Venerable old Veterans Stadium had its share of legends. The in-stadium courthouse. The holes in the walls of the cheerleaders' dressing room. But until today, we hadn't heard the one about the Blue Chest.
Former Eagles defensive tackle Hollis Thomas remembers the Blue Chest well. On the radio with 94WIP this morning, he recalled learning about the stash when he first arrived in Philly in 1996.
“We used to share like the shower and rest room area at the Vet, and they had an awesome collection of porn. They did, it was just like a bunch of books in there. It was just in a chest. When I first got there I was like, ‘What is this?’ They was like, ‘This is reading material’. I was like, ‘Reading material?’ It was in a blue chest....Everybody knows about the blue chest.
"It was a blue chest right on the other side of the sauna, leading toward the dumpers.
"It was a pretty good array of magazines. It actually had a variety, too. It was almost like a newsstand, put it that way...It was the precursor to the internet.
"You just picked up one, and there was a little sign that said when you’re done with the book, put it back. I did get a couple of books where the pages were kinda stuck together.”
Thomas makes it sound like the collection was the Phillies', and they were kind enough to let the Eagles use it. Perusing that '96 Phillies roster, each player provides a more horrifying mental image than the last.
Update: A little independent confirmation:
The Phillies And Eagles Had A ‘Blue Chest Of Pornography’ Stored In Veterans Stadium [CBS Philly]