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Veterans Stadium/
Citizens Bank Park
Experience
Philadelphia,
PA - 9/8/2002 - 10/2/2004
by: Anthony Lorenzo
Although Mike and I have
visited Veterans Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Phillies from
1971 to 2003, and Citizens Bank Park, Phillies home since 2004,
together my first visit to both were with Rachel. Rachel had never
attended a baseball game before September 8, 2002. I was lucky
enough to spend that weekend at her home, meeting Reaghan for the
first time. We had a great weekend together, but like all good
things our time together came to an end. I was sad to leave Reaghan
that Sunday morning, but was excited to share the game of baseball
with Rachel. We drove 90 miles east to Veterans Stadium to watch
the Phillies play my hometown New York Mets. The 20,047 in
attendance had a lot on their mind, it was the start of the 2003 NFL
season and the Philadelphia Eagles were playing the Tennessee
Titans. I spent the afternoon sharing my love of the game with the
love of my life. It was the first time I had ever attended a Mets
road game and was happy to see them win 11-3. Vance Wilson and Ty
Wigginton hit home runs. It was an eventful game, Phillies manager
Larry Bowa was thrown out of the game in the bottom of the first,
maybe he wanted to watch the Eagles game. Sharing baseball with
Rachel on that Sunday afternoon is something I will never forget.
Shortly after the 2003 season, the Philadelphia Phillies left
Veterans Stadium and moved across the street to their new home,
Citizens Bank Park. The 2004 season promised to be a memorable
one. The Phillies added closer Billy Wagner to their bullpen and
starter Eric Milton to the rotation. These acquisitions along with
their new home were supposed to put the Fighting Phils over the
top. What followed was a season of discontent, as the Phillies
failed to meet expectations.
Citizens Bank Park offered Phillies fans everything Veterans Stadium
did not. The 43,000 seating capacity allowed a more
 intimate
ballpark experience. The grass playing field saved the Phillies
many injuries, as the Veterans Stadium AstroTurf was considered the
worst in all of professional sports. Ashburn’s Alley offered
Citizens Bank Park visitors a festive, history-filled, outdoor
entertainment area located on the outfield concourse. All of these
features make Citizens Bank Park one of the best ballparks in Major
League Baseball, but what makes it special to me is it’s the first
ballpark Rachel, Reaghan, and I ever visited together.
October 2, 2004. Game 161. The Phillies and Florida Marlins were
wrapping up the 2004 season. Although both teams finished the
season above .500 it was a disappointing year for both. All of this
is secondary because October 2, 2004 will always be remembered as
the night I took Rachel and Reaghan to Citizens Bank Park for the
first time! Baseball and children go together like peanut butter and
jelly, a perfect combination. Reaghan was excited to see her first
game. She rooted for the Phillies and met the Philly Phanatic.
Reaghan caught onto baseball pretty quickly. “Go
 Phillies”
and “Hit a Home Run” were two cheers that I taught her during the
night, much to the chagrin of Rachel. I hope that evening was the
beginning of an interest in baseball for Reaghan, who seemed to
genuinely enjoy spending time at Citizens Bank Park, although it
might have been the cotton candy, hot dog, cheese steak and soda
combo that she ate while at the game. I was proud to take my two
girls to the game and plan for more in the future; maybe Reaghan can
be the first in her class to visit all 30 Major League Ballparks!
Hey I can dream, can’t I?
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