Veterans Stadium

Phillies reveal final plans and location for refurbished Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell

It’s no secret that we love the old Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell at the Coggin Toboggan. Hell, we tracked the bell down to a Food Distributor company that neighbored Citizens Bank Park, where it lay in wait for years until a proper plan could be devised for it.

The Phillies confirmed to us in an exclusive story that they were planning to refurbish the bell and display it to fans for the 2019 season.

We even stalked the bell from outer space, finding satellite pictures of the monolith rotting in CW Dunnet and Co’s backyard. We procured exclusive pictures of the Phillies reacquiring the bell last year, seeing it in all its rusted out and weathered glory.

And now, finally, we know what the Phillies plan to do with the relic that I, personally, DEVOTED 10 YEARS TO TRACKING DOWN.

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A satellite view of the Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell in all its rusted glory

Thanks to a reader who alerted us to this. Google Earth of C.W. Dunnet and Co. (3200 S. Lawrence Street, Philadelphia, PA) shows a perfect satellite image of the old Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell sitting in a back of the food distributor property.

It looks old, it looks rusted, and it looks AWESOME.

The Phillies recently reacquired the bell and will be putting it on display at Citizens Bank Park by the 2019 season.

We should have closer pictures of the bell next week as provided by C.W. Dunnet and Co.

Phillies plan to refurbish and display Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell at CBP by 2019

In 2012 I sent an email to a contact I had within the Phillies organization with an odd request. Could he get me more information, and possibly the location, of the old Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell?

Six years later after countless emails, dead ends, contradicting accounts, and one extraordinarily helpful South Philadelphia food distributing company president, the Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell has found a permanent home back with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I wanted to let you know that we are no longer in possession of the Liberty Bell. A while back we were contacted by the Phillies organization about reacquiring the bell. After discussing it internally, we decided that the plans we had to display the bell were too ambitious for now, and returning the bell to the Phillies provided the best chance for it to be ‘resurrected’ and given a chance to be displayed and appreciated by Phillies fans again,” Sean Scollon, chief business intelligence officer at C.W. Dunnet & Co., told The Coggin Toboggan.

James Trout, director, marketing services and events for the Phillies, confirmed the organization has the bell. The Phillies plan to refurbish the approximately 20-foot high, 15-foot wide bell and put it on display for fans at Citizens Bank Park as early as the 2019 season.

Any additional plans or location for the bell at the stadium is unknown at this point, he said.

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The Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell lives on at a South Philadelphia food distributor

vetbell I’ve been searching for the Veterans Stadium Liberty Bell since April 16, 2012. It disappeared after the Vet was demolished on March 21, 2004.

But I’ve found it, and it’s still in South Philadelphia. It’s on South Lawrence Street, just a few blocks from Citizen’s Bank Park. C.W. Dunnet and Co. has the bell and they’ve had it in storage since the late 2000s.

IT’S JUST SITTING THERE. Lying in wait.

But let me back up….

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Interview with stand-up comedian Jim Florentine

Stand-up comedian Jim Florentine, most likely making a dick joke.

Stand-up comedian Jim Florentine may have one of the most distinct voices on stage, on radio, in the Podcast world and on television. If you don’t recognize his face, odds are you’ve probably heard his gravelly voice on the Opie and Jim Norton show (formerly Opie and Anthony), the Howard Stern Radio and TV show, or co-hosting VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show alongside Eddie Trunk and Don Jamieson.

Florentine also voiced and created the most well known character on Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers, “Special Ed” for four seasons.

His Podcast, “Comedy, Metal, Midgets,” was launched in 2011 and is consistently in the top-20 comedy podcasts downloaded on iTunes. You can also find it on Riotcast at www.riotcast.com/jimflorentine.

Florentine will be appearing at the Valley Forge Casino with Dave Attell and the Comedy Underground on Friday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. The first show has been sold out, but a second show has been added and you can buy tickets here.

Florentine with his Crank Yankers character, “Special Ed.”

Florentine took some time to listen to our nonsense at The Coggin Toboggan and to plug his upcoming show. Go see the upcoming dates for Florentine’s gigs at his website, www.jimflorentine.com.

The CT : Based on your podcast and your appearances on the Opie and Jim Norton show, it’s obvious you’re a big sports fan, but why the love for the Miami Dolphins? Around Philly there are surprisingly quite a few Dallas Cowboys fans who saw them play on TV a ton in the 1970s when they were growing up, and because the Eagles were so terrible, they threw their fandom behind a successful franchise and had rocks thrown at them as a result. Was it something like that?

Jim Florentine: I picked the Dolphins as a little kid and always stuck with them through the years. Thank God I didn’t become a Jet fan. I have enough misery in my life.

The CT : I take it your favorite sport is football, but is there anything about the NFL that drives you insane? Personally, I want to kick my foot through the TV every time Hilary Swank shows up fake crying about domestic violence.

Jim Florentine: So much annoys me about the NFL. Super Bowl halftime choices, penalties on every play, and shitty Thursday night games come to mind.

The CT : This site was created in honor of an irrelevant Philadelphia Phillies pitcher that appeared in like 23 games for the Phillies in the early 2000s, David Coggin. He’s a pointless athlete, but for some reason he’s been stuck in my head ever since. He was terrible. Are there any irrelevant athletes that you grew up watching that you still find yourself thinking about every now again? That you were a fan of despite of their ineptitude?

Jim Florentine: The guy that comes to mind is not an athlete but a coach Dave Wannstedt. He was with the Dolphins for 4 years and was horrific. The only thing worse than his coaching was his mustache.

The CT : Any sports memories that still make you cringe when you think about them? I still think about Joe Carter hitting the home run in game 6 of the 1993 World Series to beat the Phillies. I was 11. I cried. I was, and still remain, a huge pussy.

Jim Florentine: I’m a San Francisco Giant fan and the 2002 World Series when they were 9 outs away in game 6 up by 5 runs killed me. Of course they lost game 7 too because Dusty Baker can’t manage a big game.

The CT : Ever been to Veterans Stadium when it was still around? If so, how many batteries were thrown at you?

Jim Florentine: When I was 14 I went to a Phillies Giants game at the Vet. I was in left field for batting practice and Pete Rose hit a home run. I went to catch it with my bare hands right at the railing just over the fence and my hand smacked up against it. I had to get 6 stitches in my hand and couldn’t start in my little league all-star game the next day. And to top it off, I dropped the ball and it landed on the field.

The CT : You talked a lot about your hatred of fantasy football in an episode of your Podcast, “Comedy, Metal, Midgets.” How much backlash do you get from fantasy fans who feel the need to defend the game to you?

Jim Florentine: I don’t get any backlash from people who play fantasy football because I don’t hang out with nerds.

The CT : You’ll be performing at the Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia on Friday, Feb. 6, as part of the Comedy Underground Live. You’ve played in Philadelphia and in the area a lot beforehand, so you know what this city is like. The national media loves to portray our sports fans as pieces of shit. As an outsider looking in, we are kind of pieces of shit, aren’t we?

Jim Florentine: I love Philly sports fans. They are angry and miserable just like me.

The CT : Last question, who’s the dirtier comedian. The late great Otto from Otto and George, or Jim Norton? Both are in the Hall of Fame in terms of filth, but I’m afraid we do need an official ruling.

Jim Florentine: The late great Otto.