By Zaki, PhillyGameday.com
The beating death of a young man outside of Citizens Bank Park has once again spurred talk of how dangerous and uncivilized Philadelphia sports fans are for whatever reason.
To further augment this list of rude and crude behavior, PhillyGameday.com would like to introduce a new featured called Great moments in ‘typical Philly fan’ history where we’ll take a look at some great overlooked moments from the past involving Philly fans and their outrageous and uncontrollable behavior.
First up is the melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills in November of 2004. Few people are aware that the incident even had a Philly connection, but according to many sources, Philly is the only place on this here planet to find hooligans. So if something bad happens, the culprit must be from Philly.
After throwing back drink after drink for the entire game (per Philadelphia fan code of conduct), notorious Philly fan Mike Ryan decides to throw his remaining cup of Coors Light at Ron Artest, which incites a riot between the fans and players.
“I was in town on some business and decided to catch a Pistons game,” said Ryan, a professional derelict from Pottstown, PA. “I was enjoying a great game, but then my Phillyness kicked in and I couldn’t control myself. I just had to start some [expletive]. It’s just something we’re born and bred to do I guess.”
Editor’s Note: I would like to extend my condolances to the family of the slain David Sale, the victim of the unfortunate incident outside of Citizens Bank Park last week. I would also like to extend condolances to the Johnson family, the Eagles organization and anyone else that felt the loss of the great Jim Johnson yesterday.
That fan should have been beaten for drinking Coors Light.
Is that the son of former coach Irish Mike Ryan?
The same Mike Ryan with the career .193 AVG and .532 OPS?