The Philadelphia Experience - Tales from a Parking Lot

The Philly Phanatic tries to hex Dice-K Saturday. (SawxBlog Photo - D.Hixon)

This past weekend Jeannine and I traveled down I-95 South to to visit some family and to also take in Saturday's Red Sox vs. Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. This was the first time I've seen the Red Sox play in a park not called Fenway, and it was very cool to see the home nine in their road grey. I honestly didn't know what to anticipate heading into the weekend, however any expectations I had were far surpassed even before the first pitch was tossed. Going to a baseball game in South Philadelphia is much different than attending one in the Fens. Is it a better experience than in Boston you ask? Of course not, I mean nothing is, however different isn't necessarily a bad thing, and this especially holds true when there's hours upon hours of tailgating involved.

We arrived in the parking lot around 1:00pm and immediately went about setting up base camp for the day. Thankfully for us, we were with some trained, tested, and true professionals in the form of the Liuzza Brothers. Jeannine's cousins are lifelong Philly Phans that I instantly connected with last year due to our equal passion for our respective cities and sports teams.

Let me just say that Philly Phans "get it" just as much as Boston fans do. There truly is nothing like sports cities in the Northeast, and the gold standards for the rest of the country is set by Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The Philly Phans have a crassness to them that isn't really there in Boston, and their fandom seems to carry with it a certain aspect of grittiness that they wear as a badge of honor. While I was assured the friendly fire I was receiving would carry the weight of more vehemence if it were say, a Pats vs. Eagles game, I believe the Philly Phans carried a certain level of respect for the Red Sox fans that were walking about on their turf.

Speaking of football, the last time I experienced a pre-game such as this was in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium. The whole day had a very football feel to it, rain showers and all, and I now believe that tailgating and baseball may very well be a beautiful combination. It would never work in Boston, and I'd never want it be a part of the Fenway experience, but when you're following the Sox on the road it adds a great level of flair to the overall festivity, and can help make a weekend take a surprising turn for the Mardis Gras. There was a copious amount of games being played from bags, washers, flip-cup, beer-pong, and all other forms of Drunken Olympics imaginable. My favorite had to be the drunken whiffle ball challenge that took place right next door to us. The game goes like this:

1. Fill a yellow whiffle bat with one can of beer.
2. Crush the can of beer on the ground so that it's flat.
3. Drink the beer out of the bat while your friends count down the seconds as you chug down the beer from the tiny hole @ the bottom of the bat.
4. After you finish the bat of beer you then have to circle the bat with your forehead. The number of times you must do this is dependent on how many seconds it took you to chug the beer.
5. Now that you're boozed up and dizzy it's time play some baseball. So your friend then pitches the crushed can that filled your now empty bat as you flay like a drunken sailor.
6. If you hit the can every one cheers and you hug your friends with a good mix of high-fives and fist bumps.
7. If you miss the can every one cheers and you hug your friends with a good mix of high-fives and fist bumps.
8. Pure genius, props Philly.

So aside from the visual circus that was unfolding around me (like a kid carry around a 15 pound ball and chain for his bachelor party), I happened to be tailgating with one of Philly's Phinest chefs, Mr. James Liuzza of Dibruno Bros. fame. James is one of the best chefs I've ever been around, and his reputation was solidified even further this glorious Saturday afternoon. James worked at a pace that seemed calm, however the rate and quality with what was being handed to me was perplexing. He started it all off with some Moo Shoo Pork that one could die for, and then moved onto his signature bacon wrapped "Lazer Dawgs" which were named after the 6'5'' monster of a man whom happened to be my partner in bags (we went 3-0). He then made the best Philly Cheese Steak I've ever tasted which instantly started drawing a crowd around his station. It was so good pure strangers started offering him money for a sandwich, and you could tell the good people of Philly recognized a top notch cheese steak, and trust me, Gino's doesn't have jack on James here. Then for the grand finale of the fireworks display which was this smorgasbord of food, James pulled out a clam bake that would make the most ardent of New Englander blush at the perfection it was pulled off with, in a parking lot none the less.

Geez, I think I just made myself hungry again....

So after drinking and eating like a Roman for six plus hours we decided to go into the park and actually watch the game, like I said, tailgating is a win for all. The only bad thing about Citizens Bank Park may very well be its name, for the whole place is absolutely gorgeous. It seems to be perfectly engineered, and everywhere I found myself I was offered stunning views of both the game and city. It seemed so clean and open compared to the glorious cave that's Fenway Park, and much like James cooking, it all just seemed top notch in effort and execution. We had great seats high above home plate, however with a little help from the rain delay we ended up right behind the Red Sox dugout, about eight rows back. The game was obviously a good one for a Sox fan, you've heard about all that already, but the experience was truly great for all fans there, and that's the true sign of a good ballpark and city. Can't wait to go back again.

I've said too much already though, so I'll just let the pictures do the rest of the talking, as they tell a lot.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL PICS FROM GAME

Comments

[j9]

that clambake was even better than the game!!

[Kris]

dude, so jealous after seeing these pics. the next time you're headed to philly, let me know cause I am definitely in. everything from the tailgating (replete with delicious eats) to the camaraderie with fellow baseball fans to that gorgeous ballpark makes me want to experience it...

[i heart nomah!]

Awesome pics, and damn that food looked awesome!