Veterans Stadium - Philadelphia Phillies

Veterans Stadium Day Game - 1996

Corporate Spy - 1996

Massive Upper Deck - 1996

Old Ticket Window - 2003

12 Games Left - 2003

     
     Though I am a Mets fan from New Jersey, I used to make regular runs to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia in the 1990's and early 2000's because it was always easy to obtain reasonably priced field level tickets for Phillies games. That was something impossible to do at my home park in New York, and I often made the 100 mile trip down the Jersey Turnpike to see me some National League stars up close. Veterans Stadium was as massive a concrete baseball stadium as was ever built, and it had an artificial turf with those infield cutouts that were an abomination, but I was sorry to see the place torn down and replaced in 2004. I had loads of fun at the Vet. 
     My first night at the old ballpark was way back in 1976, on a college bus trip from my South Jersey campus. Once there, a friend and I endured all kinds of jeers and catcalls as we walked the entire concourse with a banner that read “Stockton State College Loves the Mets!” Our only cheers came from the traveling Stockton Brigade, when we returned to our seats in the right field corner. I remember a more recent night when we fans in the first few rows of seats behind the screen noticed that the home plate umpire had somehow split his pants. The stoic umpire ignored most of the smart ass remarks, continuing to call balls and strikes as if all was well - until one of the fans called out the correct brand of underwear. The embarrassed ump took a step back and turned his head towards us, pulling up his mask to give us a quick smile that said “You got me that time!” (He was able to steal away and change pants between innings.) There was a remarkable night in 1997 when I watched Bobby Jones of the Mets outpitch Curt Schilling of the Phillies, when Mr. Schilling was in his prime. There was temporary joy in Metsville. Then I saw in the papers the next day that Schilling had not slept at all the night before - his wife had given birth to their first child. (Whatever happened to Bobby Jones?) I remember a twi-night doubleheader at the Vet when Butch Huskey of the Mets hit a home run into the upper atmosphere. The ball somehow missed all the satellites orbiting the earth, and when it finally came down, it landed in the Vet’s 600 level in left field, at a spot that was higher than the seat marked in right field commemorating Willie Stargell’s famous home run in 1971. Nobody but me gave the blast a second thought, however, because it was hit by a relatively unknown Met. I remember walking around the Vet's outfield on camera day, marveling at just how ungainly the artificial turf really was. My brothers then posed for pictures next to the big 408 on the center field wall. It was at the Vet where I saw the beginnings of the home run circus of 1998, at a game in early April, when Mark McGuire came out for batting practice followed by three camera crews.
     There was another night one April when I was so numbed from the cold that I couldn’t walk in a straight line after the game. There was a day game in July when I was so hot and sweaty that I poured an entire Rita’s Water Ice over my head. (I think it was cherry.) I attended “Howl at the Moon Night” in honor of pitcher Randy Wolf. (I did howl, but I did not wear the giveaway wolf mask.) One midsummer night at the Vet some years ago, during BP, I glanced up at the broadcast booth and saw Ralph Kiner. I waved to him and held up my camera, and he posed for me with a “thumbs up.” Thanks Ralph. Fortunately, that was not the night that I spilled Hi-C Fruit Punch all over the front of my white T-shirt. Of course, that spill occurred minutes after arriving at the park, which meant that I had to walk around for nearly four hours with an embarrassing bright red stain.
      Dinner was always cheese steak and fries. The Vet had the best French fries I have ever tasted. The best place to order food at the Vet was that part of the concourse where the air was the foulest from sizzling fries!