Our very Philly visit to D.C.'s O Museum
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From Joe Hoerner to Saquon Barkley, Philly sports is immortalized at the O Street Museum. Photos: Isaac Avilucea/Axios
Many things about me aren't so Philly.
The big picture: Cowboys fan. Uncheck. Native New Mexican. Uncheck. Ordering cheesesteaks with mozzarella and hot sauce. Uncheck.
Yes, but: I still love me some Philly. And I know Philly loves it some Philly.
- So every city I visit, I'm always on the prowl for little pieces of Philly-cana.
Zoom in: During our Axios retreat in Washington, D.C., I strolled over to the O Museum — a labyrinth of secret doors leading to dozens of themed rooms, including a wine cellar and Elvis enclave.
- Part-hotel, part-fun-house, plenty of well-known people, including civil rights icon Rosa Parks, have traversed its historic halls, which double as a time capsule for American culture.
- And my self-directed scavenger hunt stumbled upon slices of brotherly and sisterly affection.
What I found: Saquon Barkley's "Birdle" is immortalized in a place the Smithsonian dubbed one of the world's "top 5 places" to explore.
Plus: As the vintage Trea Turner jersey proves, Philly is top in the world at plucking former Nats' talent.
The intrigue: I also found a sports trading card of the late Phillies relief pitcher Joe Hoerner in a random bucket of sports memorabilia.
- Hoerner was part of a seismic seven-player trade in 1969 between the Phillies and Cardinals that included swapping Dick Allen for Curt Flood.
- But Flood took a stand against baseball's so-called reserve clause, which bound a player to one team unless that player was traded or released.
- Flood retired rather than playing for the Phils, but his pioneering court case shaped baseball's embrace of free agency.
The bottom line: Flood might have said eff it to Philly, but decades later, his influence helped the Phils snatch Bryce Harper from the Nats.
- O, how sweet it is to be un-loved by you. From D.C. to Philly, that's something everyone can say with Natitude!