Tag: Citizens Bank Park

It’s All Roxie’s Doing!

It wasn’t all a bed of kibbles. The Phils had some rough patches along the way, but Roxie held tough and the team responded.

phillies fan roxie.jpgWho was the Phillies most valuable addition this season? I believe a case can be maded for a sweet and spunky mini dachshund!

Roxie came home with us July 3. The Phils began that day having lost seven of their last ten games. Tied for first, they were 40-36 with a .513 win percentage. They were in the midst of losing their mojo.

By July 17th here’s what I was writing:

Since her arrival the Phillies have gone 10-1. They’ve even begun to win at home, the low hanging fruit of baseball which had evaded them until Roxie’s arrival.

“Chance,” you might say. “Luck, it’s all just luck.”

I asked Roxie. She totally takes credit… and asked for some Citizens Bank Park crab fries.

Case closed.

It wasn’t all a bed of kibbles. The Phils had some rough patches along the way, but Roxie held tough and the team responded. They ended the season 93-69 for a .574 winning percentage.

Let’s do the math:

pre-Roxie    40 wins   36 losses

post-Roxie   53 wins   33 losses

Post-Roxie the Phils had a .616 winning percentage! They played ten more games and managed to lose three less!

When it comes to the dogged determination necessary to reach your goal what you need is a dog. They are truly man’s best friend–just not Manny’s!

Who Is Responsible For The Phillies Changes?

So what’s the dog’s record? Since her arrival the Phillies have gone 10-1.

phillies fan roxie.jpgJune was a bad month for the Phillies. They lost-and-lost-and-lost. A nice lead in the NL East was squandered. And then, suddenly, things turned around.

What changed? The Phillies got a new fan, a good luck charm–Roxie.

Living in the Fox house means living with the Phillies telecasts. Helaine watches every game. When Stef and I are here we watch with her.

Since her arrival Roxie has watched every game too!

So what’s the dog’s record? Since her arrival the Phillies have gone 10-1. They’ve even begun to win at home, the low hanging fruit of baseball which had evaded them until Roxie’s arrival.

“Chance,” you might say. “Luck, it’s all just luck.”

I asked Roxie. She totally takes credit… and asked for some Citizens Bank Park crab fries.

Case closed.

In Philly

How can you not love going to a baseball game? Outside. Spring weather. Excitement of the crowd.

cole-hamels.JPG

How can you not love going to a baseball game? Outside. Spring weather. Excitement of the crowd.

They say Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park resembles an “old time” ballpark, but it’s ginned up the ying-yang with electronic accouterments! There are electronic screens or digital signs nearly everywhere!

barry-and-geoff.jpgThis was the Phils first game back since Harry Kalas’ death and there was a nicely done tribute video voiced by Larry Anderson. Everyone liked him, or so it seems.

We were joined by my friend Barry. We were very close in the late 70s. It was great to see him and talk through much of the game. I am astounded we never discussed politics–not once.

The Phils went to a quick lead 7-1 and then imploded! At least we had cheesesteaks and funnel cakes.

dobbs-out-at-home_1.JPGWe dropped Barry off in Center City then headed into “Old City” to pick-up I-95. It’s a thriving neighborhood. Lots of people were outside on the street or in cafes. i like seeing that. As a nocturnal animal it’s one reason city life has always appealed to me.

We’re back at the hotel now. Tonight it’s Helaine’s neighborhood reunion. Neither of us has any idea who will be there and how it will go. She is worried.

Stay tuned.

On Our Way To Philly

Saturday we’re attending a ‘neighborhood reunion’ from Helaine’s childhood neighborhood. She hasn’t seen some of these people since she was nine or ten. It’s being held in a hotel north of town. I suspect the old neighborhood isn’t quite what it once was!

Helaine and I leave later this morning for Philadelphia. It’s an interesting trip. Well, it’s interesting right now… before leaving the house.

Tonight we’ll see the Phillies play the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Stef was originally coming along, but school activities need her attention.

Now hitting for Stefanie Fox, Barry Kliger. My friend Barry will be joining us at the park.

Since our tickets were bought online electronically all I needed to do was forward the pdf file to Barry who prints it out and presents it at the ballpark. Voila! No more wondering where and when to meet. We’ll just meet at our seats!

Saturday we’re attending a reunion from Helaine’s childhood neighborhood. She hasn’t seen some of these people since she was twelve or thirteen back at Thomas K. Finletter Elementary School. It’s being held in a hotel north of town. I suspect the old neighborhood isn’t quite what it once was!

Helaine isn’t scared of the unknown, but she definitely has mixed feelings about attending. The ‘let’s go’ side will win out and we’ll have a good time.

Everyone there had better look older than us.

The Rest of Our Philadelphia Trip

One of the prime reasons for going to Philadelphia was to go the see a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park.

Before we go on, let me say how displeased I am with naming rights to stadiums and arenas. It’s a shame there’s no longer a Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia or Oakdale Theater near me in Wallingford, CT. Maybe there is a benefit to me by having Citizens Bank or Chevy (in the case of the Oakdale Theater) kick in some cash… though I don’t see it.

I am tilting at windmills. It’s never going back.

My friend Peter picked us up at the hotel and it didn’t take long to drive to South Philly and the stadium. Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and the Core State Arena (it’s hurting me to write this) are all located on the same tract of land that held the Vet, Franklin Field and the Spectrum (still there, but now with a corporate name preceding the word Spectrum).

I paid the $10 to park and we found a space fairly close to the entrance. Helaine had bought four tickets from a broker – though they were only marked up $4. We walked into the stadium.

Since this was my birthday trip, Helaine had arranged for my name and age to be flashed on the scoreboard with the other 11 year olds. We went and signed in. There was a charge, but I got a very nice Phillies hat.

The ballpark itself is a very nice place. Whereas the Vet was all concrete and steel with no thought of aesthetics, there’s lots of exposed brick and other warm touches now. And, Vet Stadium’s turf – possibly the worst playing surface in all of professional sports, has been replaced by beautiful real grass.

Beyond the outfield is a huge food court – Ashburn’s Alley. That’s where we headed first.

Steffie wanted to have a genuine Philly Cheesesteak, and Geno’s of South Philadelphia fame is represented. This is not ‘old school’ baseball food. It wasn’t soggy. It was hot. It was delicious. We found a place to sit and ate our lunch.

The game was scheduled for 3:15, so we headed down and took our seats. I was surprised that there had been no hassle when I brought my camera and two lenses in. The Phillies web site said it would be OK, but I had a sneaking suspicion there would be scrutiny over any camera with a removable lens.

These were probably the best baseball seats I’d ever had. We were behind the Phillies dugout, in the sun, 25 rows from the field. We were in foul ball territory. We were very close to the action.

The Phils were playing the San Diego Padres… and the Phils had gotten hot! The night before, Chase Utley ended the game with a walk off homer. Is there a more macho act?

For us, the game began slowly. It seemed like Robinson Tejeda, the Phillie starter wasn’t in control. I say ‘seemed’, because when you see the box score, you see a pitcher totally dominating the opposition. It’s funny how those two elements don’t always match up.

I took a lot of pictures at the game. Some might say I took too many pictures. Here’s my favorite, Bobby Abreu ducking out of the way of a Pedro Astascio fastball. Judging by the catcher’s glove, this pitch was traveling where it was aimed.

We stayed until the very last out, anticipated the worst when Real Cormier was called in, but getting a one inning gem instead. Billy Wagner picked up the save.

After a short stop back at the hotel, the four of us (Peter included) went out searching for dinner and the sights. We hit South Street first, but realizing that wasn’t the right spot for dinner, headed to Market Street and the Penn’s Landing area.

Again, we found Italian food. Again, it was very good. But we were very tired.

Our walk back to the hotel was uneventful, but left me uneasy. There were too many places which seemed sinister.

Tonight, I sent an email message to Mayor Street. It’s attached to the link at the bottom of this entry. Whether this kind of message makes any difference or not is beyond me, but I am always willing to write and make my opinions felt.

We finished up our stay Sunday with brunch on the Moshulu.

Since the launching of the Moshulu (pronounced Mo-shoe’-loo) in 1904, she has had a long and exciting career on the seas working the ports of Europe, South America, Australia, America and Africa. She was confiscated by the Americans in one war and by the Germans in the next. She has traveled around Cape Horn 54 times. She has hauled coal and coke, copper ore and nitrate, lumber and grain. In lesser days, she has served as a floating warehouse. In grander days, she won the last great grain race in 1939. Today, the Moshulu is the largest four-masted sailing ship in the world still afloat.

I once heard someone say you should never go out to dinner at a revolving restaurant. I think the same applies to converted sailing ships. The food was OK – nothing special. The ship was OK too… but just OK.

The interior of the ship was larger than I expected. I know that because of the schlep from our table to the buffet!

By 1:30 we were heading home. We headed north on I-95, over the Delaware via the Betsy Ross Bridge (A white elephant when it was built, I hope it’s more useful now), Route 90 to Route 73 to I-295 and then the New Jersey Turnpike.

We waited as long as we could before getting off I-295 and onto the Turnpike. It made no difference. We were stuck in stop-and-go traffic for the better part of an hour before things opened up. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

Oh – there was that sign on the George Washington Bridge that I captured. I’m hoping it’s legal to take photos before you get to the sign, as I did.

So, what have we learned? We were surprised and pleased that Steffie enjoyed the game. Yes, she got a shirt and excellent junk food… but she bought another shirt with her own money and seemed to be interested in the game.

We also enjoyed visiting Philadelphia, the place where we met 25 years ago, as tourists. There are rough edges that need to be smoothed for Philadelphia to become a better tourist destination, but so much is in place right now.

Continue reading “The Rest of Our Philadelphia Trip”

We’re In Philadelphia

The trip to Philadelphia wasn’t terribly bad… for a Friday afternoon… in the summer… on I-95. There is a place, about halfway through New Jersey, where the four roadway Turnpike becomes the two roadway Turnpike. At the point (or actually a few miles before it) the traffic slows to a crawl.

We made Philadelphia by mid-afternoon. The hotel was easy to find (considering Helaine had grown up here and I lived here for five years, we should know where things are) and nicely located.

We’re on the Delaware River. When I was here, this area was industrial and well into an era of hard times. It’s been reclaimed now as an entertainment area with restaurants and hotels.

Just across the way, and over an expressway, is the main body of the city. The streets in Philadelphia are numbered – so we’re ‘below’ First Street.

After we checked in, we decided to walk north, along the river, and ended up at Dave and Buster’s. D&B is a national chain of arcades on steroids… with a bar!

I found a flight simulator and attempted to takeoff and land without killing any of my passengers. No sweat. Next it was a boxing simulator. I’ve never played an arcade game that took so much out of me. There was even a readout with the number of calories you burned!

While I was playing games, Steffie and Helaine were working the ticket dispensing machines. What were they looking to get? Who knows? They were acquiring tickets as its own end.

I settled in next to them on a machine that tosses a coin onto platform. Small ‘sweepers’ push the coins forward. Hopefully, if your coin ends up in the right place, it will dislodge other coins causing them to fall in a tray, getting you tickets.

By the time we were done, Steffie had a dragon. It’s actually quite cute.

We went back to the hotel to wash up and get ready for dinner. Then, we headed to Society Hill and Old City. The latter name comes from the fact that this was the colonial center of Philadelphia. This is where Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross lived… though not together.

It was in Society Hill where the beginning of Philadelphia’s in-town gentrification began with the Society Hill Towers, two luxury apartment buildings. As I remember, they’re condos now.

We walked past Bookbinders and up Chestnut Street. This part of Philadelphia is an amazing mix of old and new. There are glass box office buildings and historical sites. Some streets are paved with cobblestones.

Philadelphia has a system of streets and alleyways. In some ways, that makes its downtown similar to Boston’s. Some of these alleys are just wide enough for a car – barely.

We went hunting for a restaurant to have dinner. Steffie and Helaine read the menus posted near the doors. We finally settled on an Italian place, Amici Noi, at 3rd and Market.

Good choice. The food was excellent and the portions large.

Surprisingly, all the restaurants we look at were fairly empty. Maybe Philadelphia isn’t the tourist city it should be. Certainly, on a hot Friday night, plenty of locals would be headed to the Jersey Shore.

It’s a shame, because this is such a beautiful and livable city.

After dinner I decided to head to South Street, knowing Steffie especially would like it. First, a detour. I wanted to see Independence Hall.

I remember, back when I lived here, how cool I thought it was to just drive by the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall. It’s no different now. There’s something very impressive knowing these icons of American history are right in the middle of modern life.

We walked down 4th Street past some beautiful neighborhoods of very expensive, very small homes. I can only shudder to think how these places have appreciated since I left 25 years ago this month.

How to describe South Street? Eclectic. Bohemian. Over the top. Very much like Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

South Street is where you find stores… like Condom Kingdom!

We walked and Steffie darted into some stores looking at clothing. We also stopped at Rita’s so Steffie and Helaine could get ‘water ice’ and I could get some custard. Perfect.

Meanwhile, South Street was packed with cars and cops and parking enforcement officers. I have never seen tow trucks move as quickly and deftly to get cars off the street! Something tells me this is a very expensive way to get unwanted valet parking.

We headed back to our hotel. We were, to understate it, tired. In fact, I went to bed a good seven hours before my normal bedtime!

Today, we head to the Vet&#185 for the Phillies versus San Diego Padres. I’m psyched.

&#185 – The Phillies play in Citizens Bank Park. I know that. I still want to say they play at the Vet… and it is, after all, my blog.