PHILLIES THANKSGIVING 2016: THE PHILLIE PHANATIC
The team wins and the team loses. Since I began following the Philadelphia Phillies for the 1971 season there have been 21 winning campaigns, 23 losing seasons, and two .500 years.
But ever since he debuted for the 1978 season, whether the team won or lost that year, one thing has always been constant. The Phillie Phanatic has delivered high quality entertainment – every single time, without fail.
There has never once been a game among the hundreds that I have attended since he first took the field that I have been let down by the antics of the greatest mascot in sports history.
Each year the club has celebrated his birthday. I remember attending the very first one. He was a hit almost from the moment he first strode on to the Astroturf at Veteran’s Stadium. Generations of kids and adults have come to love him ever since.
FUN WITH THE PHANATIC
Smashing an opposition team helmet in front of their dugout. Shooting hotdogs into the stands using a pneumatic gun attached to the ATV he rides around the ballpark. Dancing on the Phillies dugout roof with young fans. Using a position on that same dugout roof to put a hex on the opposing pitcher. Buffing bald heads in the crowd.
There have been literally thousands of these and other routines and impromptu moments on the field and in the stands, too numerous to count. The Phanatic involves players, coaches, umpires, celebrities, and just plain old fans.
No one is immune from his pratfalls and often witty performances. You may have caught the Phanatic’s act a time or two on TV. But there is nothing like following his act in person.
Take in a Phillies game some time at Citizens Bank Park. You will really get a flavor of what he adds to the ballpark experience. The Phillie Phanatic is quite simply a Philadelphia treasure.