Philly Chit Chat

I’m not much into sports, but I am into celebrity events, and in Philly our celebrities tend to be sports figures, weather women and Piere Robert. SO today when I read they were going to have a Rally for the Phillies for winning the NL Championship, I went over to check out the celebrity part of the event. ‘Cause it’s my job, and it helps to pay the bills, I knew just where to stand to get a few candid shots; the “Stage Door”, or in this case where the buses let the players off. There were more than two dozen people, guys mostly, standing there waiting for their hometown heros. Even though the crowd screamed their names, they didn’t bother to look our way, which I thought was really rude, especially since I was looking for my “money shots.”Finally this guy Aaron Rowand signs for a phan, and in a flash one of the coaches tells him to get back in line, and not to do that again. It was rather bizarre since he was here to celebrate with the fans, but that would explain why the guys were ignoring us on the side. I did manage to squeeze off a few good shots.Jayson Werth (Thanks to everyone who email me the correct names & spellings of the players)

Pat Burrell
Shane Victorino

Werth captures the moment with his video cameraCarlos RuizShortstop Jimmy Rollins and #4

Brett Meyers makes a hasty exit after the rally ends

Aaron RowandHarry Kalas The Rally
Looking towards Love Park (The fountain is pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month) The pig gave a few hotdogs out during the rally; they were good, but he didn’t have any mustard.

The Phanatic waves to his blown up self
All in all it was a great rally, a record breaker I hear. GO PHILLIES!!! I want a day off from work!! (If you lift my photos, I would appreciate a photo credit: HughE Dillon or reference back to this page: http://www.phillychitchat.com/ Thanks!!

Today a photo I took is in the:

The Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday September 30, 2007
Inqlings Michael Klein HUGHE DILLON / For The Inquirer
And a Sixx back to go: Melinda Kleir is inked by book-touring rocker Nikki Sixx at Center City’s Borders.Check out: http://www.confessionsofapaparazzi.com/ for the whole story

http://www.libertymedal.org/ for the Live Webcast Tonight at 7PM!!!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESS AT 2007 LIBERTY MEDAL CEREMONY
AT THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER (Bono & DATA)
Thank you for requesting 2007 Liberty Medal press credentials. Your application has been approved for coverage of the ceremony at the National Constitution Center. This email has important information about the day of the event, so please review it carefully.
Press check-in and security screenings will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the corner of 6th and Arch Streets. You must bring a photo ID. The name on the credential application and the photo ID must match or you will not be admitted. There will be no on-site credentialing. There will be a maximum of one reporter and one photographer per outlet admitted on the day of the event.
At check-in, you will receive a press packet. Media escorts will show you the way to the main press platform, where you will receive a box dinner, courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. All media, with the exception of 6abc and one Reuters photographer, will be located at the main press platform located right of center, about 85 feet from the stage. SECRET SERVICEyes Secret Service prohibits anyone from moving in or out of this area during the ceremony. 6abc will allow other stations to plug into a clean feed of the center camera (also 85 feet from the stage [can you say bring the long lense!!]),up to five minutes of which is useable after the ceremony. Reuters will also pool photos taken from the center platform.
A press Q&A session with Jamie Drummond, Executive Director of DATA, and National Constitution Center President and CEO Joseph M. Torsella will take place at the main press platform at 4:30 p.m. All press should be in place for the ceremony by 6:45 p.m. Following the ceremony, press may file in Delegates’ Restaurant from 8:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Internet access and network lines (no wireless) will be available to you at this location.
Please be advised that you will not be allowed to bring food (other than the box dinner supplied to you at the press platform), cans, bottles, chairs, or umbrellas (what about Ladders? Really I’m short I like to shoot from a ladder). Water will be provided to you at the main press platform. (Not if I can’t go to the bathroom for 4 hrs!)

IF YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN A BLOOD SAMPLE, PASSED THE LIE DETECTOR TEST OR HAD THE SECRET SERVICE VISIT YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, THEN put on your finest U2 concert shirt, settle down in front of your computer and watch the LIVE WEBCAST WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH as BONO and DATA are honored with the National Constitution Center’s 2007 with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal http://www.libertymedal.org/ YOU WILL HAVE THE BEST VIEW IN THE HOUSE, you might even be able to see the pores on Bono’s face, because I won’t, the longest lense I have is 300MM and that is not gonna get me a close up or a money shot!

I don;t want to ruin my City Hall William Penn Scaffolding essay of time lapse photos, but I have never been one to keep a secret or wait for the punch line. I have been snapping the scaffolding project since it began a week ago or so, and here we are at Day 8: I like to call this shot “Something Old, Something New”)

These guys are not harnessed to anything. Just walking around freely with not strings attached!

Yesterday I was in NYC for Broadway Cares Flea Market www.confessionsofapaparazzi.com

Dear Loyal Customer:

Robin’s Book Store will be closing the 1837 Chestnut St. store and moving operations to the second floor of our main store at 13th & Sansom Streets.
While it saddens me to be closing after 32 years, this is not a retreat. Our purpose is to consolidate, improve and expand our services and to remain a successful independent bookstore for many years to come.
……..
Week of Sept. 17th – 80% off list price (50% off sale prices)
Doors will close for good September 28, 2007

Paul Hogan
Manager
Robin’s Book Store

ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio stopped by Borders after the Eagles embarrasing loss on Monday night. Although the conversation was interesting, I would have like to heard what he thought had he known about the HBO interview McNabb did a few weeks back where he said Black Quarterbackers get treated worse than white ones. Well I say anyone that makes $5 million+ bucks a year is doing half bad for themselves and should just suck it up and take some responsibility for playing a lousy game.

Paolantonio said in the Q&A part of the signing, that if he had to rewrite the book he would take Javon Kearse out of the book and replace him with Donovan McNabb because of his injuries and drama that surrounds him (hmm I wonder if he had read the day’s paper?)On the MSNBC message board someone wrote: Last 2 number 1 quarterbacks picked? Last 2 Heisman trophy winners? Need I say anymore?
I’ve actually seen more white quarterbacks get harassed incessantly by the media for not winning. Manning up until last year. Grossman and Carr are 2 more extreme examples. People still think Bledsoe sucks, etc etc. McNabb is a crybaby.

According to a Q&A in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 9/6/07: Matt (DC): Donovan McNabb ranks high on my underrated list. He’s the best QB in franchise history, a class act in every sense, and yet he’s constantly embroiled in controversies and criticisms. The only legitimate knocks on him are injuries (out of his control) and an inability to win “the big one” (but as we saw last year with Manning, that can change at any time). I’m worried that if Philly fans don’t start giving McNabb the appreciation and respect he deserves, we’re gonna run him out of town. And no matter how Kevin Kolb looks in the preseason, McNabb gives us the best chance to win it all, both this year, next year, and beyond.SalPal: I have no personal beef with No. 5 at all. I have nothing but positive things to say about his astounding rehab and performance this preseason and training camp. However, and this is something I have said before, I think it’s an evaluation year for McNabb. He must a) stay on the field all 16 games, and b) perform at a high level, or the Eagles are going to have to make a financial decision in 2008 about his future in Philly. And if McNabb does well enough to deserve a restructured deal — remember they already talked about one and never got far — then he’s going to want more money and will they give it to him? Those are big, big questions nobody has the answers to, not McNabb, not Lurie and Banner.
And this from the Windy City Gridiron: Firstly, [Donovan McNabb] compares what is said about him compared to Payton Manning and Carson Palmer. You cannot compare yourself to the top 2% of QB regardless of color if you are not in the top 2%. You are not Manning, Palmer or Brady, so get that out of your head. Besides didn’t Manning take a lot about not being clutch until he won the big game?
Secondly, I am going to rattle a few names off here and tell me when I hit somebody who has not been criticized more or the same as McNabb. Chad Pennington, Jeff Garcia, Jon Kitna, Drew Bledsoe, Chris Simms, Kyle Boller, David Carr, Damon Huard, J.P. Loseman and wait…there was one other guy I meant to mention…OH YEAH….Rex Grossman. Grossman only went to the Super Bowl last year and has heard it from game 6 on, even in a three game stretch toward the end of the season where he had at most 1 INT, he still took it on the chin.
I am not naive enough to say that race is never an issue in things like this, but I am not ignorant enough to blindly accept race as the reason for everything. Maybe they criticize you because like last night you were missing receivers by 15 yards.

As I was looking out the office window at the car fire in Center City today
I noticed the boys have finally started with the scafolding on William Penn. Hopefully I will be dilegent and follow along each day with a photograph of the progress
In the evening I had dinner at a friends and watch a magnificent sunset

The Comcast Building is soaring above Liberty One! From Rt 676 and the Ben Franklin Bridge (Nikon D80)