I admit it: I was greedy and wanted so badly to walk away with a sweep of the four-game series, especially because that fourth game should have been won.
But the Mets did take three out of four, and I think we Mets fans have Citizens Bank Ballpark to thank for getting some of our own bats cranking again, particularly the Carloses’!!
A few notes on our family road trip to Philadelphia:
This is my third trip to Citizen’s Bank Park, and each time I go there it makes me more anxious for the completion of Citi Field. I can’t wait for OUR new "retro" park with more spacious walkways and the Jackie Robinson Pavilion, etc. I doubt we’ll get cheese steaks and crab fries, but do we dare hope for improved concessions?
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Phillies fans will boo anything. I knew that. But they will boo anything that Pat Burrell and Charlie Manuel do. Whatever they do. Pat Burrell could walk up to the plate and they’d boo. Charlie Manuel could take out the line-up card and they’d boo. Those two never get a break from the fans. Ever.
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Back in our hotel following Saturday’s win, we were astonished to read online that Oliver Perez would be missing his start the next day because of back problems. That same evening, I was looking over the photos I had taken at the game, including this shot of the Mets congratulating each other on the field. As I looked at this photo, I did a double-take: could El Duque be to blame for Perez’s injury? Doesn’t it look like he’s about to give him a noogie? Was some day-off horse-play to blame here? Maybe my camera had inadvertently captured some kind of evidence!
Well, I never feel warmly welcomed by the Phillies fans, and this weekend was no exception. The players themselves, though, didn’t treat us so badly this past weekend. I mean, their power hitters didn’t present nearly the threat they could have. And I can personally attest to the fact that they’re actually a swell bunch of guys once you get to know them–yes, even Jimmy Rollins, believe it or not.
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And finally, a morning visit to Philadelphia’s Old City area proved to be far more educational than we could have predicted. I never would’ve known, prior to our visit to the Betsy Ross House, that the Mets franchise, much less the sport of baseball itself, extended back to the 18th century!!
Perfect Pitch 
