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  • A Center City steakhouse is the unlikely home of a viral ‘Girl Dinner’ offering

    A Center City steakhouse is the unlikely home of a viral ‘Girl Dinner’ offering

    Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Center City, with its large round tables, soaring ceilings, and big screens flashing sports games above the bar, regularly attracts many large groups of men.

    And yet, the establishment has recently gone viral, mainly among women, thanks to a bar menu item entitled “Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirred.” A video of 24-year-old Philly native and influencer Hannah Sparkevicius dubbing the $39 combination — which encompasses a cocktail, half a dozen oysters, truffle fries, and a small Caesar salad — “girl dinner” currently has over 100,000 views.

    @hannahhnotmontanaa

    My first time trying an oyster! I love finding good food deals in the city and this one is fire 🦪 🍸 @Jamie Wolf #philly #philadelphia #phillytiktok #phillyfoodie

    ♬ original sound – HANNAH SPARKS –

    Sparkevicius posts regularly about beauty trends, going out to eat in Philly, and great deals. The Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirred menu item fits the bill, standing out on a menu that otherwise features $20 cocktails and half a dozen oysters for $25. (The sampler debuted on the bar and lounge menus at all 15 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle locations last October.)

    “Girl dinner” is a social media trend that took feeds by storm two years ago and it hasn’t waned since. Why? Because girl dinners have always existed. The trend simply put a name to casual, pulled-together meals that might not make sense on a restaurant menu. (You don’t have to be a girl to partake in girl dinner.)

    Sparkevicius’ video has inspired legions of social media users tagging one another in her comments section, suggesting future Del Frisco’s outings. It also spurred similar posts on others, like one from the Instagram account Who What When Where Philly — which actually prompted me to gather my own girl group and head to Del Frisco’s.

    My three girl friends and I made our way to Del Frisco’s 15th and Chestnut location, an ornate, cavernous 1922 lair that was formerly a First Pennsylvania Bank. We elbowed our way past several groups of bachelor parties, snagged seats at the bar, and ordered our bar specials.

    “For me, fries and salad means girl dinner,” said one of my companions. “It’s yin and yang. You have your vegetable, which is healthy and refreshing, and your fries, which are warm, salty, and comforting… If all I eat is a salad, then there’s inadequate satiation. Fries balance out that craving.”

    Jojo Goodwin and Bonnary Lek at Del Frisco’s on Feb. 7, enjoying what has been recast as “Girl Dinner”: Caesar salad, French fries, oysters, and martinis.

    Our server, Bradley, put exceptional care into taking our orders for martinis and didn’t bat an eye when we requested multiple orders of Shucked, Fried, Tossed, and Stirred: “So that will be four girl dinners for the table?”

    When he returned, he carefully arranged the oyster towers (cradling East Coast Blue Points) balanced on top of a plate holding fries, romaine Caesars, and ramekins of ketchup and extra Caesar dressing. Bradley walked around the table cracking fresh black pepper over each mini salad.

    Sitting by the kitchen, I watched one girl dinner after another emerge through its double swinging doors. Bradley reported that a dozen other guests had also ordered the same special and called it “girl dinner.”

    “Since the video went live, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in guests visiting specifically to request the bar special,” said Sawan Thakkar, vice president of operations for Del Frisco’s in Philly. They’ve also seen a “significant rise in new guests ordering it.”

    And how does Del Frisco’s feel about their bar special being renamed?

    “We love it,” said Thakkar. “We’re happy to embrace the name.”

  • Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering starting slowly at spring training because of hamstring strain

    Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering starting slowly at spring training because of hamstring strain

    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Orion Kerkering will start spring training a little behind schedule after suffering a mild hamstring strain.

    The Phillies right-hander felt the strain during his last bullpen session before spring training officially started on Wednesday, and the Phillies will be cautious with the reliever, manager Rob Thomson said.

    “He’s still playing catch, and so hopefully get a little flat ground work here in the next little bit,” Thomson said.

    Phillies closer Jhoan Duran throws during the first day of workouts Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla.

    Other injuries and delays

    Relief pitcher Michael Mercado has a right shoulder impingement and will be shut down from throwing for another week, the team said. Mercado made three major league appearances last season for the Phillies and had a 4.59 ERA in 42 games with triple-A Lehigh Valley.

    The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler was given one of his ribs after surgery. Now he’s working to ‘do my thing’ once again.

    Daniel Robert, 31, had a “cardiovascular event” last fall, and next week he will undergo stress testing in Atlanta. He appeared in 15 games for the Phillies as a reliever last season, pitching to a 4.15 ERA. Both Mercado and Robert were non-tendered by the Phillies this offseason but later were re-signed to minor league deals.

    Nonroster invitee catcher Mark Kolozsvary had ACL surgery last year, and is able to catch and throw but not run.

    Catcher René Pinto, also a nonroster invitee, is not in camp because of visa issues coming from Venezuela.

  • The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler was given one of his ribs after surgery. Now he’s working to ‘do my thing’ once again.

    The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler was given one of his ribs after surgery. Now he’s working to ‘do my thing’ once again.

    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Inside a closet at Zack Wheeler’s house, preserved and tucked inside a protective case, is one of his ribs.

    The Phillies pitcher’s first rib was removed as part of the surgery he underwent in September to treat venous thoracic outlet syndrome. The rib is taken out to relieve compression of the subclavian vein.

    It’s common for patients who undergo that type of surgery to receive their rib afterward, though it can be weeks or months later. But Wheeler’s doctor hand-delivered his.

    Are they better? Are their top two stars still elite? Nine questions for the Phillies as spring training opens

    “He was like, ‘I wanted to give it to you personally,’” Wheeler said from his typical corner locker at BayCare Ballpark. “So he just walked in and gave it to me in a bag. It was pretty gross.”

    Wheeler, making his first public comments since his TOS diagnosis, had just finished a recovery day on Wednesday, on the first official day of Phillies camp for pitchers and catchers.

    “It’s not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career,” Wheeler said. “You might expect to have a shoulder or elbow [injury] throughout your career. The blood clot thing is something that’s kind of rare and you don’t expect to have. So when you get told that, it’s just something you just have to sort of sit back and think about for a second.”

    Zack Wheeler said a blood clot is “not something that you expect to happen in your life or your career.”

    Wheeler had first experienced heaviness near his right shoulder following a start on Aug. 15 in Washington, and Nationals team doctors identified an upper extremity blood clot.

    He underwent a thrombolysis procedure to remove the clot, and multiple specialists afterward diagnosed him with venous TOS, which ended his 2025 season.

    “After the surgery, you battle the tightness and the soreness and stuff like that,” Wheeler said. “The first week was really tough after it, soreness-wise, obviously. … Now, I feel pretty much normal.”

    Phillies ‘doing everything we can’ to part with Nick Castellanos before first full-squad workout

    Wheeler spent the winter in Philadelphia, where he worked with Phillies trainer Paul Buchheit on getting back his range of motion and strength. Manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that it is doubtful Wheeler will be ready for opening day on March 26, but that he shouldn’t be “too far beyond that.”

    Wheeler has been encouraged by his progress, but he isn’t looking that far ahead. Instead, he’s focused on taking things day by day and checking off each box as it comes.

    The next step is building up his arm strength. He is throwing at a maximum distance of 90 feet four times a week, which soon will be extended to 105 feet. Then, it’s flat-ground drills, which are the final step before Wheeler can get on a mound.

    Zack Wheeler says he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again after surgery for a blood clot in his upper right arm.

    “I just kind of do what they tell me, ask what I got for the week, and kind of just go about it that way,” Wheeler said. “I try not to get my hopes up one way or the other, and that’s kind of how I’ve always been. Just take it as it comes and just do the work that I’m needing to be done that week.”

    Throughout this process, Wheeler, 35, said he never considered the possibility that he might not pitch again.

    “I think that any athlete, you have surgery, you’re optimistic about it,” he said. “You always had that good mindset where you come back and be the same performer as you were. So that’s kind of my mindset the whole time. I’m moving back to where I was, and I think that’s the right mindset to have.”

    The next time he does step on the mound, he’s expecting to be the same Wheeler, even if he is one rib lighter.

    “Hopefully,” Wheeler said, “I can get back out there and do my thing.”

  • A former Philly lawyer who tried to get a cell phone to an accused gang leader in jail was sentenced to probation

    A former Philly lawyer who tried to get a cell phone to an accused gang leader in jail was sentenced to probation

    A former criminal defense attorney was sentenced Wednesday to two years’ probation for smuggling contraband — including Suboxone and a cell phone — into Philadelphia’s Federal Detention Center last year in an apparent attempt to placate a purported gang leader.

    Paul DiMaio of Turnersville apologized for his actions during a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge John R. Padova, saying: “I absolutely should’ve known better.”

    DiMaio said his behavior was an ill-conceived response to a variety of pressures he was feeling at the time — including learning of a cancer diagnosis for his wife, and being afraid that the inmate who wanted the prohibited items was an accused murderer who had also been charged with attempting to arrange contract killings from jail.

    “This is not me,” DiMaio said. “I think it was, for lack of a better term, a perfect storm.”

    Padova said that 90 days of DiMaio’s probationary sentence must be served at a halfway house or similar reentry facility.

    DiMaio was indicted last year after prosecutors said he went to the detention center in February 2025 with two accordion-style folders, one of which contained a cell phone, a charging cord, strips of Suboxone, and 240 loose cigarettes.

    The materials — which inmates are not allowed to possess — were not discovered by guards overseeing entrants to the jail that day, prosecutors said. But surveillance footage later showed DiMaio taking the two folders to a visiting room, where he met with a prisoner who was associated with another inmate, Jahlil Williams, who prosecutors say was the intended recipient of the contraband.

    Williams — also known as “25th Street Bill” or “Kill Bill” — was awaiting trial for a variety of violent crimes in a sprawling racketeering case. DiMaio said he was afraid that Williams, the purported leader of the Omerta street gang, was upset over a monetary dispute involving a previous legal case, and that Williams might seek to harm him if he didn’t go along with the smuggling plot.

    “I panicked,” DiMaio said, “and I made just a horrible decision.”

    While in the visiting room at the detention center, prosecutors said, DiMaio gave Williams’ associate — who has not been charged in the case — the folder containing the prohibited items, and that man was supposed to give the materials to Williams.

    But a guard searched the folder before the prisoner got back to his cellblock and found the prohibited items inside. After an FBI investigation, DiMaio was charged with crimes including providing contraband to an inmate and aiding and abetting.

    Williams was charged as well, as were his sister Jada and his mother, Tanya Culver, who were accused of participating in the conspiracy. They are all still awaiting trial.

    DiMaio pleaded guilty last fall to providing contraband and making a false statement.

    He surrendered his law license voluntarily shortly after he was charged, he said in court. He has since been seeking to find other ways to pay his family’s bills, but said the loss of his career and his wife’s ongoing health challenges have left the couple “financially ruined.”

    Padova, the judge, told DiMaio he was involved in “serious conduct” but added: “This is the first day of the rest of your life.”

    “We’ve given you the opportunity to make the best of it,” Padova said.

  • Montco officials condemn ICE’s ‘brutality’ after federal agents arrest a man near Norristown

    Montco officials condemn ICE’s ‘brutality’ after federal agents arrest a man near Norristown

    Montgomery County elected officials forcefully condemned a Monday ICE arrest in which agents broke down a family’s front door, lambasting officers for what the leaders described as needless cruelty.

    “We are here for one reason, to say that this kind of brutality is completely unacceptable,” said State Sen. Art Haywood, a Democrat who represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, during a news conference Tuesday in Norristown.

    Neighbors watched in Lower Providence on Monday as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action turned into an hours-long siege, with the street blocked off and more than a dozen government vehicles outside a home in an effort to take one man into custody.

    The local leaders’ comments came amid a national debate over President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, following violent operations in Minnesota in which federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens last month.

    “ICE agents, if you can hear me, do not follow these cruel orders that violate the basic dignity that we all recognize, and for all immigrants who are terrified … we stand with you,” Haywood said.

    ICE officials in Philadelphia did not respond to a request for comment.

    Montgomery County has become a hot spot for ICE activity, and the Norristown area has come under particular scrutiny, with about one-third of the population identifying as Latino. In July, in one of its most high-profile operations in the Philadelphia region, ICE arrested 14 people at a food market near Norristown, about two miles north of the home where Monday’s arrest took place.

    Rachel Rutter, an attorney and the executive director of Project Libertad, was at the scene of the arrest Monday.

    She said it appeared the man was going to work when agents attempted to stop his car, and the vehicles tapped. Each blamed the other, she added. The man, who was not immediately identified, subsequently went inside the home at Ridge Pike and North Barry Avenue in Lower Providence Township.

    By about 10 a.m., agents had arrived and moved into positions around the property. Videos showed the road blocked off with yellow police tape.

    Some agents approached the house, Rutter said, and at least one could be seen waving at someone who was filming from inside. Rutter said family members told her federal agents later obtained a warrant and subsequently broke through the door to arrest the man.

    The Department of Homeland Security statement said Wednesday that ICE was conducting a targeted operation to arrest Jose Manuel Cordova Lopez, a Mexican national who overstayed his visa after it expired in 2021 and who in 2025 was charged with driving under the influence.

    To try to evade arrest, DHS said, he “weaponized his vehicle” and rammed an ICE vehicle, then fled into his house and refused to come out. ICE subsequently obtained a criminal warrant and arrested him, the agency said.

    On Tuesday, elected officials said they were especially concerned with the manner in which Monday’s arrest was carried out.

    Janine Darby, a Lower Providence Township supervisor, described seeing at least 20 unmarked vehicles, some with Uber stickers, along with agents from ICE and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. She added that an ambulance was called for a family member in the house who had been “punched in the face.”

    “Inside the home, what I saw was devastating,” Darby said. “Children crying, a family in shock, and a home destroyed after agents broke down the door.”

    State Sen. Katie Muth (D., Montgomery) said that ICE arrests make communities less safe and less trusting of law enforcement.

    “You allow this kind of unlawful behavior without due process to happen to one person, it can happen to anyone,” Muth said.

    Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, a Democrat and vice chair of the board, said Tuesday that “it’s incredibly important that we continue to show that we are taking steps to protect every resident’s rights.”

    Immigration activists have repeatedly called for Montgomery County officials to adopt a formal ordinance or resolution to officially become a “welcoming county.”

    The Democratic-led board of commissioners has not done so, citing limits to its power and concern about creating a false sense of security for immigrants. Last year, county officials approved a policy limiting communication between county employees and ICE and said they would not honor prison-detainer requests without a signed judicial warrant, and the commissioners confirmed that the county will not participate in ICE’s 287(g) program, which authorizes local governments to assist in immigration enforcement.

    Local stakeholders have called for all 62 municipalities in the county to enact their own welcoming provisions to limit cooperation with ICE. As of early December, six of them had done so.

    State Rep. Greg Scott (D., Montgomery) said community advocacy is crucial, adding that residents witnessing and recording ICE activity are documenting “reality.”

    “Keep on recording, keep that spare battery pack in your pocket,” he said. “Keep it in your car, keep your phones charged. We got to keep recording to hold people accountable.”

  • Homeland Security officials voice concerns about looming shutdown

    Homeland Security officials voice concerns about looming shutdown

    WASHINGTON — A disruption in reimbursements to states for disaster relief costs. Delays in cybersecurity response and training. And missed paychecks for the agents who screen passengers and bags at the nation’s airports, which could lead to unscheduled absences and longer wait times for travelers.

    Those were just some of the potential ramifications of a looming funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, according to officials who testified before a House panel on Wednesday.

    Congress has approved full-year funding for the vast majority of the federal government, but it only passed a short-term funding patch for the Department of Homeland Security that extends through Friday. In response to the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis and other incidents, Democrats have insisted that any funding bill for the department come with changes to immigration enforcement operations.

    Finding agreement on the issue of immigration enforcement will be exceedingly difficult. But even though lawmakers in both parties were skeptical, a White House official said that the administration was having constructive talks with both Republicans and Democrats. The official, granted anonymity to speak about ongoing deliberations, stressed that President Donald Trump wanted the government to remain open and for Homeland Security services to be funded.

    Meanwhile, Republicans are emphasizing that a Homeland Security shutdown would not curtail the work of the agencies Democrats are most concerned about. Trump’s tax and spending cut bill passed last year gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement about $75 billion to expand detention capacity and beef up enforcement operations.

    “Removal operations will continue. Wall construction will continue,” said Rep. Mark Amodei, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security.

    Rather, agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency would take the biggest hit, he said. Officials from those agencies appeared before the House subcommittee to explain the potential impact of a Homeland Security shutdown.

    Rep. Henry Cuellar, the ranking Democrat on the panel, said the tragic loss of two American citizens in Minneapolis — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — should concern every lawmaker. He said that strong borders and a respect for human life are not competing values.

    “When enforcement actions lead to outcomes like that, we have an obligation to ask the hard question and to make sure our laws and policies are working as intended,” Cuellar said.

    He said on Homeland Security funding that “we were almost there. We were there, Democrats and Republicans and everybody, but the second shooting brought different dynamics. I think we can get there to address that.”

    Essential work continues

    About 90% of the department’s employees would continue working in a shutdown, but they would do so without pay. Vice Admiral Thomas Allan of the U.S. Coast Guard said law enforcement and emergency response missions continue during a shutdown, but that the possibility of missed paychecks creates significant financial hardships.

    “Shutdowns cripple morale and directly harm our ability to recruit and retain the talented Americans we need to meet growing demands,” Allan said.

    Ha Nguyen McNeill, of the Transportation Security Administration, shared a similar concern. She estimated about 95% of the agency’s 61,000 workers would continue to work, but potentially go without a paycheck depending upon the length of a shutdown. She noted that they just went through a lengthy shutdown last fall.

    “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” she said. “…Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience.”

    Homeland Security also includes the agency charged with working to protect the public and private sector from a broad range of cyber threats. Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of that agency, said a shutdown would “degrade our capacity to provide timely and actionable guidance to help partners defend their networks.”

    “I want to be clear, when the government shuts down, cyber threats do not,” he said.

    Long-term impact

    Gregg Phillips, an associated administrator at FEMA, said its disaster relief fund has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities during a shutdown, but would become seriously strained in the event of a catastrophic disaster. He said that while the agency continues to respond to threats like flooding and winter storms, long-term planning and coordination with state and local partners is “irrevocably impacted.”

    For example, he said a lapse would disrupt training for first responders at the National Disaster & Emergency Management University in Maryland.

    “The import of these trainings cannot be measured,” Phillips said. “And their absence will be felt in our local communities.”

    At the Secret Service, “the casual observer will see no difference,” said Matthew Quinn, the agency’s deputy director. But he said reform efforts taking place at the Secret Service are affected.

    “Delayed contracts, diminished hiring and halted new programs will be the result,” Quinn said.

  • Philly is warming up after a historic cold snap, as locals break out short sleeves and plan vacations

    Philly is warming up after a historic cold snap, as locals break out short sleeves and plan vacations

    Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow, but Phillies pitchers and catchers are reporting in at the Clearwater spring training facility, and that means one thing: Warmer weather is arriving in Philadelphia.

    After the biggest snowfall in a decade and an Arctic freeze that locked in the snowpack with a tenacity rarely experienced in the region, Philadelphians can now be seen walking the streets in short sleeves, eating lunch outside, and preparing for spring staples like the Cherry Blossom Festival.

    It was only in the 40s in Philly Wednesday, but after what felt like a never-ending cold front, it might as well have been summer.

    “I can’t wait to take walks again,” said Jenny Rojas, a Korean major at the University of Pennsylvania. She and classmate Justin Lo were strolling through campus in 40-degree weather like it was a breath of fresh air after weeks of below-freezing temperatures.

    “I’m from Michigan, so this snow isn’t that bad, but the temperatures were freezing. We just stayed inside,” said Lo, a Penn economics major.

    As Philadelphians bustled through Penn’s campus, an assortment of short-sleeve T-shirts, skirts, and shorts was sported by many. Some folks’ lack of coats didn’t stop Lo and Rojas from bundling up still. And while the temperature is getting reasonable, Philadelphians are still traversing treacherously slippery sidewalks and 3-foot snow piles blocking walkways.

    The remnants are going to be slow to vanish with overnight lows below freezing, but the snowpack is decidedly showing its age and is on the run.

    The ice covering the Schuylkill River is melting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pa. The high on Wednesday was 46 degrees.

    Temperatures are due to cool down some Thursday and Friday with highs in the 30s, but the 40s are due back on the weekend.

    For some, like Penn administrative assistant Sheria Crawley, it was just a relief, and a surprise, to be able to finally say, “Thank God it’s 30 degrees out.” Crawley, who has lived in the city for years, said the snowstorm of 2026 is one of the worst she’s seen, not giving residents a reprieve from the cold.

    “It was brutal because we’re used to getting snow and then a warm-up right after that takes the snow away. This year, we couldn’t catch a break,” she said.

    The thing she can’t wait for most this spring is to see the “last vestige” of snow finally melt. Crawley said she would be excited then, but the severity of this storm would stick with her for years.

    “I feel like there’s going to be a mass exodus from the city to all the classic vacation spots nearby so that we can just recover from that storm,” she said.

    A cyclist travels on the Schuylkill River Trail along Kelly Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pa. The high on Wednesday was 46 degrees.

    Eirini Antonopoulou felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes after weeks cooped up inside without the sunshine.

    “Since the previous weeks have been so gloomy, I’ve been feeling kind of down,” the Penn freshman said. “It’s gorgeous out today. We have more sunlight now, so I feel more optimistic.”

    Antonopoulou’s classmate, Tyrus Roney, said he was happy to see city life returning to normal, with people stopping to chat and not bundled up, rushing to their destinations.

    “It’s just it’s so much more vibrant with people outside interacting with each other,” Roney said. “Now we just have to take care of this dirty snow on the side of the road.”

    On another day, perhaps we would mention that the region has an outside chance of seeing some fresh snow late in the weekend. That can wait; as long as it chooses.

  • Art Commission votes to move Joe Frazier statue from South Philly to the Art Museum

    Art Commission votes to move Joe Frazier statue from South Philly to the Art Museum

    “Smokin’” Joe Frazier is heading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

    Philly’s statue of the famed heavyweight boxing champion is slated to be installed at the base of the museum’s steps later this year following a Philadelphia Art Commission vote Wednesday that approved the move. All five commissioners present Wednesday voted in favor of the statue’s relocation from its longtime home at the sports complex in South Philadelphia.

    The proposal, presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, will see the Frazier statue installed where Philly’s original Rocky statue stands today. The Rocky statue, meanwhile, will be installed at the top of the museum’s steps.

    “Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum allows us to share a more complete history about Philadelphia’s spirit,” Marguerite Anglin, the city’s public art director, said Wednesday. “One rooted in real people, real work, and real pride in this city.”

    The Frazier statue should move to the Art Museum sometime this spring, Anglin said. That relocation coincides with the move of the Rocky statue currently at the base of the steps, which is slated to be temporarily installed inside the museum for the first time as part of the forthcoming exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments.” That Rocky statue will then be installed at the top of the museum’s steps in the fall, while the Rocky statue now at the top of the steps will go back into actor Sylvester Stallone’s private collection.

    Created by sculptor Stephen Layne, the Frazier statue was unveiled in 2015 at what is now Stateside Live! at the sports complex in South Philadelphia. Its debut came years after Frazier’s death in 2011, which kicked off a campaign to erect the statue in his memory. Standing at 12 feet tall, it depicts the boxer moments after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the “Fight of the Century” — a famed March 1971 bout in which Ali suffered his first professional loss after a brutal 15-round skirmish.

    For years before its creation, Frazier’s supporters lamented the fact that Philadelphia had long had a Rocky statue, but lacked one showing its own real-life champion. Our Rocky statue, in fact, has been around for more than 40 years, and has stood outside the Art Museum for two decades — about twice as long as the Frazier statue has even existed.

    The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a potential move to the Art Museum

    “Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson famously said at Frazier’s funeral. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”

    Creative Philadelphia’s plan featured widespread support from leaders including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, as well as Frazier’s family and friends. It received little pushback at Wednesday’s meeting, with Gabrielle Gibson, a granddaughter of Frazier’s, asking what is perhaps the most obvious question about the placement: Shouldn’t the Frazier statue be at the top?

    He was, after all, a real person, a real Philadelphian, and a real champion. Rocky, meanwhile, is a fictional character who appears to be an amalgamation of several real-life boxers’ stories — Frazier included, according to Creative Philadelphia. Many speakers Wednesday noted that, like Rocky, Frazier was known to run up the Art Museum’s steps and was said to have boxed sides of beef during his training, among other parallels.

    And then there is the symbolism of where the Rocky and Frazier statues will stand.

    “During Black History Month, I think we need to understand the new placement,” Gibson said. “A real boxer and a Black man’s image and likeness would be placed at a lower position beneath the fictional white character whose story was inspired by real boxers.”

    The Frazier statue’s placement at the bottom of the steps, Anglin said, was for two main reasons. First, she said, having Frazier at the bottom makes it the first statue visitors will encounter at the Art Museum — even if they are there expressly to see Rocky — which will provide “an opportunity to be grounded in history.”

    Second, the Rocky statue’s footprint is roughly half the size of the Frazier statue, which would not be “safe or feasible” to install on high, Anglin said. Putting Rocky at the top, Anglin said, allows for better circulation around the monument, and avoids the potential logistical and code-related issues putting Frazier there could present.

    His son, and former heavyweight boxer Marvis Frazier (right), and Rev. Blane Newberry from Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church bless a 12-foot-tall 1,800-pound bronze statue of “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier after it was unveiled in 2015.

    Jacqueline Frazier-Lyde, Frazier’s daughter, a retired professional boxing champion and a Municipal Court judge, expressed support for the move Wednesday, calling the statue a reminder that “we can overcome any obstacle and achieve.” She also recounted her father’s feelings on the Rocky statue, specifically when he would see tourists taking photos with Stallone’s character.

    “At times,” she said, “he would say, ‘Don’t they understand that I’m the heavyweight champion?’”

  • Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., pioneering knee surgeon and celebrated antiquarian, has died at 80

    Robert E. Booth Jr., 80, of Gladwyne, renowned pioneering knee surgeon, former head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Pennsylvania Hospital, celebrated antiquarian, professor, researcher, writer, lecturer, athlete, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, Jan. 15, of complications from cancer at his home.

    Born in Philadelphia and reared in Haddonfield, Dr. Booth was a top honors student at Haddonfield Memorial High School, Princeton University, and what is now the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was good at seeing things differently and went on to design new artificial knee joint implants and improved surgical instruments, serve as chief of orthopedics at Pennsylvania Hospital, and mentor celebrated surgical staffs at Jefferson Health, Aria Health, and Penn Medicine.

    He joined with two other prominent doctors to cofound the 3B orthopedic private practice in the late 1990s and, over 50 years until recently, performed more than 50,000 knee replacements, more than anyone, according to several sources. Last March 26, he did five knee replacements on his 80th birthday.

    In a tribute, fellow physician Alex Vaccaro, president of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, said: “He restored mobility to thousands, pairing unmatched technical mastery with a compassion that patients never forgot.”

    In a 1989 story about his career, Dr. Booth told The Inquirer: “It’s so much fun and so gratifying and so rewarding to see what it means to these people. You don’t see that in the operating room. You see that in the follow-ups. That’s the fun of being a surgeon.”

    Friends called him “a legend in his profession” and “a friend to everyone” in online tributes. He was known to check in with patients the night before every surgery, and a colleague said online: “Patients were all shocked by his compassion.”

    Dr. Booth was also praised for his organization and collaboration in the operating room. “His OR was a clinic in team work and efficiency,” a former colleague said on LinkedIn.

    He told Medical Economics magazine in 2015: “I love fixing things. I like the mechanics and the positivity of something assembled and fixed.”

    This article about Dr. Booth’s practice was published in The Inquirer in 2015.

    His procedural innovations reduced infection rates and increased success rates. They were scrutinized in case studies by Harvard University and others, and replicated by colleagues around the world. Some of the instruments he redesigned, such as the Booth retractor, bear his name.

    He was president of the Illinois-based Knee Society in the early 2000s and earned its 2026 lifetime achievement award. In an Instagram post, colleagues there called him “one of the most influential leaders in the history of knee arthroplasty.”

    Dr. Booth replaced both knees at once on a 52-year old in 2015.

    He was a professor of orthopedics at Penn’s school of medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the old Allegheny University of Health Sciences. He loved language and studied poetry on a scholarship in England after Princeton and before medical school at Penn. He told his family that his greatest professional satisfaction was using both his “manual and linguistic skills.”

    He was onetime president of the International Spine Study Group and volunteered with the nonprofit Operation Walk Denver to provide free surgical care for severe arthritis patients in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and elsewhere. Colleagues at Operation Walk Denver noted his “remarkable spirit, profound expertise, and unwavering commitment” in a Facebook tribute.

    This story about Dr. Booth’s charitable work abroad appeared in The Inquirer in 2020.

    At home, Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, amassed an extensive collection of Shaker and Pennsylvania German folk art. They curated five notable exhibitions at the Philadelphia Antiques Show and were recognized as exceptional collectors in 2011 by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.

    He lectured widely about art and antiques, and wrote articles for Magazine Antiques and other publications. He was president of the American Folk Art Society and active at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire.

    “He was larger than life for sure,” said his daughter, Courtney.

    Robert Emrey Booth Jr. was born March 26, 1945, in Philadelphia. He was the salutatorian of his senior class and ran track and field at Haddonfield High School.

    Dr. Booth enjoyed time with his family.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Princeton in 1967, won a letter on the swimming and diving team, and played on the school’s Ivy League championship lacrosse team as a senior. He wrote his senior thesis about poet William Butler Yeats and returned to Philadelphia from England at the suggestion of his father, a prominent radiologist, to become a doctor. He graduated from Penn’s medical school in 1972.

    “I always liked the intellectual side of medicine,” he told Medical Economics. “And once I got to see the clinical side, I was pretty well hooked.”

    3B Orthopedics moves to Aria Health from Pennsylvania Hospital

    He met Kathy Plummer at a wedding, and they married in 1972 and had a daughter, Courtney, and sons Robert and Thomas. They lived in Society Hill, Haddonfield, and Gladwyne.

    Dr. Booth liked to ski and play golf. He was an avid reader and enjoyed time with his family on Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine.

    “He was quite the person, quite the partner, and quite the husband,” his wife said, “and I’m so proud of what we built together.”

    Dr. Booth and his wife, Kathy, married in 1972.

    In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Booth is survived by six grandchildren and other relatives.

    A private celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations in his name may be made to Operation Walk Denver, 950 E. Harvard Ave., Suite 230, Denver, Colo. 80210.

  • The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a move to the Art Museum

    The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a move to the Art Museum

    The blank space that our famed Rocky statue is slated to soon leave at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps will be filled by a monument to someone a whole lot less fictional — and it has been a long time coming.

    After just over a decade standing outside of what is now known as Stateside Live!, the city’s statue of Philly’s own “Smokin’” Joe Frazier will be the newest Philly boxer to call the Art Museum home. The Philadelphia Art Commission on Wednesday approved a plan detailing the move presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector.

    That plan is the latest development in a saga that began before Frazier’s death from liver cancer in 2011. Frazier’s statue was unveiled in 2015 after years of work and advocacy. Fans and supporters considered the lack of a statue an injustice, given that the statue of Rocky Balboa has been in the city for more than 40 years and he’s not even a real person.

    Rocky, in fact, has been stationed at the base of the Art Museum steps since 2006. That lengthy run follows installations not only at the top of the steps, but also at the sports complex in South Philadelphia, where the Frazier statue has been located since its inception. And Rocky has been in its current home twice as long as the Frazier statue has existed.

    Still, Philly’s Frazier statue has a storied history of its own. Here is how The Inquirer and the Daily News covered it:

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/191021228/

    Article from Nov 12, 2011 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Early advocacy

    Frazier’s supporters had long lamented that Philadelphia lacked a memorial to the boxer. In fact, in a June 2011 Daily News poll, nearly 21% of respondents said Smokin’ Joe should be the next Philadelphia legend honored with a statue — second only to Flyers great Bob Clarke, who himself got a statue in 2013.

    Calls for a statue intensified after Frazier’s death in November 2011. His loved ones and fans — including fellow Philly boxing great Bernard Hopkins — leaned on the city to memorialize the fallen legend. As Hopkins that year told the Daily News, the city ought to “build the biggest statue in appreciation for all the heart and love” Frazier gave to Philadelphia.

    Following his death, Frazier lay in state at the Wells Fargo Center to allow friends, family, and fans to grieve. At Frazier’s funeral, the Rev. Jesse Jackson admonished the city for its lack of respect to Frazier.

    “Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” Jackson said to cheers. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/191021343/

    Article from Mar 9, 2012 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Building momentum despite challenges

    In March 2012, two months after what would have been Frazier’s 68th birthday, boxing promoter Joe Hand — a longtime Frazier supporter — publicized plans for a life-size statue of Frazier that would be placed near what was then Xfinity Live! Hand pledged a memorial, at a cost of $200,000, would be built.

    Divisions among family members, friends, and business partners emerged, but by that September, Frazier’s family — led by daughters and estate executors Weatta Collins and Renae Martin — took over efforts for a statue.

    Hand later bowed out of the proceedings, leaving the memorial up to Frazier’s family with backing from the city via the Fund for Philadelphia. Plans later shifted to a $150,000 funding goal for the statue, with support from the city under then-Mayor Michael Nutter, who was a longtime Frazier fan dating back to his childhood.

    “[This is] a very personal moment for me to be in this position and make this announcement about someone I truly admire,” Nutter told The Inquirer in 2012.

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/191021483/

    Article from Apr 25, 2013 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Setbacks and continued effort

    In April 2013, Frazier’s family and the city selected New Hampshire-based sculptor Lawrence J. Nowlan to helm the project. An Overbrook Park native, Nowlan homed in on an image of Frazier knocking down fellow legend Muhammad Ali in the famed 1971 “Fight of the Century” as the statue’s inspiration.

    But in late July, Nowlan unexpectedly died at the age of 48. The city proceeded with its Frazier statue plans, and roughly three months later selected Fishtown-based sculptor Stephen Layne as Nowlan’s replacement.

    “We all deeply regret the passing of sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and the loss of his artistry in this project,” Nutter said at the time. “But Mr. Nowlan’s untimely passing will not deter us from honoring a great Philadelphian.”

    Layne largely stuck with Nowlan’s plan, and in December 2013, the Philadelphia Art Commission approved designs for a statue depicting Frazier during the iconic Ali fight. It was, The Inquirer reported, expected to stand nine feet tall, plus a three-foot base, ultimately to be cast in bronze.

    https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/191021607/

    Article from Sep 13, 2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>

    Frazier’s unveiling

    Among the most ardent supporters of the Frazier statue ahead of its unveiling in September 2015 was boxer Hopkins, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to see it erected. In April 2014, he told the Daily News that Frazier “has a rightful place in Philadelphia history and that should be honored.”

    Sculptor Layne, meanwhile, plugged away at the statue for months. The pose, he told the Daily News ahead of its unveiling, showed a “pivotal moment” in Frazier’s career, which itself showed a “blue-collar mentality” that showcased his connection to Philadelphia perfectly.

    And finally, on Sept. 12, 2015, Philly finally got its first look at the statue with its unveiling on the corner of 11th Street and Pattison Avenue. Family and friends pulled a green shroud off the statue in front of several hundred onlookers.

    “I am very happy to know Joe is being honored and memorialized in the city he loved, something that is long overdue,” Ali, Frazier’s longtime arch-nemesis, told the Daily News. “Joe was a great boxer and a worthy opponent in the ring. He always brought his best whenever he stepped inside the ropes. My only regret is that Joe won’t be there to share in the celebration.”