'nuf said!

Peter, Isaac and Josh and I start the day early to enjoy a Sunday afternoon game. The crowd is family friendly, with many little babies on laps, and lots of cheering kids. Two hold up a sign that says
"We Miss U Charlie", a response to the badly handled firing of the longtime manager Charlie Manual.  In fact, The Dodgers, one of the hottest teams in baseball (and how 'bout them Pirates, you Pittsburgh fans) have already embarrassed the Phillies in the first two outtings, so the new manager is 0 for 2.

But today, with the rain holding off,  Cole Hamels pitches a splendid 7 innings, letting in 2 runs. The Philies have tied it with one homerun and another RBI. Now in the bottom of the 9th, after Pabelbon has kept the Dodgers from scoring. (phew!) the question is: Will the Phillies rise to the occasion.? or are we in for extra innings.

Its a miracle really. The Phillies have been having trouble scoring even with 3 men on and 0 outs, so with 1 out we are not even sure they can pull it off
But, hey, leave it to a Sunday in August, a Dodger error and the Phillies  playing a game of 'small ball' well enough to win it with a walk in run.

Much to the delight and cheers of the crowd.
final score  Phillies 3, Dodgers 2, holding the Dodgers winning streak to 10 games.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=phi

Congrats to Ryan Sanberg on his first major league victory as a manager.

The People Who Make It All Happen

Citizen's Bank Park is always a wonderful place to go to enjoy an evening outdoors. The seats behind home plate where we usually sit look out towards the Philly skyline, which at dusk is a bea-yoo-tee-fool vista.

This is a tribute to the people at the Ball Park who work hard to make the experience always pleasant and as joyful as it can be whether we win or lose. From the bag checkers to the elevator operator, everyone is friendly and willing without hesitation to share a story or two of  a memorable playoff or world series game. And if you are lucky you can hear some reminiscences of the old stadiums. All you have to do is ask.

So, hats off to the Phillies Ball Park staff!

Take us to the top

May I help you?

Get your program here....!

And of course, the fans

Let the Festivities Begin Part 1

  To start off my 60th Birthday celebrations, Peter, Peter, Ellen and I  take a road trip to see an afternoon game of the Fightin' Phillies, the AA team in Reading Pennsylvania, an hour and a half from Philadelphia. Today is hot and sunny, a great relief from the soaking rains.

At this stadium, you aren't allowed to bring in your own food, so we find some shade and take  time to picnic before we go in.  (Although no one actually checks our bags when we enter).

We can already hear the middle school chorus singing the Star Spangled Banner as we look for our seats between home and first base. For 12 bucks here you can sit in the 3rd row to eavesdrop on the umpire  as he calls out " Stee-rike" and empathize with the batter who grimaces at the umpire in disagreement at the call. In the summer air, the sharp crack of the bat makes us feel as if we have just hit the ball ourselves.



The 'Fightin Phils are not doing too well today, so we stay entertained by a series of goofy, loveable mascots, games and gags.  This includes the Fightin' Phillies mascots,  the Tooth Fairy,  and a vegetable race around the field. 

Winner of the vegetable race

Tooth Fairy and helper sweeping the bases

My favorite, though, is the man who sings Take Me out to the Ballgame, an older fan, clearly a crowd favorite as well.







For more of the fun, continue on to see an audacious version of the Cha Cha Slide



Let the Festivities Begin Part 2

 The Cha-Cha Slide is a line dance created by Mr. C, also known as Casper, a Chicago DJ. The dance was originally designed as a workout for Bally's Total Fitness. The steps are called out during the song ,so it is really just a series of directions-"Take it to the right" " Take it back now"

At major league games, they play a snipett where the singer says" Everybody clap your hands"      

Personally, I think its a silly dance, so they got it right with this rendition. Check out the scale as the players pass by.

The Reading Phillies have a bit of a rally in the later innings, bringing in 2 runs, but ultimately lose 8-2.

We ended up moving up under an awning to get out of the heat. Even here, behind home plate, we are still only a short distance from the field.

Thanks again to the gang who helped me start off this celebration.

A reflief from the week's events

This week was  significantly sad for many reasons: The Boston bombing, the Texas tragedy, the defeat of the gun violence control bill, attempted Risin attacks. The flags at the ball parks are at half mast, and there is a minute of silence. Surprisingly, this is the first chance I have to be quiet and reflect, bringing me to tears for it all.

Then all attention is on the resonant soaring sound of the Star Spangled Banner and the antics of a large green furry mascot. How sweet to have this time with friends as we focus our energies on a small round ball, a pitcher's stance, a runner making it to first, a steal, a run. The Phillies down two, tied, down one, tied, down one again. They keep it interesting, with a final inning of high expectations, ending alas in disappointment. Still, a happy diversion from it all.