Riva Litman, 23, who had orchestrated the purchase with help from her mother, was anguished as she shared her story leading into last night's make-or-break Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.
"What I'm most upset about is not necessarily the money," said Litman, a communications specialist in Washington and the oldest of four siblings. "It's just that my dad was so excited about this. It's the one thing in so long that really got him excited about something. He was just so disappointed in the end."
It all began when Robert Litman, a native of the city's Wynnefield section, realized the Phillies and the Yankees would face off in the World Series. He hadn't lived in Philly for decades, but childhood memories came rushing back. He shared them with Riva.
One of seven boys growing up in West Philadelphia, he was 16 when the Phillies were considered a lock for the Big Show in 1964, leading the Cincinnati Reds atop the National League by 61/2 games with just 12 games left.
The Yankees were on their way to the American League pennant, and Phils-Yanks World Series tickets were printed. Litman, one of his brothers, and his dad had gotten tickets for every single game planned for Connie Mack and Yankee Stadiums.
Then came the great collapse. The Phillies lost 10 straight. The St. Louis Cardinals won the pennant. Litman threw away his tickets, went to college in Connecticut, became a physician, and made a home far away from Philadelphia.
"I explained it to her," he said. "I said my heart was broken at that time."
As with any great love affair, though, he would keep the Phillies in his heart.
