Among the many things you can find out by reading I’ll Blog You, the daily musings in the Life of Lacey Smith, is that despite all the DVR and DVD options they have in that house, they’re never too busy to root for the Philadelphia Phillies. In her Wednesday post, she valiantly defies Education by tracking the score between the Phils and the Washington Nationals – no doubt she has discovered the ancient Chinese secret of ALT + TAB. Well, Lace, in our second half of this dramedic essay, let me fill you in on what you could not see on MLB.com Gamecast at RFK Stadium that night.
After all, I was there.
But before we do that, we feel so inclined to include some more economispeak regarding the Investment of Heart. (Further justification of why I went to grad school, you see.) A sporting event that goes into overtime is not unlike an arcade game. Now we know that very few of you have grown up within the era of arcade games, as Nintendo, Sega et al have discovered crafty play-at-home versions where the only quarters you’ll lose are the ones that fall into the couch cushions. (Of course, you’ll probably be down a few Cheetos as well.) The game is meant to be a standard length, as dictated by the rules of the game. If you are unable to complete said game in said duration, and GAME OVER is blinking at you with the fury of a thousand suns, an additional investment is required. For an arcade game fanboy, it’s another quarter. For a sports fan, it’s more heart.
I was at the game on Wednesday, some 25 rows behind the Phillies’ dugout. I had invested a standard level of emotion, and as the game remained close throughout the first nine innings, I was getting my money’s worth. With the Fightins’ taking a one-run lead into the ninth with Tom Gordon coming in to close, I figured that that quarter-worth of tension and nerves had been a solid financial venture. However, as the Flashman walked in the tying run, knotting the game at 5, I knew that I’d have to reach back into the pockets for more.
Now when the Nationals were unable to plate one more run in the ninth and we got sent to extra frames, the city of DC did exactly what many sports fans would do. In a city where a 90 minute lead-time on your day requires you to get up way earlier that you liked, the stadium emptied as Washington took to the field in the top of the tenth. I can’t blame them. With a Metro ride or traffic, it’s likely they’re still an hour away from making it home. And at 10:20 already, the exodus was on. Plus, they had spent all their heart.But about 3,000 fans ponied up another ounce or two and stuck around. For the Nats’ diehards, it was an investment of commitment to a young team with a promising future. For Phillies fans, in the heat of the Wild Card race, it was an all-in proposition.
And we were all-in.
As the innings progressed – the 10th, the 11th, the 12th – the crowd convened closer and closer to the field, as the ushers had phoned it in at this point. Hell, we had paid $3 for our tickets – when it was all said and done, we had paid less than 4 cents per out to watch this thriller in person. A companion continually asked if we were in South Philly. Back and forth, neither team could manage to put it away.
This is what I love about Philadelphia fans, which by the 13th inning were easily 80% of the remaining crowd. They’re fully invested. Playoffs for this unlikely team with a lineup including nobodies like “Coste,” “Victorino,” and “Nunez,” are still in it, months since the season was put up for sale at the trade deadline. Philly fans dig that, even if it has been 23 years since their last championship. We may be the number 2 Tortured Sports City in America, but we’re not fair weather. (by the way we tip our hat, of course, to Cleveland in this one.)
When Ryan Howard (no, not the one on The Office) was intentionally walked three straight times, RFK filled with boos. When Clay Condrey got a key K in the bottom of 13th, the ancient stadium erupted in cheer. And I was there, and I was proud to be a part of it.
What is even more impressive may be the Nationals fans that also chose to screw their morning commute and stick around. Loyal as ever, with no playoffs in sight, they hung with their scrappy team. Hell, Frank Robinson had been asleep since 8:15, and they were just as excited play witness.
So when Jimmy Rollins ripped a two-run triple in the top of the 14th, we went nuts. And while DC fought back to within one in the bottom half of the inning, the Phillies returned on our investment of heart with an 8-7 victory. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t impressive, but it was worth every emotion to have been there in person.
With last night’s loss and the Dodgers completely on fire, this game may end up being meaningless in the history of the Fightins’. But at the time, you can never know.
That’s why you play the game.
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