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2G COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012

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The Lineup

Page 3 ….............................. Player Q&A Pages 4-5 .......… Look back at stadiums Page 5 ….. Free ride to ’80 World Series Pages 6-7 ….................. Meeting players Page 8 …................. Ballpark attractions Page 9 …............................ Major menu Page 10 …......................... Scorer tells all Page 11 …... He’s new to broadcast crew Page13 ............................… Xfinity Live!

Page 14 …............................ Just for kids Page 14 ............… Mom molds little fan Pages 15-16 ….......... Phils gear and gifts Page 16 …......... Who are you wearing?

Pages 17-18 …. Celebrations at the park Page 19 …................... Fans hit the road Pages 20-23 …........... Reader memories ON THE COVER A fan professes his faith in the Phillies at the Opening Day game against the Miami Marlins.

SUCHAT PEDERSON/GANNETT

Going deep

Fans make memories at Citizens Bank Park on Opening Day 2012. AL SCHELL/COURIER POST

“It’s only a game.”

The phrase is used so routinely to describe baseball and other sports, it’s become a platitude: A quick reminder intended to brush off the sting of defeat, or to quell emotions on the brink of overheating.

Turns out, though, baseball is much more than a game. It’s a national, communal ritual that we seek out for leisure and comfort: After 9/11, after all, it was the return of baseball that reassured everyone life would go on.

And on a more individual level, baseball is a constant in life, in families.

It’s a way to deepen bonds, establish traditions and instill values — teamwork,

determination, patriotism. That’s especially true for Phillies faithful, many of whom have roots in the area as longstanding as the team itself, which at 129, is the oldest onename, one-city franchise in professional sports.

Our readers share their rich connections with the Phillies in stories starting on page 20. One mother tells how she learned only recently that her 20-yearold son was moved to join the military after attending the first Phillies game after 9/11, at the tender age of 9. Other moms — and dads — tell of sharing unforgettable games with their kids of all ages. And though games are not usually life-and-death, one

woman shares how her family used Phillies broadcasts as a way to reach her through a druginduced coma after surgery.

Even the biggest fans among us might not realize baseball’s impact until years later, when we look back at the memories it’s helped us create with those close to us. We hear our kids talk about games they went to, and before long, they take their own kids to the ballpark.

At the very least, baseball is a soothing summer soundtrack, Cracker Jack for the soul Baseball is so many things to so many. And it’s so much more than a game.

COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012 3G

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INSIDE

baseball

What are the Phillies really like? We ask a few not-so-serious questions to find out

By STEVE WOOD Courier-Post Staff The Phillies have fielded the oldest team in the majors the last three years.

And for many, that statement is getting old.

However, by not re-signing 49-year-old Jamie Moyer in 2011, and 39-year-old Raul Ibanez and 35-year-old Brad Lidge this year, the Phillies are getting younger.

Yes, with the likes of 34-year-old utility players Juan Pierre and Ty Wigginton.

They still might lead baseball in liver spots with an average projected age of 32.1, but the Fightins have gotten an injection of new blood, starting with 2011 additions Vance Worley and Joe Savery and continuing with offseason additions such as Pierre and Wigginton.

These four fresh-faced Phillies spoke with the Courier-Post about Phillies fans and whom they admire, as well as delivering babies, the paradox of not being superstitious and “Family Guy.�

4G COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012

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The concrete confines of Veterans Stadium hosted three World Series, including the 1980 championship season. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PHILLIES

BASES The Phillies have played in only four stadiums in nearly 130 years Leagues World Series.

The Athletics moved to Kansas City in1955, and the Phillies continued playing at the ballpark until Veterans Stadium was built.

The stadium was demolished in 1976.

By KRISTINA SCALA Courier-Post Staff

Talk about waaay back there: The Phillies have been playing for 129 years, making the team the oldest one-name, one-city franchise in the history of professional sports.

The team spent its inaugural 1883 season in Recreation Park, a patch of land with a couple of bleachers and a grandstand in the Strawberry Mansion section in the city.

The Phils moved to their first stadium the following year; three more ballparks and generations of fans would follow, all the way to Citizens Bank Park.

Veterans Stadium

Baker Bowl

Construction cost: $80,000 1884 capacity: 12,300 1894 capacity: 18,000 The Baker Bowl’s official name was National League Park. It was renamed the Baker Bowl in honor of William Baker, the Phillies owner from 1913 to 1930. Open from 1884 to 1950, the Phillies played in the stadium until 1938.

A fire destroyed the original construction in 1894, and temporary seating went up for the rest of the season. The new ballpark boasted an upper deck with concrete supports — the design was a first for a sports stadium. The park’s capacity expanded to 18,000.

The fire was not the only tragic incident at the stadium. The third-base stands collapsed during a 1903 doubleheader, killing 12.

Another collapse, in 1927, forced the Baker Bowl to close for a short period of

The Baker Bowl, the Phillies’ first home stadium, boasted concrete supports for the upper deck, which was an innovative architectural feature when added in 1894. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PHILLIES time.

The 1915 Phillies played (and lost) the World Series against the Boston Red Sox at the Baker Bowl. The stadium also briefly was home to the Philadelphia Eagles, who played there from1933 to 1935.

A memorable feature of Baker Bowl was the short right-field wall. It stood 280 feet from home plate at 60 feet high. Stretched across the wall was a Lifebuoy soap advertisement that said, “The Phillies use Lifebuoy.” In 1938, a vandal added the phrase “And

they still stink” — proving that Phillies fans have always been a tough crowd.

With the Baker Bowl barely standing, the Phillies moved out in 1938. It was finally demolished in 1950.

Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium Construction cost: $301,000 1909 capacity: 23,000 1970 capacity: 33,608 Home to the Philadelphia Athletics from 1909 to 1954, Shibe Park — later

Connie Mack Stadium — also was the Phillies’ field from 1938 to 1970. The Eagles also played there from 1942 to 1957 until they moved to Franklin Field.

Shibe Park was the first steel-and-concrete stadium. Its signature octangular tower stood in the southwest corner of the stadium.

The park was named after one of the initial owners of the Philadelphia Athletics, Benjamin Shibe.

Shibe’s partner, Connie Mack, who managed the team from 1901 until 1950,

eventually took full ownership of the Athletics. The name of the stadium wasn't changed until1953 as a tribute to “the grand old man of baseball,” just before the A’s left in 1955.

The Athletics won seven pennants and five World Series during their time in Shibe Park. The Phillies had no such luck; the team played only one World Series there, losing to the New York Yankees in 1950.

In the 1940s, Shibe Park hosted political rallies and some games of the Negro

Construction cost: approximately $50 million Capacity: 62,306 The huge stadium opened in the era of multipurpose arenas. It was home to the Eagles from 1971 to 2002 and the Phillies from 1971 to 2003.

In its later years, the stadium was often maligned by fans who thought of it as outdated, but the Vet did have its glory days, particularly Game 6 of the 1980 World Series, when the Phillies won their first World Championship.

Two other World Series were played at the Vet, in 1983 and 1993, but the Phils ended up on the losing end of those.

The Vet hosted 17 ArmyNavy football games from 1980 to 2001. In 1998, a railing collapsed, sending nine fans tumbling onto the field. The stadium also hosted two Major League Baseball All-Star Games in 1976 and 1996.

The stadium was demolished on March 21, 2004, to make way for a parking lot for Citizens Bank Park.

Citizens Bank Park Construction cost: $458 million 2004 capacity: 43,500 Current capacity: 43,651 Open since 2004, CitiSee STADIUMS, Page 5G

Reader Poll

Who could emerge as a surprise All-Star this year?

Carlos Ruiz: 40.2%

John Mayberry: 28.8% Jim Thome: 12.7% Freddy Galvis: 12.7% Placido Polanco: 5.6%

Shibe Park, aka Connie Mack Stadium, housed the Phillies and the Athletics, at least until the A’s moved to Kansas City. The Phils stayed through 1970. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PHILLIES

Based on CourierPostOnline.com reader poll in early April; 306 total votes

COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012 5G

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Forgive him his trespasses; he had to get in Kevin Callahan Back in college, before I became a sportswriter and got into Phillies games for free, I had to find another way into the ballpark.

Since I never had any money during my days at Ursinus College, my visits to Veterans Stadium were rare, only when tickets were given to me.

No one was giving me a ticket to Game 6 of the 1980 World Series, though.

After all, the Phillies looked like a cinch to clinch their first championship with ace Steve Carlton on the mound against the Royals, and even big money wouldn’t pry a ticket from a true Philadelphia fan.

I could watch the game on TV with friends, but that wasn’t good enough. And my roommate, Jack, felt the same way.

Jack and I had just finished basketball practice and were heading to the cafeteria before the 6 p.m. closing time when Jack asked if I wanted to go to the game.

“Sure,” I said, knowing all this would entail.

We got our meal to go. Within minutes, we chewed a sandwich with one hand and stuck out our thumbs on the free hand, along Route 422 in front of our College-

ville, Pa., school.

The rush-hour traffic didn’t pass us for long. We were picked up before the last bite of our peanut butter and jelly.

Our driver, coincidently, was going to the game. We made the 30-mile ride in an hour.

Now, all we needed to do was get into Veterans Stadium.

We didn’t have any money, not even enough for one beer, between us. We didn’t have a plan to get in the Vet, either.

I wasn’t concerned, though, because Jack knew everybody. At 15, he had hitched a ride with his neighbor (and Flyers center) Orest Kindrachuk to the first Flyers parade. He hung out in the summer in Sea Isle, where he could’ve been mayor after graduating from Shawnee High School. He’d played hoops in Philadelphia, where he became friends with opponents as easily as with teammates.

I just knew Jack would know someone.

Like a guard working the ticket gate.

So, we walked below the ramps to the gate level where the players parked next to the stadium. Jack was leading the way when a door flew open, separating us. On the door was a symbol — the universal white cross in a red circle. When the door hit me, but before reality hit me that this was a medical facility, two men wearing white uniforms wheeled out a stretcher .

On this stretcher was … well … someone. I really didn’t get a good look since I walked in the open door.

Stadiums Continued from Page 4G

zens Bank Park has already made plenty of history.

The Phils have won five straight National League Eastern Division titles during their tenure at Citizens Bank Park and a long-awaited second World Championship in 2008.

Citizens Bank Park was the site of the 2012 NHL Winter Classic and perhaps the most well-attended Alumni Game in sports. The Flyers went down to longtime rivals the New York Rangers, 3-2.

As Jack kept walking on the outside, I cupped a hand over my eye and walked into this bustling, white-walled room of doctors and nurses. With my head down, holding in my guilt, I scanned for an exit door with my free eye.

The red door was only 20 feet in front of me. I added a limp to my “injured” eye as I passed two security guards.

The exit door flew open, but unfortunately it was being used as an entrance for someone not faking a sore eyelash and a sprained ankle. I wished the injured man well and walked into the 200 level inside the Vet with 70,000 other fans (who presumably didn’t sell their souls to get inside).

Jack, still on the outside, was on his own. I couldn’t let my conscience trouble me, and I figured I would meet up with him after the game somehow.

But then I turned, and there he was.

“Jack, how did you get in?” I asked, hoping to assuage my guilt by hearing that he’d done something worse than me.

“I knew a guard at the gate,” he said casually. “How about you?”

Before I could answer, we ran into his cousin, Dan, who just happened to sell beer. Since we didn’t have any money, Dan didn’t charge us.

We wisely decided to stand in the tunnel near the section in right field where Dan sold beer. He returned every inning with another cold one for us.

We got pretty courageous by the ninth

inning, when Tug McGraw took the mound.

I’m not sure whether it was Jack or I who suggested that on the final out we run on the field to help the Phillies celebrate.

One of us said, “Yeah, it would be cool if our friends at home saw us on TV,” not realizing our parents would, too.

We thanked Dan and started walking down to the old picnic area at the Vet, where the fence was lower. From there, we figured it would be an easy hop onto the AstroTurf and into history.

But, Philadelphia’s finest anticipated that many others might have the same idea. From both foul poles to the back of home plate were cops on horseback. In between them were cops with dogs.

Celebrating outside, we walked between the cars jammed on Broad Street going nowhere. Before we crossed Pattison Avenue, we heard a familiar voice call out our Ursinus nickname: “Yo, Hut Brothers.” (Our room, with nothing on the walls but clothes all over the floor, was called “The Hut.”) Our friend Bob, in his dented red Chevy, opened the door.

On the way up the Schuylkill Expressway, we could hardly talk since every driver was leaning on his horn like the Phillies had just won the World Series.

So, I had time to think. Why didn’t we run on the field? Sure, a German shepherd would’ve tasted a bit of my leg, but heck, I already knew the Vet had a medical facility.

Citizens Bank Park honors Phillies history with a special feature at the ballpark: Ashburn Alley, named after Hall of Fame center fielder Richie Ashburn, in honor of his service as both a player and broadcaster.

Ashburn Alley includes a long stretch of Philadelphia Wall of Fame plaques. Other statues outside the ballpark honor big names in Phillies history: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts and Connie Mack.

Sources: philadelphia athletics.org/history, New York Times archives, mlb.com, phila.gov, history.navy.mil, conniemackstadium.com Citizens Bank Park is a baseball-only stadium. GANNETT FILE

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6G COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012

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By RENEE WINKLER For the Courier-Post

Joe Piechowski looked over his collection of baseball memorabilia a while ago and gave almost all of it to his two sons.

The Bellmawr man kept a reproduction of a 1957 newspaper photograph that shows him sitting atop the dugout at Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia. The Phillies lost that June16 game to the Braves, 3-2, a game he attended with his aunt, Barbara Piechowski. She’s still a Phillies fan, at 94, following the team on television, he said.

Piechowski, who retired from the Camden County Sheriff’s Department five years ago, collected memorabilia including a broken Richie Ashburn bat and some fly balls he caught.

He did it the way everyone did for decades: He got to the stadium early, politely dogged the players during batting practice or spotted them entering or leaving the stadium.

It was just as easy for George Melko, now 82, who saw games at Connie Mack Stadium’s predecessor, the Baker Bowl in North Philadelphia. A retired Philadelphia police sergeant who later went into the insurance and financial services business, Melko now lives in the Parke Place community in Washington Township.

He loved the excitement of attending games and was thrilled when he could purchase a set of four seats for Sunday games. Sometimes his wife, Barbara, would attend and often he’d bring all three of their children, splitting the four seats among the five members of his family. “It was a dream to take your kids to a ballgame,” he remembers.

Rubbing shoulders Today his son Glenn, 42, has a slide show on his laptop of him and his siblings meeting Phillies players during a “Kodak day.”

“I was 7,” Glenn Melko remembers. “You could go up and have someone take your photo. A guard would be close by, but you could just mingle with them. The players were really friendly,” he said.

One of the photos shows his sister Lisa talking with Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton, but Melko said the day she really remembered was when she met outfielder Von Hayes. “All she had to write on was a stub from a paycheck.

That’s what he signed,” said Glenn, a business analyst for Canon Financial Services. (Hayes, notorious for a trade in which he was exchanged for five players, played for the Phillies from 1983 to 1991.

In 2009, he was named manager of the Camden Rivesharks.)

Glenn Melko’s godfather, Howard Westvelt, would attend Phillies spring training and would send back photos for the kids. “I have a booklet of them, all in those baby blue uniforms,” he said.

George remembered how proud he was to be able to take his older son to the opening game at Veterans Stadium. “They were days when you could bring in a cooler, so we’d have sandwiches or hoagies and water,” he said.

“And we always, always, bought soft pretzels from a vendor outside the park,” said Glenn Melko.

“It was a highlight of every game. We would buy a program for the game and my dad taught me how to keep score.

Meeting players and getting souvenirs used to be a lot easier

“Sometimes we’d get (general-admission) tickets that were 50 cents or a dollar. We saw a World Series game in 1980 against Kansas City.”

“If you weren’t in the shade it was hot, really hot,” said George Melko.

“These were games before the Phillie Phanatic. They had a guy and girl dressed in Colonial costume. It was the bicentennial year, a Danny Ozark year,” he said, referring to the thenPhillies manager.

(Those first mascots, Phil and Phillis, who wore oversized heads, and were dressed in Colonial gear, were a feature at Veterans Stadium from its opening in 1971 until the Phanatic joined the lineup in 1978.)

Soft spot for seniors While Phillies players would make time for kids, they really made a fuss over seniors, remembers Renee Hildebrand of Erial.

Her grandmother, Marie LaCourt, was a dedicated Phillies fan.

From 1994 almost until she died in March 2010, at 96, Renee and her husband Frank would take LaCourt of Cedarbrook to at least two Phillies games each year: the photo day, when Frank would snap photos of her and her favorite players and then the ALS fundraiser day, when LaCourt would get the photos signed. The three also would get to the dollar dog days; LaCourt would treat.

“It was a project getting her out of the house in her wheelchair, into the car and into the Vet. That field wasn’t made for wheelchair accessibility,” said Frank Hildebrand.

“The players would all come and spend time talking with her. They’d recog-

Renee Hildebrand (wearing grandmother Marie LaCourt’s hat) and husband Frank reminisce with Shane Victorino in 2010. Victorino had met LaCourt at Phillies photo days.

PHOTO PROVIDED

nize her from one year to the next and she had her favorites,” said Renee Hildebrand.

When Shane Victorino joined the squad, he took first place in LaCourt’s affection. The last time she saw him at a photo day, she wore a lei and he ran across the field to talk with her. “I think people might have thought she was his grandmother,” said Renee Hildebrand.

But that mutual admiration was nothing compared

to the attention LaCourt received from the Phillie Phanatic. “At an ALS event, he came in on his scooter, jumped off and ran to her, kneeling down to kiss her hand. Once in the tunnel going into the park, he came by — out of uniform — and stopped to talk with her,” remembered the Hildebrands.

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Marie LaCourt loved the Phillies, especially Shane Victorino, and getting their autographed photos before she passed away at age 96 in 2010. PHOTO PROVIDED

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COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012 7G

How to walk off with special memories

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By RENEE WINKLER For the Courier-Post

Home-run balls are keepers for fans, and the Phillies have a procedure to get them signed by the hitter.

It doesn’t work for foul balls or home runs hit by visiting teams, said Chris Long, the club’s director of entertainment.

“We call them Hometown Homers for a reason,” said Long, explaining that when a home run ball is caught by a fan, he is contacted immediately in the stands by a guest services representative, who will escort the fan to the office. The ball is surrendered and returned, usually by mail, within a day or two.

The fan receives a new baseball to carry home.

“You have to do it right away.

You can’t come to us after the game and say you caught a ball in the second inning. We can’t confirm that,” said Long.

Fans snag as many as 75 homerun balls each year, she estimated.

The procedure isn’t followed in postseason play, she said.

Sometimes a player wants to keep the ball, Long said, like when outfielder Jayson Werth hit three home runs in a game against the Blue Jays in May 2008. Werth, with the Washington Nationals, offered the fan a signed jersey in place of the ball. “They’ll work it out,” she said.

Some players will sign foul balls at a subsequent batting practice at the stadium.

“Just getting the attention of the player is the biggest thing,” she said.

“And, always, it’s how the fan approaches the athlete.”

If fans are looking to gather autographs, or have their photos taken with a player, they can attend the meet-theplayers events, said Michele DeVacaris, of the Phillies’ Community Outreach department. This year’s photo event is scheduled for July 21, before a late-afternoon game against the Giants.

Access to the field is limited to the first 2,500 fans who arrive. “The whole team participates, players and coaches, even front office staff,” she said, joking that she didn’t expect anyone to be eager for her autograph.

More photo opportunities come at another event and require a special ticket, said DeVacaris. For $25, you will be assigned a time slot to pose with one of two players in an individual photo booth. Last season, the photo booths were manned by Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz.

Ticketholders get a 5-by-7 photo in cardboard frame, taken by a photographer and pre-signed by the player.

Ticket sales benefit the ALS Association, which has been the team’s official charity since 1984. Last year, the event raised nearly $900,000.

Fans may also purchase an assortment of Phillies personal items during a silent auction, sponsored by the players’ wives.

“The wives collect all kinds of things, but not related to the game,” DeVacaris said. Last year, for example, Halladay, who likes to fish, donated a basket filled with autographed fishing supplies and tackle. The date of that event has not been selected, she said.

In the past, that event has included a separate raffle for autographed baseballs. Last year, proceeds from the event went to Camp No Worries, a week-long sleep-away camp for children with cancer.

Catch a home-run ball hit by Carlos Ruiz or any other Phillie? Team reps on standby will sweep you off to make sure the ball is signed and returned to you. ALAN DIAZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Continued from Page 6G

the park, said John Hollinger, coordinator of retail merchandise for the Phillies. Hollinger said the sale of autographed items is negotiated with each player, with the Authentics store handling the game-used items.

Hunt Auctions sells off the personal collections of retired players at each All-Star Game.

Last April, Hunt ran an auction of items collected by late Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, including his 2008 World Series ring (he was an announcer at the time). That sale was for Roberts’ family. Other items put up for auction by the Phillies organization included a 1915 World Series press pin. Some proceeds from the sale benefited Phillies Charities.

Players continue to sign autographs during pre-game warm-ups, Hollinger said, and most are approachable during spring training.“Beyond that, it’s all about where you find them and how you approach them that determine the reaction you get,” he said.

But today’s players often want to protect their marketability.

“A lot of these guys get paid big money for autographs, so they’re reluctant to sign for free,” said Jerrold Colton, a Cherry Hill attorney who has represented some professional athletes. “I don’t think they want to sign something that’s going to wind up on eBay. And sometimes the kids who present something to be signed are fronting for someone who’s going to sell it.”

Players might keep a greater distance from their fans these days, but that’s partly because they value whatever private moments they can get, Colton said.

“People don’t have access to players like they used to. They don’t just walk into and out of the ballpark. The worst for them is when they’re approached in their private life,” he said.

Colton thinks the value of autographs is slipping because today people want to have their photos taken with the athlete instead of getting his signature “and everybody has a cellphone so everyone’s taking photos and videos. That’s the way fans are memorializing the sighting of a player,” he said.

Contracts with most athletes cover what they’ll sign that later is sold at the ball club.

“Now, if you have a Babe Ruth baseball, it’s worth something. He’s not signing any more of them,” said Colton, acknowledging that some athletes, such as Pete Rose, would sign anything for anyone, anywhere, anytime.

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Which Phillie (current or former) would you want to see in Hall of Fame?

Roy Halladay: 19.3% Curt Schilling: 18.5% Jamie Moyer: 17.6% Ryan Howard: 7% Cliff Lee: 4.8%

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Amusement park

The Phillies’ home features fun extras such as nostalgia, shopping and a peek at the players

By ALEXA WORONOWICZ For the Courier-Post

Heading to Citizens Bank Park to watch the Phillies? Certainly, the five-time defending National League East champs are the main attraction, but the ballpark experience goes way beyond the balls and strikes.

From family-friendly Ashburn Alley to the bigticket Diamond Club, every Phillies fan can find something to enjoy at the premier ballpark.

Ashburn Alley opens 21/2 hours before game time.

It is, of course, named for Phillies Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, and offers fans a place to eat, shop and reminisce. Ashburn Alley spans the entire outfield concourse, and for fans who get to the park early, it’s the ideal place to watch batting practice.

“It’s just a lot of fun and puts you into the right frame of mind,” said Mike Harris, the Phillies' director of marketing and special projects. “It does get very crowded. Anybody who arrives early tends to gravitate there.”

Ashburn Alley features

the Alley Store for souvenirs, concession stands with a wide array of culinary options and picnic tables.

Take a walk down Memory Lane and learn a little something about the history of Philadelphia baseball, including the old Philadelphia Athletics and the Negro league teams. The Phillies Wall of Fame is a must for all Alley-goers. Bronze plaques honoring Philadelphia’s baseball greats are on display — a tradition that started at Veterans Stadium in 1978. Nearby, the All-Star Walk celebrates the Phillies’ AllStars since1933, the year of the first All-Star Game.

“You combine all three of those, plus the statue of Richie Ashburn, and it’s a wonderful testament to the Phillies and the history of the game,” said Harris.

Spectators can get an up-close look at both teams’ bullpens and peek in at the pitchers as they warm up.

But, as tempting as it may be, fans are asked to keep any unsportsmanlike heckling to a minimum.

Memory Lane also offers a viewing platform with special tips on how to

throw different pitches.

Younger and the youngat-heart fans can show off their talents by playing the “Games of Baseball,” presented by Citizens Bank.

Located near the rightfield entrance, this is where experts can test their Phillies knowledge with the “Phan Trivia Challenge,” while the more athletic crowd can try “Run the Bases” — a running-inplace challenge that clocks the runner’s speed with sensors.

“It’s pretty funny because what happens is adults will try to play their kids and the kids always win,” Harris said of “Run the Bases,” noting that bewildered parents don’t realize the kids, who are lower to the ground, can step on the sensors faster.

By stopping at the nearby Citizens Bank kiosk, visitors can pick up a Phan Prize Card to earn points while playing the games.

The card can be traded in for small prizes either that day or later in the season.

Ashburn Alley also features a huge set of rooftop bleachers. It’s a nod to old Shibe Park, where residents on 20th Street near

Lehigh Avenue would take in a game from their own rooftops.

“The residents would literally build these seats on top of their homes to watch the game,” Harris said.

But amenities aside, the food really makes the ballpark a grand slam.

The Phillies and their exclusive concessionaire partner, Aramark, offer top-notch fare, earning “Best Ballpark Eats” honors by the Food Network in 2007 and voted No. 1 in vegetarian options by PETA. Along Ashburn Alley, hungry fans can find an assortment of traditional ballpark food, as well as Philadelphia favorites — yes, cheesesteaks and hoagies are available — along with healthier, vegetarian choices.

“The variety out there is wonderful because there’s a little something for everyone,” said Harris.

And it’s always being updated. The late, great play-by-play man Harry Kalas would be proud of what’s being served up these days a Harry the K’s.

New items include warm pretzels served with

The Richie Ashburn statue is the centerpiece of Ashburn Alley, which also features a Wall of Fame honoring baseball greats and an All-Star Walk that salutes Phillies All-Stars. CHRIS LACHALL/COURIER-POST cheese fondue and beer mustard, and the baconwrapped Texas Tommy, topped with chili and American cheese sauce.

The go-to place in Ashburn Alley, however, might be Bull’s BBQ, helmed by Phillies Wall of Fame slugger Greg “The Bull” Luzinski. The Bull himself can be found at the barbecue nearly every game, mugging for photos with fans, chatting sports and sometimes even firing a few ribs.

For a more luxurious experience, season-tickethol-

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The indoor lounge offers upscale dining options and a full bar. Before the game, club members are treated to a buffet and, even better, a clear view of batting practice.

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Beyond peanuts and Cracker Jack ...

Ballpark adds Dessert Alley, new sandwiches, vegetarian delights to already tasty lineup

By CANDY GRANDE For the Courier-Post

First it was the Phillies Phanatic that brought a very young Gina Patton to the ball games. Now Patton, 31, attends with her husband, Bill, to watch the players’ strategies and spend time outdoors.

Oh, the food and drink isn’t bad either, she says.

“My husband and I have eaten hot dogs, hoagies, cheesesteaks, and more, and we’ve never had a bad experience,” says Patton, of Marlton. “The food is fantastic.”

Many tempting new food choices have been added to Citizens Bank Park’s menu this season, and they are sure to be a hit among fans. From nachos to homemade desserts, there is guaranteed to be something for even those with the pickiest of palates.

“Going to a Phillies game is an event, a night out,” says Kevin Tedesco, Aramark general manager at Citizens Bank Park.

Aramark provides the food for the ballpark. “We want everybody to enjoy the experience, whether they want a sit-down dinner or a hot dog.”

A new Dessert Alley by the Harry Kalas statue features mouthwatering treats such as milkshakes, funnel cakes, ice cream bars and water ice. And the stars on this delectable team are the homemade cupcakes and mini-donuts.

“The mini-donuts are warm and sweet and you just pop them in your mouth,” says Tedesco.

The cupcakes are made fresh daily and come in traditional vanilla cake, red velvet cake and cannoli cake. The cannoli cupcake has a cream center and chocolate shavings on top.

“The Dessert Alley is meant to be a great meeting place, too,” says Jeremy Campbell, concessions manager at Citi-

The Cracklin’ Slow Roasted Pork sandwich is new on the menu at Harry the K’s. PHOTO PROVIDED

zens Bank Park. “There’s nothing like smelling the fresh funnel cakes and seeing kids with ice cream dripping down their arms. It’s a place that reminds you family is first at this ballpark.”

At Harry the K’s, guests will find many new items including mini-corn dogs, Texas Tommys, Cracklin’ Slow Roasted Pork sandwiches and Disco fries — fries covered in brown gravy, mozzarella and bacon.

The new concessions menu leads off with a variety of nachos and tacos this season, as well as chicken pesto and Italian Market paninis and a Southwestern black bean burger. Throughout the stadium, guests also will find numerous gluten-free and vegetarian dishes.

“We have gourmet salads and veggie dogs and burgers,” says Campbell. “This year we added the Southwestern black bean burger, which has guacamole and salsa, to our vegetarian list. We keep communication open with our guests so we can provide for their needs.”

With all these delicious goodies, guests are going to get thirsty. And nothing is

The stars of the new Dessert Alley are homemade cupcakes and mini-donuts. The mini-donuts are warm, sweet and the right size to just pop in the mouth. PHOTO PROVIDED more refreshing than an ice-cold beer on a hot day at the game.

“We are introducing higher-end beers to the ballpark this year,” says Campbell. “We will have the locals, micros and super-premium beers. We also will have more seasonal offerings.”

Among the beer lineup are Flying Fish, Yards, Sly Fox, Troegs, Victory and many more. The goal, says Tedesco, is to have the same beers at the ballpark that guests can find in their favorite Philadelphia pubs.

“The big brews are still the leaders, but we have about 30 to 40 different local breweries, too,” says Tedesco. “We have a very vast fan base, and we want them all to be happy.”

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This particular night, a pitch came in and looked like it was right down the middle and it looked like he just missed it.

“It’s much easier to just say, ‘wild pitch,’ because the pitcher doesn’t really care too much ... but it was a passed ball, and God, the fans went nuts. Everybody was on me because they didn’t want Johnny Bench to lose his string. So I went down afterward and walked right up him and said, ‘Johnny, it was a tough one. Passed ball?’ And Johnny says, ‘Oh, absolutely, absolutely.’

“It doesn’t change anything for me, but it sure as hell makes it easier when they ’fess up, so to speak.

Johnny Bench was always class.”

When he retired, Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt wrote Kenney a letter to thank him for fairly scoring his career. Pete Rose handled his calls well, too, though he once busted on Kenney for pinning an error on the wrong player.

“He was always mad about something, but he never held it against the scorer,” said Kenney. “He may not like you for a week, but you know, he got over it.”

years, but who’s keeping score?

Bob Kenney took the Phils’ official stats — and a lot of heat

As the official scorer of the Phillies, Bob Kenney didn’t always have fans in the dugout. Now retired from the Phils, Kenney keeps score at high school baseball games. JOHN ZIOMEK/COURIER-POST game. Because players’ contracts and salaries often depend on their statistics, the scorer’s decisions are critical inside baseball.

“It’s a very, very tough job, because I’m taking the bread out of one person’s mouth and putting it in another’s, so to speak,” said Kenney, who was also a sports editor at the Courier-Post at the same time.

“If they get charged with an error they don’t think is theirs, I mean, look out, boy.”

By KIM MULFORD Courier-Post Staff

If you want to know how critical the official scorer is to baseball, consider this moment from the 43-year scoring career of Bob Kenney.

It was 1981 at Veterans Stadium, and the crowd was poised to witness Pete Rose breaking the National League record for hits. As Kenney remembers it, then-Phillies President Bill Giles watched the game from his side in the press box with a walkie-talkie, ready to give the OK to set off the fireworks.

Rose sent the ball toward shortstop; Kenney immediately ruled it an error. Giles shouted “No!” The man waiting on the stadium roof heard “Go!” Fireworks lit up the sky as the “E” flashed up on the scoreboard. The crowd erupted in groans and boos, all directed at one embarrassed scorer.

It wasn’t his fault. But the crowd didn’t know that.

“It’s the controversial calls I’m not proud of,” said Kenney, now 77, his blue eyes still sharp and penetrating in retirement. The messy calls were few and far between, a statistic that speaks to the Riverside resident’s long career working for the National League.

Though he is largely anonymous, the official scorer is charged with making calls that don’t affect the outcome of the

Knowing the rules It was a dream job for a baseball lover. Kenney started writing for weekly newspapers in 1951, eventually nabbing a job as an assistant sports editor at the Courier-Post in 1964.

While covering the Phillies for the paper, he also scouted for the Detroit Tigers.

“I knew baseball pretty well,” said Kenney, who also coached teams in his spare time. “The rules always fascinated me.”

In those days, writers from local papers were usually hired to score the games. In 1964, a job opened up, and Kenney took a test to see how well he knew the rules. He aced it, and was picked up as the low man on the totem pole, scoring holiday doubleheaders at Connie Mack Stadium and filling out lengthy forms after the game for another scorer with more seniority.

He had to keep his eyes

on the ball, and in the early days, there was no such thing as a replay.

“Keep in mind, it happened so fast,” said Kenney, who on occasion polled reporters in the press box for their views on tricky calls. “It always seems to happen the minute you put your head down to write and then, BOOM, what the hell happened, you know?”

Two Courier-Post colleagues, Doug Frambes and Rick Ventura, served as extra eyes.

At the Vet, the replays weren’t very good, Kenney recalled, and toward the end of his career at Citizens Bank Park, he had access to equipment that allowed him to look at the play in slow motion on a 24-inch screen.

“I never liked to do that,” said Kenney. “I always felt if I saw it, I’d like to stick to the call that I made.”

Despite all that, he can recall only a handful of hairy rulings. Still, players let him know how they felt.

Standing by calls

ways got hits.”

There were classy players, too.

One night after a tough game, Kenney went down to the locker room to quiz catcher Johnny Bench, “one of the best catchers ever,” according to Kenney, and a Hall of Famer.

“He had a long streak of no passed balls, several years’ worth,” said Kenney.

“A passed ball is when the catcher misses the ball.

In hindsight, he said, there were few calls he would change, hurt feelings or not.

Second baseman Manny Trillo was on a long string of games without an error, when Kenney watched a ball bounce out of his glove.

“He came up and he was upset,” said Kenney. “He took his glove and threw it down and he’s stamping around ... it wasn’t on my decision. He knew he screwed up. I called it an

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“Some of them were funny, and some of them were sarcastic, but they all got their message to you,” said Kenney. “They never made an error and they al-

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error, which I, to this day, think it was.”

Ten years later, Kenney picked up a copy of Baseball Digest in the doctor’s office and read the headline on an interview with Trillo: “The Day the Scorer Robbed Me of My Record Streak.”

“I’ve been threatened.

I’ve been pleaded with, and I’ve been sworn at and all that stuff,” said Kenney.

“You just kinda let it go in one ear and out the other.”

In 2008, after scoring for four decades, Kenney gave up the best seat in the Phils’ house to finally watch the games with his wife in his own house.

Kenney can’t call himself a Phillies fan. He spent too many years distancing himself emotionally from players so he could remain impartial.

Though he misses the excitement of his old job, he doesn’t miss dealing with the crowds and traffic.

It was a demanding job, but oh, what a job. In the early days, before players’ salaries and ticket prices soared higher than a home run, Kenney caught rides home with players like Richie Ashburn, and talked shop with Cookie Rojas and Alvin Dark. He explained arcane rules to announcer Harry Kalas, and had his own parking spot under the Vet, next to the elevator.

There’s been little fanfare for the retired newspaperman, though Riverside High School named its sports field on Hooker Street after him, an honor he calls “mind-boggling.”

He serves now as the school’s official statistician. He can’t help himself.

It’s his life.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he said.

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Calling the shots S.J. man is newest member of Phillies broadcast team

By MIKE SHUTE Courier-Post Staff

Gregg Murphy was enjoying an off day from his anchoring duties at Comcast SportsNet this winter when he got a call.

“Can you come in for a meeting?” asked the voice on the other end.

That meeting ended with Murphy, of South Harrison Township, moving from the sports anchor desk to the dugout. Now, he’s the newest member of the Phillies television broadcast crew, serving as a roving reporter throughout the stadium, including the dugout, the seating bowl, press box and anywhere else something interesting is happening.

He also contributes to the Phillies pregame and postgame shows.

Baseball has long been a part of life for Murphy, who grew up in Mount Laurel and attended Holy Cross High School, where he played baseball until breaking his hand in the first couple of weeks of his junior season.

Murphy, 40, takes on a role that was originally filled by Tom McCarthy.

But McCarthy, now the play-by-play voice of Phillies telecasts, was thrust into his current job after the April 2009 death of Hall of Famer Harry Kalas, leaving the roving reporter

role empty — until now.

“The idea is to see the game from a different perspective,” Murphy said.

“Tom (McCarthy) and Wheels (Chris Wheeler) and Sarge (Gary Matthews) are in the booth and they bring you the action, what’s happening, through their eyes. But from my perspective, being down in the dugout or in the crowd or out on the field and in the clubhouse, to talk to the players, to find out why something happened, why they decided to go one way instead of the other, that’s my role.”

Phillies manager of broadcasting Rob Brooks, a Voorhees resident, also talked about Murphy’s role.

“He’s going to be able to bring us a lot of interaction,” said Brooks.

“There’s so much going on at the ballpark. Between the lines is, of course, the big part, but there’s so many other things happening. When you have someone who is not tethered to the broadcast booth, it allows the viewer to experience so much more of what’s going on at the ballpark.

“We’re one of the last major-market baseball teams to include a sideline reporter,” Brooks added.

“You can see the possibilities this presents and we felt we needed to have it be-

cause we were missing so much. Gregg is a well-respected anchor and reporter and when you look around, it was real easy for us to say, ‘Hey, this is our guy.’ ” Not bad for a guy whose broadcasting career began on a whim.

Murphy was a freshman at Saint Joseph’s University during the 1989-90 school year when he volunteers to broadcast school basketball games at the new student-run radio station.

He’s already enjoying the chance to work in an action-packed “office,” whether home or on the road.

“There’s such a love affair with the Phillies here in Philadelphia and even down in Clearwater during spring training, it was ridiculous in the stands. It’s so much fun. People are enjoying themselves and enjoying this team and I wanted … to get that to the viewer at home. What’s the atmosphere like at the ballpark and not just at Citizens Bank Park but anywhere else, like Pittsburgh or San Francisco or wherever we are.

“I’m a baseball guy — or at least I like to think I am — and I think it’s important that I don’t just do the fluff.

I don’t want to just do the featurey stuff and that’s what we talked about be-

‘My boys are just bouncing off the walls that dad’s getting a chance to work with the Phillies,’ says Gregg Murphy, who broadcast from spring training as part of his new job as a roving reporter with the team. MILES KENNEDY/FOR THE PHILLIES fore I accepted the job. It’s incumbent upon me to be a reporter and be in the clubhouse before the game and be in the clubhouse after the game and talk to these guys and then when Tom and Wheels and Sarge are doing their analysis, if there’s something that I feel I can add, I’ll do it.”

Murphy said he was excited about being offered the job but had to talk it over with his wife Denise, daughter Quinn, 13; and sons Matthew, 10, and Colin, 8.

After all, the Phillies play as many games away from home as they do in Citizens Bank Park.

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“It’s the hardest part. In this business, you miss things because you work nights,” Murphy said.

“You’re covering the things that people are gathering to watch. My sons play baseball and my daughter’s a swimmer.

There will be things I miss, there’s been things I missed in the past, and there will be things I’m going to miss this year, maybe even a little bit more. We all talked about it and they understand.

“My boys are just bouncing off the walls that dad’s getting a chance to work with the Phillies so I think that the positive out-

weighs the negative. I think Tom McCarthy gave me the best piece of advice.

He has four kids and I said, ‘How do you handle it?’ He said to me, ‘The most important thing is that when you’re home, you’re home and when you’re there, you’re there.’ ” Ironically, Murphy’s boys were in Clearwater with his parents, Bill and Joan, on a trip that was planned well before he was even offered the Phillies job. “They were in the crowd during my first game and for me, that was so nice to know that they were right there.”

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Who needs tickets?

Grab a seat at Xfinity Live!

The new venue extends sports action, food finds and nightlife beyond the ballpark

By MOLLY GRASSI For the Courier-Post

CP-0010472237

When the Spectrum was still standing and Xfinity Live! was just a whisper of an idea, that whisper was pretty grandiose. Rumors abounded that the land in the South Philadelphia stadium complex would become a luxury hotel, a shopping mall, an all-encompassing space for live entertainment, maybe even a casino.

As the economy changed and the developers — the award-winning Baltimore-based Cordish Group — began to gauge public reaction, ideas turned into plans, plans turned into construction and construction turned into something quintessentially Philly — a food-anddrink marketplace.

Xfinity Live! contains four anchor venues — the upscale steak house Spectrum Grill, a large German-style brew palace called Victory Beer Hall, the always-a-party atmosphere (complete with mechanical bull) PBR Bar & Grill, and the more familyfriendly Broad Street Bul-

Xfinity Live! offers a variety of dining options, and the ultimate sports-bar atmosphere at the NBC Sports Arena.

CHRIS LACHALL/COURIER-POST

want to keep up with the Sixers and Flyers action and, come late summer, those early-season Eagles games.

And the venue has its own version of Phanavision — a 24-foot wide outdoor video board dubbed the Xfinity On Demand Theater, where fans can see both games and family movies.

An outdoor mini artificial turf field will host concerts and other activities. It’s sure to be a hit with tailgaters who enjoy the parkinglot camaraderie of the stadium complex.

“We encourage fans to arrive early,” said Rob Johnson, vice president of marketing, of visiting

lies Pub. The rest of the space is dedicated to the Philly Marketplace, which consists of local staples like Chickie's & Pete's, Goodnoe's Ice Cream, Old Original Nick's Roast Beef and Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company.

Of course, no sports-oriented space would be complete without a way to watch games. Xfinity Live! doesn’t play around in this area: Its NBC Sports Arena featuring a 32-foot highresolution TV and dozens of smaller models, promises always to feature all of the local sports action you can handle, as well as national games. That’s a boost for Phillies fans who also

Xfinity Live! pays homage to the site’s former incarnaton as the Spectrum: Portions of the basketball court and hockey boards from the arena will make up the floor of a Mitchell & Ness sporting goods store at the new venue. CHRIS LACHALL/COURIER-POST tainment experience, so the prices will be more comparable to bars and restaurants downtown than across the parking lot at the stadium,” he added.

There are plans to coordinate parties and events with fan-favorite McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park. Xfinity Live! also will host before- and after-parties on game days, as well as viewing parties for away games.

Xfinity Live! “We are really excited to unveil this experience to all of our guests.”

Xfinity Live! is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., opening earlier for special events.

During the day, Xfinity Live! is a family-friendly experience, with many lunch specials that start at $5, Johnson said. “We are not hosting a sports team, we are hosting an enter-

IF YOU GO Xfinity Live! is at 1100 Pattison Ave. in Philadelphia. Parking is free on non-event days, and an hour after a stadium event starts; fees similar to other stadium lots during events.

For more, call (855) 4064119 or go to www.xfinitylive.com

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Rookie fans play Passing the pastime

MAJOR ROLE

Phaedra Trethan

The Phillies focus on kids with ballpark fun, camps, clubs and more

Baseball, so the poets and sportwriters tell us, is all about fathers passing their love of the game on to their sons.

It’s the Ken Griffeys Senior and Junior; it’s Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella having a catch in an Iowa cornfield with his estranged ghost dad; it’s Joe Buck imitating a World Series call his father Jack made two decades earlier. Baseball lore is full of heartwarming stories of dads and their boys and the joy and bonding the game brings them both.

What’s a baseball-mad chick to do?

Especially when she has a daughter?

I came by my baseball mania in a bittersweet way: Trying to find a means to connect with a distant and reluctant father, I cleaved to the thing he seemed to love best, hoping we’d have some common ground. And while that worked for a time, in the end, the father left but the love for the game remained.

Now I have a daughter who’ll be 3 soon and I’m trying hard to keep her away from the Princess-Industrial Complex, no easy task. There are princesses everywhere: on little girls’ clothes, in the toy aisles, on sippy cups and yogurt, backpacks and diapers. And even those princesses, pretty and useless though they may be, are less offensive than Bratz and their tarted-up little cousins.

At least Barbie, my generation’s girl toy of choice, had a job. Several, in fact.

What isn’t everywhere is much evidence of girls playing or watching sports, even though so many of them do.

There’s the odd pink glove or Phillies hat, but toys for girls are all about cooking, clothes, jewelry, ponies and, yes, those ubiquitous princesses.

My daughter is close to her daddy and spends a lot of time with him, and one of

Kids get instruction at Phillies Baseball Academy camps held in various locations, such as this one in Moorestown in 2010. DOUGLAS BOVITT/COURIER-POST FILE

By CANDY GRANDE For the Courier-Post

For Erica and Frank Moon, going to a Phillies game with their three girls — Julia, 6; Emma, 4; and 1year-old Gabrielle — means a day filled with family fun.

“My husband and I embrace the game, food and Philly pride,” says Erica Moon of Marlton. “I believe my kids enjoy the atmosphere in general.

They love all the music, food and especially the dancing Phanatic.”

The girls also like to romp in the Phanatic Phun Zone, a themed play area near the first-base gate.

The play structure, geared for kids 8 and under, has plenty of tunnels for climbing amd crawling through. A junior version of the Phun Zone is just for tots 2 and under.

A “Run the Bases” game near the right-field gate entrance gives kids — and grownups — a chance to test foot speed. Special sensors let players know if they’re motoring like a Major Leaguer.

“Baseball is a sport that is part of the American fabric,” says Meghan Essman, director of fan development and education programs for the Phillies. “It is appealing to young kids.

They want to learn to play and be a part of the experience.”

That’s why the Phils have giveaways specifically for children, as well as a kids opening night, run-the-bases events, kids clubs and much more. And the excitement begins with the youngest fans collecting their first-game certificates — it’s just an-

other way the team welcomes youngsters who they hope will become lifelong fans.

“All three of the kids have their certificate from the first game they attended,” says Erica Moon.

“They are in their scrapbooks.”

As kids grow, they can participate in kids clubs for ages 14 and younger.

For a $13 annual fee, the Junior Phillies Club provides children a membership card, Phillies gear and a head’s-up about special events at the ballpark they can participate in.

The Phantatic MVP Club ($12 registration fee) offers many of the same benefits but focuses on the Phanatic.

Are kids ready to take their own swings? The Phillies Baseball Academy summer camps are for boys and girls ages 6 to 14, and give kids instruction and demonstrations from the Phillies’ experienced coaching staff.

Aside from a cool Phillies Academy uniform, players also benefit from skills tests, scrimmages and games. Returning campers receive bonuses such as dancing with the Phanatic at the dugout, behind-the-scenes tours and dinner at Citizens Bank Park, and batting practice at the park.

“Any time kids are playing baseball it is a great way for them to connect with the Phillies,” says Essman. “And the camps help them develop a love for the sport in general.”

The Phillies assist kids who can’t afford to play in organized baseball leagues through their Phil-

As soon as my daughter was able to walk on her own, we bought her a tee with a big, plastic yellow bat and when she sees that green fuzzy guy on TV, she immediately yells, ‘Phillie ’Natic!’

MORE INFORMATION For details on joining Phillies kids clubs, go to www.philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/fan_forum/kids_index.jsp For information on Phillies Baseball Academy camps, including South Jersey locations, call (610) 520-3400 or go to www.philliescamps.com

lies RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) and Junior RBI programs.

Youths from Camden have participated in the program, which includes instruction and competitive play.

“This is a great program because it teaches kids to work together as a team,” says Essman. “It helps them realize they are not just responsible for themselves but also their other teammates.”

The Phillies also have their own goodwill ambassador — the Phanatic — who visits schools throughout the year to promote the Phanatic About Reading literacy program and the Phillies Phitness program. The programs, for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, are designed to exercise the mind and body.

“The literacy program is dedicated to developing a child’s mind,” says Essman. “We encourage them to read 15 minutes a day.

And the fitness program helps kids have a healthy future by making smart food choices and learning to exercise.”

my happiest moments as a mother came a few weeks ago, on an especially warm March day, when the two of them had their first catch in the front yard. So what if the game was more kid-throwing, daddy-picking-up, daddy-throwing, kid-chasing. The love was there between them, and the love of baseball, already planted, was being nurtured.

She was given a little pink mitt before she was even born and among her favorite books are a pop-up version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and a Leroy Neimanillustrated “Casey at the Bat.” As soon as she was able to walk on her own, we bought her a tee with a big, plastic yellow bat and when she sees that green fuzzy guy on TV, she immediately yells, “Phillie ’Natic!”

She’s seen the Riversharks and the Phillies play at their respective ballparks and we’ll take her back to both places this summer. But because her father works at night, the bulk of her baseball viewing will be at home, with her mommy, who’ll explain it all: the infield-fly rule, why the designated hitter is an abomination, how to keep score, why the third base coach is constantly in motion.

I’ll tell her the stories: about Jackie Robinson’s courage and Babe Ruth’s giant presence; about Harry and Whitey and Schmidt and Krukker and Lefty; about Mitch Williams’ one bad pitch and Roy Halladay’s many great ones.

When she’s a little older, I’ll go to her tee-ball games and maybe, if she lets me, coach her team.

And yes, we’ll definitely play catch.

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Sport your

Extra innings are more fun with a plush Phanatic pillow to cuddle. Choose from pink or blue minis for little ones, or extra-large megas. Megas, $119.99; minis (left), available in May, $25.99. AL

PHILLIES PRIDE From wearable SCHELL/COURIER-POST

By RENEE JANOWICZ For the Courier-Post

Rare is the baseball team that has a full lineup of fan favorites, and the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies is one of them makes Francis Winkey’s job easier.

Winkey is the merchandise manager for the Majestic Clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, where shelves and racks are loaded not only with a variety of T-shirt and jersey styles, but an impressively long list of players’ names on them.

“We even have a manager shirt,” he said, pointing to one with Charlie Manuel’s last name on the back. “How many teams can say that?”

Riding a wave of successful seasons, Winkey has stocked up on proven sellers and a slew of new items that he hopes will reach that status. To find out what’s in store this season, we toured the racks of shirts, shelves of kitchenware and baskets of plush toys that fill the Majestic Clubhouse, “where tailgating is a whole category,” Winkey said.

The Majestic Clubhouse is open all year and accessible without a game ticket.

It also sells stuff that isn’t licensed anywhere else.

keepsakes to toys, team souvenirs come in every pinstripe

A new line of bobbleheads — featuring 10 players plus the Phanatic — incorporates rich detail. The Hunter Pence figure even sports high socks and dirty knees. Figures are more action-oriented than pose perfect, such as Jonathan Papelbon celebrating with a primal scream. Exclusively at the Majestic Clubhouse. $24.99. AL SCHELL/COURIER-POST

Early signs point to sell-outs for the new dangle hat, a Phanatic take on last year’s high-demand products. Super soft ‘fur’ and flashy colors make it an eye-catching way to stay warm through the postseason. The dangles aren’t really designed to be tied, but they do bring a little swing to the game. $24.99. AL SCHELL/ COURIER-POST

If your ringtone bleats ‘High Hopes,’ it ought to come from a phone cradled in a Phillies logo. One phone cover even features a built-in bottle opener, which could come in handy at the game. Phone covers range from $29.99 to $39.99. CHRIS LACHALL/COURIER-POST

Always open to the Public.

Shine on, sister, in a tank top that underscores spirit with sparkle. This hot item features inlaid Swarovski crystals and can be had in red, Columbia blue and maroon. $59.99. AL SCHELL/COURIER-POST

Know a green thumb who bleeds red? Stumpy Gnome can stand guard in the garden while the game’s in play. Gnomes are a longtime fan fave, appearing as statues, Christmas ornaments, and salt and pepper shakers. Stumpy Gnome is a squat 7 inches who looks ready to evict a seat-stealer, or just pluck a few weeds. $12.99. AL SCHELL/COURIER-POST

ITEMS WE ACCEPT FOR DONATIONS • New and Used Building Materials • New and Gently-Used Home Furnishings and Furniture • Appliances - Working and less than 10 years old • Kitchen Cabinets and Cabinetry • Flooring

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Even when office demands conflict with a daytime game, you can keep up with this keyboard. $89.99. The 8GB flash drive also helps you keep up on work when you watch the Phillies play. $29.99. CHRIS LACHALL /COURIER-POST

Phillie-wear for babies has been around for years, but finally there’s the one item they really can’t live without: diapers.

Emblazoned with the Phillies logo and Phanatic image in red and blue, they range from size 2 to 5. Packages have 20 to 24 diapers, depending on size. $14.99.

CHRIS LACHALL / COURIER-POST

Here’s the lineup: Sports fans can support their favorite players by wearing their jerseys, such as these for sale at the Majestic Clubhouse store at Citizens Bank Park. AL

Fresh jerseys SCHELL/COURIER-POST

By JIM FISCHER Courier-Post Staff

Oct. 7, 2011, was a bitter cold night and still haunts the minds of many Phillies fans.

That night, the Phillies fell 1-0 in Game 5 of the NLDS to the soon-to-be World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Six months later, the Phillies are back to make another run at a World Championship.

Once again, fans will show their support by wearing player jerseys.

“Since 2008 (when the Phils last won the World Series), sales of Phillies items have risen significantly. The team now rivals the Eagles as the No.1 sports team in Philadel-

Put the ‘P’ in panini with a new Phillies sandwich press. It can be used to add the Phillies logo to waffles, toast, grilled cheese and other delights. $49.99. AL SCHELL / COURIER-POST

phia,” said Mark Dansbury of BC Sports in the Moorestown Mall.

“Roy Halladay’s jersey has been the most popular among fans for the past three seasons,” added Joe Machion of Modell’s Sporting Goods in the Cherry Hill Mall.

Retailers said fans also seek out jerseys bearing the names of Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Since Hunter Pence was a late addition to the team last season, merchandise associated with the affable right fielder is expected to sell quickly.

And yes, that will include T-shirts with Pence’s popular quote, “Good game, let’s go eat!”

New closer Jonathon

Papelbon should be a big hit in stores.

Also, fans can dust off their old Jim Thome jerseys from 2003, or purchase new ones to celebrate the veteran first baseman’s return to Philadelphia.

Francis Winkey, manager of the Phillies Majestic Clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, said jerseys — and other team mementos — hold a lot of meaning for fans.

“It’s not just merchandise, it’s memories,” he said. “That foam finger on the shelf in your basement or that authentic Ryan Howard jersey. People want to commemorate special events in their (sports) lives.”

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COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012 17G

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Having a ball

Citizens Bank Park makes a fun and surprisingly elegant venue for private parties

Grant Sokol is hoisted during the horah dance while celebrating his bar mitzvah at Citizens Bank Park (with that meshugah Phillie Phanatic). PHOTO BY ELI ALLEN/MAJESTIC IMAGES

MORE INFORMATION Baseball fans Stefani and Al Kirk of Voorhees scored the wedding of their dreams at Citizens Bank Park in July 2010. PHOTO

For details on arranging special events at Citizens Bank Park, call (215) 218-5100 or email specialevents@phillies.com.

BY PITTELLI PHOTOGRAPHY

By RENEE R. JANOWICZ For the Courier-Post

Can the same home plate where players spit wads of tobacco and knock gunk off their cleats be suitable for a graceful bride and staid groom to exchange their vows?

“It’s what you make of it,” said Stefani Kirk, who dragged her train across that hallowed ground in Citizens Bank in July 2010. She declined a bridesmaid’s request to wear a Phillies jersey, dressed the men in traditional tuxedos, and lucked out with a gorgeous blue sky for her marriage to Al Kirk.

And yes, she said, the spot made for a beautiful wedding.

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“The Diamond Club inside is absolutely stunning,” said Kirk of Voorhees. “That’s what made the event as elegant as it was.”

Weddings are among many special events for which Citizens Bank Park opens its turnstiles, said Joe Giles, director of business development for the ballpark. Companies converge for trade shows, couples pose for engagement photos and organizations host fundraisers there.

The park is the site of an annual dental trade show, and swimming pool and spa showcase.

“Last year, in addition to 90-some baseball games, we had 288 non-baseball events,” Giles said. “Almost every day there’s something going on.”

Seven of those functions were bar or bat mitzvah par-

ties, including the one Beth and Barry Sokol of Marlton threw for their son Grant. The park offered a unique experience for guests who had attended many parties celebrating the Jewish ritual.

“The kids who are Jewish and have been to a lot of bar mitzvahs were blown away because of the venue,” Barry Sokol said. “We had the Phillie Phanatic with us (and that) blew the house away.”

The most challenging part of booking a ballpark event might be coordinating calendars. Nothing can be confirmed until the game schedule is announced each September, and the Phillies limit the number of events that re-

See PARTIES, Page 18G

18G COURIER-POST, Sunday, April 22, 2012

courierpostonline.com

Reader Poll Stefani Kirk opted for a mix of tradition (tuxedos) and whimsy (wedding cake made of ‘baseball’ cupcakes) for her Citizens Bank Park wedding. The reception was held in the posh Diamond Club. PHOTO BY PITTELLI PHOTOGRAPHY

Parties Continued from Page 17G

quire use of the field so the grass stays in good shape.

There’s a waiting list, Giles said, and as soon as games are set, the non-game dates are up for grabs.

Kirk abandoned her original idea for a fall wedding because postseason potential put question marks across the calendar.

Moving up the wedding date to July was a small concession for this couple who started touring Major League Baseball stadiums during their courtship.

Their ceremony was at home plate, with guests watching from the plush seats of the Diamond Club.

Guests gathered at the Hall of Fame Club for cocktails until shifting to the interior portion of the Diamond Club for the dinner reception.

And while Phillies jerseys were off-limits for the bridal party, Kirk did incorporate some ballpark flair into the reception. The seating cards, for example, looked like tickets and directed guests to tables named for players. The wedding cake was a collection of cupcakes iced to look like baseballs. The cake also featured green icing reminiscent of grass,

and the cake topper was a groom pitching to a bride at bat.

Kirk loved the wedding experience so much she refused to clean the dirt from her dress.

“It’s covered in orange dirt still to this date,” she said. “I paid so much money to be on that dirt (that) I want to save it forever.”

A so-called “home plate wedding” like Kirk’s can cost from $2,000 to $6,000 “depending on how many bells and whistles you get,” Giles said. Events at the top of the price scale include video projection on the giant color scoreboard screen plus a keepsake DVD. The media room, Hall of Fame Club and Harry the K’s are among the sections of Citizens Bank Park that can be rented. Most expensive is the Diamond Club, where the $5,000 fee doesn’t include food and beverages. It’s available as a gathering spot even when the wedding isn’t held at the park.

“People think it’s neat to have their event at the park,” Giles said. “On occasion, people can get a Phillies personality to come and sign autographs.”

As the Sokols found out with the Phanatic, such a star attraction can skyrocket an event from great to spectacular.

Their bar mitzvah rental package also included time for a photographer to shoot Grant in all sorts of poses at the park — quite a treat for a kid described as a “huge Phillies fan.”

Dressed in pinstripes, he stood in front of player lockers and sat in the dugout. Fifteen favorite photos became table markers.

Guests stopped at a VIP booth where an attendant printed ticket-like directions to their tables. Balls, gloves and other baseball paraphernalia carried the theme into centerpieces.

Barry Sokol said rental costs weren’t out of line with those for other venues, and he commended the staff for handling every detail with professionalism.

“People really feel like you’re spending this outrageous amount of money,” he said. “But for everything you get, it really is fairly reasonable.”

Wedding planners and bar mitzvah parents aren’t the only ones who appreciate the park’s uniqueness and free parking. Those factors are also a draw for businesses and others organizing special events.

“It’s centrally located in the tri-state region and it’s easy to get to,” Giles said.

A bonus: companies can lure clients with behindthe-scenes tours.

What was the worst Phillies trade?

Curt Schilling

Based on CourierPostOnline.com reader poll in early April; 577 total votes.

Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa for Ivan DeJesus (1982): 42.8%

Curt Schilling for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee and Vicente Padilla (2000): 38.8% Ferguson Jenkins for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl (1966): 10.4% Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez for Freddy Garcia (2006): 8%

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Take me (way) out to the ballgame Road trippers make a tradition of following the Phillies to other stadiums

By MOLLY GRASSI For the Courier-Post

Baseball has always been a sport that lends itself to pilgrimages. The summer season, the historic Hall of Fame, and the way every ballpark acts as a snapshot for its home city are all siren songs for the true baseball fan.

Phillies fans, of course, are no exception. Within reasonable driving distance of a half-dozen stadiums (or more, depending on your definition of “reasonable”), local fans make road trips each year to follow the Phils.

Alyson Schenberger, 50, of Berlin has been an almost lifelong Phillies road tripper.

“The first time we went to spring training in Florida it was the ’70’s,” said Schenberger. “My father worked in advertising and we would go to spring training over our spring break.”

Schenberger and her parents and brothers stayed in the same condos as the Phillies and Harry Kalas on one of those trips, and she has continued the tradition as an adult.

“I’m a teacher,” Schenberger said, “and until my son went to college we’d go down to Florida for every spring break and go see the Phillies at spring training.”

Schenberger, and her son Mark, 19, also head out to regular-season road trips every summer.

They’re joined by her brother, Carl, and his son

Mark Schenberger of Berlin enjoys a trip to Nationals Park — just one of many Phillies road excursions he’s made with his mom Alyson and other family members.

Nick, 17. Together and separately, the family has visited Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, and Baltimore.

Twice, they’ve stayed in the same hotel as Phillies players, and have collected autographs and memories.

Summer-break bonding was also the initial motivation for Andrew Pitts, 39, of Mount Laurel to start taking his son, Drew, 12, to road games.

“We started going to away games as a bonding experience because my son’s mother and I are divorced and I thought it would be a great idea to go somewhere over my son’s summer break from school,” said Pitts.

Their first trip was to San Diego in August 2008,

and they have since visited Pittsburgh and Toronto.

Not all road trippers start out so far from home.

Kaitlyn Adams, 35, and her boyfriend Matthew Woolford, 37, did their first road trip in 2010 as part of an organized bus trip to Nationals Park in Washington.

Their bus parked in a designated lot with other buses filled with Phillies faithful.

“The lot was a scene right out of CBP with everyone hanging out and doing the regular tailgate menu of beers and hoagies.”

Woolford said. “We did not have much Nationals fan interaction since the stadium was overrun by Phillies fans.”

After their first taste of road-tripping, Adams and Woolford went back to Nationals Park on their own,

and then branched out to San Francisco in 2011 to see the Giants play in their home, AT&T Park. It was there that they saw a bench-clearing brawl, sparked when Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch.

“This stadium was our favorite due to the fantastic views of the bay and the ‘rolling fog,’ ” Woolford said.

Road trips hold obvious appeal for adventurous fans, but are some being driven out of town by rising ticket prices buoyed by a 2008 World Series win? Or are they being shut out of home games entirely?

Not at all, says John Weber, Phillies vice president of sales & ticket operations.

The Phillies begin releasing tickets in December. By the start of the sea-

son, only about 10 to 15 games had sold out, said Weber, and those are particularly popular dates such as Saturday games and games that offer bobble-head promotions, as well as games against bigmarket teams like the Boston Red Sox. “We try to make sure all of our fans have a chance to buy tickets if they want to,” said Weber. The Phillies have raised prices over the last few years, but do it on a section-by-section basis, often raising the prices of premium sections while trying to leave the cheaper seats reasonable for fans.

“Our goal is to make sure people aren’t priced out of games.”

Weber also notes that while April has a limited home schedule, and May and June games often sell out fast, there are still many games with lots of tickets left, especially in July and August.

If you’re still not satisfied, or are just itching to go somewhere new, the Phillies themselves organize road-trip game packages.

“In general there’s quite a large number of Phillies fans that go to away games,” said Joe Giles, director of business development at Citizens Bank Park. “Whether it’s transplants seeing the Phillies in their new hometowns, new Phillies fans or travelers — they’re there. You can hear them on TV.” These new-ish packages

MORE INFORMATION For more on road trips organized by the Phillies, go to www.philadelphia. phillies.mlb.com/phi/ ticketing/road_trip.jsp or call (877) 833-7326.

attempt to add to that presence, and include hotel accommodations, an exclusive brunch with Phillies personnel, a ballpark tour, game tickets, a Phillies road-trip jacket, and some city-specific fun. This year, the trips will be headed to St. Louis, Miami and Colorado. Giles notes that while these packages are available to anyone, they are limited to about 150 people per trip.

You could always do what any number of enterprising Phillies fans do every year — plan your own vacation. This year, in addition to regular attendance at home games, Andrew Pitts will take his son to Baltimore and Washington to see Phillies games. Kaitlyn Adams and Matthew Woolford will visit the Diamondbacks in Arizona, the Orioles in Baltimore, and, of course, return to Washington, where it all began.

As for Alyson Schenberger, she and her brother haven’t firmed their plans up yet, but she’s pretty sure they’ll be taking another road trip. After all, it’s a tradition.

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Calling up memories

First of all, my greatest memory is being present for Game 6 for the 1980 World Series: Awesome game and a world championship. When the Phillies won again in ’08, I was on a cruise in the Caribbean (I am still upset with my wife — it was a surprise trip). But, my wife and I and four of our friends took over the sports bar on the ship for both halves of the final game and had a great time. But the coolest Phillies memory was in 1975 when I owned a sound recording studio and recorded Larry Bowa and Dave Cash for a novelty song “Ting-A-Ling Double Play,” which was sold at Veterans Stadium. They also had a record release party.

The Phillies have given us plenty of memorable games over the years. But trips to the ballpark stick with our readers for so many other reasons: They’ve created treasured family traditions, met their future spouses or caught foul balls. A few lucky ones even have had the chance to meet star players.

Read on for a peek at our readers’ favorite Phillies memories. They’re all winners.

Chase Utley and Rita Mitchell.

In 2006, my friend Bill and I went to Clearwater for spring training. We enjoyed our stay, but the most memorable moment was meeting Chase Utley.

Chase had finished batting practice after a game and walked over to talk.

He was very nice. We took pictures and he signed a foul ball I had. We told him we were at his first game in 2003 when he hit a grand slam. He was very excited to hear about that. He asked about the fans’ reaction. “Did everyone stand up and yell? Because I was new, they didn’t know anything about me and were not interested in me.” We told him we saw fans yelling and standing on their seats to get a better look at the young rookie who hit a grand slam. I noticed one man threw his cup of beer up in the air and everyone got wet.

Chase really enjoyed our story. He was so nice, he would have talked longer, but Ed Wade was standing nearby, so Chase decided to go back to bat. He thanked us for being there and telling our story.

—Rita Mitchell, Westmont

—Charlie Galletti,

Upper Darby, Pa.

Charlie Galletti (right) of Upper Darby, Pa., with his son Matthew of Downingtown, Pa., were part of the 'red carpet' to welcome the Phils on Opening Day 2011.

This story is not about me, it is about my son: With us being season ticket-holders, John has been to many, many games. His first World Series was in 1993. Now he is a U.S. soldier serving overseas.

When I spoke with him about your newspaper article, much to my surprise he related a memory to me that is worth sharing. We were at the the first game played against the Braves in Vet Stadium post 9/11.

We were walking to a concession stand to get our usual hot dog and soda when we were approached by a reporter who asked how we felt about being at the game. John was 9. He said he couldn’t believe he saw his hero Larry Bowa cry as the national anthem was being played, he said it made him understand what it meant to be an American, and how proud he was to be able to be at the game. Not until the other day did I know that was the defining reason my son joined the military. He was deeply touched watching “his” team, how they played, the feeling at the stadium, the fans. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that baseball would shape his life in the way it has.

I'm very proud and would like the Phillies to know.

—Patricia Wilson,

Voorhees

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John Sieber and daughter Gabrielle, then 13, of Gloucester Township, appear in a memento of the Phillies' 2008 World Series win.

We have two daughters who have been to more Phillies games than I can count. (My husband and I both came from families with season ticket plans.)

Our oldest daughter, 17, started going to Phillies games when she was 3 months old. Today she is a die-hard Philllies fan who was fortunate enough to be at the game when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 . Our second daughter is 14 and was born during the 1997 baseball strike, so she didn't attend her first game until she was 8 months old. She was there when Halladay pitched the no-hitter in 2010.

In the last several years we have taken 3 trips to spring training with our daughters. What an experience that was! Both girls have Phillies’ visors that they had signed by Phillies players and executives that we met over the years: Dallas Green, John Vukovich, Ruben Amaro, Bill Giles.

And in April 2001, I had a surprise 40th birthday party for my husband at Veterans Stadium.

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