"There's a lot of red here," said Craig Tabackian, a Richboro native who moved to Florida a dozen years ago. He was lingering in the stadium's cigar bar, the only one in the major leagues, and extolling the different nature of watching sports here.
"In Philly, you're born into the sports atmosphere, and it never leaves you," Tabackian said. "Here, they set it up almost like a party. In Philly, it's business. You go to watch the game."
Traveling and transplanted Philly fans each turned up in quantity last night to savor the rare World Series appearance, hoping - but rarely daring to speak the wish - that it would help break the city's 25-year championships drought.
Jeff Gressel, of Thornton, wore a Pete Rose throwback jersey for the occasion and, while visiting the stadium's tank of swimming ray fish, was tossed a scuffed baseball by Jamie Moyer.
"It's called right place, right time," Gressel said.
Yo, Philly, feeling lucky? Perhaps.
Fightin's diehard Eileen Rouse, of Melbourne, Fla., went from squirming with every Brad Lidge strike to gazing at the field, rapt with joy, after Pedro Feliz snagged Carl Crawford's foul fly to preserve the 3-2 win.
"Anything is possible," she declared. "We just beat them in their home park, for cryin' out loud."
Before the game started, just in case this is once-in-a lifetime stuff, South Jersey transplant Walt Kressler backed out of plans to come to Tropicana Field with his adult friends, and brought his two sons instead.
Phillies history has taught him the hard way to treasure any postseason moment.
"I still remember that my parents went to World Series Game 6 in 1980," said Kressler, now of Melbourne, "and I was at home."
He pulled on a baseball glove and started playing catch with sons, Ryan, 11, and Drew, 9.
"I said, 'I can't do that to them,' " said Kressler.
