asked him to name the last fighter he had who possessed the lightning-bolt knockout power of North Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones. "I don't...

BRIEF: Proceeds from Birds' hat sales will help fight breast cancer.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Oct. 2--October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And once again, the Eagles are partnering with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to do their part. Yesterday the team unveiled four hats (pink, pink ribbon, pink...

CORRECTION: BRIEF: Golf open to aid students.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Damon C. Williams Oct. 2--The Philadelphia Daily News story slugged PD-BRF-GOLF-EDUCATION-FUNDRAISER-20071002, moved by McClatchy-Tribune Regional News for Oct. 2, gave the incorrect date for a golf tournament. Please kill or...

The Boss leads torrent of albums from male musicians.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Oct. 2--Last week, our attention was drawn to new CD releases by femmes. This week, let's hear it for the boys, starting with the Boss. BRUCE IN THE HOUSE: Three swords pierce a heart in the label decoration...

Philadelphia Daily News Dan Gross column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Dan Gross Oct. 2--Gov. Rendell, an honorary chairman of Friday's 18th Annual Jerry Segal Classic, auctioned off something that doesn't exist just yet at the golf outing, which raised more than $1 million for the Magee...

Reid wants players to bye into a winning attitude.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Oct. 2--Everyone knows the Eagles under Andy Reid have had their share of problems in openers, and in games the week before a bye. As they say, you can look it up. But likewise, Big Red's guys have never lost after having...

Veteran defenseman Gauthier a victim of salary cap.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Oct. 2--Denis Gauthier did everything he could to get himself physically ready to compete for a spot on the Flyers this season. But there was nothing he could do about the fact that he made more than the Flyers could...

Michigan used ineligible player vs. Nits.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Bernard Fernandez Oct. 2--Michigan athletic director Bill Martin has confirmed that the Wolverines used an ineligible freshman safety, Artis Chambers, for a handful of plays in a 14-9 victory over visiting Penn State on Sept. 22....

CORRECTION: Philadelphia Daily News Jenice Armstrong column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Jenice Armstrong Oct. 2--The Philadelphia Daily News story slugged PD-JENICE-ARMSTRONG-COL-20071002, moved by McClatchy-Tribune Regional News for Oct. 2, misidentified Mark Walker, the managing partner of Cleary Gottlieb Steen &...

Philadelphia Daily News Les Bowen column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Les Bowen Oct. 2--The Eagles love to talk about spreading the ball around, about being able to adapt to what the defense gives them with a group of offensive weapons -- several unremarkable but solid players, any one of whom can...

Cycle-repairman: I bought meth from Breed.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Kitty Caparella Oct. 2--A motorcycle-repair-shop owner who has turned informant testified yesterday that he bought methamphetamine numerous times from members of the Pennsylvania Breed Outlaw Motorcycle Club for a state drug probe...

Juan Avila, musician, songwriter.
October 2, 2007... Byline: John F. Morrison Oct. 2--Only someone like Juan Avila could hit upon the idea of getting his songwriting students to plant sunflowers, nurture their growth and then write songs about them. That kind of imaginative approach to...

Gymmy Rollins.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Steve King Oct. 2--Before the Phillies beat out their bitter rival Mets for the National League East championship, a mountain of questions surrounded Jimmy Rollins. How dare he say the Phillies, who hadn't made the playoffs in...

Fans cheer Phils.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Dafney Tales Oct. 2--Chris Sack weaved in and out of the crowd of frenzied Phils fans yesterday, trying not to poke anyone with his furry Phanatic's hat while keeping an eye on second baseman Chase Utley on stage. The noise...

Relief was the Phillies' savior.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen Oct. 2--Sometimes, in this statistics-driven era of baseball, pitching seems to be as regulated as the nuclear industry. The number of pitches thrown every day are counted. And then counted again, just to be sure. Once a...

Philadelphia Daily News Rich Hofmann column.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann Oct. 2--DENVER -- As 3 hours turned into 4, as nine innings turned into 13, you knew that the ending was going to be awful for somebody. That was a given. And when the San Diego Padres' Scott Hairston hit a two-run...

Philadelphia Daily News Ronnie Polaneczky column.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Ronnie Polaneczky Oct. 2--I feel like an idiot every time I try to make heads or tails of the dispute going on between the Point Breeze Performing Arts Center and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. I go through the invoices...

Rudy stops by Philly for a cheesesteak & conversation (in English).
October 2, 2007... Byline: Catherine Lucey Oct. 2--Leading Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani stopped off last night at Geno's Steaks, the South Philly cheesesteak stand that has drawn national attention for its English-only ordering policy. ...

Philadelphia Daily News Sam Donnellon column.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Sam Donnellon Oct. 2--Mickey Morandini was in a car heading for the noontime pep rally. In Chicago. For the Cubs. "What do you think?" he asked. "Should I wear my Phillies gear?" Around the country, amid the...

Cops identify suspect in shooting of Haver's son.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Dan Geringer Oct. 2--Philadelphia police issued an arrest warrant yesterday for Tyree Bohannon in the shooting of Daren Dieter, 24, that left the son of mayoral consumer advocate Lance Haver paralyzed from the neck down and unable...

Iguodala ready to take charge of his team.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Phil Jasner Oct. 2--DURHAM, N.C. -- It is a mantel of leadership, responsibility and authority. There is one tucked away in every team's wardrobe closet. Not everyone can drape it over his shoulders. For some, it fits perfectly the...

Philadelphia Daily News Stan Hochman column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Stan Hochman Oct. 2--1964? Fuggedaboutit! Please, no more questions about why Gene Mauch pitched Jim Bunning and Chris Short on short rest, about why he didn't pitch Ray Culp for 36 days, why he yanked Jack Baldschun, his closer,...

Philadelphia Daily News Tattle column.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Howard Gensler Oct. 2--CALIFORNIA Superior Court Judge Scott M. Gordon ruled yesterday that Britney Spears really is "Toxic." He ordered her to surrender custody of her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline. That's his...

Teachers added, shuffled.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Oct. 2--Overcrowded Philadelphia classrooms are a thing of the past -- at least on paper. School district officials said yesterday that based on student-enrollment numbers, they've determined that 92.5 additional...

Philadelphia Daily News Ted Silary column.(Column)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Ted Silary Oct. 2--Passing along some city high school football tidbits . . . It was not until Saturday that Ryan Golin, a 6-1, 175-pound junior, learned exactly how well he'd played wide receiver Friday night. Daily News...

Donna Riddick-Rosser, 67, devoted to children.
October 2, 2007... Byline: John F. Morrison Oct. 2--Donna Riddick-Rosser devoted her life to caring for others, especially children. There were, first of all, her own six children, and then there were her children's friends, most of whom looked upon her...

Rested Hamels ready to strike in playoffs.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ San Diego's Jake Peavy won 19 games this season and is going to win the Cy Young award, but he was just the latest victim of what has been a truly remarkable run into the postseason by the Colorado...

Allen Iverson talks about the night he met fans by accident.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Phil Jasner DURHAM, N.C. _ The college student was driving on Interstate 64 from Newport News to Hampton, Va. It was after midnight, and Eileen Mellon was reaching toward the cup slot to her right, where she had tucked away her...

This Rockies skipper has managed to clear lots of hurdles.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Sam Donnellon BOSTON _ The manager likes to say he is along for the ride. The truth is, the ride has been his personal uncanny metaphor. However this World Series ends, whether by the lopsided football scores of Game 1 or the...

It's much closer, but Red Sox leave Rockies on the short end again.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen BOSTON _ When the Colorado Rockies got clobbered in the World Series opener, they comforted themselves with the knowledge that, no matter how badly they had been pummeled, it still only counted as one loss. The...

Boston College QB Ryan leads frantic charge in win over Hokies.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes BLACKSBURG, Va. _ This is how Heisman Trophies get won. This is how quarterbacks without mega cannons on their shoulders or wings on their feet make millions in the NFL. This is how national championships get...

Top picks not playing up to expectations.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Bob Cooney PHILADELPHIA _ As we fill in for colleague Ed Barkowitz to give you this week's fantasy football column, we've noticed a disturbing trend from your normal fantasy writer, who is on assignment (in Florida, da bum). ...

No time to waste on fixing what's wrong with Eagles.
October 25, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ It's not a lack of urgency from the Eagles. Head coach Andy Reid said his players have faced "the reality of their record." Still, for some reason, you get the feeling that the people at the...

Handicapping the Breeders' Cup races.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi OCEANPORT, N.J. _ Where and how you bet your money is as important as what you know about the races. The 11 Breeders' Cup races at Monmouth Park offer so many possibilities and so many potential pitfalls that creating...

Hold them is the name of the game in the NFL.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann "An offensive player is permitted to block an opponent by contacting him with his head, shoulders, hands, and/or outer surface of the forearm, or with any other part of his body. A blocker may use his arms, or open or...

Goodell says he's not out to erase Patriots episode.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ Probably because he's not a lawyer, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has acted with amazing swiftness in addressing many of the league's issues during his first year-and-change as its czar. But a...

Quilts in memory of Alzheimer's toll.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Jenna Oskowitz Oct. 26--For the last 20 years, Carmen Serrano has spent every day at her mother's side. As time passed, her mother, Ines Calero, stopped calling Serrano by her first name and began calling her "Momma." Calero...

Visiting jailed client, lawyer had coke vial.
October 26, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta Oct. 26--Defense attorney D. Scott Perrine paid a visit to a Northeast Philadelphia prison on Wednesday and ended up behind bars himself when guards found a small amount of cocaine in his briefcase. ...

Local bakeries win right to use trans fats.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Mark McDonald Oct. 26--Score one for the mom-and-pop bakeries that want to turn out trans-fat-laden pound cakes and cannolis. City Council, in a 16-to-1 vote yesterday, exempted the small businesses from the city's relatively new...

Teen gets 3-to-8: in '06 slaying.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Julie Shaw Oct. 26--The mother of a Fairmount teen shot to death last year after six North Philadelphia boys came to her neighborhood to rob white people sobbed uncontrollably in court yesterday. Patricia Rounds, mother of...

Philadelphia Daily News Dick Jerardi column: Dick Jerardi / Bettor chance to win.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Oct. 26--OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Where and how you bet your money is as important as what you know about the races. The 11 Breeders' Cup races at Monmouth Park offer so many possibilities and so many potential pitfalls that...

Casino files suit on zoning: SugarHouse anxious to start building.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Chris Brennan Oct. 26--THE OWNERS of the proposed SugarHouse casino yesterday asked the state Supreme Court to force City Council to push through zoning legislation to let them start construction. Gov. Rendell and Mayor Street...

90-year-old dies from Sept. injuries.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Dana Difilippo and Damon C. Williams Oct. 26--It was a savage attack that put 90-year-old Alice Thurnau in the hospital on Sept. 20 with a broken hip, fractured jaw and several broken ribs. Thurnau died from her injuries on...

House burned, she won't move away.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Dana Difilippo Oct. 26--A day after her daughter and granddaughter perished in a blaze that gutted their South Philadelphia rowhouse, Rita Erspamer has been flooded with offers of help. The Red Cross promised to pay for housing...

He's charged with advertising for kid porn.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Oct. 26--A twice-convicted Philadelphia sex offender was charged by a federal grand jury yesterday with advertising child pornography. Robert P. Merz, 43, of Agate Street near Allegheny Avenue, was arrested by...

N.C. woman admits 400G scam of QVC.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Oct. 26--A North Carolina woman pleaded guilty in federal court here yesterday to scamming QVC, the West Chester-based home-shopping network, out of more than $412,000. Authorities said Quantina Moore-Perry,...

Philadelphia Daily News Dan Gross column: Dan Gross / Pity the grief-driven comedy.(Column)
October 26, 2007... Byline: Dan Gross Oct. 26--"Dan in Real Life" is billed as a comedy, but it struck me as more of a horror movie. It's about a widower (Steve Carell) who relocates with his three motherless girls to what appears to be a concentration...

Young Owls looking to surprise people.
October 26, 2007... Byline: John Kopp Oct. 26--ATLANTIC CITY -- The Temple women's basketball team wasn't picked to win the Atlantic 10 Conference, but that's the scenario coach Dawn Staley prefers. "Although we're young, I think we'll surprise a lot of...

LATE-BREAKING OOHS: Boston College quarterback Ryan leads frantic charge to win over Hokies.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Oct. 26--BLACKSBURG, Va. -- This is how Heisman Trophies get won. This is how quarterbacks without mega cannons on their shoulders or wings on their feet make millions in the NFL. This is how national...

PULLING OUT STOPS: Birds' improved run defense faces tough test vs. Vikings.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Les Bowen Oct. 26--IF YOU'RE the Eagles' defense, and you're getting ready to face a really good running back, you know the questions are coming. Six games into the season, you are ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing defense,...

As we'll soon see, Coors Field is no Fenway Park.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen Oct. 26--BOSTON -- To paraphrase an old line, Fenway Park and Coors Field look exactly the same . . . if you stand at home plate and look straight down. A lot more than time zones will change when the World Series...