My Sports Tees And Miscellaneous Caps, Part 6

Surprise! NOT about movies! NOT about disco! NOT even about cancer! It's more shirts and caps, in photos mostly taken months ago!

Let's start with the Phils, since they're in season -- and doing surprisingly well! Most of these I got from the clearance racks. First one is actually not a t-shirt.

Some from the recent glory days...

Two from 2008 -- one official, one not...

Some Philly Baseball Photos

Once again I bring you images from my camera. These pictures, taken on various occasions between April and August, have a baseball theme: my first visit to Citizens Bank Park this year (and my first look up close at the new Harry Kalas statue that was dedicated last year), games on back-to-back nights in June (one being a fireworks night), plus my trip to the sites in North Philadelphia where two previous Phillies homes once sat. I also visited the Negro Leagues Memorial (which would mean I saw the locations of three old ballparks). A sample of the pics are below. The full album is here.

More Gay Media Fail, More Flyers Annoyance

Okay, I don't want to keep picking on writers for gay media outlets when they delve into the world of sports. (Of course, I'm talking about the mainstream outlets and not sites like Outsports or Wide Rights.) Whether it's just that this particular writer isn't that familiar with sports, or is trying to dumb down the article to try and appeal to an audience that isn't sports-friendly or sports-knowledgable, I don't know. But this article from the Philadelphia Gay News about Flyers' scout Patrick Burke, brother of Brendan Burke, regarding Patrick's advocacy on behalf of LGBT issues, has a flaw. The beginning of the article refers to Patrick Burke as "a recruiter for the Philadelphia Flyers," as does the headline. Ummmm, no. He's a scout, not a recruiter. Colleges recruit athletes. Professional teams don't.

(Well, I suppose the process of signing high-priced free agents is a form of recruitment, but that is handled by front-office personnel much higher up the food chain.)

Meanwhile, the article mentions the Wayne Simmonds incident...

Flyers player Wayne Simmonds was criticized for allegedly using a slur during a game that was caught on camera, although, because there was no sound on the video, he did not face a fine or other repercussions, as some other professional sports players have.

Burke noted that he has never spoken with Simmonds — or most other Flyers players, as he is based in Boston and his role as a scout keeps him on the road most of the season.

He said he could not comment on the specific incident because of legalities but did say that the NHL’s follow-up is an important, yet often overlooked, addition to the story.

“The NHL released a statement in the aftermath where they announced that going forward the league would treat gay slurs in the same way they do racist comments. They took a firm stance that gay slurs are not acceptable,” Burke said. “That got lost in everything else that was going on, but I think it was a very important statement and one that other leagues are now starting to follow up with. But I think the NHL is well ahead of some other leagues in encouraging diversity and a safe atmosphere for gay athletes.”

I don't think the league's follow-up has been overlooked. I think the entire story has been overlooked.

Three Annoying People

Some comments on three people who are in the news today, at least locally, and for wildly different reasons. This is like that Keith Olbermann "Worst Person in the World" segment, back in the days when he was on television.

Annoying: Phillies pitcher Ryan Madson's wife Sarah doesn't like fans...

“I hate the fans. It is bad enough that they bother us during the season, but they will not leave us alone in December when we go out to eat. We stayed here during the off season last year, but we will be going to California this year. There must be something particularly bad about Phillies fans because all the players leave in the off season.”

I really don't want to unload on her much, especially since the comments came during an event she and her husband cohosted to raise funds for MANNA. And I don't like the idea of fans interrupting famous people at dinner. Wait until before or after, but not while they're eating. But it's her husband's success that helped the Phils ascend to the top, which raised fan interest even more, which led to all of those sold-out games at Citizens Bank Park, which gave the Phillies the revenue to pay Ryan Madson $12 million in a three-year deal that ends this season. (And whether players live here in the offseason means nothing, by the way.)

Annoying-er: Kobe Bryant called a referee a "fucking faggot" during the game last night.

Friday At The Phillies: Life Is (Sort Of) Tweet

There I was, sitting on one of those metal benches, with a crappy view of the game and annoying people around me, and I had no way to complain to you all!

Despite a bout of insomnia Thursday night, with only about a 3-hour nap Friday morning, I got myself to Citizens Bank Park for Friday's Phillies game vs. Milwaukee. As part of the Social Media promotion I previously mentioned, I got my special t-shirt (see photo at left). I got my $10 food/merchandise credit that paid for my jumbo hot dog and large diet soda -- well, not quite since it actually cost $10.25 -- and made my way to the Rooftop Bleachers.

The view from there is not really good. I think it's the worst place of all to see a game at CBP (see photo at right). Sitting above and behind Ashburn Alley, beyond the outfield fences, not only can you not see the area of the outfield closest to the fences, but the brick wall batters' eye in center field (one edge of it is in the bottom right corner of the photo) blocks even more of the view. And where I was, there's a light pole obstructing a bit of the view as well. Plus there are metal benches instead of individual seats.

All of this I knew already, even having never sat there before. Just walking by the area it was pretty obvious that it's not a prime location. The Phils first tried to market the Rooftop Bleachers just to groups, but now they sell individual game tickets and run special promotions (the Social Media one, singles nights, etc.) as well. Sitting there just confirmed what I already knew.

I figured that, being Social Media night, I'd be sending regular updates on Twitter, including the photos you see on this page. I thought I'd do score updates, mention the annoying people sitting around me saying and doing dumb things, and generally having fun. I figured wrong.