Implosion of Sands brings back memories...

November 2007

The implosion of the Sands Hotel Casino in Atlantic City last month brought a mixture of emotions. As you watched the casino come tumbling down, you couldn't help but remember the people associated with the place that made it special in Atlantic City history.

The most well-known celebs from the Sands; the Sinatras, Chers and others, come to mind first. But it was people like Tom Cantone, Jim Wise and Bob DeSalvio whose memories linger.

Cantone, who now works at Foxwoods, was a bold casino entertainment innovator who booked the bigname acts in the Copa Room. Cantone was not afraid to go against the grain by bringing non-traditional acts into the Sands, while booking the likes of Cher and Sinatra as well. In a sense, the Sands was the way Borgata is now, due to Cantone's efforts. The Sands did more with less, and even turned the Copa Room into a nightclub called the Copa Club in the mid-80s.

You couldn't help but feel some nostalgia as those walls came tumbling down with the implosion. And yes, while we know there is another huge casino project on the way – the Pinnacle – the Sands etched in a unique place in Atlantic City casino folklore.

Even though the property had some structural deficiencies, the management team, led by DeSalvio, made it work and didn't sit around and mope. That Sands strategy might be worthy of a second look by some of the current casino management teams in town. The Sands was like the little casino engine that could churn out big-time aura and big-time entertainment. And the Sands and the Claridge together formed an almost perfect union with a smaller is friendlier theme. You couldn't help but feel that a little piece of the Claridge went with the Sands when it imploded.

It was one of those moments when the past and the present collided, head on. Bricks and mortar came crashing down and so did some of the casino employees' souls who worked at the Sands from day one. Many of those people had tears in their eyes when the implosion transpired.

These loyal foot soldiers of the casino age's infancy are a principal reason why Atlantic City has evolved into what it has become.

And so it was. And so it went.

The implosion of the Sands was one of those events when time stood still in the City that Is Always Turned On.

Political Truths Stranger Than Fiction

The political theatre of the absurd took another twist in October with the resignation of mayor Bob Levy.

As we predicted in this space last month, William "Speedy" Marsh took over in another very complicated scenario.

But it appears that Marsh's tenure could be brief as the Atlantic City democratic party is still partially controlled by Craig Calloway from jail.

This whole story is almost unreal; truth is really stranger than fiction.

Whether or not Marsh can hold on to the mayoral post, the casino industry does seem to be comfortable with his presence. And no matter what else happens here, it is amazing that Calloway still has the tentacles that he does – all the way from his jail cell.

The Insider is written by a prominent local business person who chooses to remain anonymous at this time. The opinions and news bites are that of The Insider and do not necessarily reflect the positions or views of this magazine, it's staff, or its publisher.