Pictured are two of the Philadelphia Phillies souvenir programs saved by the author's family from games attended over the years. The 1979 program (left) features Hall-of-Famer Steve Carlton and the 1992 program had a cover story on pitcher Curt Schilling. (Submitted photo)

As long as I can recall, we were a ‘Phillies family.’ My dad was a big sports fan, and Philadelphia Phillies baseball and Kentucky basketball were his two main teams to follow. My earliest sports memory is watching the 1980 Phillies World Series parade on TV. My sports “soundtrack” was punctuated by the home run calls of Phillies play-by-play broadcaster Harry Kalas and the dry humor of Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, both on the radio and television.

We lived in Northcentral Pennsylvania, so going to Phillies games regularly wasn’t possible, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have one meaningful trip to Veterans Stadium (affectionately known as “The Vet”) annually. My mom was from Reading and my dad grew up in Chester County, so each August was reserved for a week-long visit to both sets of my grandparents and the dreaded “back-to-school” shopping at the Reading Outlets. There was a lot of trying on blue jeans and shirts begrudgingly for me and my siblings but there was something to look forward to nonetheless- driving to Philly to see a ballgame.

My dad would look at the schedule in the newspaper or the annual Phillies yearbook and we’d discuss what team we wanted to see. Every August, the Phillies would have a homestand at Veterans Stadium with National League West teams visiting. I have fond memories of seeing great MLB stars from the 1980’s like Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn of the Padres, the Giants’ first baseman Will Clark or Cy Young award winning pitcher Mike Scott of the Houston Astros.

Part of the magic was the leadup to traveling to the “big city.” What route would we take? How long would we be stuck on the Schuylkill Expressway? Should we buy a “Club” to put on our car’s steering wheel to deter thieves?

Since we grew up very modestly, my dad wasn’t going to buy us a bunch of overpriced concessions at the game. So we’d go shopping for snacks to take to the stadium since fans were allowed to bring food and coolers into the Vet. Here we come, Acme candy aisle!

For years, you could get tickets in the fabled 700 level of the Vet (the yellow seats) for four bucks and that was the only option our family ever opted to purchase. No club level or 100 level for this family. Yes, it was the “nosebleed” section, but it never failed to feel special and incredibly fun. Sometimes, we’d get tickets for a twi-night doubleheader and get to see two games for one price- talk about value! Usually just me and dad went to those games, since my mom and sister had no interest in getting to the Vet around 3 p.m. and staying ’til the middle of the night when the final out of Game Two was recorded.

Since we were cheap, we also didn’t pay for parking in the Stadium parking lot. That was for wealthy fools who wanted to be stuck in gridlock after the game! My dad would opt for on-street parking along Broad Street- fun! We’d have to walk at a very brisk pace for blocks and blocks, dodging panhandlers and aggressive pretzel vendors, plus the occasional furious German Shepherd patrolling the fenced areas of the Philadelphia Naval Yard.

We learned a valuable lesson at one August game, when we naively left our Igloo cooler and grocery bags at our seats while we went to the bathroom prior to the opening pitch. I guess that unattended red and white cooler was like a beacon, as said Igloo and all our precious snacks were gone when we came back, pilfered by an opportunistic “fan” who got to enjoy all our Doritos, Twizzlers, Tastykakes and meat sticks. My dad looked like someone had stolen his puppy when we realized what happened.

Looking back, even though we didn’t have the best seats, the posh parking and concessions, or even competitive teams in that era, I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.

I don’t have my dad with me anymore, but I still have that memory of him and 10-year old me driving down the Blue Route toward Philly as we listened to KYW 1060 AM for weather and traffic updates, stopping at Wawa on the way for a chocolate milk. I still remember going into the Vet on that overcast, dreary Sunday early afternoon, only to hear over the public address system that the game had been postponed due to rain. I can still envision us glumly walking back down Broad Street to the car, disappointed to miss the game. We plopped in the car, and he looked over and said, “Well… we’ll just pick out another game.” And a smile came across my face at that moment then- and now.

•••

Matt Bolich is the advertising director at The Sentinel since 2007 and a life-long fan of the Phillies, Eagles and 76ers. He will always choose the Phillies’ powder blues over any other jersey design.