It had been easy for Phillies fans to take baseball and its lengthy, 162-game season for granted; but, now, we need it more than ever.
Of all the professional sports, baseball was the easiest to take things for granted.
Its usual 162-game schedule allows for more than 80 Phillies home games to be played at Citizens Bank Park each season.
Scattered throughout are popular annual events, such as the Phillies Phestival benefiting Lou Gehrig‘s Disease, Alumni Weekend and the Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony, or even Dollar Dog Nights.
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Baseball’s lengthy season, and arguably lengthy individual games, allow for ample time to connect with not only the players and coaches on the field, but also with ones you care about the most while you enjoy the action in the stands.
This is the city of #BrotherlyLove. pic.twitter.com/i3mpfJB9ij
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 22, 2020
The smell of Bull’s BBQ. The sights of Phillies red streaming down Ashburn Alley. The sound of the bats cracking and 100 miles per hour baseballs going into catchers’ gloves. All of that has been taking away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as time continues to pass, it is becoming less and less likely we will get to experience any of this for a 2020 season.
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So, when baseball finally gets to return to Citizens Bank Park, we should pause, think, and cherish the memories the venue and game itself has provided to us over the years.
When the Phillies do return, a World Series-winning manager in Joe Girardi will be at the helm of the team for the first time since Charlie Manuel. The Phillies will still have Bryce Harper for the prime years of his career, and not to mention several other All-Star caliber players. In 2026, Citizens Bank Park will host its first-ever All-Star Game.
There’s still plenty to look forward to. And, when the future becomes the present, we owe it to fellow fans, we owe it to the team, and we owe it to baseball, to never take it for granted ever again.