Blades, Bands, and Ballers: How “Flash and Cash” Rescued the Flyers and Created Philadelphia’s Greatest Showplace by author Lou Scheinfeld recalls the history of Philly’s iconic Spectrum.
In a week where the Eagles lost, and the Sixers might finally be rid of Ben Simmons, it might not be readily apparent that I would pull a new book on Philly’s beloved old hockey-basketball arena, The Spectrum, from my stacks to read. But Blades, Bands, and Ballers: How “Flash and Cash” Rescued the Flyers and Created Philadelphia’s Greatest Showplace, from author Lou Scheinfeld was just the remedy to my sporting blues.
Dedicated to the memory of the man who built the Flyers and The Spectrum, the “Cash” of Schneider’s “Flash” fame – the late great Ed Snider – this memoir is better than any newly erected statue. Maybe Scheinfeld wishes that his name ranked alongside Snider’s when it comes to this legacy/history is part of the memoir, but, hey, who doesn’t want to be lionized, even if they didn’t talk for over 30 years according to the author’s recall.
Called “America’s Showplace” when it was erected in 1967 (and mourned when it was torn down in 2010), how The Spectrum came to be, then stayed being, comes through loud and clear (when it can, mind you, there’s plenty of Philly mob talk to be found here) in Scheinfeld’s fast moving memoirs.
Along with dealing with memorializing Kate Smith, coming up against police commissioner-turned-mayor Frank Rizzo, and dealing with the fragile egos of Sinatra, Julius Irving and The Rolling Stones are huge topics when it comes to the author’s recollection of The Spectrum, just as laughing and fighting with the team of broken-down Flyers players that eventually became The Broad Street Bullies.
Little memories such as Sylvester Stallone being turned down when he asked to shoot Rocky at The Spectrum, to hearing Philly boxer Joe Frazier gripe, to battling with Sinatra’s goons over tickets and his usual backstage requests, to a sad last time look at Elvis Presley’s final appearance, to Springsteen getting booed the first time he played the big room – it’s all here and told with the sort of gutsy aplomb that you’d expect from a guy who once wrote for the Daily News.
“Think of it like planning a big wedding, only you’ve got 20,000 guests coming,” Scheinfeld wrote. “And another wedding tomorrow and maybe on Saturday and two more on Sunday … What could go wrong?”
Read this book now.
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