Don't you know there ain't no river wide enough and ain't no bridge tall enough to keep Pat Croce from finding his way into the heart of Philadelphia?
So it was on Wednesday morning, when Croce, the 76ers president, climbed a 640-foot cable to the top of a tower of the Walt Whitman Bridge and unfurled a 5 x 70-foot black banner shouting "Go Sixers -- Beat L.A."
Obstacles are no deterrent to Croce, who will go to any length -- or in this case, height -- to cheer on his Sixers. It would seem that with the team in its first NBA Finals since 1983, against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, that would not be difficult to do. But Croce is always looking for bigger and better ways to celebrate the 76ers.
On May 9, during the Sixers' conference semifinal series against Toronto, Croce climbed the 265-foot Connelly Containers Water Tower in Manayunk, Pa., where he hung a 20-by-30-foot sign that screamed, "Go Sixers!"
"What happened," Croce said, "was when I did the water tower, and we've got the whole city hanging banners and signs and painting their houses, the union riggers from the Walt Whitman Bridge said, 'Pat, we've got something higher and bigger. You can hang a 70-foot banner.' And I said, 'No, man.' And they kept bugging me. I said, 'Listen, if we make it to the Finals, I'll do it.'
"We're in the Finals -- I had to do it. And you know what? I think we need that extra boost of adrenaline for the city of Philadelphia to keep them all juiced up.
"It's not like I go out and look for tall things to climb, it just so happens that it fell into the situation. This is pretty cool because it's perfect timing, because we need another little boost for the fans and the city of Philadelphia."
Croce and a team of seven -- including riggers from the Delaware River Port Authority -- began on the New Jersey side of the bridge and made their way up a cable 30 inches wide, connected to the structure at all times by a full body harness.
 Croce's Sixers pride was on display. Jesse Garrabrant/NBAE Photos |
With five news helicopters hovering in a circle above and trucks on the bridge booming their horns in approval, Croce and his team reached the top of the New Jersey-side tower in 20 minutes. They then suspended the banner across the length of the apex of the tower, 397 feet above the Delaware. The sign is clearly visible to motorists driving across the bridge into Philadelphia.
"It was great," Croce said. "You're above the whole city, you can see the spirit of Philadelphia just emanating, you can see the First Union Center. It's not scary. It's a narrow cable, but there's a little roughening on the surface. You just have to make sure you're clicked on so you don't fall. The people from the Delaware River Port Authority were great, safety in mind. If they left it up to me, it would have been a more spectacular descent, but I did everything according to safe standards. It was fabulous.
"I wanted to rappel down into the water, but you need the state police's permission. So maybe after we win it, we'll do it then."
Once safely back to earth, Croce threw down the gauntlet to Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss to perform a stunt equally amazing.
"Yeah, that's right, Shaq vs. Dikembe, Allen vs. Kobe, Croce vs. Buss. C'mon Jerry, you've got some nice buildings in L.A. to climb."
Croce said his main goal on Wednesday was to continue to rally the team and spread the Sixers fever that is already evident throughout the city.
"All I'm trying to do is make sure the spirit continues to live," Croce said. "We can climb to higher heights. The best part of the Finals has been the pride and passion that's been restored to the city. It galvanizes communities. White, black, young, old, male, female, they don't have to be basketball fans, but they're Sixers fans now because it's 'Philadelphia's 76ers.'"
Should the Sixers prevail in NBA Finals 2001, Croce has already begun to conjure his next ascent, targeting the Philadelphia City Hall, topped by a statue of William Penn.
"I would love to put that 76ers jersey on top of Billy Penn's body," Croce said, "but we have to wait until after we win it.
"The NBA Finals to me and the city, hopefully, is a dream unfolding right in front of you that started five years ago. Playing on the stage in front of the world, against the world champion L.A. Lakers is a dream come true. It's perfect. To see everyone doing their best, even though they're banged up, broken up is truly a great epic. I couldn't write a script any better. I know how I'd write the ending, though."
Barry Rubinstein is a member of the NBA Editorial staff.
