(See below for correction.)
It started out as a rumor, and it was dismissed by most observers the way rumors often are. Yet it did not die, and two weeks ago it became a real possibility.
Negotiations were taking place for the Penn and Villanova men's basketball teams to move their game this coming season from the Palestra to Atlantic City, N.J.
This as the Philadelphia Big 5 prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, a major milestone along the road back to national respect for Philadelphia college basketball.
The idea that two of the Big 5's bluebloods would move their annual matchup out of its traditional home poses some serious questions about the motives of those involved.
The fact is, it would be an outright disgrace to the Big 5 and its storied history to have this game played anywhere but the Palestra.
It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with giving Big 5 fans the chance to stroll Atlantic City's boardwalk by day and cheer on their school's team by night. This wouldn't be a problem in almost any other year, especially because Penn would be guaranteed the home game in 2006 in exchange for moving to a neutral court in 2005.
But 2005 happens to be different from all the other years. The golden anniversary season of the Big 5 is a cause for celebration from the first tip in November all the way through the NCAA Tournament games at the Wachovia Center in March. It demands respect for the traditions that have made the City Series so great, and everybody knows it -- including Villanova, which has agreed to move this year's game against Saint Joseph's from the Pavilion to the Palestra.
So why would Wildcats coach Jay Wright, one of the biggest advocates for the Big 5 to ever walk the Main Line, do such harm to the basketball traditions of his hometown? Why would Penn coach Fran Dunphy -- who two years ago sat Wright and Temple coach John Chaney down in his house and refused to let them leave until their schools agreed on a time and date to play each other -- allow the traditions of the building to which he truly holds the keys to be profaned like this?
And above all, why would Steve Bilsky, who did as much for Penn in his time as a Quakers basketball player as for his time as the school's athletic director, agree to reject the history which he helped create and sustain?
Unfortunately, I think I know the answers.
The first and most obvious one is money. The idea for moving this game was first floated not by either school but from a promoter in Atlantic City who wanted a Villanova game in town regardless of the opponent. Whoever that person is stands to make a ton of money, as will the two schools, from a combination of ticket sales and television revenue.
There is also the question of what effect moving the game will have on the two schools' Ratings Percentage Index numbers. If Penn loses, it is to the Quakers' advantage to do so on a neutral court instead of at home, although Villanova would gain more by winning a road game.
But any Penn fan wants to see his or her team win that game, even though it will certainly be a difficult task. Playing at the Palestra gives the Quakers a better chance of doing so, from the raucous fans behind the basket to the odd visit from the ghosts of Penn's storied past. I'd rather increase the likelihood of winning than the impact of losing, and if that makes me a sentimentalist instead of a stat freak then so be it.
(And if you don't believe in supernatural occurrences at the Palestra, you weren't at the Princeton game last year.)
This isn't about money or statistics, though. The Big 5 is about tradition and passion, and for half a century it has sustained Philadelphia college basketball as schools from the rest of the country have come to dominate the sport. That tradition has called the Palestra home for half a century, and both Penn and Villanova are well-versed in it. It's not about money or fame or anything other than the basketball teams of Philadelphia playing a round-robin against each other every season.
I am reminded of what St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said after his Hawks lost to Drexel in last year's Big 5 Classic. Martelli is one of the most vocal supporters of the Big 5 that there is, and his words are worth considering again.
"It doesn't belong to any of us -- we just happen to be the ones that have the keys now," he said. "This belongs to the people that thought of this idea 50 years ago, and this has to continue. We don't have the right to take a tradition and change it or alter it in any way, shape or form."
The coaches and administrators at Penn and Villanova know full well that Martelli is right. They know what a disgrace it would be to the Big 5 for these two teams to play their game this year in Atlantic City instead of the Palestra.
And they know that the right thing to do is to follow their hearts instead of their heads.
