The best $20 you will ever spend

As a big fan of the local Philadelphia comedian Joe Conklin, saw that he was appearing at one of my favorite venues, the Keswick Theater, on a rare night I had off in my “real job” and then clicked on the price.

That was $118 for a single seat.

Yikes.

Love Joe, but that was a little bit above my pay grade.

(Decided to rent a $5.99 movie that night instead.)

Then saw Joe was appearing at Parx Casino on the penultimate night of my birthday (June 18 as June 19 is the day I came into the world) at Parx Casino for $35. Clicked on that and got tickets.

Same show. Saved almost $100.

Pretty good bargain if you like to laugh and hear Philadelphia sports personality impressions as much as I do.

I’m pretty sure this is June 1 but might want to confirm when you get tickets.

If you are a Temple football fan, a better bargain becomes before that night.

K.C. Keeler, Wissahickon Brewing Company, June 1, for a measly $20.

Make plans to attend now if you are able to fit it into your schedule.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do so because that’s a Monday night and my “real job” requires me to be in the office doing editing for a myriad of weekly papers that will appear on Wednesdays throughout the Philadelphia area.

Who knows how long that will last so that’s why we ask those of you who appreciate this site to donate $5, 10, 50 or 100 from time to time.

So this is pretty much for those who work traditional 9-5 jobs.

K.C. Keeler isn’t as funny as Joe Conklin, but he is pretty funny and provides more insight on Temple football than just about anyone else.

If I didn’t have to work that night to put food on the table, I would definitely be there and ask him at least one of the next five questions:

Sekou Kromah was good enough to take to media day. Will Keeler take another pass rusher to the same event in August?

One, I know he was going for an experienced quarterback to replace Evan Simon, but what qualities did he see in inexperienced guys like Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard that would give him the confidence to make them the starter?

Two, I know what Hunter Smith and Keveon Mason can do as running backs, but is there another guy (along with Rutgers transfer Sam Brown) who can emerge from that deep room and surprise everyone?

Three, we had a damn good pass rush when Khalil Poteat, Sultan Badmus and Sekou Kromah were healthy–which was exactly one game, the UTSA win–so what do you see in the transfer portal replacements that make that pass rush better?

It took 15 years but we finally got to our 150th country today, May, 22, 2026

Four, one-point losses to Army and Navy robbed the Owls of 7-5 and a sure bowl appearance and, what, if anything, will you do different in preparing for both triple options this year?

Five, what, if anything, did you learn from the Owls telling the Birmingham Bowl that you had to think for an hour or two about the invitation and what, if anything, would the university do differently given the same call next season?

Thanks, K.C., and I wish I was there, but Joe Conklin is appearing on my night off and you are not. I will see you at the season ticket holder party in August.

Monday: Get Ready for An Attitude

10 thoughts on “The best $20 you will ever spend

  1. Good article. The most pertinent questions leading to a successful season. 6-6 and a bowl! We can afford to lose 6 games….

    • That’s what happens when a school goes crazy wanting to “win” so badly – we’re #1 syndrome. I’m actually glad Temple keeps things in a better perspective – it spends enough already. Bring back the dropped sports instead.

      • I see G5 teams from all over winning without money. Look at what Sam Houston did under Keeler. He’s got 10x more resources at Temple than he did there. Love the way Keeler, an old-school coach, is adjusting (probably not embracing) to the new reality. A lot of great coaches said fuck it (Coach K, Nick Saban, Jay Wright, Chip Kelly, etc. etc.) and I can completely understand why.

  2. “If we don’t have talent on the field or the basketball court … we have no opportunity at all to increase our revenue streams,” he said. “If you stop spending now, you lose.” quandary, conundrum, catch-22

    Fry doesn’t have to ponder about stopping spending.., ha, ha,
    But Temple can do the easy things now. For one, cut travel. Regional out of conference games only for all team sports. It doesn’t make any sense to schedule an away football game at Utah St (2028). Two, hire a real AD. Three, turn E-O into an on campus stadium.

    • Thanks kj for mentioning turning the E-O into our stadium (I’ve been talking that up for a couple years now) – it just makes sense.

      • turning the E-O into a stadium site makes too much sense. Knock down the Hookah Lounge across the street, close 10th Street from Susquehanna to Berks, keep the E-O for locker rooms, press conferences, etc., have huge double-decker seating on the West side (facing 10th), close Diamond from 9th to 10th and have double-decker seating in both end zones and you can squeeze 30K people in that way. Unfortunately, no seating on the E-O side but plenty of space for the TV cameras to shoot at areas where fans are. Regional rail goes straight to the door from anywhere in the Philadelphia area. That kind of ease of transportation does not exist in South Philly.

  3. On that side without all the seats, maybe stack a couple tiers of lux boxes to go with the cameras and press row.

    • There’s a space in the direction of the railroad tracks for lux boxes, but they would have to be at the 20-yard line or so and not the usual 50 for lux boxes. That could work, though. Don’t think you can put another deck on the E-O structurally.

Leave a comment