Delco Dad Goes All Out With Eagles Christmas Decorations

Delco Steaks partner Steve Reynolds and his sons with their Philadelphia Eagles Christmas decorations (photos courtesy of Steve Reynolds)

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Delco Dad Goes All Out With Eagles Christmas Decorations

Steve Reynolds is a big Philadelphia Eagles fan. He’s also a big fan of Christmas, which you kind of have to be when you have a two-year-old and a five-year-old running around. So this year, the Marple resident decided to marry his two loves and go all out with some Eagles Christmas decorations.

There are mannequins dressed as Jason Kelce and “Saint Nick” Sirianni. Reynolds painstakingly painted a football field on his lawn, Eagles end-zone logo included. He built goal posts and wrapped them in Christmas lights. There are pylons, and giant blow-up figures of Jalen Hurts and Eagles mascot Swoop. I could go on.

“She thinks I’m crazy,” says Reynolds of his wife, Kimberly, whom he married last New Year’s Eve. “And so do the neighbors. All of the neighbors think I’m nuts.”

Reynolds, who is one of the guys behind the Best of Philly-winning Delco Steaks, actually did this for Christmas 2017, back when he was living at his mom’s house in Broomall. And what was happening in late 2017? The Eagles were making their run up to their first-ever Super Bowl victory. Right now, though, some Eagles fans are worried about the team.

“We are 0-and-2 since I put this up,” Reynolds admits. “And I have friends texting me during the games, saying, ‘Maybe it’s time to take this down.’ But you gotta have faith. You can’t give up.”

There’s also a more somber reason behind Reynolds’s display. Earlier this year, his two-year-old nephew, Luciano, drowned in a tragic accident, and the family formed Luciano’s Light, an organization to bring aid to grieving families.

“And this community, this neighborhood — I can’t tell you how much light they brought to my family, how they completely surrounded us with love and support,” Reynolds says. “And this is also just a way for me to bring some of that light back to the community.”

Reynolds notes that he leaves a football on the lawn — er, playing field — and that all are welcome to stop by for a game.

SEPTA Police Are on Strike

Those negotiations I told you about yesterday? They didn’t go so well. And SEPTA transit police are now on strike. No, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any kind of security on SEPTA. The agency says it’s filling in the gaps with members of the Philadelphia police department and other local law enforcement.

Feds Raid South Street Pawn Shop

Society Hill Loan has been a South Street fixture for as long as I can remember. Back in the ’90s, I couldn’t come up with all of the rent for my fancy apartment in Rittenhouse Square, so I brought my Korg M1 synthesizer there, and the guy behind the counter gave me cash for it. It was that kind of place.

Well, it was a bit of a different scene there on Wednesday afternoon when the feds showed up and raided it. Agents removed all sorts of items, just as they reportedly did at other pawn shops in the region, according to 6 ABC. The feds aren’t saying what’s up, but 6 ABC’s sources claim it’s all part of an investigation into a nationwide theft ring. It doesn’t appear that anybody associated with Society Hill Loan is facing charges at this time.

By the Numbers

29: Years in operation of Broad and Passyunk’s 24-hour Christmas tree stand. Because sometimes you just need to grab that Douglas fir after last call.

0: Humans you’ll interact with at two new cashier-free concession shops opening at the Linc. I think I see a trend here. I’m quite sure I don’t like it. (But I’m also the guy who will wait for 10 minutes to get a human cashier at the Aldi instead of doing self checkout, so … )

$100: What some people are spending on Christmas gifts for their dog. Yeah, no. Have an extra Milkbone, Fido.

And from the GOAT Sports Desk …

The Athletic’s newest set of NBA power rankings put the Sixers just below the topmost tier at the close of the first quarter of the season, behind only the Timberwolves, Celtics, Bucks and Nuggets. All the way at the very, very bottom of the list, rated “Incomprehensibly Bad,” are the Detroit Pistons, which of course is who the Sixers played last night.

It was one of those accordion games at the start, with the Sixers stretching out a big lead, the Pistons coming closer, us stretching it out, them getting closer. But by the close of the first quarter, the score was 39-26 us. Joel Embiid led both teams with 19 points, and he sat to start the second. Tyrese Maxey was colder than a December night, with just one point halfway through the quarter. After Detroit chiseled the lead to 10, Joel came back in. It was 70-56 at the half, and Embiid already had a double-double, with 30 points and 10 rebounds. It was not, alas, the most interesting game ever seen.

What happens first, the Pistons win a game or Draymond Green returns from suspension?

— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) December 14, 2023

At the close of the third, there was a flareup of tempers as Isaiah Stewart took down Pat Beverley with an elbow and wound up ejected. It’s fun to sit back and watch the split decisions on Embiid in social media:

https://twitter.com/tracywine105/status/1735115921256055067

https://twitter.com/Fanimal_/status/1735116011592986898

He sat for the fourth with 31 minutes and 41 points. Score at the final buzzer: 129-111. Kelly Oubre wound up with 17 points, and Tobias Harris had 21. It was the Pistons’ 21st straight loss. We play them again on Friday. Hey, today’s the birthday of both Nic Batum and Robert Covington, so if you see them, buy them a balloon or something.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.