Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 8:50 AM | 20 comments |
 

Tose, Blondes and the Phoenix Eagles
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The news had broken in Arizona Republic, that the Eagles were moving to Phoenix, that owner Leonard Tose was taking the franchise to the desert. The call came from the office a few hours later -- "Just find the guy," they said, "the guy" meaning the person who was going to pay Tose his blood money, a guy named James Monaghan, who held such a low profile that one of the Phoenix papers was spelling it "Monahan."

So I went. I got off the plane and ended up at Monaghan's office -- me, a guy from one of the Phoenix papers and a radio guy, as memory serves. His secretary said he was flying in from Japan with his wife and that we could meet his flight at the airport.

So what does he look like?

He's pretty average looking, the secretary said.

And?

Well, his wife has blond hair, she said.

So, it was off to the airport. It was back in the days before big-time security so we went right to the gate and did what any self-respecting reporter would do in the same situation: we questioned blondes. Hilarity ensued. Alas, no Monaghan.

So, it was back to the office. The secretary did some checking and found out Monaghan was on a different flight. Hours later -- and it was down to me and maybe one other reporter at that point -- he showed up and acknowledged everything. Within a week, Tose would end up screwing him and making a deal with the city of Philadelphia to stay.

Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 8:50 AM  Permalink | 20 comments
20
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:58 AM, 01/15/2009
    Leonard Tose - stinking weasel
    — steveku2
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:46 PM, 01/15/2009
    Morons. Tose did more good than you will ever know. Leonard Tose is the man who created the first Ronald McDonald house which has been a godsend to many families in terrible need. He was a good man in many of the right things and deserves respect. Your comments reflect on your own shallow existance.
    — dutchman
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:05 PM, 01/15/2009
    Dont kill Mr. Tose...we all make mistakes and we all have demons sometimes too much to overcome. Most people in Philly to this day LOOOVE Dick Vermeil and Vermeil LOOOOVED Leonard Tose. Im way too young to recall the details but I do remember hearing the Eagles might leave and folks were linin up to jump off the Ben Franklin. Its a reminder of today, knuckleheads who call in to 610 and rip Donovan and rip Reid will cry like babies the day those two leave. As a mullet havin hair band from the 80s once said..."you dont know what you got...til its gone". Remember that Philly fans when you lambaste Big Red and Mc5. Now excuse me while I start gettin my game face on for the big game...that I will be at WOOO HOO....GO BIRDS!!...good column Rich..do you still write for the Flyers?
    — AZ-EaglesPhan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:14 PM, 01/15/2009
    Uhhhh, that was Joni Mitchell and it was the '60s. Google "Big Yellow Taxi"
    — tornadoh
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:56 PM, 01/15/2009
    "Don't Know What You Got (Til It's Gone" is by the 80s Glam Metal band Cinderella, who coincidentally was formed in Springfield, Delco and discovered in Philly.
    — Zeb
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:09 PM, 01/15/2009
    ...good catch, tornado....yeah, Tose tried to move the team, that was bad, but we got through it...remember, Tose hired Vermeil, case closed...
    — JimCC
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:30 PM, 01/15/2009
    Boy talk about boiling the story down to its essentials. Did the carpet match the drapes on the blonde?
    — nsidious
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:34 PM, 01/15/2009
    LEONARD TOSE INHERITED HIS 'MONEY' FROM THER TRUCHING BUSINESS HIS ELDERS STARTED. HE WAS A HAPPY GO LUCKY GUY WITH NO LUCK AT GAMBLING. HE LOVED TO SMOKE, DRINK AND GAMBLE AND HE LOVED HIS EAGLES. HE HAD LOTS OF DEBT AND HIS EAGLES GOT HIM OUT OF IT AND GOT US FANS THE WORST OWNER ANY PHILADELPHIA TEAM EVER HAD. NORMAN BRAMAN OR 'THE GUY WHO LIVES IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE' AS BUDDY RYAN CALLED HIM. BRAMAN CHARGED THE PLAYERS FOR THE TAPE THEY WORE DURNING TRAINING CAMP. THE ONLY GOOD THING HE EVER DID IN SPORTS WAS KEEP THE EAGLES IN PHILLY. JEFFREY LAURIE IS BY FAR THE BEST OWNER THE EAGLES EVER HAD. DON'T BE INFLUENCED BY THE PHILADELPHIA MEDIA, READ ABOUT THEM. GOGGLE THEM, MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION IF YOU HAVEN'T LIVED THRU THEM.
    — JACK V
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:03 PM, 01/15/2009
    They should name the Center City casino after him.
    — ChekUrFax
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:48 AM, 01/16/2009
    dutchman- did not know that; till now I've just heard about his sports dealings. Much more respect now. Thanks for the info.
    — verve
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:20 AM, 01/16/2009
    Can we name the people in the picture?
    — Mike H.


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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