My impressions of the game i attended last night between the Phillies and the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees..
- Sprinkles of rain before the game which stopped as game-time approached. Over 42, 000 attended, not a sell-out like the two previous nights, but still a good crowd.
Huge lines waiting to get into Citizens Bank Park at the left field gate . It was awesome sitting at field level, close to the -New York dugout. Everyone ( mostly Yankee fans) were hoping to rush into the park at 5:00 p.m. to witness batting practice, which has become a nightly ritual with sluggers Stanton and Judge around.. A few long smashes tonight but nothing extraordinary. Young kids, mostly wearing dark blue, lined the fences and front rows, squealing at the Yanks to hit or toss them balls.
Surprisingly, most Yankees fans I talked to last night weren't the arrogant, pompous, snobby fat annoying jerks I heard they could be. Mets fans are worse. Mets fans are not only obnoxious and rude, dwelling in the low-class, but losers. The one thing i did find in common was a sense of entitlement."We are the great Yankees, We aren't supposed to lose, not to the lowly Phillies ) for the more important Red Sox series this weekend. We are great and your'e not!. Let's save some of our best players ( Sabathia and Judge are prime examples of guys who sat out last night) for the more important series against the Red Sox this weekend. We are the best and your'e not. We have 27 world championship and you don't."
So I was glad the Phils saved face and humbled the Yanks and their fans somewhat. They sat there with glum faces in the 9th inning, disbelieving they were actually going to lose. They bitched and grumbled all the way to the parking lot.
The game itself lacked action except for Rhys Hoskins' 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. That's all the Phillies needed as Zach Eflin threw seven strong scoreless innings and Siranthony Dominguez pitched two perfect innings to earn the save. The Yankees were shut-down but they also didn't seem very motivated. They took 2 of 3 and were now looking forward to getting back to the Bronx this weekend to face the hated Red Sox ( who leapfrogged into 1st place last night).
I overheard Yankee fans thinking they are going to get Cole Hamels this summer, and worse, Mike trout in 3 years. Say it ain't so! Could be be future Phillies instead?
A few New Yorkers wandered into the Majestic Clubhouse store, not buying any Phillies items, but looking. It's fun to browse, as I did at Camden Yards in May when the Phils played the Orioles.
Fun seeing the almost-full stadium. Memories of the glory years 10 years ago. It can be that way again. Phillies personeel were talking about a possible sell-out Saturday night agains the division-rival Nationals.
Apparently Bryce Harper was at the game last night. Washington was off and flew up form Tampa. Harper was cited at the game. Maybe seeing such a big crowd at CBP ( half were New York fans) will interest Harper into what he may be able to do if he signed with Philly atfer the season.
I saw both Eagles GM Howie Rossman and Howard Eskin on the field before the game, getting autographs from Yankee slugger Aaron Judge. In fact Judge spent a good 15-20 minutes signing for kids along the left field line, where mostly Yankee fans hung out.
Ez-Phillie Jayson Werth retired yesterday. He was a solid player. he played 4 years for the Phils, and all 4 years the club won the national League East. He took the money and ran to Washington, but was not able to bring them the promised glory of a championship. He had power, could run and possessed a tremendous arm, Plus Werth always hustled. The Phils were never the same after he signed with the Nationals.
Speaking of Hamels, dealing Jake Arrieta to Texas for Hamels wouldn't be a bad deal. The Rangers would never do it, as they are in last place in AL West and will be looking to dump salary soon. Arrieta has been disappointing so far. Hamels loves Philly, and even though he is older, still has good stuff. He's also the lefty the rotation needs. Hamels would also be a veteran leader and mentor to the young hurlers on the staff. Something worth thinking about...
With the victory Philadelphia moves to 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta, a full game ahead of Washington. They play 4 at home vs the Nats starting tonight. While the Phillies have an easier schedule ahead, with the likes of the Orioles, reds, Pirates and Marlins coming up in July, the Braves go on a 10-game road trip, a brutal one at that, playing the Cardinals, Yankees and Brewers on the road. A great chance to make up ground before the July trade deadline.
- LeBron James must tell the Cavaliers by tomorrow if he will return to Cleveland or officially become a free agent on July 1. The Sixers continue to talk about getting Leonard from San Antonio. The Bridges draft night trade makes little sense with Leonard as the end result. James may follow suit, but Leonard needs to come first. So, by this time next week we should know if the 76ers will be a better team this season and if they are serious contenders for a championship.
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