Tony Luke

Nothing says Philly like litigation over cheesesteaks. Take your high-cholesterol sandwich, which Philadelphia claims rightfully as its own. Add legal documents flying back and forth, another proud Philadelphia tradition. The dog days of summer are here. The Eagles have yet to play a game, the mayor's race is in a lull, and many folks are escaping heat and gunfire at the Shore. But the pending eviction of Rick's Philly Steaks from Reading Terminal Market has filled the news vacuum like a "works" sandwich on an empty gut. On Wednesday, Rick's first day "wit-out" a lease, more than 25 dedicated patrons waited in line for sandwiches before 11:30 a.m. "Gotta get here before the sheriff does," joked Ron Pressley of Lawnside, a fan of Rick's.

It used to be the New Hampshire primary that augured the chances of a candidate. But now - at last - the cheesesteak has got its due as the true ring of fire any Oval Office hopeful must survive. Just ask Sen. John F. Kerry, who's going to have to do some fancy chewing if he hopes to recover his front-runner image after stumbling this week through his first try at Pat's King of Steaks. He ordered a steak with Swiss cheese. Gasp! Swiss cheese, as any local knows, is not an option.

Some interesting numbers from a stroll around Citizens Bank Park about 90 minutes before the start of Saturday night's Game 6 of the 2010 NL Championship Series: 2: Pablo Sandoval jokes heard while stopped in front of the concession stand where a roast pig was being hand-carved. 147: People in line at Tony Luke's at 6:35. 56: People in line at Bull's BBQ at 6:40. 74: People in line at Chickie's and Pete's at 6:42. 1: People in line at the stand that sells veggie burgers at 6:50.

Shoots - scores! (Finally.) The Mighty Macs - the locally shot film about the basketball team from tiny Immaculata College that won the 1972 national championship - will get a wide release by Sony's Provident Films in March. It was summer 2007 when director/writer Tim Chambers assembled stars Carla Gugino , David Boreanaz , Ellen Burstyn, Marley Shelton , and locals including Joe Conklin , Kathy Romano , Michael Smerconish , and Tony Luke Jr. for the flick, known as Our Lady of Victory during production in Philadelphia's western suburbs.

After suffering through decades of sub-mediocre food at their ballparks, Philadelphians finally have a stadium in Citizens Bank Park that reflects the soul of the city's street-food glory. Ashburn Alley, the crowded boardwalk-like strip that stretches just beyond the right-field and center-field walls, should be renamed Cheesesteak Alley in homage to the landmark steakeries that dot its promenade - Geno's, Tony Luke's and McNally's Tavern (actually tucked just around the corner, on the third-base side)

To Francesca Green and Augusta Harris, both 17 and from Berwyn, attending a Phillies game means an overflowing ballpark with a view of Center City, a nose-pleasing aroma of Bull's BBQ and Tony Luke's cheesesteaks in Ashburn Alley, and a perpetually contending team of all-stars. Both girls said they had no recollection of Veterans Stadium, where the Phillies played before they moved in 2004 to the new Citizens Bank Park, which has become a major destination for baseball fans, including young people such as Green and Harris.

Philadelphians are different. I discovered this truth, as I have many others, while listening to sports-talk radio. It was Dec. 20, 2004, and I was driving from Philadelphia to Washington. The day before, the Eagles had beaten the Dallas Cowboys, running their gaudy record to 13-1, best in the NFL. But during the game, one of their wide receivers - his name shall not pass my lips - had gone down with an injury. So for two hours in the car, I listened to fans calling in to lament that without He Who Must Not Be Named, the Eagles were finished.

Here are some off-the-wall and off-the-cuff observations from around Citizens Bank park yesterday. Food department 1 While the pregame crowds at Tony Luke's and Rick's Steaks in Ashburn Alley were as thick as the grease on their grills, the lines for McNally's Schmitters were surprisingly short. 2 Here's guessing that the cheesesteaks also outsold the $10 Chili Glazed Duck Quesadillas at Harry the K's. Philly is many things. A duck-quesadilla town isn't one of them. 3 A trip to the ballpark can also be educational.

SAN FRANCISCO - We're not in Philadelphia anymore, Toto. We're in the Land of Odds. You could tell because the weather here Tuesday was reminiscent of foggy London in the morning, sunny Miami at midday, and windy Chicago later. Other giveaways were the single-masted schooner about where Tony Luke's would be at Citizens Bank Park, a Thai sports bar, and a coffee shop across the street from the ballpark that was as crowded as the bars and where, a few hours before Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, several patrons were playing chess.

We haven't been to a Phillies game this season. Maybe we'll go Tuesday. That will give me time to prepare, because going to a ball game these days is considerably more complicated than it used to be. Let's see, what should I wear? Having watched with dismay as Phillies crowds grow increasingly red and as Flyers fans continue to believe the color of their shirts can impact the outcome of a playoff series, I guess we'd better join the club and dress like 4-year-olds at a T-Ball banquet.