When the Phillies were only down 4-1, in the fourth, he wasn't quite so upset. In fact, the Manayunk resident was even philosophical.
"I'm hoping for a comeback," he said. "If not - it's been a great ride. And, thanks for last year."
Like so many fans in the bar, he was frustrated that these powerhouse Phillies were not their powerhouse selves.
"They're not playing like they should be playing," he said, "like they played all year."
But no sooner did the bar begin to feel desperate, then Ryan Howard, finally, awoke and hit an opposite-field home run. Kildare's erupted in cheers, and for a moment there was life inside the bar. A score of 7-3 was a lot easier to accept than 7-1.
St. Joseph's roommates Alexarae Wojnar, Danielle DeBernardo, and Jenna Martino, all 21, began high-fiving and cheering along with the rest of the bar.
"We believe," Wojnar said, "that's be-LEE-ieve."
"We're a comeback team," DeBernardo said.
"See, here we come," Martino said.
"I'm from New York. I'm a Yankee fan," said Kaitlin LaBarbera, a fourth roommate.
They like her enough to have brought her along, anyway.
Fans in the bar were looking for any reason to cheer, and boo. When it appeared a fan in left field interfered with an attempt by Phillies leftfielder Ben Francisco to reach over the fence and catch a foul ball, the bar erupted in boos.
As the Phillies' chances began slipping away with each passing inning, the bar patrons increasingly became more glum. But this crowd was also young, and when you're in your early 20s, life can only get so morose.
Most of these fans would have no problem waking up tomorrow and continuing on with their lives. And the good news: less than five months until opening day!
When Chase Utley was called out on a check-swing third strike to end the top of the seventh, a collective groan rolled through the bar, followed by anger at the New York-loving umpire.
