The Larry Kane Report

Can you believe it? South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford has reversed the superficial trend of public wives who have stood by their men after being shamed and embarrased, their families shattered by public infidelities. Are you listening Mrs. Spitzer, Mrs. Ensign, Mrs. Craig, and the other loyal wives?

Sanford says she’s more interested in the stability of her family than the career of her troubled husband. That is refreshing. You wonder why wives who have been betrayed and humiliated can stand there with a stiff upper lip and take the abuse?

THE KING OF POP

And was he ever. My mind raced back to a sultry summer night in 1984 when we took th family to see the Thriller tour at JFK Stadium. Jackson was electric. What happened to him emotionally over the last 30 years will be the subject of books and documentaries. But one thing is clear – no one did the stage better than Michael Jackson.

IRV HOMER

A great loss. Few tapped the feelings and concerns of real Philadelphians like Irv. In many ways, his sharp and tart style paved the way for modern talkers. Irv was ornery, dramatic and very informed. He will be missed!

PHILLIE’S SECRET WEAPON -

Town is still buzzing over Jim Jackson’s spectacular radio play by play during the West Coast road trip. Jackson, the Flyer’s great broadcast talent, does baseball with the cadence and excitement that gives you a mental picture of the game. The sad loss of Harry Kalas has left the Phil’s broadcast team depleted. Jim Jackson should be doing even more play by play. That’s one fan’s opinion.

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The death of Gary Papa at such a young age spotlights the relationship that  local viewers develop with long time TV personalities. People view this loss as the loss of a part of their own daily lives. Gary arrived at Channel Six four years after I left the station. He came to town as a sports reporter and eventually replaced Don Tollefson as the station’s main sports anchor. I did not know Gary, except to say hello now and then at a chance meeting. But people who I have worked with, especially in the sports field, have deep and affectionate feelings about him.

One of Gary’s close friends is Jeff Asch. Jeff is a long time sports journalist, and currently  a weekend sports standout at KYW Newsradio. His words of affection for Gary reflect much of what is being said: Gary was a giving guy who cared a lot about the people he worked with. but most especially his family. He learned, as I have along with many others, that the people of this region, as tough as they are described by jaded national journalists, are intensely loyal to the people who stay here and make a life here. Commitment to the community is very important. And Gary Papa became, over the years, a real and genuine Philadelphian.

Some years ago, I was out to dinner with my family, when we ran into Gary and his wife and two children. They are a beautiful, young and vibrant family. I think of them now as they endure such  a deep personal loss.

ED SNIDER: ON THE FANS

My special interview with Ed Snider on Voice of Reason running  this week on the Comcast Network and Comcast Sportsnet was revealing. It wasn’t just Snider’s assessment of his long tenure here, but his remarks about Philadelphia sports fans that made me think a bit about the big picture. Snider said that his work with the Flyers and now the Sixers would have never been possible without the true grit and  unwavering support of sports fans here. He should know. He’s been around longer on the sports scene than anyone in this town, except the venerable and respected Stan Hochman who has been reporting for the Daily News for 50 years. One of Snider’s first lessons, back in the 1960’s was understanding that losing is not an option for most fans. But there was another lesson: that the fans cared more about the team’s will to win, and the owner’s desire to do everything possible to make that happen. It’s very simple.  Give them everything you’ve got, and win or lose, they will respect you forever.

IRAN-

Whatever the outcome of the current mini-revolution, things will never be the same in Iran. The Mullahs who run the country will always be watching their backs. Their paranoia about the West will grow. Will they try to be more accountable to the masses who are demonstrating? Doubtful, but, in the end, this outburst of emotions may cause enough fear to bring a slight tild toward reform.  In the meantime, the world is watching, and the ultra-militant extremists who run that country know it.  That’s a good thing.

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Hitler. Ahmadinejad, and now von Brunn. Words can kill. Hitler , the Iranian firebrand, and now the 88 year old von Brunn proved without a doubt that hate-filled words can translate into murder. Von Brunn obviously believed his deranged view of life. His attack on the Holocaust Museum last week was another tragic and wasteful act of a hate-driven human being.

Why do I write this? Because hate is quite alive in our society. Just look at some of the posted emails on this site. You might think some of the racial innuendos are clever. Let me make it clear: many of them are bad jokes. Words can be as dangerous as knives and bullets. Get the picture?

More on Ahmadinejad . His election is a real problem for the U.S.  Will it make the hard liners more brazen? Probably. But it does show the world that the dictator and Holocaust denier is vulnerable. That vulnerability makes his look weak to the Islamic world that is not part of Iran, namely the Arab states who fear him.

Back home, Donovan McNabb will ink a contract that pays him more, but keeps the timetable of his original deal. GOOD DEAL FOR BOTH SIDES! Sports personalities who finish their careers in Philadelphia are idolized forever.  The Eagles get to keep their quarterback happy, at least for now.

Welcome to Bert Sugar. The famed sportswriter is in town to promote his beautiful new book, “Bert Sugar’s Baseball Hall of Fame.” Bert was my guest on the most recent edition of Voice of Reason on the Comcast Network. The book is a masterpiece!

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First of all, farewell to Mike Strug. Mike, Steve Levy and yours truly are the only broadcast personalities to have worked at 3, 6 and 10 in our careers. Mike was an original Action News reporter back in the seventies, and he was a star,  the man who ended the newscasts with a funny story every night. Mike was Don Polec before Don Polec. His last stop was Channel Ten, where he retired, with a great sendoff this past week. He’s a terrific guy, who worked hard to bring you the news and more for 39 years. One other note: Mike, Steve and I still share the same barber, Joe Donahue, but at this stage of the game, Mike has a lot more hair than I do.

BOOKS—

Two important summer reads: “Serena”, by Ron Rash. This is fiction at its best, a blood-curdling psycho-drama of love and power. Don’t miss it. Also read “Closing Time”, a memoir by Philadelphia native Joe Queenan. If you love Philadelphia, you will love this dark, brooding remembrance of growing up poor in Philadelphia. It will make you laugh, and make you cry. Both books were recommended by America’s greatest reader, Joe Drabyak of Chester County Books and Music.

A special note: Queenan’s book points out that, in the life of the poor in his time, the only chance to escape despair was books, and the libraries of Philadelphia made that possible.. These books helped Queenan and his sisters learn about all the possibilities of the world. Without the availability of books, Queenan and his sisters, deprived of the normal imperatives of food, shelter and joy, would have never been inspired to make a batter life.

OBAMA

The President reached a new level of eloquence in his speeches in the Middle East, at the Nazi death camp, and most all, his emotional address at Normandy. The Obama haters who write here quite often will sound off on this with their usual garbage, but this is not about politics. This is about the fact that Barack Obama may be the one of the greatest orators in the nation’s history.

LAWSUITS –

Months ago Alycia Lane filed lawsuits against KYW TV, Larry Mendte and Dan Gross, Daily News Gossip man. This past week, Mendte filed new suits against the Inky’s  superstar columnist Mike Klein, and a few others. In a world where people take sides, it is fascinating that both dueling anchors, one waiting for her day in court, the other just recently ending his house arrest, would not only have their points of view, but obviously axes to grind against different reporters: Mendte against Klein, Lane against Gross. I want to ask you: Are the people tired of this saga, or still hungry for details? You tell me!

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