Wawa Food Market: A Local Staple

Philadelphia...1992...a young boy is riding in the car with his dad along Roosevelt Boulevard, and as they pass the Wawa at 60 mph the boy turns to his dad and asks, "Dad, what does Wawa mean?" The dad answers, "Wawa means 'goose' in Native American. Now hold my beer, I'm driving." A universal experience for every young Philadelphian, at some point you're going to wonder about the origin of the strange name of that particular convenience store. Wawa, in addition to meaning Goose in Apache, is also the name of the Pennsylvania town where the store was founded. And if you live in the 215 area code, chances are good that you visit the store frequently. I know I do, and I thought I would take a minute explain the reasons why it has been and remains the superior food market in the region.

1) Quality sandwich selection: All sandwiches are made new right in front of you with fresh ingredients, and to your specifications. Hoagies come in all styles, Italian, turkey, tuna, roast beef, you name it. They come in four sizes, junior, shorti, classic, and 2 foot. It can be toasted, and bacon can be added to any choice of sandwich. The option to add extra cheese and meat is always available. Condiments are plentiful and varied, including but not limited to Buffalo spread, Ranch spread, and Chipotle sauce. With this variety of choice, how do the makers of such delicious sandwiches keep your orders accurate? A high-tech, touch-screen computer system that is used for all orders. What a time to be alive.
2) Wawa brand drink items: Wawa offers their own brand of milk, OJ, iced teas, chilled coffee drinks, etc., so you know that your beverage is fresh and shipped locally. One suggestion- try the peach iced tea, I grew up on it. A half-gallon sustains me for an entire day at work. Recently they switched from the box-shaped plastic container to a Turkey Hill-styled container with a handle. For me, this is a step backward. With these new iced tea containers that have handles, they no longer have 'Grasp Here' stamped to the side like they used to, which I liked.
3) New products: Wawa never rests on its laurels, they always are introducing new food items to keep you on your toes. Recently added items include the Panini sandwich, the classic Philly cheesesteak, Gatorade style Wawa brand flavored sports drink, as well as Hummus and Pita bread snack packs.
4) Priced for the working man: This is self-explanatory. Wawa offers rock-bottom prices for quality foods.
5) Everything you can get at 7-11 and more: In addition to the deli section and beverage section, you can get everything from a cup of coffee, the Inquirer and the Daily News, Easy Mac, batteries, Engine Oil, Charcoal Briquettes, hotdog and hamburger buns, and all varieties of tobacco products, including Skoal 'Bandits.' One thing you won't find at Wawa? Porno mags. C'mon, this is a family food market we're talking about here.


Wawa is open 24 hours, with the deli always operating, so after a hard night of championship-level boozing you know where quality food is available. Wawa has pretty-much proliferated itself over the city, whether you are at Rhawn and the Blvd., Bustleton and the Blvd., Ridge Ave in Roxborough, Germantown and Allens Ln, 21st and Hamilton, or 38th and Walnut, as well as Old City. No matter where you are, Wawa is easily accessible to any job site, and within walking distance to even the most stumbling of drunks. Philadelphians might be interested to know that there are now Wawas in New Jersey, Delaware, rural PA, and even as far south as Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland and other hick states, you can by beer at Wawa! Holy shit. Many Wawas outside the city also have Wawa brand gas pumps, so you can gas up and hit the road with a six pack of Miller Lite (refer to earlier post on the 2-1-5 "Drinking and Driving is Bad-Ass").

The Keith Van Horn Story (Pt. II)

I didn't want to keep you in suspense, so here is my solution:

...

Actually, just a minture before I get into it. I don't want to come across as a bitter sports fan. I don't care that a guy is making a hundred billion dollars, and I don't ever say things like "$500,000! He's lucky to be getting that much!" I don't necessarily think athletes are being paid too much, I just get pissed when one athlete is getting paid too much within the confines of the salary cap (or some arbitrary number the Phillies front office comes up with).

Like with Pat Burrell. We obviously overpaid him if he is making like 15% of the Phillies salary and that prevents us from signing a top-flight free agent. So he is getting paid too much and Hamels apparently is not getting paid enough. Take a look at the New York Jets - their veterans are complaining that the team went out and improved their roster through free agency because the new guys are getting paid too much. Something is obviously wrong here.

So here is my solution:

One year contracts.

Every single sport, every single team, every single player.

One year contracts all around.

It is so simple it just might work.

Players are rewarded for having a great seaon. Owners don't get stuck with a sulking superstar for the 5 years after he has blown out both his knees. Fans don't have to worry about players only trying hard in contract years.

There will still be a salary cap, so teams won't be able to buy a championship.

The key here is making the markets totally efficient. Whatever you pay for a player, that is what he is worth.

And if you think it is going to change everything, yeah it probably will.

But maybe not as much as you think.

In the NBA, you will still have teams like the Hawks signing small forwards left and right. Maybe they are the 12 best small forwards in the NBA, but they won't win a championship.

In terms of baseball, look at the Yankees. They don't win the World Series every year in a league without a salary cap, when they can spend as much as they want.

In the NFL, you don't think the Patriots will still be good? Football players will choose whichever organization is able to consistently field good teams, teams that focus on issues like chemistry and leadership as well as just overall talent. (Don't see: Redskins, Washington)

With a salary cap, good leadership and organization will still trump accumulation of talent. A salary cap will ensure that Kobe, Lebron, and KG don't all sign on the same team unless some of them take a pay cut a la the Lakers with Gary Payton and Karl Malone (who did not win a championship). And there would certainly be another team who signed Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Tracy McGrady to compete with so the competition will still be there.

Maybe you can even sign One player to a multi-year contract and make him the face of your franchise, but it couldn't be for anything over 4 years.

And all that money that is being spent on guys like Matt Geiger, Keith Van Horn and Aaron McKie?

Put it into some kind of retirement fund for players who suffer from concussions and what not.

Done and done.

Imagine the possibilities.

Contractual Obligations: The Keith Van Horn Story (Pt. I)

We're starting to get out of that lull on the Sports Calendar, also known as 'February,' where nothing seems to happen and reporters basically start and spread rumors just to keep their jobs.

The NHL and NBA are past their respective all-star weekends so the playoff push is starting to heat up, March Madness is just about here, spring training is under way for the upcoming MLB season, and the NFL, well the NFL is basically a year-long sport anyway, but this time of year provides us with Free Agency and getting ready (read: reporters starting and spreading rumors) for the draft.

Now here's the thing. The NBA and NHL are gearing up for the playoffs, and the NFL and MLB are in the after-season and the pre-season, respectively. Yet when I tune into Sports Radio 950 or flip to the Sports page of the Inquirrer, I am primarily looking for Eagles and Phillies news, and that is what I am primarily going to get.

With that being said, one of the main things that I am going to hear about this time of year is contracts.

Contracts, contracts, contracts.

Max deals. Signing Bonuses. No-trade clauses.

Restricted free agents. Salary Caps. Negotiations. Re-negotiations. Negotiation breakdowns. Arbitration.

It's all about contracts.

In order to be a somewhat knowledgeable fan, you have to have the training of an IRS agent.

What the hell is going on here?

The worst part is, with every single contract being signed this off-season, at some point in time, whether it is later that day or three years down the road, one of the two sides is going to regret signing the contract. If you're lucky, you might be able to follow a contract long enough to see both sides regret it at some point.

And that's the thing. Contracts kind of suck. Teams make bad decisions. Players make bad decisions. The sport as a whole makes bad decisions. And the fans have to pay. Because instead of saying something like "Chris Paul is a great point guard." You have to add "But I don't think the Hornets are going to be able to give him a max deal."

To prove my point, let's just take a look at the contract situation in baseball, basketball, and football. Stay tuned, because at the end you will get my grand solution to the entire problem.

The NBA is ridiculous. Players sign these max deals for like 7 years and $105 million dollars. They are actually motivated/healthy/happy for about 2.5 of those years, and then the team gets stuck with a $60 million dollar stiff. The only thing to do from there is trade that player using his expiring contract as trade bait. However, in order to make a trade in the NBA, you need to have the salaries match. So in order to trade said $60 Million Dollar Stiff, you will have to accept the contract of $10 Million Dollar Retired Stiff. (Go ahead and look at some of the trades that are being made. It's a vicious cycle. Bonus Points: look at how many former Sixers are a part of these trades. The number is frightening).


Baseball is not that much better. An interesting aspect of baseball's contract workings is the practice of arbitration. You may remember this with Ryan Howard. The Phils wanted to pay $7 million. He wanted $10 million. Fine, give him $8.5, right? Wrong. They couldn't agree to that so it went to arbitration, meaning an outside panel objectively picks either 7 or 10. They picked ten.
To add to the craziness of baseball's contract situation, I'm going to bring in two more players to the fold here, Cole Hamels and Adam Eaton.

Cole Hamels has the potential to be a true ace pitcher. He is young, talented, and extremely motivated to succeed. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his short time in the majors and also a steady level of consistently good pitching. A history of injuries seems like the only thing that is going to keep him from racking up a few 20 win seasons and possible a no-hitter someday.


Adam Eaton, to be concise, is none of the above.

Cole recently signed a 1 year, $500,000 contract.
Adam signed a 3 year $24 million contract.

Cole is complaining about being underpaid while Adam admits that he is probably being overpaid.

Looking at it from their points of view, yeah, they're both right. Now let's look at it from the Phillies front office: we are paying $8.5 million this year for the services of Cole Hamels and Adam Eaton.

The reason the Phils can sign Cole to such a cheap contract is because of his service time in the Bigs, a similar system to rookie contracts in the NBA. The reason Adam cost so much is because of Free Agency. There are only so many available free agent pitchers that they can command a high price on the open market, regardless of skill set.

There is really no reason to break the bank for Hamels just yet. Eventually he is going to get his pay day, just like Howard did.

It's an immutable law: some players are going to be underpaid and some are going to be overpaid.

There isn't too much "just right" in professional sports.

Looking towards football, the system is a little bit more efficient because the contracts are not guaranteed, which means a player can just be cut and he will not be owed any more money (other than the pro-rated signing bonus).

This is a great tool for the owners but not so great for the players.

There is a salary cap to contend with, so smart owners try to lock up their young talent before they get a chance to hit payday (see: Westbrook, Brian). The risk in signing a player while he is still young and slightly unproven is that maybe you get a bargain three years later, when you are paying an all-pro running back rookie money. It can come back to hurt you though, when signed players look around and see their peers getting huge signing bonuses (on account of salaries going up every year). They end up holding out, talking to the press, or just playing unmotivated football.

My solution?

Well, that's for another time.

Stay tuned for Part II.

Lets Go Sixers!!

My most memorable moment as a Philly sports fan was Game 1 of the 2001 NBA finals. We went to LA with Mutombo, Iverson stepped over Tyrone Lue (skip ahead to 5:45 for the step over and post game interview, unbelievable), E. Snow and Aaron Mckie were the best teammates ever to play, and the Sixers stole Game 1 in OT from a Lakers team that was 'til then undefeated in the playoffs that year. It was phenomenal. I remember high-fiving people hanging out of cars on South street minutes after the game and embracing strangers. We screamed 'Beat LA,' 'Fuck Kobe,' and my personal favorite 'WHO WANTS TO SEX MUTOMBOOOO!?' It was quite a moment--a telling and admittedly pathetic one for us Philadelphians who haven't won anything in 24 years and counting. But it was our moment even if the feeling lasted for only a few days. It still was the closest feeling I, and many my age have had to winning a championship.

Now Iverson is gone and us die-hard Iverson fans cheer on the Nuggets as our second team. We buy $100 tickets to get as close as we can to him once a year and we curse George Karl for not being able to get his team to play anything that remotely resembles defense. There were mixed feelings when The Answer left last year, but everyone seemed to have the sentiment that this was it for awhile for Sixers basketball. Attendance immediately plummeted and most people stopped tuning in to watch every night.

Well, Philadelphia the Sixers are back already. Yes, they are in the lowly East, which I agree with Perfect Friend (cool name bro...) isn't as bad as people like to say it is, but as of today they are the 7th seed in the playoffs and headed for the 6th seed. They have gone 13-5 (13-5!?!?!) since January 26th and there is no other way to say it except this squad play can play ball.



Check out these numbers. For the season they are ranked 6th in the league in opponent's PPG. They are second in the league in rebound differential and while struggling to score early on in the season they have turned it on recently ranking 10th in scoring in their last 10 games. On the season they are 12th in the league in forcing turnovers and 1st in the league in their last 10 games. Their pressure D and rebounding fuels their fast break offense which is perfect for our young gunners as well as great to watch. They are peaking at the right time and are now only 5 back from getting to .500. Who woulda thought? (Well me, but no one was listening in October).

That is what is happening on the court. Off the court they finally fired Billy King (have to give him props for drafting Thad Young, but thats all you get Billy) and have brought in a proven and homegrown GM, Ed Stefansky. They are about to dump $26 million from CWebb and McKie's contracts and have one of the youngest and most promising squads in the league. They are coachable, controversy free, and fired-up. They are poised for free agency, I only worry they act too quickly and sign someone like Elton Brand (he will surely take the $17 mill option on his contract and play for the Clipshow again) or Gilbert Arenas this off-season. I can only hope they continue to build through the draft and wait for the right free agents to sign in the few years.

The plan used to be we would be bad for a few years and get top draft picks, but our team is already better than that and this is a good thing not a bad thing. I wrote about this last year as the Sixers finished strong last year. Well it has already paid off and the squad has continued to mature and improve by playing good basketball and winning. Nothing is guaranteed in the draft. The Celtics got the 5th pick in the draft after tanking to the worst record and if it wasn't for McHale giving them KG where would they be now? Simply put, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!" There is nothing better for a young team than learning how to win together, nothing.



As for this season, wake up Philadelphia! These boys can play and they are entertaining as hell. They are non-stop fast breaks and wild dunks. They rebound, they pass, they don't give up and they play hard every night. Sure they aren't going to win a championship this year, but this is all part of the journey as a fan. For all the Iverson haters out there this team is what you have been asking for. And for all of you who miss AI, the highlight of your season may just be beyond March 19th when he visits Philly. PLAYOFFS!? PLAYOFFS!?

76ers Poor Playoff Position

I really hate when people say "hey the eastern conference sucks, we need to revamp the play off system." To me that argument forgets that the East used to dominate, we have won two of last four finals and everything is circular. (And by "we" I mean the conference, as Philly in general has won nothing.) It is much like the idea of Chinese food acquired from stores with bulletproof glass (normally called something along the lines of "#1 Chinese Food" or "China Garden" something creative you know.) and playoff college football, are things I can respect in theory, but not in practice. (Would women have played better there?)

Anyway, my opinion changed yesterday when I was reviewing a standard issue article about how a new playoff system was needed in the NBA. The author went through the usual reasons explaining why: there are two teams over .500 not making the playoffs in the west, two to four under .500 teams in east who will be making it, superstar movement through the conferences recently has benifited the west and the fact that the west has won all but two of the chips in the post Jordon era; you know lots of good reasons. Fucking great. I don't care; I won't be convinced I told myself. That was until I noticed that one of the teams not making the playoffs in the west was the Denver Nuggets.

The bottom line is we can not accept a situation where the team we traded Iverson to, for three first round picks ends up getting a comparable lottery pick to what we got, in addition to Iverson. Think about it that will mean the trade composed of:
To Sixers:
(g) Andre Miller- been great, but was originally brought in here to be showcase trade chip for us to get talented, athletic swingmen under B. King.
3 First Round Picks- which became
13 (f) T. Young- Great, doing great. Just what B. King had in mind
20 (f) Jason Smith- Also doing ok, smart player.
30 Pick traded to Utah who became this 7 foot monster European Guy, who stayed in Europe, but will definitely resurface and be the kind of guys announcers will call a "force."


To Nuggets:
(g) Allen Iverson- I intend on crying when he returns to the Wachovia Center.
Pick 14- Which is one pick below ours if you didn't catch that.

(I know there is Joe Smith, etc also, but is that doing anything for us?)

I know it is a different draft year and I am leaving a few things out, and dont think I wont root for the sixers to make the playoffs....all I am saying is it feels we traded Iverson to move up one spot in the draft essentially, while the nuggets get better and better. My thinking has changed, I now think the entire playoff system needs to be revamped, not now but right now. I have to go; I am spilling General Tso's Chicken from Super China Restaurant all over the keyboard.

Some Quick Hits On A Monday

Well, we made it to March here in the 2-1-5.

If we actually had a real winter, this is when the snow would start to melt and we would get to see grass for the first time in a while.

Instead, thanks to Al Gore, it's just another month where it's kinda nice out but still not that nice.

It's cool though, because March is a pretty solid month regardless.

We got Daylight Savings, St. Patrick's, March Madness, and Opening Day....not a bad deal.

All great opportunites to booze those beers, call in sick from work and/or play hookey.

Yeah, you heard me right. Play hookey. I don't know why that phrase isn't used more often.

My recommendations for this month include:

1. Watching any Spring Training baseball game that is on TV. Something about seeing baseball on TV really sets the whole spring/summer thing in motion...especially when these games are played in Florida or Arizona. (bonus points: watch for those sleek new Phils and their Skoal Bandits).

2. Doing something outside any chance you get. It gets you practice for when the weather finally turns, and it's important to dust off those cobwebs that come from months of sitting inside watching Law & Order while drinking Lager Bottles.

3. Taking off work for the first day in March Madness. Pretty much self-explanatory.

And finally,

4. Gin Buckets. Daylight Savings begins this Sunday. Which means longer days. Which means day drinking. Which means gin buckets. The recipe is pretty simple: A bottle of gin, a bottle of sprite, and 7 lemons and limes, all thrown together into a bucket with ice and 2 turkey basters used to get yourself a shot. Good times.

Oh, and this doesn't really count as a recommendation, because it's pretty much like spitting into the ocean, but go ahead and get drunk for St. Patty's Day, on Guinness preferably, because it's the day where everyone is Irish (except of course, the gays and the Italians).

I am going to leave you with 2 links.

One is a picture, one is a video, both kind of blew me away.

I've never seen Rachel Ray's husband, but I bet he has a name like Tariq or Terrell.


Umm...Our Philadelphia Eagles put your hands up? File this one under: Randall Cunningham is smoove.

Phils To Use Skoal 'Bandits'

Clearwater, FL- Having shored up their relief pitching by acquiring Brad Lidge and moving Brett Myers back into the rotation, Charlie Manuel is supremely confident in his young squad this season. But with the Mets having upped the ante by adding Johan Santana to their roster, Manuel and the coaches are looking for that ‘X-factor’ that could put the Phightin’ Phils over the edge in the NL East.

To that end, it was announced in a press conference late yesterday afternoon that all players will be required to make the switch to Skoal Bandits by Opening Day.

Ruben Amaro Jr. told the crowd of sports reporters, “We want our players to be able to enjoy the smooth and zesty flavor of dip, while still maintaining a sleek, athletic demeanor on the field. We feel that the pre-made pouches available from Skoal brand tobacco products are just what our boys need.”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Skoal ‘Bandits,’ it is fine-cut dip, available in a variety of delicious flavors, that are apportioned into perfectly sized paper pouches, ready to be used right out of the tin. Originally marketed to the ‘businessman on the go,’ the advantages of the pouches are now being recognized by professional athletes.

“I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent in the dugout continually packing my old tins of loose dip, only to have to run out onto the diamond with a lip in that was less than perfect,” Second-Baseman Chase Utley told reporters. “Either I would pinch too much dip, or too little, not to mention the stray bits of tobacco that can get stuck in your teeth, or get swallowed when you dive into second base stretching a single into a double.”

When the Bandits were introduced to the public back in 2004, there was some discussion in the Phillies head office on making the switch, but the suggestion was shot down by former G.M. Ed Wade. “I’m not sure about endorsing the use of a particular tobacco brand for my players. Frankly, I would rather my players not use tobacco products at all, especially while they are on the field.”

Pat Gillick said of Wade’s comments, “Wade lacked vision and foresight, and honestly, for me, his comments raise serious questions about his sexuality. Everyone knows dip makes you a better baseball player, and these new Bandits can only enhance that edge that dip already gives you.”

A few of the players had already switched to using Bandits last season or the season before, while some of the more tenured Phillies who use Redman or Beechnut are going to have a hard time getting used to the new product. Lenny Dykstra told the Daily News he thought that had Bandits been available in the early Nineties, Philadelphia may have brought home a World Series, while Darren Daulton was unable to be reached for comment.

So when you turn on CBS to watch the Phillies home-opener against the Nats, you may notice the Phils have a new bounce in their step, and a more professional and confident appearance. Hopefully the other teams in the league don’t catch on too quickly. (-;