Off To Clearer Waters
Let’s face it, this winter sucked…plain and simple. Brutal weather, miserable commutes, and lest we forget another ‘Storm of the Century’. It’s enough to make a fella abscond with his 5-year old to greener (and sunnier) pastures. As a matter of fact, it was exactly enough. So with my NY stint for ‘Deadbeat’ recently wrapped, I took advantage of the timing and set off for Phillies’ Spring Training with my little man. Carpe diem, right. As it turned out, it wasn’t any harder for Chase & I to trade the frozen tundra of the Northeast Corridor for the sunlit palms of Clearwater than it was for the Fightin’s to trade J-Ro11 to the Dodgers! Not that I’m totally on board with the latter decision, mind you.
Energized by the high-temps and crystal clear conditions, we took in the pre-season opener at Brighthouse Field against the dreaded Bomber’s from the Bronx. And even though the game ended in a tie, which is allowable in Grapefruit League play, we still enjoyed front row seats behind home plate, fed our faces with hot dogs and pretzels (as any self respecting fans should), and finally departed late in the day, armed with plenty of spring-themed souvenirs for our favorite girls back home.
Now having finally taken the trip myself, I’d encourage any fellow baseball enthusiasts out there, whether parent or perpetual bachelor, to make the trek at some point if possible. They say that there’s nothing as inspiring as spring baseball, and it’s true. But unfortunately, it’s the October baseball that will be depressing for Phillies phans this season. Nevertheless, we’ll all still dare to dream, and come playoff time it will be up to the finicky baseball gods to dictate the fate of the mighty Fightin’s!
And because this getaway has me reminiscing already, here’s a quick throwback ad for the Phillies Majestic Clubhouse Store, shot in 2010. It features a mini version of Chase, as well as several friends and family cameos, all of whom were happy to lend a hand…for the free Phillies swag, of course. I managed and coordinated the spot, with Sue Redmond @ Rubberband Producing. Watching it still brings back a wave of nostalgia…and little man still has the Chase Utley blanket. We ‘share’ it, of course.
