I was born and raised a Phillies fan. And after yesterday, I know that will never change. You see, we took my parents (who are the die hard fans who instilled the love for the Phighin' Phils in me) to a game in Baltimore. It was their Christmas present. We chose that game for a couple of reasons. The first being Baltimore is a quick drive down the road from our house and we really like going to Camden Yards. It is a great stadium. And comparably speaking, I would know. I am married to a guy who not only loves baseball, but also loves baseball stadiums. We've been to lots of stadiums and in my humble opinion Camden Yards is still one of the best.
I'll spare you by showing you just two of the artsy pictures I took while at the game. You're welcome- Saturday, June 9.
The second reason for our trip to Baltimore is because of number twenty five, Mr. Jim Thome. For those of you who don't follow baseball, Jim Thome played a stint with the Phillies in the early 2000s. At that point in time, as The Oldest was just coming into his appreciation of baseball, Jim Thome became his first favorite player ever. Here is a picture of The Oldest posing with a giant poster of Jim Thome at his first Phillies game just a few days after he had turned one.
Daddy, The Oldest, and Jim Thome- Saturday, July 19, 2003.
After several years in the AL, Jim Thome is now back with Philadelphia. The only problem is that playing baseball for 20 years has caught up to him and he really can't do much more than bat. So when we found out the Phillies would be playing in Baltimore during inter-league play this year, we jumped at the chance to see Jim Thome in action as the DH.
The fans waiting to cheer on Jim Thome- Saturday, June 9.
Same fans waiting to cheer on Jim Thome nine years ago- Saturday, July 19, 2003.
The Oldest enjoying the game- Saturday, June 9.
The Oldest enjoying the game nine years earlier- Saturday, July 19, 2003.
It was a good game, went twelve innings. It's always a bonus when you get extra innings at the ball park. Jim Thome didn't disappoint. He hit his first home run since returning to the Phillies. The whole stadium (which was estimated on a Phillies thread on Twitter to be about 108% Phillies fans by an apparently very reliable source on estimating) was on its feet when he came up to bat. It was a great moment.
The pause and point before pulling the bat back- Saturday, June 9.
Crossing home plate after rounding the bases. Go Jim Thome!- Saturday, June 9.
Amid the sea of red in the stands you could pick out a few O's fans if you squinted really hard. Our entire section was sporting red and blue except for one lady in the front row and me. I had come to the game in an Orioles shirt; one, because I really liked the shirt and two, because I have come to really like the Orioles since moving to our MD line community. They have been terrible for as long as we have lived here and share a division with the Yankees and Red Sox, so in my mind they are the ultimate underdogs, and who doesn't love to root for the underdog? This year they actually started out doing really well, which made it even more fun to like the Orioles.
I had officially decided to adopt the Orioles as my favorite AL team and so I bought an O's shirt with a really great bird on it. When it came time to go to the game, I wasn't torn about what to wear at all. I put the O's t-shirt on and packed my Phillies jersey in my pack. I didn't really have a game plan, whether I would cheer for whoever was batting, switch out the jersey when the home team was in the field, I just figured I would roll with it once I got there. Well, it didn't take long before I knew the jersey wasn't going to be coming out of the bag. Not because I suddenly realized I loved the Orioles more than the Phillies, but because it was really hot. No, top of the first inning I was on my feet yelling and cheering for the visitors. It wasn't a choice. First love triumphed and I spent the game cheering like crazy for the Phillies in my really cute Orioles shirt.
The Orioles ended up winning the game. Not the outcome I was hoping for, but also not the let down it would usually be. At least if the Phillies had to loose it was to my second favorite team (who happens to have a way cuter t-shirt).
This is the only picture I took of myself at the game, so I can't even show you my cute shirt. I'll show you my cute husband instead- Saturday, June 9.
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