Happy days are here again for Sixers

The Sixers are back, and so am I. I attended my first Sixers game in more than 3 years (last) Monday night, when they managed a hard-fought victory over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It won't be my last!

During my 50 years in Philadelphia, I have seen three great eras of Philly pro basketball: the Wilt era, the Doctor J era and the A.I. era. They were all great fun to watch, and although we often had great supporting casts (Moses Malone, Wali Jones, Mo Cheeks, Billy Cunningham, Bobby Jones, et al.), all of these eras were dominated by the stars.

This Sixers team is very good, but it has no dominating star, no go-to guy. In some ways, though, it makes them even more fun to follow. Under the inspired coaching of Doug Collins, they play great team basketball - suffocating defense and an unselfish one-for-all offense. They might well be the deepest team in the NBA, with nine quality players (the verdict is still out on rookie Lavoy Allen). They are a young team with five very good first-round draft picks (Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Nik Vucevic) and a great second-rounder (Lou Williams) thanks to Billy King, Ed Stefanski and Rod Thorn. They will only get better, but even this year, they can win the Atlantic Division and play with teams such as the Hawks, Bulls and Celtics in the playoffs. The Heat is still a challenge, but the Sixers were in both games against them until very late.

The caliber of basketball they are playing is reason enough for you to get down to the Wells Fargo Center and see them in action, but there's more. Josh Harris and Adam Aron have delivered big-time on their promise to make going to the game a more fun experience.

It starts with the pregame introductions, which are highlighted by a hi-tech video that traces our tradition from Wilt to Doc to A.I. to the present. It's amazingly well-done and an inspiring reminder of our great basketball heritage. During the game, something amusing happens with every stoppage of play, and the fan participation is great (aside from the one obese individual who dances wildly to attract your attention and then lifts his shirt to reveal his gyrating, overflowing midsection). I especially liked the fact that they have even brought back the old theme song with the lyric "clap your hands, everybody" and use it during the fourth quarter to rev up the fans. It seems as if Josh and Adam have done everything right - except for the mascot fiasco. None of us is mourning the loss of Hip-Hop, that rabbit on steroids (we actually had a mascot who scared children). His axing was a positive step, but then our new management team hired a high-priced mascot consultant who produced three absolutely woeful choices for the fans to select from. We, the fans, pounded them mercilessly, especially the moose - a moose in Philly? There's no moose to be found within 200 miles of City Hall!

Josh and even Adam, a hardened Philly guy, were shocked by our vehemence and, as a result, more than a third of the way through the season we are mascot-less. If George Washington and his revolutionaries were this easily intimidated, we'd all be singing "God Save the Queen." We want a mascot - or at least borrow the Phanatic for this season only and put the green guy in a Sixers suit. I'm sure David Montgomery would lend him to us for this year.

One other fan experience that my son, Jesse, and I enjoyed came after the game when we took the Broad Street Line back into Center City. Having recently heard horror stories of 1-hour car rides from the Wells Fargo Center to Center City, I decided, much to the shock of my son, to take the subway. Truth be told, I hadn't taken the subway in almost 15 years and even then, when I was mayor, I had police security with me. So this was going to be a new experience. When we got back into the city, I realized that I had really enjoyed it. The Pattison Avenue Station (now AT&T Station) was clean and well-lit, and the subway riders, though shocked to see me, were friendly (no "Rendell, you bum, you raised my taxes" remarks). I posed for as many pictures as I could during the surprisingly brief local train back to the Walnut-Locust stop (unlike for Eagles games, there were no express trains to be found). The best part about the trip was that the enthusiasm of the fans over beating Kobe and the "Lake Show" carried over into the subway, where fans were brimming with pride over the Sixers' big win.

All in all, it was a great fan experience. So if you haven't yet, get down to the Wells Fargo Center and become a revolutionary. You might even catch a glimpse of the Phanatic trying to dunk!

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