A FRONT ROW VIEW: Penn history always wins

The Quad is old. The Furness building is old. God knows Logan Hall is old or else it wouldn't take years to renovate it. But when I think of old complexes at Penn, the first two facilities that come to mind are the Palestra and Franklin Field. I've spent hours watching sporting events at both. I've also spent a great deal of time at my hometown stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The differences between the Quaker complexes and Oriole Park are astounding. Oriole Park has urinals whereas Franklin Field has a porcelain "ditch" next to the wall where everyone relieves themselves. Oriole Park also has state-of-the-art modern amenities like chairbacks and efficient corridor lighting. I will admit that the Camden Yards ballpark lacks one major luxury which Franklin Field has -- miles of scaffolding. Basically, comparing Oriole Park to either of the Penn athletic facilities would be like equating the Four Seasons Hotel to High Rise East. I kind of like the "worn-in look" associated with both Franklin Field and the Palestra. Granted there are no instant-replay screens, no cheezy scoreboard graphics to get the crowd pumped-up and no out-of-town scoreboards. (OK, there's basically nothing besides the playing field and a few splintering benches.) But the Palestra and Franklin Field have one thing that Oriole Park lacks –– history. Do you think the 1944 Orioles ever played at the Camden Yards ballpark? They didn't. Not only was the ballpark a train station at the time, but the Orioles didn't even exist at the time. Bringing this analogy to the college level, you can rest assured that most college sports teams are not playing in the same complexes in 1994 as they did in 1944. Both the Palestra and Franklin Field have been home to countless Ivy League champion teams, a handful of Final Four teams, and –– hold your breath, Quaker fans –– the most NCAA tournament games of any stadium. Not only do both complexes hold rich athletic histories, they also provide a common family bond for those with Penn alum parents and grandparents. (We know how you REALLY got into Penn.) Many have never been to the same stadiums, other than the Penn athletic complexes, which your grandparents attended generations ago. Can you imagine sneaking a case of the Beast through the same Franklin Field entrance that your Grandpa Melvin clandestinely brought his Natural Light brews before some pre-game drinking with Bernie, Harry and Marv? Well, you probably have (unless, of course, your are under the legal drinking age and, therefore, realize that it is against the law to consume alcoholic beverages until your 21st birthday). Perhaps Grandpa Melvin was one of the rowdy upperclassmen who sits in the front row of the Palestra sporting wigs, painting his face red and blue and in general, jumping up and down like an uncaged animal. Whatever the extent of Grandpa Melvin's participation at Penn athletic events, you can bet he was there in the same seats of the same rundown, dingy athletic complexes that you attend. Hopefully with the aid of millions of dollars in renovations, the Palestra and Franklin Field will be around if and when my grandchildren come to Penn. In the meantime, Penn should center its efforts on other buildings. Call me crazy if I think Logan Hall should have four walls. Call me an idiot if I say that Meyerson Hall should have a ceiling that isn't in danger of falling on students at any second. Call me a dreamer if I believe residential dorms should be rid of rodents and insects. While the administration continues to put off these renovations, I'll be content watching the Quakers manhandle Princeton in the same places they've been doing it for several decades. Jason Brenner is a College sophomore from Baltimore, and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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