Since 1988 Mack McMikes Pub in South Philadelphia at the corner of Snyder Ave and 9th St has been considered a Hornets bar. Hornets fans, initially just a handful, gathered here when the team was officially added to the National Basketball Association in April of 1987. By 1991 the Philadelphia Area Hornets Fan Club had officially named McMikes as the team's home bar.
"Mostly transplants from Charlotte and the Outer Banks to Philly and the Delaware Valley," said bar owner Rudy Krygle when asked where exactly the Hornets fans were coming from. "Even though Charlotte has a new team (the Bobcats) a lot of our Hornets fans are from the Carolinas."
When the team moved to New Orleans in 2002 many of the area's loyal Hornets fans from Tobacco Road continued to meet at Mack McMikes along with a brand new contingent from the bayou.
Hurricane Katrina added to the crowd at McMikes in 2005 when several hundred of the storm's victims were relocated to Philadelphia and wanted a taste of home by watching their NBA team. The devastating category five hurricane eventually forced the team to relocate again, though temporarily, to Oklahoma City. The franchise's third city in three years pushed the bar's maximum capacity of 200 persons to the limit for most Hornets games as area Oklahoma transplants found their way to South Philly.
The somewhat rowdy crowd has been an enormous boost to Krygle's business. Though he takes some heat from other neighborhood bar owners who support the local teams—Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and Kixx—Krygle is happy how things have turned for his bar since 1988. Or at least he was.
Last night the New Orleans Hornets were in town and their Delaware Valley supporters were hyped up. The Philadelphia/Tri-state Area Hornets Fan Club, lead by David Jimms formerly of Tulsa, Oklahoma, organized a pregame meal and rally at McMike's and were also hosting the Oklahoma City Hornets Fan Club.
"[The Hornets Fans] were way too energetic for a regular season game," said Krygle. "I've seen them energized for the playoffs, but this was off the hook. I had a bad feeling."
An Orlando Magic fan in town for Saturday's tilt against the Sixers and stranded by Sunday's Nor'easter decided to crash the party.
"Magic fans can be a lot like Eagles fans, very passionate and loyal and very in-your-face. It was like mixing oil and oil," said Jimms.
Suddenly, without any warning, an argument erupted which had been brewing slowly all evening. Several Hornets fans began pummeling the Magic fan with no-longer-available Oklahoma City Hornets foam fingers. Witnesses said the Magic fan kept referring to Hornets star Chris Paul as Paul Chris purposely. Police were called to the scene and made several arrests further preventing many fans from reaching the game and joining the reported 14,299 fans at the Wachovia Center.
"I've had it with Hornets fans," said Krygle. "They're like really bad Utah Jazz fans and Sacramento Kings if they formed an evil robotic robot."
1 comment:
That good story...
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