May 23, 2006

Get an inside look at the city of Philadelphia from the eyes of three Minutemen, who are all Philly area natives. Seniors Dane Collins (Ridley Park, Pa.) and Clay Stabert (Wynnewood, Pa.) along with junior Denis Whelan (Merion Station, Pa.) gave their opinions on the best and worst of the City of Brotherly love. Read their thoughts on the best cheesesteaks in town, favorite sports moments as well as T.O. and A.I. See where to eat at and what to see during your stay in Philadelphia to cheer on the Minutemen!

Favorite Place to Eat in Philadelphia:
Whelan: My favorite place is Larry's, which is right off Cityline Avenue. The most famous places are Pat's or Gino's, both cheesesteake places.

Collins: I like to go to Oregon Ave. which is right near the stadium to a place called Tony Luke's. I get my cheesesteaks from there.

Stabert: There's a place Peace A Pizza I used to work at that's a lot like Antonio's. It's pizza by the slice. It's all over the area, so it's probably my favorite place.

Favorite Place to See/Attraction:
Whelan: Franklin Institute. It's a pretty well known spot. They have an omnitheatre. You get to see pretty cool movies. There is a big screen that goes all the way around.

Collins: The Link (Lincoln Financial Field), site of the NCAA Semifinals.

Stabert: The Liberty Bell and Constitution Center are pretty cool. The Franklin Institute is cool too. The Constitution Center is the place to go.

Favorite Philly Memories:
Whelan: I was at Game 7 of the Flyers when they played Tampa Bay in 2004. It was the last game at Philadelphia before the season re-opened again. It was an overtime winner. Also, the Vet (Veterans Stadium) getting destroyed.

Collins: The World Series in 1993, I went to a game with my dad. I have a lot of memories form Veteran Stadium.

Stabert: I lived in Philadelphia for the first five years of my life. I lived right near the Art Museum, where we're staying (this weekend). That area has a couple parks, which I remember from my early childhood.

Favorite Philadelphia Sports Team:
Whelan: The Eagles by far.

Collins: Definitely the Eagles, I'm a season-ticket holder.

Stabert: My favorite Philly sports team probably is the Phillies. I'm a big baseball fan. My family goes to a lot of games over the summer.

Favorite Philadelphia Athlete:
Whelan: Donovan McNabb has to be my favorite player. Either him or Peter Forsberg. Both are good guys and embody the city of Philadelphia.

Collins: I like Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles. He's a safety on the team. He's got 24-inch biceps, he's a beast. He lays people out when he plays the game. He plays really hard.

Stabert: I like Brian Dawkins, definitely.

If you make a key play in a game this weekend, can you top a Terrell Owens celebration?
Whelan: I don't know if I could beat it. There are some guys in the locker room who have some good stuff. The guy from Hopkins last year did the bird. I'd probably put the title bout on Freddie Mitchell.

Collins: I couldn't beat it and wouldn't want to try and beat it because Coach would have my head.

Stabert: No, none of that. I'm not going to do any of that.

Are you expecting booing from the notoriously bitter Philly fans?
Whelan: I remember when the Eagles pelted Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin with snowballs. Most of the people going to the game this coming weekend are guys from Maryland and New York. The Philly faithful will be hanging out at the Wings games (indoor professional lacrosse).

Collins: I hope I don't get booed. I have a lot of family there and I hope we get a lot of UMass fans. The fans there can be pretty bad, but they'll be on their best behavior this weekend.

Stabert: I hope not. Hopefully the city will embrace UMass and our style of play.

Best Place to go for Philly Cheesesteak:
Whelan: My family's favorite place to go is South Street. My dad's, my little brother's, and my favorite place to go is Jim's. It's got black on the outside; it's really nice. You get chopped up steak. There's also Gino's and Pat's.

Collins: My favorite place is Tony Luke's. If you get fried onions, ketchup, and enough pickles on it, you can make any cheesesteak taste good.

Stabert: There are so many places. They all taste the same. If you ask me I can't tell the difference between one another. I go to Artmore Style Pizza. It's close to my house. I'd have to say Pat's or Gino's.

How is the situation with traffic in Philly?
Whelan: It's pretty crammed up. There can be some traffic. I know on the Schuylkill Expressway, they call it the "Sure Kill" Expressway. There are so many accidents there. (Route) 95 is obviously pretty ridiculous. It's no different than any other city. (If) You drive along the Schuko River, you can see the art museum, boathouse row, and stuff like that. There's some good sightseeing from the highways.

Colllins: The traffic's not bad if you know where you're going. If you get stuck in bad game-day traffic down by the Linc, it can get pretty ugly.

Stabert: There are a lot of people around, but I don't expect it to be any different than any other city.

Take your pick, Allen Iverson or Terrell Owens?

Collins: I would say neither. I don't like T.O. or A.I. I hope they trade AI, to be honest with you.

Stabert: I like Allen Iverson, he's a good player.

Major League Lacrosse (Outdoor) or National Lacrosse League (Indoor)?
Whelan: They're both awesome. I like going to both games. I've always loved going to Wings (NLL) games. I remember when I was little going to watch Kevin Finneran, and all those guys. I looked up to those guys so much. They put lacrosse on the map in Philadelphia. The Wachovia Center gets sold out basically every time the Wings play. It's a big thing in Philadelphia.

Collins: Like Denis said, they're both really good teams. They both put on good shows. I got to work for the Barrage, the outdoor team, last year. If I had a pick, I would definitely pick the Wings. My high school coach played for the Wings. I watched him play and win a bunch of championships. It's a fun atmosphere.

Stabert: I don't follow either; but I'd say outdoor because I play outdoor now.

Interviews compiled by Justin Lafleur, UMass Media Relations and thanks to Matt Vautour of the Daily Hampshire Gazette for his creative title!