Go Phils!

Yesterday afternoon, I made the mistake of asking my husband what he was planning on wearing to the Phillies game. He said, "Something sexy. I'm hoping Cole Hamels will see me in the stands and ask me to marry him." That was his way of telling me he hadn't given it any thought.

We decided to make the trip to Citizens Bank Park after realizing our five-dollar-off coupon from a package of Phillies Franks could only be used on certain dates. As we approached the stadium, we were surprised to hear a klezmer band playing near the entrance. Turns out, it was "Jewish Heritage Night" which was slightly ironic since we were using a discount found on the back of a pork hot dog package.

A cantor sang the National Anthem, the Phillie Phanatic and Mrs. Phanatic did the chair dance and fans held signs that said, "Jew Gotta Believe!" The first batter for the Washington Nationals was named Zimmerman. We wondered if that was on purpose. Personally, I think they should have changed all of the player's names to sound more Jewish. Perhaps Chase Utley could have been Chase Putzley? My idea may not be culturally sensitive but neither is a guy in a green fuzzy suit thrusting his hips at the men in traditional garb who were trying to balance bottles on their hats.

One fearless-- or should I say, stupid-- fan wore a New York Mets yarmulke. He might as well have worn a sign on his head that said, "Hit me here."

Speaking of stupidity, Shortstop Jimmy Rollins made the gigantic mistake of publicly insulting the Philadelphia fans by saying in an interview, “They’re front-runners. When you’re doing good, they’re on your side. When you’re doing bad, they’re completely against you. For example, Ryan (Howard) is from St. Louis. St. Louis, it seems like they support their team. They’re encouraging.”

Oy, the booing!

As I was watching the game, I couldn't help but think of all the pundits who say that we are in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Seriously? Over 41,000 people showed up on a Thursday night to watch the Phillies play the worst team in baseball. We personally spent $60 on the cheapest seats possible, public transportation, two beers and a bucket of fries while others around us were groaning under the weight of food and merchandise. Many of the people in our section weren't even interested in the game. The girl behind me actually said, "I don't even like baseball, I just like to be outside." How can we all be one paycheck away from homelessness if Americans are paying a small fortune just to be outside?

Oh well, the Phils lost 4-3. So much for playing the worst team in baseball.