The NLCS

The drive home from Michigan was a long one. We had a child who screamed. We had a child who cried. We had a child who screamed and cried so hard he threw up. And that was in hour #2. Out of twelve. And a half. We had a 20 mile backup due to construction. That was in hour #9. Out of twelve. And a half.

My parents who went to the wedding drove back about an hour ahead of us. I talked to my dad a few times during the trip about traffic, where we were, how things were going, etc. A few hours after the throwing up child and a few before the parking lot on I-80, my dad said to me, "I have something that might make the trip a little better for you."

"What are you doing Thursday night?"

Those of you who know me, know I am a huge Philly sports fan. I love the Eagles with a passion. I have followed the Phillies since the mullet days of John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton and Mitch Williams a decade and a half ago. I am an admitted Flyers and Sixers bandwagon jumper. If they are doing well, I am interested. If not, I don't care. But the Eagles and Phillies I follow religiously. Soon after we first got married, Missy asked me if I HAD to watch EVERY Phillies game.

My dad has had monthly tickets to Phillies games for the past few years. We have an annual ritual every Spring where dad asks me to look over the schedule and recommend games for him to buy tickets to. By getting those tickets, he had the inside track to get Phillies playoff tickets. Thirty seconds after the Phillies clinched the series over Milwaukee, his contact for tickets called him. He had two tickets to Game 1 of the NLCS.

So last Thursday, my dad and I donned our matching Chase Utley shirts (not intentional) and headed for Citizens Bank Park.

Now when I say that my dad had the inside track to playoff tickets, I mean he had the HOOKUP for playoff tickets. We didn't have seats so far out that we might as well stand on top of our car in the parking lot. He had seats just below Joe Buck, Tim McCarver (of Fox Sports) and Harry Kalas - the legendary Phillies announcer. A guy I know is a beat writer for the Phillies. Our seats were 20 feet in front of him. We had our own restaurant, bar (which didn't close after the 7th inning), bathrooms and private entrance. Needless to say, these were great seats.

We got their early, enjoyed a nice meal of pulled pork sandwiches and headed to our seats to watch batting practice.

The game was a little nerve wracking for the first five innings. The Phillies did nothing and trailed by two. Until the sixth. Chase Utley hit a home run to tie the game. The cheering was deafening. I high-fived my dad. I high fived everyone around me. Then two batters later, Pat Burrell hit a solo home run to put the Phillies in front. For good. I lost my mind. I picked my dad up. I high fived everyone again. Including the 10 year kid next to me who I think was scared of me. I waved my rally towel. It was one of the highlights of my life as a Philly sports fan.

The Phillies, as they usually do, made us nervous at the end but finally won the game. We had a blast. Thanks for taking me, dad. I will never forget it.