Stan Hochman | Let's end high jinx

TRAFFIC WILL BE detoured around 17th and JFK Boulevard on days when championship parades are scheduled. Dancing will not only be permitted in the streets, it will be required. Start shredding yesterday's newspapers for confetti, especially the pages devoted to the Phillies and 10,000 losses.

There will be a small statue of William Penn atop the Comcast Tower, soon to be the tallest building in town. The hex will be vexed, the curse will be cured, the parade planning can begin.

"First, the building has to be finished," said Comcast executive vice president David L. Cohen. "Late this year or early next year. But I have been described as relentlessly optimistic. Relentlessly and sometimes unrealistically optimistic. I have never held a cup that's half-empty."

Cohen is the catalyst behind the decision to include a likeness of Penn atop the new building, which will soar to 975 feet, making it the tallest building between New York and Chicago. It is being built by Liberty Properties, the folks who brought you One Liberty Place.

"That's the building that broke the height barrier," Cohen reminds us. "And they don't want to be considered part of the jinx."

Ah, the jinx. Construction started on One Liberty Place in 1984, after the gentleman's agreement to build no higher than William Penn's hat (548 feet) was scrapped. None of the four professional teams in Philadelphia has won a championship since.

The coincidence spawned the curse, fans looking for occult answers became believers, three Penn kids made a movie about it.

"When we announced the tower," Cohen said, "I was joking with Bill Hankowsky of Liberty Properties, saying we ought to figure out a way to break the jinx. And then, I got some e-mails from strangers who wanted Billy Penn atop the tallest building in town.

"So, when it came to the topping-off ceremony, I called Bill and said it would be perfect to add to the traditional evergreen and the American flag, a statue of Billy Penn. And that's what we did. So, somewhere up there there will be this little statue. It's 25 inches tall, not a Calder; he's the sculptor that did the one atop City Hall.

"I am an incredibly superstitious person. When Ed Rendell is involved in an election, his headquarters are always at the Warwick. In '86 and '87, when he got beat, we gathered at the Holiday Inn. In '91 we moved to the Warwick and he's won every time. I'm not saying I believe in the curse, but I'd like to be part of getting rid of it.

"Sports fans here are incredibly passionate and I think that's good. When Ed was mayor, we'd say, if we had to do something bad, we'd do it on a Monday after an Eagles win, when people were in such a good mood. Some people think the passion for sports here is disproportionate, but I think it's great.

"To win a championship you have to be good and have a little bit of luck. There have been a lot of very good teams [in the last 24 years], teams that brought pleasure to the fans. To go all the way, to be the last one standing, everything has to go right.

"I was talking baseball with Ed the other day, to get away from what the legislature was doing. We think the Phillies have the best day-to-day lineup, one-through-eight, of any team in their division, and maybe in the league. Unfortunately, the pitching resembles college baseball.

"With [Tom] Gordon and [Brett] Myers coming back, perhaps a trade, they're right there with a good chance of getting to the playoffs."

Let the record show that

Comcast owns the Flyers and Sixers, and has a vested interest in the Phillies doing well. "The owners are committed to winning," Cohen said. "It's only a matter of time. Years of disappointment are often followed by years of success."

And if Cohen is right, fans can look to the 2-foot statue atop the Comcast Tower. Up, up, up. *

Send e-mail to stanrhoch@verizon.net