At least some lucky ones in the bleachers.
Well, so what? We're not going to fall into that trap of negativity that we're so often accused of falling into, are we? Not this early, with so much baseball, so much fanfare left.
Right?
So four hits and a 4-1 loss to the Braves was not the electric night everyone anticipated. So the pregame ceremony - which, like the Phillies, looked so good on paper - ended in a sort of disorganized scrum. About 150 fans, chosen randomly from the stands, entered the outfield grass from Section 141 and formed a long receiving line. One by one, beginning with Jamie Moyer and ending with Jimmy Rollins, Phillies players high-fived their way through the stands, down a makeshift stairwell and through the on-field tunnel of humanity.
All that went great. But then Charlie had a little trouble with the flag, and by the time he started down the stands, the fans were leaving the field. "And they pulled the ladder on me," said the manager. Halfway down Section 141, Charlie and a dark-suited Phillies employee retreated back up, leaving the golf-cart driver who was supposed to return Manuel to the dugout to practice K-turns instead.
Well, that's what it looked like anyway.
But think of the positives: At least the parachutist didn't land on your car.
He didn't, right?
Anyway, remember the new vibe? Remember the leeway you promised, some of you for an entire season? You promised patience. You promised understanding. You promised nothing but love for a team that brought you to tears last October, a team that inspired an entire generation of boys named Chase, Cole, Ryan, Brad and Jimmy.
