He's all about the cheesesteak

Anthony Becht might not know much about the stock market, but the south Philadelphia native has some knowledge that's nearly as valuable: the secret to a good cheesesteak.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published December 23, 2007

Tight end Anthony Becht runs his own football camp company. "I'm a one-man show," he says.
	[Daniel Wallace | Times]

You're from Philadelphia, so I have to ask the cliche question: Where's the best cheesesteak in the city?

Well, Pat's (King of Steaks) and Geno's (Steaks) are the ones everybody knows about. They're the popular ones. And there are a bunch of good places near my old house. But, honestly, my dad makes a killer cheesesteak. Back home, every Saturday night, my mom would get a couple pounds of chipped steak from Tori's Butcher Shop up the block. My dad would get in there and chop it up and shred it down and fry it and put that American cheese on it - it had to be American. You melt it down, and you're done. But the key to the cheesesteak is actually the bread.

That's it?

Trust me. That's the difference in anybody in any other place who tries to duplicate it. In south Philly, you get the D'Ambrosio's rolls (from D'Ambrosio's Bakery). They're the best. I hear people talk about the cheese and this and that. It's about the rolls. The meat is about the same. The cheese is about the same. But if you get that good roll, man, I'd die for that bread. It's the only bread that I can just eat plain without anything on it. I've been to New York, and they have the yeastiest bread you've ever had. It's just hard to find it except back home. That's the only place I can get it.

Speaking of New York, you spent five seasons there. What's the main difference between fans here and in those in New York?

Well, that's easy: When it's bad (in New York), it's really bad. You might have a winning record and you might be leading by a touchdown, but if you take a knee before halftime, you're going to get booed. But I'll say one thing: When you're playing well and you're team is playing well, there's no greater place to be. They treat you like a king. But if you do one thing - one little thing - they will bring it up forever. If you dropped a ball back in 2001, it might be 2004, and somebody's going to bring that up again. They will not forget.

I read somewhere you wanted to be a stockbroker when you retire. Is that still true?

That was true for about two years. Then, when I actually had some money to invest and found out how it all worked, I kind of shied away from it. I'd honestly rather play cards than put my money into some company I don't know anything about. I majored in marketing and finance, and I was learning about all the Internet stocks back then. They were going crazy at the time. You couldn't go wrong. Plus, we were just using play money when I was in school. We had a stock challenge, and I picked companies that were hot. It had nothing to do with growth for me. But, obviously, in the real world, when you're dealing with your money and your livelihood, the decision process is different.

The weekly question: What Web sites are you on most?

I'm on the computer a lot. The first Web site I go to every day is etrade.com and bankofamerica.com. I trade some stock, and I track it daily. But really, I'm just worried about identity theft. That stuff scares me.

You've been busy in your offseasons it seems.

I started a football camp company. It's a small LLC called Anthony Becht Football Camp. I'm a one-man show. This is my second year. I have two camps now, one in Philadelphia, one in West Virginia. The majority of the daily stuff I do in the offseason is trying to find people to sponsor me. I bring athletes in and take good care of them. I do it all.

A lot of people would hand that job over to someone else and just put their names on it.

I know. But, with me, if I put my name on it, I do it 100 percent, and I do it top-notch. I make sure that everything is done the way I want it done. It's just that I want people to deal with me firsthand. I think I owe them that. ... It's real time-consuming right now, with playing football and having two kids. But after I'm done playing, I think I'd like to do something within the sport. Right now, I give all the money back to my old high school. But down the road, I think it might be something that can keep me afloat. Parents these days, with the money you can make playing sports, they feel like they're willing to pay top dollar for expertise.

I believe you're a big golfer. No?

Well, I've been playing for a while. I don't know how good a player I am. I like to talk a big game. I will tell you this: I will be the best-dressed guy when it comes to a golf event. I've got the shoes, all kinds of outfits, all that.

So, you do win in one respect.

No question. Up until the first tee, I scare people.

FAST FACTS

Anthony Becht

Position: Tight end

Age: 30

Ht./wt.: 6-5, 280 pounds

College: West Virginia; All-America honorable mention as a senior in 1999; finished career with 83 receptions for 1,173 yards and 10 TDs.

Pro: First-round pick of Jets (27th overall) in 2000; joined Bucs as free agent in 2005; has two TDs in 2007.

[Last modified December 22, 2007, 22:40:53]