Philly Fans

I've come to accept, indeed embrace, the national reputation of Philly fans. You know the drunken tough boors who boo Santa, kick little children, and cheer Michael Irvin's neck injury.

And I've also made peace that the national caricature isn't accurate, even as the non-Philly media inflate minor incidents to further burnish our "image."

Take the Caps-Flyers series.

Here's what the Washington Post's columnists have had to say about the fans (not the games mind you but the fans):

"Midway through the third period of this demoralizing 6-3 loss at Wachovia Center, 20,000 people in fluorescent orange howled for their World Extreme Cagefighters, and a crowd in the upper bowl chanted vulgarities at Ovechkin that went beyond the bounds of loutish fan behavior. As the frothing masses left the arena, they felt good about the bull being struck and killed -- checking the multi-generational Russian wizards Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov into humility as much as the boards"

"For most of the evening, there was this unmistakable air of testosterone coming from the Flyers' direction that just reeked of physicality, a way of exerting their mauling style on the Capitals that just sent their denizens into some medieval state of euphoria."

" Did we mention they show fights on the video scoreboard every period here, more than most arenas show dunks in the NBA?"

" The Capitals didn't come out as Eastern Conference foes; they entered the playing surface like Russell Crowe entered the Coliseum in "Gladiator." Flyer fans didn't want to beat Washington as much as see Ovechkin bludgeoned, his teammates emasculated."

" It's almost impossible to fathom, but the Capitals took the ice in front of a building as loud as Verizon Center last Friday. The fans wore orange instead of the Capitals' red, and many of the women and children looked as if they could work security for Megadeth."

"the invincibility the Flyers have found in their love-'em-or-loathe-'em city, where the real-life Vince Papale, not Marky Mark, shows up with his son in orange and black?"