Fightin' Phils win the pennant!

Enough said. Next stop WORLD SERIES.

Mom's Day with the Phillies

Every year for the past 4 or so years I've taken my Mom to the the Phillies game for Mother's Day. Yesterday was the day and the Fightin' pulled through against the SF Giants in the bottom of the 9th. The weather was great and we enjoyed the usual Phillies fare... sandwiches from Tony Lukes, crab fries from Chickie's & Pete's and of course, my favorite, the ice cream "helmet" sundae! Thanks Mom for a great time and Happy Mother's Day.

Steel City then Fallingwater

I must say that even though Will and I spent our Saturday night in Pittsburgh watching the Pirates (his team) play the Phillies (my team), I did not feel far from home or out of place. I would say the ratio of Phillies to Pirates fans was about 1 to 1.
Now, it is well known that Philadelphia sports fans have a notorious reputation, but this is hard to take when I am sitting in the stands (albeit in another team's "house") minding my own business, contently watching the game when some 20ish year old girl behind me yammers on endlessly about how obnoxious Philly fans are, etc etc etc... It just so happens that in our section there were many Phillies fans and it was all good, no beer dumping, no shouting, no instigating, just a mellow good time. I was proud. So girlfriend, give us a break, please! We are not all of the "500 level, take no prisoners" mentality, we do not all get locked up in the stadium jail nor do we damage opposing team property and trash talk constantly. We just want to watch our team play and have a good time. But don't think for a moment that we won't cheer for our team and wear our colors proudly regardless of being in your house, our fan-ship knows no boundaries. Go Phillies!!! I almost forgot to mention that Wills and I both had Pirmanti Bros. sandwiches, a Pittsburgh tradition. It's a sandwich piled high with steak, roast beef or which ever filling you choose, then loaded with french fries and cole slaw (yes, in the sandwich)... mine was pretty good I must say.

On the way home on Sunday we stopped to visit a place that I have always wanted to go... Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater. It was spectacular. Words simply do not do it justice, you have to experience it. It is a wonder of architectural design and nature.
I am still in awe.

High hopes

Today is the Philadelphia Phillies home opener! I have high hopes again this year for the Fightin' Phils but just like any other loyal Phillies fan, I am also prepared for the agony of defeat. Be it at the beginning of the season when they dig themselves a hole so deep that it would take a near miracle for them to recover and make the playoffs... or be it at the end of a long season where they are fighting just for a wild card spot. I know, I know, last year they actually won the division so the whole wild card thing was a non issue, but for anyone who witnessed the poor decisions made by management during the play offs, you understand my frustration. Regardless, I had the pleasure of attending one of the home playoff games last year and it was awesome (despite the actual outcome of the game). Anyway, a new season has begun and come what may, I will be cheering them on... it's not easy to be a Phillies fan, but I do believe! GO PHILS!