It's Root, Root, Root For the Home Team

I don't think it's any surprise that we are Phillies fans here.  I know I've mentioned Bun's love of baseball in general and the Phillies specifically, and I've been a fan since birth more or less.  

Rob grew up in Yankees country and he enjoyed baseball, but he was never a rabid Yankees fan. 
Now, the New York Football Giants? That's another story.  His mama taught him taught him to love the Giants and he loves his mama. Therefore, he looooves him some Giants football. I turned him into a Phillies fan, but I don't dare suggest that he turn his back on the Giants.

It was fairly easy to divide up our sports loyalties.  For baseball, it's got to be the Phillies; for football, it's always the Giants; for hockey, it's the Broad Street Bullies (that's the Flyers, in case you don't know); and no one cares a lick about basketball.  Sorry, NBA.

I remember going to Phillies games with my parents and grandparents at Veteran's Stadium, which was their old home field.  Going to the Vet was always a lot of fun, and now that the Phillies play in Citizens Bank Park, I've wanted to see a game.   The major obstacles to my plans were always the time and the expense.  

So imagine our surprise when Rob got a call from his boss, who is the Phillies Numero Uno Fan, asking if we wanted 4 tickets to a Sunday afternoon game.   He has two different season ticket packages (Numero Uno Fan), and he wasn't going to be able to use these particular tickets and it was killing him to waste them.

Well, Rob said yes and the plan was hatched to take the boys to their first major league sporting event.  We scrambled for some babysitting coverage for the girls and Septimus, and thanks to my lovely sister and her fiancé, they were well tended.

The afternoon was blistering.  Our faces felt like they were melting off, but it was so much fun.  There is nothing like the roar of a real live crowd to get you pumped up.

We had great seats along the first base line (say it with me, Numero Uno Fan) and the boys got to hear some true fan heckling of the Chicago White Sox.  I did hear some pretty bad profanity, but luckily, I think the boys missed it.  Big thanks to the older gentleman behind them who kept yelling, "Throw the ball, ya bums!!!"  and, "Come on, ump!  You're blind! Ya Bum!!" 

Citizens Bank Park is very nice, and the boys had so much fun pointing out all their favorite players.  Because the tickets were free, we could buy them a program and ridiculously overpriced plastic batting helmets full of ice cream.  Which turned into ice cream soup about 10 seconds after we bought them.

The Phillies led through the whole game until the 9th inning when our closer blew the save and Chicago tied it up.  We went in to "free baseball" and happily the Phils pulled it out in the 10th.

Bun sat on Rob's lap because the seat was so hot it was burning the backs of his legs.
Meanwhile, Rob burst into flames due to excessive body heat.

Fiver smiled the whole time.
When he wasn't eating, that is.

View from the parking lot.
We got there in the top of the 1st inning
and we could hear the cheering from the car.

After the game

It was a completely perfect day at the ball game.  

Now it's the girls' turn!