Philadelphia: The birthplace of our nation, the City of Brotherly Love, cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, Rocky, and...snowballs? That's right. The national media hardly utters a sentence about Philly's tough but passionate sports fans without mentioning how Santa Claus was once booed and pelted with snowballs. In fact, it doesn't seem that anybody outside the Tri-State area can put that story and others to rest, even though this happened over 40 years ago. No matter what transpires, it seems that the national perspective about our sports community is set in stone. It's almost as if there's some kind of secret handbook used to perpetuate these negative stereotypes about our fans. Luckily, the guys at Philly2Philly.com managed to get a hold of this handbook with "A Snowball's Chance," and we're firing back. Join us as we debate, discuss and defend some of Philadelphia sports history's most dubious moments. You'll read our passionate but fair takes on: The Santa Claus incident-with a first-hand account from Santa himself, Frank Olivo The J.D. Drew incident, from the perspective of broadcasting legend Dan Baker Why Philly fans never recognized the genius of Andy Reid ...and much more You'll also hear from: Philadelphia's athletes who have made the Tri-State area their permanent home Philly's legendary broadcasting voices Brad Lidge, one of only two Philadelphia Phillies pitchers to close a World Series Championship for the franchise. We're definitely no angels in Philly, but A Snowball's Chance will absolutely shed some much needed positive light on perhaps the most notorious and unfairly maligned fan base on the planet. Philly2Philly.com has become one of the most personalized sites in the Philadelphia area. Visit us at www.philly2philly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/philly2philly Twitter: @philly2philly

The closer is the ace reliever who specializes in closing out the game without surrendering the lead. Facing a power hitter in the ninth inning with a man on base and no outs takes nerves of steel. The pressure on the mound is intense. It takes a special breed to hold it together in these situations. Legendary manager Tony LaRusso said Sure, games can get away from you in the seventh and eighth, but those last three outs in the ninth are the toughest." It wasn't until the creation of the save," the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, in 1960 that the position of closer began to rise in prominence. Today, closers are seen as some of the most intense athletes in all of sports. Neary and Tobin explore the unique personalities of major leagues' most prominent relief pitchers from Bruce Sutter (Cubs, Cardinals, and Braves) to Mariano Rivera (Yankees). Closer is an insider's look into the role of the closing pitcher, how the position has evolved, and how legends,Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, Rich Goose" Gossage, Mariano Rivera, Brian Fuentes, and many more,coped with the stress on the mound such as when facing the .340 batter in the bottom of the ninth with only a one run lead.