Let’s go Phillies (clap, clap, clapclapclap).

Posted by Sara in Editors.

Let me preface this by saying that I am in no way a baseball fan. I’ve been to a handful of games and really only enjoy them during the 7th inning stretch or if I’m at a minor league game and there’s a t-shirt gun. I understand the basic gist of the game, but I don’t know the in-depth rules or stats. I don’t know players names or what RBI means. And frankly, I don’t really care.

But last night, while my husband, my friend, and I stood outside of Woolly Mammoth’s bar on South Street in Philadelphia, straining to see the widescreen TV over the hundreds fans crammed inside, I held my breath. And when Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske and the world around us exploded, I exploded too.

For those next few hours, we were a part of something that Philadelphia has not seen for a long time. Thousands poured out of the bars, restaurants, homes and businesses all around us and into the streets. There was laughing, crying, screaming, high-fives, and of course, cheer upon cheer of “Let’s Go Phillies!”

Our friend, who is visiting out of town from Houston, was completely dumbstruck.

“They don’t do this kind of thing down there…”

“Welcome to Philly,” I said.

The thing is, although I don’t care about baseball,  I fucking love this city. I love the fact that this win was not just about the baseball team: it was about the fans. And I understand that that is often the case, but here, in this city… well, it’s just different. Say what you want, but Philadelphians are a passionate group who live and breathe by their sports teams. I can’t tell you how many weddings I have been to where the Eagles fight song has been played, or the bride wore a green and white garter. When one of the teams makes the playoffs, schools and businesses hold spirit days and everyone sports their jerseys and t-shirts in support of the team. This past May, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was killed in the line of duty and his funeral was broadcasted on local TV. When his son got up to give his eulogy, he noted his father’s die-hard love for the Flyers, and lead the thousands of mourners in a Flyers cheer right there in the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Center City Philadelphia. The people here truly live and die by their teams.

And last night completely exemplified that. As we walked around, we received countless high-fives, excited cheers, and even hugs from other fans. Drivers honked their horns, their passengers hanging out, egging on the already delirious pedestrians. People posed for reporters’ photos, random strangers celebrated with chest bumps. I even saw someone hug one of the cops who was standing by, in case things got crazy. Even though there’s been reports of some of the more of-out-control stuff that went on last night, we experienced nothing but wonderful, heart-warming celebration. Despite being tired and cold, we were over the moon with excitement and glady clapped and cheered whenever someone struck up the “Let’s Go Phillies” chant along the sidestreets and major roadways on our journey back home.

Often, Philadelphia gets a bad rap for being a city with a bad attitude. And sometimes that’s true. But last night, the City of Brotherly love lived up to its nickname: during a time with so much frustration, so much uncertainty, things were alright. Nobody cared about the recession or how cold it was or that they had to be up and at work the next morning: they simply wanted to be a part of something wonderful, to celebrate and to experience the sheer excitement and happiness that had swelled and burst within the city. Last night, everyone in Philadelphia felt like a winner, and let me tell you, it felt damn good.

Editors |