Being a lifelong suburban Philadelphian, I've been an avid Phillies phan since I was a boy. It was their 1993 World Series defeat that got me into the sport in the first place, which eventually led me to sign up for little league baseball and play for almost ten years.
The Phightin' Phils have seen some lousy times in the year since then and now, but let's be honest, so have the rest of us. I've spent countless days, weeks, months standing around restaurants as a server, so often idling around with all the time in the world to waste. And all the while (at least from April to early October), the Phils have been there on TV, working hard every day to fulfill my entertainment needs.
Of course, this is something I've taken for granted as a Philadelphian. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure everyone has taken this team for granted at some point. But once we hit the road, it's not going to be the easiest thing in the world to find the Phils game on TV as we venture further away from home. Despite any bump in coverage and viewership that they may enjoy as the reigning World Champions (high five), I don't know how good my chances are of catching any of the game when we're out in, say, San Diego. Unless they happen to be playing the Padres that day.
No sir, it's going to be a task to track down the Phils game on the road. But I will make a point to do just that when the opportunity arises. Should we find ourselves in any kind of bind about where to go for a drink or something like that, you can bet that the situation will turn into a Phillie Phinding mission.
And furthermore, it's always been on my to-do list to see the Phils play in a city other than Philadelphia. I've dropped my share of insults at visiting fans inside Citizens Bank Park and old Veterans Stadium before that, so I'm intrigued to be a visitor rooting for my home team.
Phinding the Phillies. Expect a fair amount of it during the trip.
-Tom Stanley
