A visit to Citizens Bank Park, Rest in Peace Harry

Last night I journeyed to Philadelphia to see Joe Blanton and The Philadelphia Phillies take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Traffic was rough, as per usual, but once the two and a half hour drive had passed and the park was in sight, it was entirely worth it.



No matter how many times I enter Citizens Bank Park, the first view of the field is mesmerizing. I certainly am not having the same experience as urban folks who rarely see grass like it was back in the days of Ebbets Field, but this grass is simply different. I spare you all the metaphors dancing in my head to say only that if any magic is left in this world a share of it is spread on a baseball diamond.

(That is Jason Werth nailing a double)
This summer has been a hard one for me as a baseball fan. The voice that filled the humid evenings every year for the entirety of my memory was silenced this spring. Without Harry Kalas, my game of baseball has changed forever. We knew we lost him back in March. We watched the memorials. It is now on these newly empty summer nights that the baritone of Harry Kalas is truly missing. Recently Harry was inducted into the Phillie's Hall of Fame to add a posthumous award on a storied and hall of fame career:

I miss you every time I hear baseball Harry. You were the best.

By the time I had begun to stroll around the ballpark, the Phillies were using their lumber to smash the Diamondbacks and build a commanding lead which would end with a 12-3 victory, and I was paying special attention to an occasional snippet of an old Harry Kalas home run call playing somewhere in the park.

If you don't consider yourself a baseball fan, a trip to CBP will probably make you one. It is a genuine edifice to the game and a spirtual successor to stadiums long gone, and now full of ghosts still trying to cover third. CBP is at all times modern and at all times as ancient as the tradition of the ball game is. Ask Whitey if you don't believe me.

I have much more to talk about regarding Riparian Buffers and Jordan Park but I figured I'd share my small trip with you. If you have any CBP stories feel free to share. It is one hell of a place.

So who is scarier The Phanatic or this guy (and I am wearing a Moyer jersey btw)?:

See Also:
Jamie Moyer and his 257th Win