This year marked the third annual baseball trip I've taken with my dad and Liam. We’ve done Atlanta and DC thus far, and the City of Brotherly Love was our destination for Memorial Day weekend, 2014. We decided to drive to Philly.
You can learn a lot about people by spending 6 ½ hours in a car with them.
My dad and Liam talked … and talked … and talked the entire time we were in the car. I’m an introvert, and one of the few things I enjoy about a long car trip is that I can get lost in thought and can listen to good music. I could do neither for 6 ½ hours, and so was thrilled when we made it to the hotel. Sara can attest that I get stressed about traveling, too. I just want to get there. And as soon as I get where I’m going, normally, the stress subsides. But this time, as we began the check-in process, the stress didn't have much time to fade. After much confusion, the clerk at the registration desk looked up from her computer. “Oh, you’re at the other Sheraton.” Stress level … rising! We finally got to the correct hotel in a great spot in the old city, and life was good.
The next day, we had a wonderful time touring around, seeing the Liberty Bell and all of your typical touristy stuff in Philly. One fantastic surprise was the “Chasing Dreams - Baseball and Becoming American” exhibit at the National Museum of American Jewish History, where of course, Sandy Koufax was featured prominently.
We ventured to Chickie’s and Pete’s near the ballpark for Liam’s first taste of cheesesteaks and decadent crab fries, and then strolled over to Citizens Bank Park for the game. And oh, what a lackluster effort it was from the Dodgers. For the first time in our annual sojourns, the Bums lost to a pretty terrible Phillies team. The last time I had been in Philadelphia for a baseball game was in 1990 with my parents at the old Veterans Stadium, where I was fortunate enough to witness a no-hitter. I guess I couldn’t have expected any more baseball magic from the baseball gods.
The next morning, we checked out a few more amazing museums, posed with the Rocky statue, and then started the long drive back home. We put on the radio broadcast of the early afternoon Dodgers/Phillies game. Reclamation project Josh Beckett was on the hill for the Dodgers, and my dad and Liam were there typical, chatty selves. As the game progressed, however, things got oddly quiet in the car, culminating in this magic moment. Josh Beckett’s no-no was the first and only of his career, and was the first for the Dodgers since ‘96.
So whaddya know? There’s still some magic left in the baseball trip after all.
gonna fly now -- ala rocky
