We all have our own perspective on a given subject. We arrive at this opinion based on our individual agenda, likes, dislikes, biases and experiences.

The best explanation of perspective that I have ever encountered is this: Let’s say there is a ball, sitting on a table. Half of it is painted black; the other half is colored white. I’m sitting on one side of the table and can only see that the ball is black; you are on the opposite side and to you the ball is white. Nothing that either of us can say while sitting there is going to change the other’s opinion as to what color the ball is — that is, unless we each get a little perspective. Not until we both get up and stand in the middle and see that the ball is half-and-half will we fully understand the reality of the situation.

Everybody who reads or posts on this website does so with his or her own perspective. I write an occasional column for UDPride.com as an ex-patriate alum living in suburban Michigan who follows the Flyers closely, but rarely gets to see them play in person. That’s a radically different viewpoint than a lifetime season ticket holder might have or an undergraduate student. It’s kinda difficult for posters like me or Moville or The Fly or San Diego Flyer to give in-depth analysis of what the Flyers are doing right or wrong, because we can’t see ’em! Others like Mark Adams (when he’s not doing games for ESPN) or John Churan or Pete Waleskowski watch the Flyers in person on a consistent basis and are better equipped to comment on game performances.

That’s why I was so glad to be able to attend the Rhode Island game and witness a game at UD Arena for the first time in over 10 years.

There are a lot of subjects that come up on the UDPride.com Message Board, as well as on FlyerHoops.net that I now feel qualified to render my perspective. Among them are:

— The Crowd. Anytime you put 13,553 Flyer Fans in one building you should expect some noise. Was the crowd into this game in the first half? No. Did they have any reason to be? Probably not. As I told Mrs. Swampy at half time, this Flyer team is one of the leaders in the country in rebounding margin and scoring defense and in the initial 20 minutes they didn’t appear to be either one. The second half was a different story. When the team gave them a reason to get excited, the crowd responded. The Arena absolutely exploded when Brooks nailed that three to put UD ahead and they kept it up for the rest of the game.

— The Cheerleaders. Many posters have questioned the reason for the cheerleaders’ existence. I think they do a pretty good job of getting the crowd fired up. Yeah, they are conduits for the giveaways (more on that later) but who else is gonna hand out the free pizzas — the players? Couple of observations: as the father of 2 girls, I wouldn’t be wildly enthusiastic about my daughter being tossed 15 feet in the air like a couple of those cheerleaders were. I’m talking some serious airtime, dude. And if I ever need a bodyguard, I want to hire that one guy who was holding the young lady aloft with one hand and tossing her back and forth. Impressive.

— The Music. The tuneage seemed to get the crowd motivated. Obviously I never heard the remix of the intro music that was used for the first 3 games and then abandoned, so I have no basis of comparison. Using the American Bandstand grading system, I give it a 85, it had a good beat and you can dance to it.

— The Team. I really like this squad. I love having a 6’11” guy starting at center. I love having bangers like Nate and Yuanta coming off the bench and both were highly effective against URI. I love the fact that on a night when his shots weren’t falling, Brooks turned into a passer — he and Keith combined on several gorgeous plays. I love OP’s quiet fire. I had a chance to stop and say hello to Pete Waleskowski at half time and he said that this team is not emotional, that they are focused and business-like. I think that’s a reflection of the coach and I, for one, believe it’s the right approach. We are all anxious and impatient for big things to happen with this program. Hang in there — it’s going to come.

— The Giveaways. When major companies like Coca Cola, Papa John’s, and National City want to get involved in your basketball program, that’s a good thing! This, of course, from a guy who sells commercials on a cable network for a living — what the heck did you think I would say? I’m sure my friend The Fly will vouch for me when I say that one only has to attend a game at the Palumbo Center at Duquesne for a suitable contrast. The Dukes try real hard, but the atmosphere is light years away from the feeling you get when you walk into the UD Arena.

— The Dreaded Early Exit. The outcome of this game was in serious doubt up until the last 3 minutes. Did people leave early? A few. When the Flyers went up by 11 with 1:11 left, the mass exodus began, which is okay with me. Bottom line: this is a non-issue. I am willing to wager large sums of money that some fans left the Pats/Rams game and missed the greatest finish in Super Bowl history. Furthermore, I’m convinced that if Jesus Christ himself came down from heaven to address all of mankind, there would be people leaving early to beat the traffic on the ‘Highway to Hell’ that AC/DC sang about.

It was good to be back.

That’s it “From the Swamp.”