I have been busy with work the last little while, and part of that work involved a bit of travel. As expected, my internet connection has been unreliable at best and I haven't bothered trying to post on the blog, let alone maintain the post-a-day pace I kept up from January through March. Yesterday I had an unexpected half-day off, and got on board with a couple of friends to see Philadelphia. We saw the Liberty Bell, ran up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, saw the Zoo, and attended an actual baseball game. While waiting in line to see the Liberty Bell (I thought it would be bigger), I had the sudden flash of inspiration to see if the Phillies were playing. As it turned out, they were at home against the Nationals, with Aaron Nola and Max Scherzer set to face off at 7:05 PM. To my surprise, my companions were open to the idea of attending a game, so after seeing the Zoo and the Rocky statue we went to the park a little early and got some seats with a decent view of the field.
The game wasn't that great, as the Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and continued piling on runs en route to an 8-1 victory over the home team. There were plenty of good moments, though. I got to see Bryce Harper, one of the game's current best players, hit a home run. I got to see Max Scherzer, a Cy Young-winner, pitch a good game. Scherzer even helped out on offense, knocking in a couple of runs with an RBI double. The Phillies' lone run came on a Cameron Rupp home run, so I got to see them 'ring' that big lit-up bell in the background of my photo. The Phillie Phanatic's antics were fun to watch. The Philadelphia fans lived up to their reputation, soundly booing Harper and Jayson Werth every time they made an appearance. One guy in our section got a little too inappropriate with his Harper remarks and the staff invited him to leave. The guy clearly crossed the line, and it was good to see the staff keeping it under control. Most of the fans in our section were friendly and sociable, so that one jerk seemed to be the exception.
This was the first MLB game I've been able to attend since I went to an Astros-Reds game with my dad and my grandpa when I was 7 or so. It was a great experience, and I'm glad the Phillies happened to have a home game that lined up with my time off.
Awesome story, Raz! Glad you got the chance to go to the game!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun! I was really excited to get the opportunity.
DeleteSaw the Cubs play in Philly a couple of years back and, I have to say, I love their park. I dared to wear my Cubs jersey despite the reputation of the crowd; however, while I got a few comments, I think the fact that T. Wood no-hit them into the 6th or 7th kept them from getting too rough with me!
ReplyDeleteI was impressed by the park, although I haven't been to any others I can compare it to.
DeleteThere was a small pocket of Washington fans in our section. There was a little ribbing between them and the Phillies fans, but nothing too hostile except for the guy who was asked to leave.
First game since you were 7 or so? Whoa! I hope you're able to get out to see more MLB games in the near future!
ReplyDeleteI live in Idaho where it is an 8-hour drive to Seattle, the nearest MLB ballpark. Other 'nearby' options are San Francisco (10 hours), Denver (12 hours), Phoenix (15 hours), and so on. That makes attending a game a pretty big endeavor. I usually reserve a trip of that length for something that my whole family will enjoy.
DeleteI figured there had to be a good reason why you hadn't attended a game since you were 7. Pretty cool that you got to see Harper hit one out in your first game back.
DeleteI made it to my first NBA game in November 2013. Now I've attended an MLB game as an adult. It would be cool to get to an NFL game at some point, but I don't know when that will happen.
DeleteIt was cool to see a Harper home run in person. The whole game was a fun experience. I only wish that the score had been a little closer throughout.
Going to a game for the first time at a stadium is always fun. And Philadelphia fans are always interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe fans were definitely interesting. Once the game got our of hand most of them turned their attention to the playoff hockey game, which also involved Washington and Philadelphia teams. Washington won that matchup, too.
DeleteIt's been awhile since I caught an MLB game live. I plan on hitting up the Braves at SunTrust park next year, so I have an 8 hr drive to do that, so I get the wait. I could drive 2 hours south to catch the Rays, but eh. I'm patient. Glad to hear you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to justify the time and money for that sort of excursion sometimes. It seems like there is always something more pressing. I just got lucky enough to be in town and free on the right day.
DeleteCongrats on getting to the game. I love Bryce Harper and will be seeing him in person in July.
ReplyDeleteThat should be fun! Hopefully he performs some amazing feats (but not so amazing that your team loses)!
DeleteI'm not a huge fan of Harper, but I can appreciate the talent he has. I was pretty excited to see Scherzer, too. He's a guy I kind of PC. It was pretty cool to walk in to the ballpark and see the field and everything.
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