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There have not been occasions in recent years to cover sporting events in Philadelphia, although it always will stand among my favorite places to have done so.
This would not be an opinion shared by visiting ticketholders wearing Vikings garb as they traversed the Lincoln Field parking lot before the NFC title game on Jan. 21, 2018.
The pregame motto that day for Vikings fans was, "Words will never hurt you, but batteries and full beer cans have a chance.''
As for postgame, Vikings fans choosing not to bail out early as the Eagles were delivering a 38-7 slaughter … well, those in purple jerseys had invited those projectiles and vile insults while making this walk of shame through the lot.
My grandest experience with Philly fans came on Oct. 5, 1992, when I made a detour on the way to the start of the NLCS (Pirates vs. Braves; fantastic) for a Cowboys-Eagles Monday Nighter.
Those games kicked off at 9:10 p.m. in the East. The Eagles were still playing in The Vet, where Philly police had cells in the basement for fans winning the most-obnoxious awards for the night.
I had a cab drop me off on the street around 7 p.m., in order to take in the sights and sounds of the parking lot. Carrying a bag that hinted at being a visiting sportswriter, there were 250 yards of boisterous and profane references to my ample girth, and also suggestions of involvement in what most would consider unusual social habits.
Some funny stuff, even as the target. Always energy in Philly, positive or negative.
Julian Loscalzo, a Minnesotan since the early '70s, a leader of the "Save the Met'' campaign to derail the Vikings- and Sid-led campaign to get legislative approval for our first dome, grew up in Lester, Pa., near the Philly airport.
"There was a Westinghouse plant and my dad worked there when he came home from World War II,'' Loscalzo said. "The rest of our many relatives lived with the Italians in South Philly.''
Giuliano Loscalzo died in 1951, at age 35 from what was believed to be a "weird cancer.'' Julian learned to be a Phillies fan from his mother, Frances, and the South Philly relatives.
"The present for my 13th birthday was tickets to the Phillies game on September 21st in 1964,'' Loscalzo said. "That was the game [Art] Mahaffey lost 1-0, and started it all.''
Gene Mauch's upstart Phillies were 6 ½ games ahead with 12 to play before the "it'' — a 10-game losing streak that allowed the Cardinals to reach the World Series.
"That caused terrible angst among us as Phillies fans for years … until they finally won a first-ever World Series in 1980,'' he said.
The Metrodome that Loscalzo and friends staged a no-chance battle to stop was the site of Twins' World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.
Julian and Co. always cheered for the local ballclub, if not the stadium. They formed "Ballpark Tours'' to make summer trips to watch outdoor baseball. The last of those might have been this summer to take in the inductions of Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
This week, he was drawn to his baseball-loving roots to watch the current Phillies attempt to complete this underdog run to a potential third World Series title ('80, and 2008 with Charlie Manuel as skipper).
On Wednesday, Loscalzo said: "I had no chance to afford a ticket — $1,100 standing room for tonight — but I had to be here to feel the Philly vibe. I wasn't a fan of the wild card, but it's impossible to avoid falling in love with this team.
"There was a blue-collar bar called Cookie's where we would hang out. It's now classed up a bit, with a different name.
"It's about a mile from the ballpark. We were there last night. When [Bryce] Harper hit that home run, I swear we heard the roar before we saw it with the TV delay.''
Among those Loscalzo has been hanging out with in Philly is a cousin. "He has the same name, but all the relatives call him 'The Nice Julian Loscalzo,' " he said.
Not As Nice Julian laughed a moment and said: "They have the unbeaten Eagles, too, but what makes the World Series fever so enormous here is that nobody saw it coming.
"So, I have to say, 'Thank you, wild card.' "
