“Raiders Matt Millen relives The Day That Eagles Fans Threw Snowballs @ Santa; Is Santa Safe When The Raiders Visit Philadelphia on Christmas”

Santa’s in Trouble

You Have to be a Philly fan to get it.

On December 15^th, 1968; the craziest Christmas story ever told occurred. And to think, this story almost was never known. In fact until Howard Cosell released the news and showed some footage on his weekly show, hardly anyone outside of Philadelphia even knew it happened.   After Cosell reported it, it had a mind of it’s own and it became a part of football lore.

A Miserable Day:

It was a miserable cold December day in Philadelphia, and the fans were not in a good mood. To be honest fans in Philadelphia are rarely in a good mood but they had reason this time.   Their fans are unlike any other fan base in sports. They might be the smartest in the U.S., but they also will go off in a heartbeat if they feel things aren’t going well. Fans that day had arrived to over a ½ foot to a foot of snow on their seats in old Franklin Field. In true Philly fashion, 54,000 die hard Eagles fans came to see one of the worst teams in the NFL on a terrible winter day.

A few weeks earlier there was joy with many fans thinking the Eagles would have the worst record in the NFL. This would mean they could draft a cant miss super star in USC tailback OJ Simpson.   Sadly, they won 2 meaningless games so they now had the #3 pick in the draft. Buffalo chose Simpson #1 and the Eagles chose Leroy Keyes, a RB out of Purdue.   He showed so little promise at RB that they moved him to Safety after 1 year. Keyes was out of the league in 4 years and OJ became one of the greatest RB’s in history. Their fans knew.

Frank Olivo (In Santa’s hat) with his loving family

Philadelphia fans are as passionate as any fan base in history.   They treat their teams like family members. Tough, rough and hardcore, if their teams do well they will be favorite sons. If they fail, they will rip them to shreds like newspaper. Not every athlete can play in Philadelphia.   Thin skinned, sensitive athletes need not apply.

Schleprock from the Pebbles & Bamm Bamm Cartoon

Philly fans are the “schleprocks” of the sports world. They feel there is a black cloud over them at all times, just waiting to drop down a curse that will eventually ruin even the best of seasons.   I remember a tweet by a Philly fan a week ago. He said, “I’m so freaking scared; things are going too good. I know something is going to happen”. The next game star QB Carson Wentz tore up his knee and is now out for the season.

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On this cold day in 1968, there was nothing to play for. The Eagles lost to the Vikings but that was not the story. Already in a bad mood, the Eagles fans wanted nothing to do with cheer or with crappy halftime entertainment.   The temperature had now dropped to the low 20’s with wind gusts to 20-30 mph. At half time the Eagles had promised a small parade. The Philly cheerleaders would be in cute elves costumes followed by a large band. They also had a Santa float. The Santa float started to go across the field but fans booed because it got stuck due to the bad conditions. The worst part is that the Santa that they had hired, didn’t even show up and wasn’t in the float as expected. There are still stories that he may have possibly had too many adult beverages after seeing how cold it was outside, but that isn’t confirmed.

Eagles Entertainment Director Bill Mullen had an idea. He saw a 20 y/o fan by the name of Frank Olivo in the stands who was dressed as Santa Claus. At 5’ 7” and about 170 lbs., he was a poor imitation at best. Nicknamed “beefy”, Frank was a small, portly Italian man who had lots of personality and he loved to ham it up. Never shying away from attention, Frank agreed.

Olivo found out quick that Eagles fans were in no mood for second class entertainment. Seeing a wannabe Santa was too much for them to take and they started to boo. After someone in the upper deck chucked a snowball at Frank, it created a domino effect. First a few and then dozens of snowballs from all over the stadium started to rain down.

Matt Millen Remembers:

At 11 years old, a young Matt Millen knew what being an Eagles fan was all about. The future Penn State and Raiders star was all Pennsylvanian.  He knew that he was a part of a generation of Philadelphia fans and there was a passionate responsibility to it. As your fathers and grandfathers go, so go the children.

 “I was 10 or 11 at the time and it was a miserable day and they were a miserable team”, said Millen to reporters. “To be honest the snowball throws were the only fun thing about the game.   Dads, kids, grandfathers, and even old ladies started throwing them. I mean he had it coming. When the band played Here comes Santa Claus, that was it. It was no big deal. It was just what we did”.

Matt Millen said it was a much different era obviously. “Fans of today don’t realize how serious Philly fans take their football. Franklin Field was a crazy place to play. More than a few times people would leave the stands and go onto the field to physically confront players and coaches alike if things weren’t going well”.

The Aftermath:

Frank Olivo from the start was a good sport about it. “I’m one of them”, he said often. “I understand them so I didn’t take it personally. They didn’t like anyone at that moment. I do admit though when the Eagles asked if I would do it again next year I said no”.

Frank did admit he never booed a player ever again. “When they boo, you feel like they’re all against you individually,” he said. “And that’s why, when I heard it, I said to myself, ‘My God, what do these players think or feel when they’re getting booed?’ It’s like you’re being told you’re not good enough to be here.”

Frank and his family members were eventually priced out of Eagles games not being able to afford the PSL’s with the new stadium.   Much like in other areas, the most diehard of fans were eaten up by the greed machine that is the NFL.

Years later though, Frank was asked to be Santa at a 76ers game reliving that day and he accepted. At first they cheered him on, and then in true Philly fashion, they realized that for old times sake they had to boo Olivo. He loved it. Frank passed away in 2015 but he treasured his memories of his beloved Eagles until the day he died.

Bracelet Snow:

The latest situation where Philly fans took some heat was last year during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers were down 2-0 to the Washington Capitals and before game 3, they were honoring owner Ed Snider who had recently passed away. Every seat had a white bracelet on it that lighted up.   The light show before the game in honor of Snider was a sight to see and everyone was in great spirits before the first puck dropped.  That feeling eroded though.

As the Capitals pulled away late, fans began to pelt the ice with the bracelets. The game was halted for a time. Not even the Flyers ice girls; who pretty much wear strip club school girl outfits; could stop the madness. The white bracelets were literally impossible to clean up because they matched the color of the ice.  This incident also included a few obscenities yelled out by some fans during the moment of silence.

What Will Happen on Christmas v.s. The Raiders?

Things are going pretty good where the Eagles fly, but you never know.   What if the Raiders somehow beat them?   What if Nick Foles implodes.   What if somehow something bad happens?   If these things occur, I think that whoever is playing Santa better have a thick suit and a thick skin. And if he is anywhere near the good sport and the great Eagle fan that Frank Olivo was, if snowballs come his way then so be it.   He would understand. You have to be a Philly fan to get it.

 

 

“All-Time Great Animated & Non-Animated Christmas Movies; Favorites & Hidden Gems”

 

Here is my list of must see and not so must see movies for the holiday season.

Let’s first look at some popular Christmas movies that didn’t make my list.

-Elf: I really don’t like this movie. Not funny.

-Home Alone Movies: Number 1 is ok. I’m still a little creeped out by McCauley Caulkin.

-Bad Santa: Little too mean spirited for me.

-Christmas With the Kranks: I think it’s a bad movie.

-Scrooged: I like Bill Murray but I just thought he was a little too dark in this one and it didn’t work.

-The Nightmare Before Christmas:  Still not getting it.  I don’t like this movie and in reality Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are pretty much dead to me for what they did to Willie Wonka. Bizarre.

Amazing Animated Films to Watch:

These are all well known greats that are staples during the holidays. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman and A Charlie Brown Christmas are all must see classics with amazing music and stories. You might want to throw in the cartoon Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol too, that has fun songs and is underrated.

Classic Must See Christmas Movies:

Boy do I still miss John Candy. Plains, Trains and Automobiles still makes me laugh to no end. Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd are in all their glory in Trading Places which is also a must see.

Bing Crosby is not a favorite of mine but White Christmas is a good movie.   It’s a Wonderful Life is also a classic but I’m not a huge fan of it.

Another one I really enjoy even though I don’t like the sequels is The Santa Clause. I’m not a fan of Tim Allen but he’s amazing in this great holiday classic.

The original Miracle on 34^th Street is still an all time great movie with a young Natalie Wood in a great perforance.

Now Some of my other favorite selections.

Polar Express:

Ok Ok; I know the animation is a little creepy but and the kids look like they’ve been using uppers for a week but this is an amazing story with great music and a spirited performance by Tom Hanks. As time goes on this movie gets more and more respect and I’m glad.

The story of a little boy who is discouraged and who eventually has the meaning and spirit of Christmas restored when on Christmas eve he takes a ride on the magical Polar Express train that goes to the North Pole. And as his heart is restored, he learns that if you truly believe, you will always hear the sound of Santa’s bell no matter what age you are. Cuz that’s the way things happen on the Polar Express!

Nestor the Long Eared Donkey:

One of my favorite Christmas Cartoons that some have never seen.   Nestor is bullied and treated poorly for having huge, long ears and for being ugly. He’s so ridiculed that on a winter night he is thrown out by the owner of a stable. In a blizzard his mom saves him from the cold by covering him but sadly she is gone.   Nestor is helped by a cherub named Tilly who leads him to a magical moment.

It’s an amazing story of love, acceptance, and courage.

The Little Drummer Boy:

Can’t watch this without shedding a tear or two. Another Romeo Muller, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. classic which is almost 5 decades old. One of the most emotional and epic stories of all time. With an amazing voice cast of Greer Garson, Jose Ferrer and the epic music of the Vienna Boys Choir.

With the anger and pain only an orphan can feel, the little drummer boy Aaron gives the only gift he has to offer to baby Jesus when his animal friend is hurt; his passionate playing on his drum. The true spirit of Christmas is seen in the miraculous recovery of his animal friend, thus restoring Aaron’s heart. Child star Teddy Eccles is very special as Aaron.  What an amazing production.  They don’t make them like this anymore!

Meet John Doe:

This movie was so well received that it’s made several categories in the top 100 all time lists of the American Film Institute. The Library of Congress requested a copy of it to be archived and it was so popular it became a radio program. Meet John Doe has it all.

The iconic Frank Capra was known as a very sentimental director. This movie was said to be for the gentle every day person. With a young Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan and Edward Arnold leading the cast, this is one of my all time classic movies at any time of year.

A struggling newspaper makes up a story of a homeless man who wants to commit suicide on Christmas due to the state of the country. People have become jaded and divided, but thousands are so moved by John’s threat that John Doe clubs all over the country are created to promote good will and kindness towards your neighbor. When John Doe finds out that big business corporations want to use the John Doe clubs for political support to get their man into the white house and make more money, he tries to tell the truth but people turn on him and he’s considered a fake. In a state of depression on Christmas eve, he finds out the true meaning of Christmas through the love of his friends and the knowledge that the spirit of every day people will never allow the John Doe’s of the world to be forgotten.

Twas the Night Before Christmas:

This is another animated cartoon that many have not seen. When a know it all young mouse writes Santa a nasty letter saying he doesn’t exist, Santa no longer wants to come to their city. The father then thinks a gift to Santa will help restore their relationship. His son again messes things up but he realizes the importance of Christmas and grows up. He helps save the day and Santa is touched by their gift and all is forgiven.

The songs are fun and upbeat and it’s a fun short film to watch. George Gobel narrates and Joel Gray recites the famous poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas.

The Year Without A Santa Clause:

Heat Miser and Cold Miser; Santa; a feisty Mrs. Clause. This is a cult classic for any animated fan of Christmas. The songs alone are worth the watch. Kids of all ages will love this timeless classic!

A Christmas Story:

It’s hard to find a movie that touches the heart of the kid in all of us like a Christmas Story.   For the 19^th year, TBS/TNT will play this movie for 24 hours on Christmas eve through Christmas. There were 2 years that they played this for 2 days straight! This is one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time that teaches the kid in us how to survive in the adult world during Christmas. Someone bought the house and made it into a museum. And it is beside Meet John Doe in the National Library of Congress.

http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/

Tongues stuck on light polls, bullies, a little brother who wont eat and Darren McGavin as a father that is hard on the outside but as soft as a marshmallow inside. And never forget to remember to be careful; or you will SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!

Scrooge:

Most movie historians, movie buffs and fans almost all agree that the 1951 version of a Christmas Carol called the Scrooge is the greatest of them all.  (In the UK it was called Scrooge; in the U.S. it was called A Christmas Carol).

Scrooge was one of the most popular and best pictures in the UK in 1951. Due to the more darker nature compared to other Christmas Carol movies, the U.S. studio’s did not feel that Scrooge was positive enough for the American audience and it got mixed reviews. In time though it has become a fan favorite of many a household around the world.

Alastair Sim is purely magical in his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in one of the most memorable Christmas movies ever. He can make you hate him or cry for him. His emotional scene going to dinner at Fred’s is below.

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There you have it.   My list of must see Christmas movies.   If you haven’t seen some of these movies, make sure you give them a try. They may become Christmas classics in your household too. Merry Christmas and God Bless us; everyone.