I made it back to Philadelphia, picked up my car and headed over to Citizens Bank Park. Even though this was the 26th park I’ve visited on my trip it still was able to impress me quite a bit. That’s a good thing for two reasons; first, I think it validates my other recent critiques in that I’m not just giving out lower grades due to boredom/repetition and second, I’m pumped that this will be my “home” ballpark for the next three years while I’m at school at Villanova! Also, by way of background, the Phillies did not sell tickets to individual Red Sox games. They capitalized on the opportunity and only sold the Sox games as part of larger ticket packages. Since I’m moving to the area I decided to buy a 4-pack of tickets and ended up going to see the Phillies play the Sox and Angels within 5 days of each other (the other two games are for after I move down in later August and September). I’ll include some things from both games in this post but for statistical purposes below I’m counting the Red Sox game as my “official” review game.
Game Notes:
Three observations about the outside of the stadium need to be passed on before “heading inside.” First, the baseball field is located in a giant complex with all of the other major Philadelphia sports (football/hockey/basketball). That works well because they are able to have dedicated parking lots and the infrastructure is in place to facilitate easy in-out experiences for fans. Second, Citizens Bank Park is extremely uninviting and very “inaccessible” from the outside. More than a handful of stadiums have had areas on the sidewalk or otherwise where you can see parts of the game or at least see onto the field a bit from outside the stadium. In Philadelphia they make sure nobody on the outside can have any idea of what’s happening on the other side of their walls. I’m not sure why they do this but it’s very noticeable. The third observation regards the scalpers. Virtually every park has them and I still struggle to understand how they make a living when games aren’t selling out but I need to share my experience with them.When I bought the 4-pack of games I decided to order two seats per game figuring I may be able to make a new friend or two when I get to school so maybe I’ll want to invite somebody (side note - I really struggled with punctuation on that sentence...there should be at least one comma, maybe more, but I'm not really sure where...help??). That left me kind of up a creek for the first two games though so I thought I’d just scalp the tickets. I was prepared to take a hit because, as I mentioned, the games don’t sell out. The first game I got $15 for a $22 ticket; not terrible. The second game I had an extra $17 ticket and I wasn’t going to take less than $10 for it. The first guy offered me $5; no sale. The next guy had a proposition. He wanted to trade me a single $22 ticket and $10 for my two $17 tickets. As he explained, “runnin’s hawhd” and I agreed to the deal. The only problem was he didn’t have $10 for me and couldn’t break my $20. Street smart Matt would have taken his tickets back and told the guy to find the money and only then do we have a deal. Instead, real Matt walked around behind this guy like a puppy dog going from scalper to scalper to try and break the $20. Long story short, it didn’t happen, he handed me $6 and said to wait while he went to get the other $4 from “his guy.” I’m sure you can all predict what happened next…yup, I waited about 10 minutes and then went inside. Technically, you could argue that with my $5 seat upgrade and the $6 cash I had actually got an extra dollar over the $10 I had wanted but since I didn’t sit in that seat anyways I say that’s a moot point and I got swindled! Live and learn…don’t deal with Philly scalpers (or don't be a pansy)!!
On the way into the park the Phillies scored points for having a self-scanning ticket taker. About a half-dozen parks have had this and it’s definitely the wave of the future. It works the same way as the self-checkout counters you see in grocery stores now. You just walk up, slide your ticket under a bar-code reader and head in. There are real people to oversee things but I think it’s much quicker than the old fashioned way and once the technologically inept figure out what they’re doing the process will be expedited even further.
Kind of like what happened in Detroit, I could tell immediately when I walked into Citizens Bank Park that it was going to be different and special. First, I was able to walk to pretty much every area of the park, which always helps to get a full picture. I found the sightlines to be rather unique (the park is pretty close to Seattle in shape), the outfield concourse was one of a kind, the food selection was unrivaled and the buzz was palpable. I thought that last one had a lot to do with the Red Sox being in town and the fact that the Nation travels well but even when I returned for the Angels game the Phillies fans again impressed me with their dedication and spirit.
A few cool things need to be mentioned about the outfield concourse.
Most of the area you see is standing room. Something the Phillies did which some other teams have not was to provide countertops for fans to set down their food and drink while they’re standing during the game. I know the other side of the argument is not encouraging fans to hang out on railings the whole game but the Phillies had enough room in the park that it was not a big deal and a lot of people took advantage. You can see a stairway leading up to the blue bleachers and that entire area up there (minus the bleachers) is just standing room with picnic tables, etc. and it’s a great view of the action! In the distance you can see “Chickie’s & Pete’s” which served french fries as their main course. The kicker in Philly is that those came with a cup of mayo! I didn’t end up trying them as there was plenty of other heart-attack-inducing fare to get my hands on but that certainly was unique! To the left of Chickies there is a gathering of fans who are just above the visiting bullpen. If you’re a player or coach for the opposing team there is very little room to hide from these fans. The Phillies bullpen is set down a level (to the right) and much less “heckleable.” In the foreground you can see three brick walls. Well, on the other side of each of those walls is a “Memory Lane” timeline documenting the history of the franchise. Those are always cool to see and read about the “old times.” Example below:
Also near the memory lane exhibits are plaques commemorating the Centennial Phillies team as well as brass baseballs with instructions for how to throw various pitches. Cincinnati is the only other stadium to offer something like this and I think it’s a great idea. If they could somehow make it interactive with a coach or professional that helped people throw the pitch and get results that would be even better but something tells me there may be underlying liability issues when fans start suing the club to pay for their Tommy John surgeries.
I should have got a better picture of the lines later in the game but something else in the outfield that needs to be mentioned are the steak houses.
Everyone knows about the famous Pat’s and Geno’s rivalry in Philadelphia, right? I haven’t been myself but I guess there are two competing cheesesteak places at the same intersection that each claim to be the first to add cheese to a steak sandwich and thus lay claim to the title of "inventor of the cheesesteak.” Anyway, there were two "famous" steak houses in center field at Citizens Bank Park as well and these things had lines that were 50+ people about 10-15 minutes after the gates opened; once the game was underway it was just absurd...there had to be 100+ people waiting for cheesesteaks! Have a look at the picture above. If I walked in without anyone else in the park I may have been drawn in by Planet Hoagie’s non-threatening “planet with rings and star” logo but based on patron distribution the choice is clear: when you see locals lining up that early you know it must be good. Plus, it turns out Planet Hoagie is a distant third to Tony Luke’s and Rick’s Steaks (not pictured). I decided to try a sandwich from each of these places during the two games I went to. The first, Tony Luke’s seemed to have the longer lines and I ordered mine “wiz, with” which means they use cheese wiz and put fried onions on as well (that’s the “with”). The second game I hopped online at 12:45 and it wasn’t until 1:14 that I was able to order my “works” from Rick’s (side note - I don’t think any food I’ve ever had is worth a wait like that...good thing I bought a beer beforehand!). Rick’s Steaks is a third generation shop from the “Pat’s” family chain. It’s hard to compare the two sandwiches and I think they were equally unhealthy. The works at Rick’s came with mushrooms, peppers, provolone, onions and pizza sauce!
OK, I just spent 728 words writing about the outfield concourse at Citizens Bank Park. By contrast, my ENTIRE Marlins post was 839 words. I think it’s time to move on.Like I said, the food in Philadelphia was incredible. Everything I tried was great but what made it really special was the selection available. There was an entire BBQ shack, 4 different “name” steak places, the aforementioned and other unique french fry places, sausage carts (tasted just like Yawkey Way), “Schmitter” sandwiches, “water ice” which was pronounced “wooter” and really just Italian ice or frozen lemonade (pick your region of the country), plus various bars and then all of the typical ballpark fare (dogs, burgers, nachos, regular fries, etc.).
The rest of my trip around the park yielded some good, some bad, some hot chicks and some wholly unacceptable.
High Points:
-I mentioned this above but it helps SO much when I’m given free access to walk about the whole park without ushers bein all up in mah grill. Some teams get it and some don’t. The Phillies get it.
-Red Sox nation was represented at the game very well. We’re not quite talking Baltimore where we take over the entire stadium but there were lots of cheers for the Sox throughout the game. By contrast though, the Phillies fans were totally into the game against the Angels. They really surprised me. Again, I’m thrilled this will be my “home” park for the next 3 years.
-The northeast prices were in effect in Philly but so were the fans. Starting with the White Sox (with the exception of a Pirates Thursday day game) I’ve really noticed a difference in the “buzz” at each park. People really care in this part of the country and that makes games really fun. Along the same lines, there is much more “team wear” in cities with a passion for their teams. The Cubs and Phillies fans were impressive in the amount of jerseys, tee-shirts, hats, etc. they wore.
-I mentioned this above too but the tabletops and counters all over the park, all with great vantages, made for an enjoyable standing-room experience. Like Milwaukee, Philly had enough space to build a facility large enough to “do it right” and they did.
-She had nothing to do with Citizens Bank Park or the Phillies but Heidi Watney was a high point of the game :-)
-The very top row of the upper deck had cup holders! Way to think of the common fan!
-There are two tiers of luxury space at Citizens Bank Park but they are hardly noticeable – always a good thing.
-The Philly fans were merciless with J.D. Drew. For those of you who don’t know, he was drafted by the Phillies as the 2nd overall pick in 1997 but spurned them when they did not meet his demand of $10 million to sign. Keeping true to his word (or more likely, that of his agent Scott Boras), Drew did not sign with the Phillies and played a year in the independent league before being selected by the Cardinals the following year. Philadelphia fans have never forgiven him for this and during the game they let him have it whenever he was up to bat or made a play in the outfield. This was a high point because I hate that the Sox gave Drew a contract for $14 million per year and also it was nice to see the commitment to resentment shown by the Philadelphia fans.
-I have not seen the grounds crew at any of the previous 25 stadiums raking the dirt at home plate before placing it down. They always rake around the plate. This was new, and thus cool.
-Since I had already been to the stadium once and got most of my pictures, I really got to enjoy the Phillies/Angels game without the pressures of having to move around, make sure to notice special things about the game and think of witty repartee to complete a proper stadium review. It was so relaxing! I hadn't noticed before but I'm under quite a time crunch at each of these games as I only have one shot per stadium to get it right. I hope you all appreciate the stress I'm putting myself through just to provide a modest amount of entertainment for you all!
-The Phillies win the award for “best music guy.” In complete contrast to the Baltimore debacle, the guy in Philly knew his role within the game and had fun with it at the same time. When the opposing catcher went to talk to the pitcher he would play songs with lyrics like “let’s go, time’s a wastin’” and “say what you need to say” and then on a few high foul pop-ups he played the high pitched whistle sound like a bomb was falling. Kudos to that guy; he kept fans entertained but showed restraint when it was called for.
-I kept score during the Sox game.
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Low Points:
-During my pregame trip around the field the National Anthem was sung, in its entirety. The only problem with this was that it was about 90 minutes before game time and fans were just confused. Obviously it was just a sound check but I think that’s kind of bush league. No other stadium had this problem and if you hire a singer that can’t make it to the park early enough to do a dry run then you’ve hired a diva and she shouldn’t be singing anyways. Turns out it actually was someone who had just opened on broadway. Pish, just get a nice amature with a nice voice like Tampa Bay did, ya know? That was my second stadium and nowhere else has come close to the anthem that young lady belted out.
-A lot of fans would be able to enjoy a very nice view of the Philadelphia skyline except that there is this ugly, outdated Phillies logo sign in a parking lot outside of dead center field. Kind of ruins the shot, no?
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-I found myself getting incredibly annoyed at fans who arrived late to the game. I’m always on time or early for things and this is a problem in my life other than at baseball games. Then I remembered last year when I went to the Phillies/Sox exhibition and we took the subway and ended up not getting there until the 2nd or 3rd inning. I guess things happen…but I still had a problem with it.-Within 2 minutes of each other at the Phillies/Angels game I saw two Darren Daulton shirts. That’s far too many for an oft-injured, career .245 hitting Dutchman who had two good seasons in the bigs.
-Finding the pitch count on a scoreboard was a difficult task.
-Before the Angels game Turkey Hill ice cream was giving away free samples. That certainly didn’t help the hips!
-Citizens Bank Park is a veritable band-box: 329/334/374/409/401/398/330 (left to right).
-The aforementioned swindling incident was a low point.
-The Red Sox fans at the game could cheer their hearts out but they sure couldn’t take a picture to save their lives! I wanted to get a picture of me with the scoreboard. Not hard, right? There were plenty of Sox fans in attendance and I wanted to get one with me decked out in Sox gear in the Phillies stadium. The first lady I asked came back with this:
Look lady, if I wanted to just zoom in and take a picture of myself in my room I could have done that but it sure as hell wouldn’t help anybody out. The next guy I went to had a huge camera around his neck so I thought I might have better luck and that he might be able to follow directions. I handed him the camera the “tall” way and said “can you just get me and the scoreboard?” Obviously this proved to be too difficult, even for a guy who looked like he knew what he was doing. He flipped the camera around so as to capture as many empty seats as possible and came back with this piece of trash:
It’s a little better, zoomed out and at least I’m centered but you can’t see the scoreboard with the Phillies logo! Ugh. I tried one more time and the third Sox fan only got half of me in the picture so at that point I gave up.
I did make a deal with a beer vendor during the Angels game though in that I said I’d buy a beer from him if he took my picture. This one came out OK but I had to lighten it a little. Of note is my Phillies hat.
I figured that since I was going to be near Philadelphia for the next 3 years it was OK to support the Phillies during non-Sox games. I was a bit peeved about my hair color though because it prevented me from getting a more traditional maroon-colored Phillies hat. The green works for me but it’s just frustrating when you have to think about things clashing with your hair color, you know? Oh, right, most of you don’t! :-)
Overall Grade: A-
Game Stats:
Teams: Philles vs. Red Sox
Final Score: 7-4 Red Sox
WP: Justin Masterson
LP: Kyle Kendrick
S: Jonathan Papelbon
Time: 3:09
Announced Attendance: 45,187
Ticket Price: $22.00
Parking Price: $11.00
Trip Stats:
Home team record: 18-8
Best Anthem: Tropicana Field
Miles Driven: 9878
States Visited: 25
Countries Visited: 2
Districts of Columbia Visited: 1
Beds slept in: 30
Highest Gas PPG: $4.19 [$4.81 if you count Canada]
Next Stop: Washington Nationals
Favorite Park: Petco Park (Padres)
Stadium Grades:
Marlins: D
Rays: B
Braves: B-
Rockies: B+
Mariners: B
Giants: A-
Athletics: C
Angels: B-
Dodgers: B+
Padres: A
Diamondbacks: B
Rangers: B-
Astros: B-
Blue Jays: C
Tigers: A-
Indians: B-
Reds: B+
Cardinals: B
Royals: B
Twins: B-
Brewers: A-
White Sox: B
Cubs: B+
Pirates: C+
Orioles: B
Phillies: A-
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