"Getting Strong Now..."

At the end of the month Rocky will take on Mason "The Line" Dixon. Rocky born and raised in Philadelphia it is up in the air if he is considered part of the Philly sports championship drought or not.

We all know that Rocky beat Apollo Creed and won the heavy weight championship in the 1970's, and also beat Clubber Lang in the 1982.

But here is where it gets blurry. Rocky did technically beat Drago in 1985 which would be after the 1983 cutoff for the Philly drought. However due to the fact that it was not approved by the boxer commission and played over in Russia many people don't count that as a true championship for the city of Philly. Granted, Rocky did manage to bring down communism and made one of the most memorable speeches since Martin Luther King Jr., but lets face it was not acknowledged by the very boxing commission that gave him his very belts earlier in his carrier turned their back on this one.

Yeah the people of Philly and America for that matter felt good about Rocky beating Drago because it was the height of the cold war, and after the death Apollo Creed in the ring with Drago it made it feel almost like there was casualties in that war. Rocky's victory over Drago made us all feel about our country and last face it when all those Russians started chanting Rocky, it was clear that he had done more in one night than Reagan had done in 8 years to end the coldwar.

However, I have to side with a rule is a rule, and say that although it was big moment in American History it doesn't truly count as a championship thus keeping our streak going back to 1983. The curse of William Penn was extremely unkind to Rocky.

Years later he strung a rising boxer star, and even stood ringside to Tommy "Machine" Gunn. At this point it is unclear what really went down, but we know from public records that Rocky had fallen on hard times the man who won our hearts when from living in a huge mansion with a robot to living in the ghetto part of Philly on the border of being homeless after losing all his money in a bad business decision on by his longtime friend and financial advisor. At any rate many people saw Tommy Gunn as Rocky's chance at redemption, but before things could come to fold Rocky and Tommy had a falling out. The strained relationship came to blows, literally on the streets outside a Philly bar. Tommy and Rocky never made it to the championship.

So, this December with Rocky (despite the people on 610 mocking him for his age) will go toe to toe with Mason "The Line" Dixon, who was only 8 when Rocky first fought Apollo Creed. But I heard he was in crazy shape and training like man hell bent on a mission. Against all odds yet again, the city desperate for championship is counting on him big time. Some people think its only team sports that count to end the streak. What does everyone else feel? If Rocky wins this fight, in your hearts and mind has the streak been ended? Can the man who when from rags to riches to rags again and once owned a robot lift the curse once and for all?