Go Phillies - by Joe

• Published March 24th, 2009 by Joe Sabatino
• 2 Comments

3/29/09 - One week.  One more week to wait.  It seems like just yesterday  Brad Lidge was throwing the last pitch of 2008 and the Phillies were crowned World Series Champions.  It seems like such a short time ago.  I guess that's what happens when your team plays the longest uh?  So this is what Yankee fans used to feel like.  I am fortunate to have tickets to opening night and it can't get here fast enough.  I have been to the last three home openers but this one will be special.  The Phillies open the year as defending champions and there are several factors that make me wonder if they can repeat.  Can they stay healthy?  Will  Utley and Feliz bounce back from off season surgery?  Can the bullpen repeat it's pitching dominance?  Will Jamie Moyer continue to pitch well or will age finally catch up to him? Will Campo's have a better cheesesteak than Rick's in Ashburn alley?  And what's up with the vegan hot dogs they are offering this year?  I will let you know about the cheesesteak and leave the hot dog for someone else.

4/1/09 - I forgot to post these cool shots from a few months ago when the trophy visited Cocord Mall.

 4/6/09 - It was a full house.  Emotions were running high as the left field score board replayed the highlights of the Phillie's 2008 playoff run.  Charlie hoisted the 2008 flag up the center field pole as the players entered through Ashburn Alley and down into center field.  Miss Ameirca sang, parachutists landed onto the field (one missed the stadium), the big American flag was unfurled and the fireworks shot into the sky in front of a national t.v audience (ESPN2).  A fitting opening night for the reigning world champs.  Until Brett Myers' eighth pitch of the night landed into the right field stands.  Just like that the the Phils were down 2-0.  Talk about a buzz kill!  Two more home runs in the second staked the Braves to a 4-0 lead as they went on to beat our Phils 4-1 in the 2009 home opener.  The good:  Myers settled down and pitched relatively well for 6 innings.  The bullpen pitched 4 scoreless innings.  The bad:  The much vaunted Phils offense had 4 hits on the night.  The ugly:  I still can't get over how Myers will give up early inning home runs...in bunches.  The strange:  Charlie trotted out 4 relievers to pitch the final 4 innings...including Lidge.  The first boo of the 2009 saeson?  Second inning:  Brett Myers serves up homer #3 on the night to a rookie.  Food anyone?  The over stuffed turkey sandwhich from Bull's BBQ was spicy and delicious.  The new Alley Grill behind third base looked tempting but it's a long season and I have to pace myself.  I will hit that new food stand first next month when I attend the Dodgers game (5/13/09)

Charlie raising the flag in center field.                                             The turkey sandwhich from Bull's BBQ. (don't forget to add the BBQ sauce)

4/20/09 - After 11 games the Phils are 5-6.  Not the start I was hoping for but history shows us that they are never quick out of the gate.  It seems that they have yet to get into any kind of a rhythm.  Championship celebrations before the first three games, flying to Colorado for their season opening events, back to Washington for their on field season opening ceremonies, a rain delay here, a day off there and then the bombshell:  Harry Kalas passes away.  Between the memorial ceremonies, the interviews and the tears there were games to be played with heavy hearts.  A diffficult task.  Let's see if the starting pitching can begin to get into sync and get the season going.  Once things start to warm up we can make a better assessment of this team.  Let's shoot for June 1st to re-evaluate.  They have a tough schedule in the month of May and we should be able to tell if this team is moving in the right direction.  I like what I see from Raul Ibanez (.386, 5HRs, 11RBIs).  I don't like what I see from Brad Lidge.  He was shaky with his first few saves so you could just see what was coming.  Again, too soon to judge and what the heck, let's give him and the team a break.  That is until June!  (just kidding Charlie).  Thoughts about Harry:  What a shock.  He was the voice I heard as a kid when I first started listeing to the Phillies in 1971 with my grandfather during summer nights on the back porch.  I remember hearing his voice over the crackle of my Pop Pop's transister radio while lightning bugs flitted and crickets chirped.  As he and Richie called the game I could "see" the game through his effortless narration.  He allowed the game to breath.  A true loss.  I will miss his voice and his emotion for the game.  I know it's way to early but I am going to give a plug for Scott Franzke.  Next to Harry I think he is the best at play by play.  He too shows a lot of emotion but doesn't go overboard.  Anyone listening to him call the game winning HR by Ibanez yesterday would have to agree.

4/23/09 - I ended up getting tickets to the Phillies Business Person's Special with the Brewers.  Great day to take off.  The weather was a little cool but not ridiculous.  Tickets were in Section 331 row 1.  Dave Bush and the Brew Crew nearly no-hit the Phils in route to a 6-1 win.  If it weren't for the 8th inning heroics of Matt Stairs clubbing a pinch hit homer into the right field foul pole the Phils would have been no-hit for the first time in Philly since 1978.  It was ugly all day.  Nothing left the middle of the outfield for the Phillies.  Pop outs, foul outs, strike outs and only two hits.  I just can't see how this lineup can get in such a funk.  And oh by the way, Cole gets hit by a Prince Fielder line drive sqaure into the left shoulder, forcing him to leave the game.  UGH.  Ok, enough about the game.  I stumbled across a bar in the 300 section that seems to be the park's best kept secret.  It's the High & Inside Pub on the terrace level behind home plate.  It's a full service bar with Bull's BBQ specialties.  When we strode in (yes I said strode) at 12:15pm we took the last two seats at the bar and tipped a few until 12:55pm.  The bartender said not too many people are aware of it's location so keep it a secret between you and me!  During the 5th inning I tried the smothered char-grilled chicken sandwich at the Alley Grill.  I give it a 7.  It was tasty enough but the bun fell apart on me 3/4 of the way through.  They cook it to order so get ready to wait a few minutes.  So we leave the Phillies today at 6-8 and 4.5 games in back of the Marlins.  Good news:  the Mets are still behind us.  The bad news:  We play the Marlins the next three games.  Better news:  We get Washington for three after that.  I am hoping for a 5-1 run over the next 6 games.  One last note.  Grab the April 13th Sports illustrated.  Great picture of opening day at Citizens Bank park on page 4 and 5.  I am in the first row above the last letter O of the Gieco sign in the score board section.  What do you mean you can't make me out.  I am the one wearing a red Phillies shirt!

5/14/09 - Sherri and I sat through a cold, wind blown 9-2 loss at the hands of the Dodgers last night.  What started out as a beautiful evening (section 237, row 5) ended in a debacle for Jamie Moyer who was going for career win 250.  We arrived at 6:40pm, circled the concourse and into Ashburn Alley for the ritual fist tap of the Richie Ashburn statue.  We ordered the Blazin Chicken at the Alley Grill and took our seats just in time.  Jimmy had us up 1-0 and all was looking good until Jamie's arm let him down.  Fans quickly dispersed as the carnage continued until we were left with a mostly empty section 237 in the 8th.  The loss leaves our Phils at a 16-15 mark and 1 game behind the Mets.  More important is who is behind.  It's pretty tight with the Braves playing good baseball and the Marlins hanging in there.  Both are just 1/2 a game behind.  Hopefully they can take the rubber game against LA and win 3 of 4 against the Nationals over the weekend. 

5/15/09 - That's right.  Two (2) games in less than 24 hours.  A half day vacation later and I am back at the park enjoying a business persons special.  This time sitting in section 420, row 11.  So much for winning the rubber game.  Cole was the best Phillie on the field this day (except when he became a baserunner).  The Phillies came back to tie the game in the 9th after sleepwalking through the first 8 innings.  Carlos Ruiz, who really stepped up his offense, tied it up with a 2 run double.  The excitement fell off after the Dodgers answered with 2 in the 10th to get out of town with a series win 5-3.  Extremely dissapointing to say the least.  The need to string together mutiple wins and begin to start winning series is getting to a critical stage.  The good news is that they leave for DC for four against the Nats then it's on to the Reds.  The Phils have played well on the road so we look for that trend to continue.

On a side note.   Sherri attended her umptenth Springsteen concert and the Boss had a prety cool tribute to Harry Kalas.  Check out the link.  www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090430_Springsteens_grand_slam_tribute_to_Harry_Kalas.html

 5/27/09 - For the first night game after the un-official start of summer (with apologies to Edward Bulwer-Lytton) it was a dark and stormy night.  All day the weather looked ominous.  All day I was looking for an e-mail from the Philies telling me the game had been postponed.  Nothing.  With much trepidation (yes...trepidation) we ventured up to the park at 6:00pm.  Clouds, wind and yes the rain embraced us as we wondered how long we would need to sit through a rain delay.  It was going to be the first Phillies game for Sherri's nephew, Alex, and his parents who were to meet Sherri and me for the game against the Marlins.  I was hoping for a much better weather expereince so they could enjoy the park and the game.  We arrived at 7:05pm and as we walked into the gates I could hear Scott Franske calling the start of the game.  While Sherri took her sister and the family for a tour around the park I sprinted up to our seats:  Section 421 row 12.  I am now convinced that the seating behind home plate in the 400 section and 300 section is by far the best kept seating secret.  I find seat 1, wet and cold.  The Phillies start their end of the 1st with a bang and we are up 3-0.  The rain stops, the wind stops and the cold....well it stays.  Sherri and the gang make it to the seats after 3 innings and I can see that the park has already impressed young Alex.  Most of the 43,000+ did make it to the game but you could tell that the weather kept some from making the journey.  Joe Blanton finally pitched the way we all had been hoping by striking out a career-high 11 batters and ptiching through 7 innings.  Alex had been hoping to see the Liberty Bell swing but no homers had been hit.  A Phillie win would also do the trick.  The game was moving along at a nice pace.  Joe was mowing them down, Shane was batting them in, the crowd was into the game, the Phillies were up 5-0 and one stinking Florida fan sitting a few rows behind us just could not stop yakking.  All looked good as the game entered the ninth.  After getting the first out of the ninth inning Chad Durbin promptly loaded the bases and coughed up 2 runs (Howard's FIRST error of the year; a botched double play attempt throwing past Rollins).  We started to feel the wind and the cold and yes, hear the Florida fan begging to see Lidge.  After a short appearance by Eyre, in comes Lidge.  Brad walks the first batter.  A ground out brings in another run.  Two outs, 5-3, runners on second and third, Helms at the plate.  Less than 10,000 fans left in the stadium.  9,999 of them Phillie fans and the one Florida fan?  Five rows in back of us.  We got the last laugh as Lidge struck out the ex-Phillie and young Alex gets to see the Liberty Bell light up and ring as the Phillies go to 25-19 and stay 1/2 game up on the Mets.  All is right in the world.  I have to give Alex credit.  For his first game he stuck it out in foul weather sitting for the entire game.   A true Phillies fan in the making. 

6/8/09 - I am not sure about you but i am exhausted both mentally and physically.  Winning, though, makes everything better.  With late games on the coast starting at 10:00pm eastern it felt like I was back watching last year's summer Olympics in China.  Everey night I was going to bed between 1:00am and 1:30am.  The sweep in San Diego and the split with the Dodgers have shown us a few things about this team.  The starting pitching has stepped up in Hamels, Blanton and Moyer while the young arms in Happ and Bastardo have shown a promise for the future.  Antonio Bastardo.  Antonio Bastardo.  Try saying that with an accent and it's kinda fun.  "My name is Antonio Bastardo."  Anyway, the Phils can still pound the ball but it's nice to see them win a few low scoring games once in a while.  Although, it became frustrating in LA because the team is not built for low scoring games.  No longer can we rely on Brad Lidge to be automatic.  The first loss in LA was not all his fault (three missed opportunities in the 9th for outs) but serving up the homer in the second loss was all Brad.  So far they are 5-2 on the road trip with the next stop against the Mets at Citi Field.  Now is the time for the Phillies to put some distance between them and their arch rivals.  The Mets are not healthy but that won't always be the case.  The Phillies need to take advantage of the Mets problems now and win 2 of 3.  Going 3 for 3 would be asking a lot since they seem to struggle against Santana (losing their last three games when he has pitched).  If Happ can hold down the fort and the Phils can squeak in a run or two we can bring Brad Lidge in and............chew our finger nails off?  Pace the floor?  Is it me or has he turned into Mitch Williams for crying out loud?  Nothing would be a better mental boost for Brad to come into the game and save it in New York.  It won't get any eaiser for the weekend as the Red Sox and their fans come to town followed by the rest of the AL East for two weeks  June.  It's going to be a looong month.  At least we can all get to bed early.

6/13/09 - It was supposed to be the kickoff of a great vacation week.  Going to the first game of a three game series with the Red Sox and heading to Sea Isle, NJ for a week of fun in the sun.  No such luck.  We arrived early enough to get in line at Campo's to try the chicken cheese steaks for the first time.  The wait was about 30 mins so you may want to grab a beer from the beerstand right next door before you get in line.  We walked through Ashburn Alley and up to section 235 row 8.  Lots of Sox's fans (ugh).  The Campo's steaks are now my favorite food.  Definitely worth the wait and as it turns out they were the best part of the game.  The Phillies staged a ninth inning comeback to tie the game thanks to Ryan Howard's homer but Kendrick, fresh from being called up from the minors, failed to hold off the Sox and the Phillies went down 3-2 in 13 innings.  Below are some pics from our vantage point:

Our view from section 235                                                          Sherri's view of me standing in line at Campo's.

Leslie, Alex (newest Phillie fan) and Jaime                                                         Another view (note the 2008 World Series Champion flag- yeah!!)

7/21/09 -  The one drag about these seats (section 235, row 8) is that they are under cover and the view of the huge, titanic scoreboard is blocked.  Great for when it rains but terrible if you want to see the replays.  Note to self:  don't get these seats next year.  To the game.  I had originally given tonight's tickets to my nephew (Cubs fan).  We swapped tickets so that he and his dad could go to tomorrow's day game and it worked out well for all of involved.  The Phils won one of those games you see on TV and say to yourself:  "why couldn't I have gone to that game?"  It was an incredible display of pitching from Blanton and the pen as well as Cubs starter Harden.  With the game tied and going into extra innings Sherri asked me the question that every true fan would rather not answer:  "how long are we going to stay?"  Now Sherri has been a real sport throughout the season putting up with my highs and lows and going to the games rain and shine.  I gave her the only answer I knew she would expect me to say:  "until there is a winner".  At the 3 hour and 37 min mark Jason Werth stepped up and blasted a 3 run shot hinto left field to send us all home happy with a 4-1 win.  For the record my nephew got to see his Cubs win the next day 10-5.  The Phillies win the series 2-1.  That's all I could ask for.

8/6/09 - How lucky is this?  The home opener for Cliff Lee.  Section 330, row 3.  I actually brought my radio along to listen to the play by play for a few innings.  I know, I know.  What a geek.  But it is interesting to hear what you miss even though you are at the game.  Besides, I love listening to Franzke call the game along with Larry Andersen.  The SRO crowd greeted Lee with a rousing ovation and got exactly what they were pulling for Thursday. Lee allowed just one run and struck out nine in his seven-inning home debut, then yielded to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge, who completed a 3-1 victory over the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.  The light hitting Paul Bako delivered the unlikely but decisive blow, breaking a 1-1 tie in the fifth by hitting a homer over the right-field wall. It was Bako's first home run since June 9, 2008, a span of 223 plate appearances. 

8/19/09 - We get to see Lee pitch again and tonight's game was a beauty.  Cliff Lee's fourth start with the Phillies looked a lot like his previous three.  He pitched all nine innings (sedond complete game) and gave up two runs (one unearned) while faning 11..  He's now 4-0 with an 0.82 ERA as a Phillie. Jayson Werth homered twice, and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard also went deep.  Ruben Amaro Jr must be the happiest GM in baseball at this point.  Our next game will be 8/27 at PNC in Pittsburgh. 

8/27/09:  We left home around 10:00am and ended up in front of PNC Park in Pittsburgh around 4:30pm.  The stadium is beautiful and next to Citizen’s Bank Park my favorite venue that I have visited.  This isn’t saying a whole heck of a lot because the only other stadium I have visited has been Baltimore's Camden Yards back in the early 90's.  We sat in the Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club section which gives you private bathrooms, food vendors, pool tables, bars and a leather seating lounge area.  This is similar to the Phillies Hall of Fame Club box seating which you can't get for single games.  The seats are wide, spacious and padded.  This is my third trip to the ball park to see the Phillies and I am now 1-2.  There is something about this place.  It looks like Howard should be able to hit a ball into the river every time up but he always struggles.  It says something when Paul Bako is the offensive hero (Paul Bako?)  J.A. Happ pitched brilliantly most of the night into the eighth inning, but putting a runner on and then making a mistake pitch proved costly as a Pirate homer sealed a game and series loss for first-place Philadelphia.  The announced crowd was abot 24,000 with half wearing red.  Of course the Pittsburgh faithful, fresh off of a Stanley Cup and ANOTHER Super Bowl, laid into the fans that invaded their stadium.  Geez, can we please have one championship team every few decades?  Below are some pics that include our good friends Gary and Lynn.

This way to the Club!                                             In front of the entrance.                                        Sherri and me from our seats.

Entrance to the park                                                                            View from our padded seats

Cheers to the Phillies (ok...and the Pirates!)                         Chase takes batting practice while Charlie watches on.

9/29/09:  My buddy scored tickets to game 2 of the Houston series (206 row 7).  When he purchased the tickets last month I was hoping it would be a meaningless game.  Going into it the Phillies had lost the night before with Cole on the mound, the Braves were rolling and another opposing rookie pitcher was ready to do his best Tom Seaver impersonation.  An early arrival at the park provided us the fast track to Campo's chicken cheesesteaks.  After six attempts I now know how do order the chicken cheesteak with provolone, mushrooms, peppers and onions.  "Chicken works".  I like it!  We settled into the game and watched J.A. Happ give up a run and the Phillies down 1-0.  Much of the sellout crowd became anxious.  Jimmy Rollins tied the game with a RBL double.  The Houston rookie pitcher started to become mortal in the 4th as he gave up a grand slam from Pedro Feliz.  A two-run shot from Jayson Werth tin the 5th sealed the game and gave the Phillies a 7-4 win to trim the magic number in the NL East to one.  I am glad the game meant something after all.  Last game of the year for me will be this Friday against the Marlins.  Let's hope THAT one is meaningless.  I mean it this time!

10/2/09:  The 14th and final Phillies game of the year for me (unless someone out there can score a post season ticket for me!),  Back to sec 237 row 5 where we can now see 50% of the scoreboard as opposed to none of it.  The Marlins ended up beating the lack luster NL East champs 7-2.  Aside from the red hot Ryan Howard everyone else seemed to have a post celebration hang over.  It looks like the Phillies will start "Red October" with a replay of the 2007 playoff against the Rockies.  I do feel that the Phillies are in a better position to win this time agaist them this time around.