Phun Week: Your Favorite Baseball Road Trip
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, February 01, 2008 07:31 PM | Comments: 10
Posts
For this second installment of Phun Week, I thought I’d present to you my favorite baseball road trip.
It was last year, just after the Phillies swept the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Living in Connecticut, I don’t get a chance to the Phillies much during the season, but a trip to Philly over the weekend of September 15 presented an interesting idea. The Phils were in Shea Stadium that weekend. Hmm…
Of course, on Sept. 1, in the middle of a division championship race, the Mets still had seats available. I bought one for me, and two more for my older brothers. We were going to Shea.
I drove down to Shea and they drove up from Philly. After finally finding parking (Shea is the worst at parking), I met my brothers and made it to our seats in the left field mezzanine. And yes, the Phils fans were out in droves. We went nuts when Aaron Rowand put us up early with a single. But Pedro Martinez shut us down, and bad. He was vintage Pedro, like when I saw him at Fenway against the Yankees in 2003. I was worried, but having a hell of a time.
We were yelled at, teased at, pinched at … whatever. We embraced it. Phils fans sat next to us. We talked with them. The Mets were leading as Willie Randolph went to the bullpen. You know the story.
Jimmy Rollins’ triple sailed over a misplaying Carlos Beltran, opening the floodgates. The Phils would win, preserving it with a clutch Brett Myers save. As we filed out of Shea, Mets fans were sullen. Another bad loss to the Phillies. But us — and all we Phils fans — we were absolutely ecstatic. This was becoming a race. This was real. This was awesome. And what an end to the season.
I’d do that again in a heartbeat. And yes, my brothers and I are thinking of a new trip to Shea, maybe even in April during opening week at the old cruddy ball yard in Queens. I can’t wait.
(As a follow-up, I’d like to visit every ballpark in the United States, via one long road trip. But if I can’t, I’m thinking of a Midwest road trip very soon one summer [PNC Park, Jacobs Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Wrigley Field, Field of Dreams].)
What is your favorite baseball road trip?
Posts: 0 Fran
I went to the jake when the phils were out there over the summer of 07. We sat right next to the phils dugout. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the jake there seats literally under ground. The dugouts basically connect. My uncle was lucky enough to get tickets in that area. All that separated me and the phils dugout was a piece of glass. It was awesome.
Posted: 11:52 PM on February 1, 2008
Posts: 0 benjamin franklin
I’m suprised to hear there was a phillies fan at shea. However when the mets are in the city of brotherly love, there are mets fans alll over the place. so just warning you that there won’t be alot of philly fan blogs about shea
Posted: 11:59 PM on February 1, 2008
Posts: 0 phillyphan1731
Phillies Phans….we finally have our infield sured up…no more platooning at the hot corner….No more having to make subs in the seventh inning at third base for defensive purposes…feliz should be able to hit 30 ding dongs at the bank due to it’s hitter friendly dimensions….people are just so hung up on the whole Santana ordeal…but like I said….last year only 15-13 with a 3.58 ERA…is it really worth it!?!?!?!??!?!!
Posted: 01:06 PM on February 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Joe B
YO whoever wrote this blog is smoking. Phillies Suck!!! LETS GO METS in 08! 07 wat?? Never heard of it? I have heard and saw Johan Santana in a Mets uniform though. Take that. LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS Jimmy Rollins.
Posted: 07:06 PM on February 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Another Mets signee bust
it seems like mets fans have no where else to write. They don’t have a big enough fan base, that they could have there own forums. Remember mets fans(or lack of) he plays once evey five days. …AND THE defending NL EAST CHAMPS ARE THE philadelphia PHILLIES!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA
Posted: 08:38 PM on February 2, 2008
Posts: 0 RJ
Last year was my first baseball road trip. Me a 4 of my buddies flew out to Pittsburgh for the 3 game series in August. It was amazing. We saw 2 nights of fireworks, which are better then the ones at CBP if you ask me. I met Harry Kalas, and tried a Primanti Bros. sandwich… it is nothing compared to a good cheese steak or a schmitter. Although the Phils lost 2 of three, it was great to see them play at another ballpark, and represent for our team. I even saw an original “Green Weenie”
This year its Chicago for a 4 game series in august….
Posted: 08:59 AM on February 3, 2008
Posts: 0 Brian Michael
RJ, I was at those Pittsburgh games, I really like PNC Park. I’ve been to a few Phils away games in my day – Turner Field, Fenway, Chase Field, Miller Park, Wrigley, Shea – but I think my favorite may have been in Miami at what was then Joe Robbie. It was in 1993 which made it extra special. Before the game my sister and I noticed a car pulled over to toss some fast-food garbage in the trash. For some reason we went over and it was Dutch Dalton and Pete Incavigilia having their pre-game meal. We walked up and asked for their autographs. Dutch turned to Inky (who was driving) and said “keep driving.” Although we were totally slighted and didn’t get any autographs, it was cool to see them doing normal things – as well as living up to their on-field persona of being bad asses.
Posted: 09:23 AM on February 3, 2008
Posts: 0 Brian Michael
Also, if you’re ever thinking of visiting all the MLB parks, check out this site, by my friend who actually did it…
http://www.stadiummouse.com/baseball/index.html
Posted: 09:24 AM on February 3, 2008
Posts: 0 Big Daddy
Trip to Shea 9-11-02, We sat behind the drunk Mets fans, Firemen + policemen, + the ugliest NY women. who were also drunk. There were numerous “almost fights” as the Mets fans would rather yell obsenities + drink beer than watch a good game. It was ironic that after 9 innings, both teams had 9runs +11 hits.
Posted: 12:26 PM on February 3, 2008
Posts: 0 Matt Kwasiborski
My favorite Road Trip was in 1993. It was my first semester, freshman year at Loyola University New Orleans. I was in the deep south for the first time. The only two baseball teams fans in NOLA follow are the Astros and Braves.
Well, we all know how 1993 went. I met a freind in class who was a Braves fan and was driving to ATL for Game 4, Danny Jackson v a young John Smoltz. We sat behind home plate all the way up but were amazed we could still see the names on the jerseys. Phils win the game 2-1 and we stood for every pitch after the 5th inning. I forget how we scored but I remember Milt “the stilt” Thomspon making one of the best catches I ever saw in LF. It was awesome!
The next day we couldn’t score tickets so we went to CNN and the Coke Museum. As we are leaving the Coke Museum we hear the game on the security guard’s radio. All 4 of us look at each other and sprint to the car as the 9th inning ends. We get in the car and immediately hear Dykstra’s 10th inning home run and cheered loudly! The ride back to NOLA was awesome because the Phils were going to the Series and beat the mighty Braves.
I met a guy at Fulton County who was from my neighborhood of Fishtown. Told me he scored the tickets on a radio promotion. When I go home to Philly for Thanksgiving, my uncle said my buddy Mike stopped by at his cheesesteak place at the corner of Delaware and Frankford. I didn’t know who he was until my uncle said he met me in ATL. Fun times!
Little did I know that I wouldn’t see the Phils in the playoffs for another 14 years!
Posted: 01:54 PM on February 5, 2008