My Great Experience at the John DeBella Dog Walk 2023

This past weekend was quite an eventful weekend for me!

It started off Friday night with Game 3 of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics series, where Joel Embiid had his NBA MVP trophy presentation.

Although the game did not go the way I wanted it to go on Friday, it was still quite a memorable night.

Then, of course, there was Game 4 of the series on Sunday, which was a nail-biter and one of the most nerve-racking games in recent memory for Sixers fans.

However, this time, the Sixers walked away with a victory behind a great game from Embiid and another all-time performance by James Harden, including the game-clinching three-point shot in the final seconds.

But in between both Sixers games over the weekend, one of my favorite events from the station happened on Saturday!

And it could not have happened on a more beautiful weather day!

The John DeBella Dog Walk 2023 took place on Saturday at Green Lake Park.

For those of you who don’t know, it is a great event that takes place every year to help support shelters and rescues all around the Delaware Valley.

Listeners from all over bring their dogs out and compete in competitions such as being crowned the yearly Mayor of Dogville.

Speaking of which, I got to meet a dog named Jack Daniel, a purebred dachshund, who I represented for Mayor!

Plus, I got to hang out with some Delaware State Troopers and their canine dogs, including one named Beau!

I definitely enjoyed that!

I have a fondness for anything Delaware since I went to high school at Salesianum High School in Wilmington, DE!

Plus, there were a ton of good food venders as well, such as Mr. Sticky's, Rita's, Burgers By Wildwich.

Overall, it was another successful day for JDB and everyone else involved!

I can’t wait to get back next year and see who is crowned the next Mayor of Dogville!

More from Matt Cord...

As we all know, last week, Joel Embiid was the center of the basketball world as he was finally awarded his first career NBA MVP award.

It was an award that had evaded him the past few years after coming so close, and one that he admittedly wanted to achieve in his career.

It was the second MVP season I have had the pleasure to watch as the public address announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the other being Allen Iverson’s 2001 season.

And both of those seasons were filled with unforgettable moments.

I was so happy for Embiid when the news broke last Tuesday night that he won the league’s most valuable player.

As soon as I heard the news, my thoughts went directly to Game 3, the first home game of the series against the Boston Celtics, where they would present Embiid with the trophy in front of a sold-out Wells Fargo Center crowd.

When I got to the building that night, you could tell the atmosphere was a little different than normal as everyone was anxiously awaiting the trophy presentation.

It was actually the first live MVP event that the NBA hosted on the court in the playoffs since 2016, so I got to host it live on ESPN prior to tip-off.

It was surreal!

It was also the first time the newly unveiled Michael Jordan Trophy was presented to the MVP winner as the league introduced the trophy this season.

The presentation was pretty emotional for all involved, including the Big Fella who was moved to tears when his son, Arthur, ran onto the floor.

It was a night he will remember for sure as will all who were in attendance!

Luckily, for all of you that weren’t, I got some behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of the rehearsals and pregame for you to enjoy!

Another trophy is making its way to South Philly and taking its rightful home right on Broad Street.

Joel “The Process” Embiid was officially awarded the MVP of the NBA last night, and a lot of us think it has been a long time coming.

The big fella had quite the season!

He led the NBA in points per game with 33.1 and brought in 10.2 rebounds per game, which was good for 8th in the league.

Plus, he got his teammates involved, averaging 4.2 assists per game.

Embiid is the fifth Philadelphia 76ers player to win the award with Wilt Chamberlain winning in 1966, 1967, and 1968, Julius “Dr. J” Erving winning in 1981, Moses Malone winning in 1983, and Allen Iverson winning in 2001.

This is the second MVP season I have had the pleasure to watch up close as the public address announcer for the team.

Both seasons were legendary between Iverson’s season in ‘01 and Joel’s this year!

We all know the ‘01 season ended in an NBA Finals appearance, so hopefully, his year is similar, but we actually finish the job this time and win it all!

But that discussion is for another day!

Today is all about Embiid!

It has been a pleasure to watch him grow as a basketball player.

From a guy who couldn’t get on the floor his first two years due to injury to the best player in the world!

Also, off the floor, he is one of the funniest players to be around.

For example, when we were in London in 2018, I snagged a funny photo of him imitating Dikembe Mutumbo’s finger wave!

That’s just one small moment that sticks out of him as a person.

I look forward to doing his intro every night because I know it is going to be the loudest the crowd gets during the pregame night in and night out.

Plus, I can’t forget our pregame ritual where I give him his first pass of the night and then after getting a feel for the game ball, he passes it back to me so I can give it to the referee!

It is so cool to see all his teammates react and give him his flowers!

He deserves them all!

But I’m sure his focus right now isn’t even on winning the award, it’s on trying to get healthy for his team and working towards a championship!

So let’s get it done, big fella!

Congrats!

Last night, I hosted Game 1 of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics series at Xfinity Live.

The crowd that came out did not disappoint and brought the energy from the opening tip-off all the way to the dramatic ending — and for a few hours, we all forgot it was a Monday night!

What an all-time game for the Sixers!

Heading into the game, the spirits of the fan base were down considering the news that our all-world center, Joel Embiid, would be out with the knee sprain he has been battling.

But all that meant was that some other guys were going to step up, and, man did they!

De’Anthony Melton had 17 points off the bench, including going 5-6 from three-point range.

Tobias Harris contributed 18 points, including a big three-point shot to tie the game late in the 4th quarter.

B-ball Paul, Paul Reed, even had 10 points of his own off the bench, four of which were clutch free-throws, including the two that solidified the win.

But you can’t tell the story of the game without these next two names — Tyrese Maxey and James Harden.

Maxey had 26 points and put those demons against the Celtics to bed, and also came up with a huge steal with under 40 seconds left in the game to give the 76ers a one-point lead.

However, the star of the night was James Harden.

What a legendary performance!

The Beard came through with 45 points on seven made three-pointers, including the ice-cold clutch shot with under ten seconds left in the game to retake the lead — a lead they never gave back!

Those 45 points from a Sixers guard in a playoff game are only matched by one guard in franchise history — the Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson!

That’s a game I’ll never forget, as I’m sure all the fans at Xfinity Live won’t either!

By the way, I’ll be at Xfinity Live for every away game during the playoffs, announcing all the big plays and baskets by the 76ers!

Needless to say, James gave me a workout last night!

I had a ton of fun last night watching the game with all the fans and my boy, Jay Roy, who is in charge of all the entertainment at Xfinity, and DJ Shannon, who is the best at Xfinity!

Check out Jay Roy on Instagram!

Plus, there are a ton of cool prizes for all those in attendance!

So come out for Game 2 on Wednesday!

10, 9, 8, 76ers!

I love when the spring finally hits and the weather starts to warm up!

Of course, it means summer is getting closer and closer.

The Phillies season has just started.

And the NBA Playoffs are underway, with hopefully a deep run in store for the Philadelphia 76ers!

But one of the main reasons I love this time of year is because I can finally ride my bike to and from work again a few times a week!

I love riding my bike as much as I can to work at the WMGK studios at 1 Bala Plaza from my house all the way in South Philly.

It is honestly such a scenic route that I never get tired of riding through.

I pass through the gorgeous Kelly Drive, including the iconic Boathouse Row section of the city!

Also along my trip, I pass the Rocky statue, so whenever I get tired that gives me the extra motivation to last the extra rounds like our favorite fictional boxer would do!

I can’t forget Delancey Street, either!

The homes on that street are beautiful!

I also pass some great establishments in the city during my ride!

One of these is a restaurant called Rouge, which easily has some of the best burgers in the whole city!

Another place I pass is the Mitchell & Ness headquarters!

For all my sports lovers out there, you have to stop by one of their flagship stores because they have some of the best sports gear and memorabilia in the game!

My favorite part of the route is along the Schuylkill Trail!

Then, finally, the homestretch down legendary South Street.

Altogether, it is 10.8 miles total and I do it typically in just under an hour!

I know that information thanks to my Strava map!

I put some photos and videos together from my ride so you guys can see what I see and enjoy!

Today is a very special day.

It is a day honoring one of the best snacks to ever grace this earth.

It is a snack that is best made in this very city — the city of brotherly love.

And if you think about it, there could not be a better-designed snack to represent this city.

With all the twists and turns we have in this city, and no I’m not just talking about the Schuylkill Expressway!

Not to mention, we can be a bit salty, especially when two of our sports teams fall just short of bringing a championship to our city and a parade down Broad Street!

If you have not guessed what snack I am talking about just yet, without further ado…

I am talking about the pretzel!

Today is national pretzel day!

And you better believe I am celebrating!

Thanks to our good friends over at Philly Pretzel Factory for dropping off a ton of different pretzel treats over at the studios!

Man, is their stuff good, too!

They dropped us off their traditional pretzels, their pretzel bites, which they call Rivets, and pretzel dogs!

Plus, they dropped off a bunch of great dipping sauces as well!

My favorite is the buttercream dipping sauce!

It is perfect!

And you better believe, when it comes to mustard, I am a traditional yellow mustard guy, as opposed to spicy brown mustard!

They also dropped off their brownie batter dipping sauce and that is also fantastic!

If you guys are in the neighborhood of a local Philly Pretzel Factory, I definitely suggest stopping by and picking something up to celebrate this day!

I know I am enjoying it so far, and the day is not even over yet!

I might go back for seconds…. Thirds… and possibly even fourths if there are still some pretzels left!

We’ll see!