Philly Fans Really Want to Watch House Rock

The destruction of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia is scheduled today, and a lot of people think watching it will be a blast.

The area around the stadium complex will be off-limits to the public, and that has created a financial opportunity for nearby high-rise hotels.

According to Michael Klein of the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Days Inn about half a mile away more than doubled its rates on rooms facing the Vet for a Saturday night stay -- to $159 plus tax.

For bargain seekers, access to rooms on the 10th, 11th and 12th floors, which are being renovated and are not otherwise usable, costs $10.

Trivia time: Seven Saint Joseph’s players have gone on to become head coaches in the NBA. Jack Ramsay, Jack McKinney and Paul Westhead are three of them. Who are the four others?

A safe Vet: Although police are advising people in Philadelphia to stay home and watch the demolition of Veterans Stadium on television, that hasn’t deterred those who want to see it up-close. A nearby 11-story Holiday Inn was sold out within 12 hours after the implosion date was announced.

So is it safe? Hotel general manager Jan Baker thinks so.

“The demolition people are staying here,� she told the Morning Call of Allentown, Pa.

Brunch with a crunch: A restaurant in Lambertville, N.J., located about an hour north of Veteran’s Stadium, has a special on its menu this morning -- Philadelphia Eggs Implosion.

The Inquirer reports, “It’s a crispy ‘stadium’ filled with homemade sausage and vegetable ‘debris’ served on sunny-side-up eggs.�

No computer nerds: Implosions may generate interest in Philadelphia, but apparently computer polls don’t.

A majority of voters in an ESPN.com poll said Saint Joseph’s would not advance to the Final Four, and Coach Phil Martelli believes he has figured out why.

“You know what the problem is?� he said. “Most people in Philadelphia don’t know how to use a computer.�

More stadium news: David Letterman, on an emergency alert drill held at Shea Stadium: “They pretended like something went haywire, like an emergency alert. There were, like, a thousand police officers and about 1,000 firemen. People say that’s probably the biggest crowd they’ll get all year at Shea Stadium.�

Looking back: On this date in 1964, UCLA capped a 30-0 season with a 98-83 victory over Duke in the NCAA championship game.

Trivia answer: George Senesky, Jim Lyman, Matt Guokas and Jim O’Brien.

And finally: Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune doesn’t like the NCAA’s decision to drop the geographic designations for its basketball tournament.

“Look, just go back to calling the different designations what everyone was comfortable with -- Norris, Smythe, Patrick and Adams,� wrote Rosenbloom.

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Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].