He’s Kelly from Philly, so watch it

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2009 (5930 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

How tough are Philly sports fans?

Well, for starters, there’s a holding cell in the bowels of Wachovia Center, home of the Flyers. And it’s not for the players.

The last time your humble agent paid a visit, during a playoff game between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh a few years back, there were 14 arrests. By the second intermission.

I’ll always remember asking a Flyers fan about the most infamous and oft-repeated example of a Philly fan’s notorious ill will: the booing of Santa Claus at an Eagles game, where old St. Nick was pelted with a hail of snowballs.

“Hey,” the guy protested, by way of explanation, “he (Santa) was wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey.”

OK, then. Of course, what happened to Santa is just the tip of the ice chunks. When Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending neck injury in Veterans Stadium, the Eagles fans cheered. They cheered even louder when medical staff called for an ambulance.

In a related story, Mike Kelly has spent a good deal of his life in Philadelphia. Used to be an Eagles assistant coach, in fact. Now we’re not saying the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach has it out for Santa, but let’s just say he knows a little bit about harsh criticism.

So if you wonder how Kelly coped with a few verbal missiles launched his way during his still brief yet turbulent foray as Bombers field boss — at least before everybody started slobbering all over him after an upset over the Stampeders last Friday night — don’t forget the man’s roots.

Or why any snowballs lobbed his way are probably going to be fired right back.

“Most of my growing up was on the East Coast,” the head coach began, after practice Tuesday. “If you just take it all the time, you’re not going to have a very comfortable life. You’ve got to give it back. My dad used to say I don’t have to accept every challenge that comes my way, (and) as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that lesson a little bit.

“But I just don’t understand when somebody attacks you or your family or things that you care about, how you don’t stick your back foot in the ground and say, ‘Wait a minute now. If you can give it to me, I can give it back to you.’ And I have no problem in doing that.”

Again, I will always remember driving through the U.S. Midwest several years ago, when the charming (sarcasm) Mike Ditka, then the Chicago Bears’ surly head coach, was holding court on his own radio show. Just as Kelly does now for the Bombers. Anyway, a caller had the temerity to challenge Ditka, who gave it back with both barrels. Fascinating listening for a Prairie boy not exposed to such open hostility.

When this story was related to Kelly, he replied: “I’m a big Mike Ditka fan. I’m a big Bobby Knight fan. I believe in passion. And if you’re not playing with emotion, if you aren’t playing with a sense of toughness, then you don’t really have what I think is the kind of team you need to have in order to compete.

“I’m not one to be very mellow when it comes time for competition. I like competition and I like what it brings out in people. We live in a competitive world, and if you don’t want to compete, then you’re going to get left behind.”

Same goes with all the adoration Kelly has experienced since the final whistle last Friday night. The guy couldn’t even pay for a tuna sandwich he ordered the other day. His money was no good. “If I’d known that,” he said, “I would have ordered something with meat.”

Besides, he added, “I’ve been married…. and divorced. This love-hate thing, this is my life. Get used to it.”

For what it’s worth, it appears Kelly may just be one of those people who, in a strange way, revels in the fight. Anything else would be boring.

“I have fun with this,” he said. “I understand what everybody’s role is and I understand that we haven’t won in this city. And perceptions change when you haven’t won in 18 years. People are a little skeptical and bitter, if you will. And the only thing that they’ve known around here, really, is individual players. And we shipped a bunch of those individual players out to form a team. Now we need the support of our fan base for our team. And if our team falters, ultimately that’s my responsibility and go ahead and throw it all at me.

“But like I said, if you ask me logical questions I’ll try to give you logical answers. But if you just come at me and attack me and tell me I look like Uncle Fester, or whatever you want to say, that really doesn’t bother me.

“But expect if you throw a hand-grenade at me, I’ll try to pick it up and throw it right back at ya. Simple.”

And that Santa suit won’t save you, either.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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