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Ready for Game 1
As the Phillies prepare for the Wednesday night World Series opener by getting used to the artificial turf and the catwalks of Tropicana Field, Fightins faithful were arriving in Tampa, trying to get into the first contest any way they could.
Eager baseball fans -- with and without World Series tickets -- were streaming to central Florida as the Phillies prepared for game one of the World Series against Tampa Bay. Others were headed to Philadelphia, the site of games three, four, and five.
St. Petersburg, Fla: -The Phillies held a second day of workouts on the artificial turf.
Dallas Green, the only Phillies manager to win a world championship, watched the Phils work out the day before the World Series, and he liked what he saw:
"I thought we had a game plan that was going to get us to the next level. And these kids have stepped up and played very, very well all year. I like their resiliency and the way they go about playing the game. They like being around each other and playing winning baseball. I thought we had a shot at it."
As the Phillies got used to the artificial turf and the catwalks of Tropicana Field, their fans were arriving to try to get into game one any way they could.
Phillies president David Montgomery expects to see a good number of red hats and shirts in the stands:
"I think we'll have some support here. Partly because -- thanks to us being in Clearwater for so many years -- I think there's some transplanted Philadelphians down here. And we've been fortunate enough to have our employee group coming down, so I know we at least have 250 people or so cheering for us."
Another guy who will be cheering is Brian Freeland of Riverton -- if he can get in:
"It's World Series time. What, 15 years now, since we've seen the World Series now? So we're hungry."
And Brian is hungry for tickets, if anyone is selling.
It seemed that everyone had a story to tell as they checked their bags at Philadelphia International Airport, enroute to St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tony DiAngelus of Broomall, Pa. says he and his brother were born and raised in Havertown:
"He moved to Tampa 14 years ago. They were the worst team in baseball. Up until this year, he didn't even know the names of any players on the team. Now, he's jumped right on the bandwagon."
As soon as Tampa went up three games to one in the series with the Red Sox, Tony says he got the phone call:
"He says, 'Yo! The fishing's great, the golf's great.' My son and I are going down there, golfing and watching baseball. It's a tough paper route."
City hospitality leaders are ecstatic about the coverage Philadelphia will get when the World Series shifts back here for game three. Larry Needle of the Philadelphia Sports Congress says it's far more than mere national exposure:
“Not only will we have probably between 15 and 20 million viewers across the country, but the games will be broadcast in more than 200 countries around the world. So it's really a super marketing opportunity for Philadelphia.”
Then there’s the cold, hard cash coming in. Needle estimates the World Series will bring in an extra 7,000 visitors to the city, filling up hotels and restaurants in the process.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general was warning Phillies fans to be careful when buying World Series tickets or travel packages.
When purchasing tickets, attorney general spokesman Nils Frederiksen says, buy from a reputable seller, preferably one authorized by Major League Baseball. And take steps to verify that your tickets correspond to actual sections, rows, and seats in the ballpark:
"We also caution consumers to be very wary of transactions involving cash or wire transfers for ticket purchases -- [it’s] always better to use a credit card because you can dispute the payment through your credit card company if it turns out that the ticket’s not honored at the gate."
When it comes to buying travel packages, pay attention to what is explicitly offered and not offered; do not assume that tickets to the game are included. And even if they are, ask the agent if the tickets are in hand.For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/
