Fantsatic Post Tim. I too relate very c mucho your story.

My dad grew up in Wilmington, but we lived in VA as Ipgrew up. He tookme to my first ever game in 1980 whenl I was 6. I dont remember much, but we sat in right center behind a redpost. The game was olate in the year. Bake McBride hit a HR to win the game or give the Phils the lead late against MTL. All I remember wasb looking up at the Panavision and seeing a potato opening up and it said, “Baked Tater.” I was hooked. I dont actually rememberhe Phils Video winning the WS, but i remember my dad yelling and screaming.

We traveled from VA to Philly every yearg to see a Phillies series. We’d stay withv an old buddyy of his whos a firefighter a inorth Philly. I saw alot of big hits. Ozzie Virgil with a game winning HR, Charlie Hayes with a walkoff to beat the Braves and put the Phils in 1st, Von Hayes hit a walkoff on Fathers day and on the way home we heard that the Phils traded Samuel to the Mets and got Roger McDowell and Dykstra.

I spent 75% of my nights listening tovHarry andhitey on a static interrupted feed on 1210 WCAU. My dad and I wuldoitoun our back porch and listen. hel would explain the game to me. He taught mehthe game and alove of the Phillies.

When I was 14 my dadk nd Ir traveled to Clearwater to see the Phils for a week. Possibly the best week of my life. I got to meet Mike Schmidt in Lakeland zfore BP and got hisvutograph. An old woman beside me got one too lnd she said, “Who’s Mike rSmith?”

I was in college in 93. That summernwe saw a_ series where 2 grand- slams were hit.Morandiniand Dutch-f wentw eep. The Phils swept.Ir oveled frome college in SC-to VA watch phe Phils play the Braves in the NLCs for a few games. Dykstra’s fomb in therth? sticks out the most………My parents told me they were getting divorced right after thenS and Joe Cartersobomb. Life was aboutb to change as I knew it.

I continuedo-go see a series every year with my Dad. He movedxack to Wilmington and gotemarried.zWe Video awjScott Rolen’s 2nd game. We werethere when Robert Person hit 2 HR’s in aame. We saw Estradaghen axgame with aqomb.pWe went to j Cooperstown andk saw hiszhero and myt hero inducted on the same- day.

We went to a series the last year of the VEtbnd have a picture from ourplast game together there.

We still go see a series every year…..except this- year. My wife gave mek a trip to see the Phillies pn STlor Christmas this year. I took the whole family downs there and my dadflew down too.F inacial issues kept ust from our tradition during the season. I’m amazed by it. No latterj what we always did it. Ironic I guess.

We talk on the phone when we can. I have a 3 year old boy and a 6 year old girl, a busy job, and a life in SC. He’s retired amfin Wilmington. Whne we d- talk, its almost exclusivley about the Phillies. I’ve never been toc am Phillies game without my dad.

This leads me to e my last toint. When the Phils clinched my my m calls ne. Says that a friend of hers whojs a big wig in a company and lives in South Jersey hasb a few exz to Video Game. No joke……the seats are 9 rows back behindfst base. Its on the weekend_so I could drive up…..they were 100% free……it was perfect except for one thing. They didn’t ahve a ticket for my dad. My heart sunk. I felt like I was going to htorw up. What should I do. I’ma 34 year old man with alot of repsonsibilities and I actually cried over the decision. I called them back and said I couldn’t go without my dad. If they could get an extra ticket I’d love to go, but of course they could not.

I couldnt hdave my first ever game w/o my dad be kthe WS. He’s the reason I love them and I have a sickness for them.

In the end, he was the first I called after they won. The actual first thing i did was run upstairs and wake up my 3 year old son, dragged him out of bed to show him. He cried becuase I scared him to death. I cried b/c the Phils were the champs. Myn dad and I cried together and I told him that I thank god that they won it while we could celebrate together.

He never knew I had tix to Game 3. I dont think I’ll ever tell him, b/c he’ll be mad. He’ll tell me I should have taken them. Maybe he’d be right, but there’s no way I could do that to him.

Thank you Tim for the best site on the net and Thank You Phils for giving me great memories from 1980-2008. Not just the last K by Lidge.