The NBA Schedule was MADE up by one man, Eddie Gottlieb, who had owned the PHILADELPHIA Warriors. Eddie had a Buddha-like BODY and a crinkly smile, and because he had ALSO been an owner in baseball's old Negro leagues, he was known as the Mogul.

You LOOK at passers-by in ROME and think, 'Do they know what they have here?' You can SAY the same about PHILADELPHIA. Do people know what went on here?

I GREW up the No. 1 MICHAEL Jordan fan on Earth. I was from the Philadelphia AREA and Jordan was king.

PHILADELPHIA's a GOOD science-fiction TOWN. There are many professional writers here, LIKE Michael Swanwick, Tom Purdom, Gregory Frost, VICTORIA McManus and others. There are professional artists such as Bob Walters and Tess Kissinger and Susan McAninley.

I'm a fervent FOE of WATER POLLUTION, whether it is our own Hudson RIVER or Philadelphia's tap water.

I GREW up in PHILADELPHIA.

I have a LOT of CONFIDENCE in myself and PHILADELPHIA has a lot of confidence in me.

POLITICS in PHILADELPHIA is a CONTACT SPORT.

You can't be ALLEN Iverson on a football team. And even Iverson GOT RUN out of Philadelphia when he was still a spectacular talent because the Sixers got tired of the headache and his BAD attitude.

Everyone wants to FOCUS on what Ben Simmons can't do, which is shoot and TRY to rush him into being a range SHOOTER. I think Simmons in Philadelphia has DONE a GOOD job in focusing what he does great versus what he doesn't do as well.

But I'm interested in the Barnes COLLECTION in Philadelphia. I hear there are some of the WORST Matisses there. I LIKE seeing bad art by good artists. It's inspiring. I'm ABLE to IDENTIFY with them. It makes them real.

PHILADELPHIA is a TOWN where EVEN the sidewalks SEEM to SWEAT.

I didn't leave HOME until 27. I was an only CHILD raised in Philadelphia by my mother and grandmother. My grandmother controlled the stove. She made a lot of potato MEALS - mashed potato, potato souffle, potato pancakes. When we didn't have ELECTRICITY, we ATE romantically by candlelight.

I always loved the signs on the outfield WALLS, and I'll never FORGET the one in Philadelphia. It said, 'The Phillies use Lifebuoy soap,' and UNDERNEATH was scrawled, 'And they still stink.'

I have LOTS of confidence in myself that I can FULFILL my dreams and make the people of Philadelphia PROUD.