"You can take a punch Rocky, but that's a freakin' wrecking ball!"

As they say, all good things must come to end. And so shall it be for the legendary Spectrum in Philadelphia, which meets its maker (i.e. construction workers) at noon today when the wrecking balls start swinging. Shortly thereafter, the Spectrum will join Veterans Stadium in Philly's great pile of beer-soaked rubbish in the sky (or ground).

The Philadelphia Spectrum - also known at times as the CoreStates Spectrum, First Union Spectrum, Wachovia Spectrum, and lots of other unprintable terms - opened in 1967 and became the home for indoor Philly sports. Dr. J saw his patients there and Bobby Clarke showed off his toothless grin. The Gait brothers provided indoor lacrosse for the masses while Rocky brought the venue to the big screen. Hulk Hogan's leg drops may be missed most of all.


The 76ers delivered championships before Charles Barkley was skinny before he wasn't so skinny. The Flyers hoisted the Stanley Cup before they dumped the Soviet Central Red Army in the midst of the Cold War. Perhaps the Spectrum's most memorable moment to sports fans today was Christian Laettner's winning bucket over Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA East Regional. Expect Thomas Hill's waterworks to be surpassed by Philly fans later today.

For an arena so wrapped in sports history, it may come as a surprise that it's musical legacy is just as magical. Even the best Philly sports bloggers think music first when it comes to the Spectrum's glory days. The Grateful Dead played there 53 times, and that doesn't even include Bill Walton's trips as a member of the Celtics. Legend also has it the Pink Floyd was inspired to write "Comfortably Numb" following a somewhat delirious experience in the building. So it seemed right when Pearl Jam had the honor of wrapping things up with the Spectrum's last official event back on Halloween of 2009.

The statue of Kate Smith has been removed and the end is here. Our memories will always remain. It has been a great run, Spectrum, and you'll be sorely missed.