On July 14, 2002, yours truly was at a Phillies-Mets game at Shea Stadium with a summer group which was a program of New York Institute of Technology (this was the hierarchy: NYIT -> special sub-program of NYIT– I think thats the best way to put it), listening to the Yankees-Indians game on my walkman! BTW, that trip was mandatory for everybody in that program. (Phillies lost 4-2 and the Yankees lost 10-6. Not only that, but Mariano Rivera allowed 6 runs in the 9th inning too). I was not even wearing any Phillies apparel at the game either, because I had absolutely no interest in Philadelphia at that time. In fact, I was a Yankees fan way back then. If I had to go out somewhere while a game was going on, I would bring my “handy dandy” walkman with me to keep up with the game. But before you start to hate on me Yankee fans remember, we have one thing in common: we both don’t like the Mets! Now the cat is out the bag!
After that summer program, I stayed for the school year for 2002-2003. I still had no interest in Philadelphia until I became close with somebody who attended the same program as I did late in the spring 2003 semester. He happened to live in Haddonfield, NJ, which is not too far from Philly. At the end of the school year, we made plans to see each other down there for a weekend to catch a Phillies game and to hang around Philly. So on August 3, 2003, I saw the Padres-Phillies game with him at my only visit at Veterans Stadium. Too bad I did not have a camera on me to take pictures at my only visit to Veterans Stadium, but at least I still have my ticket stub. The Phillies lost 5-2 in 10 innings and then-Padres starter Oliver Perez struck out 13 Phils! Pat Burrell, the Phillies left fielder, hit a solo HR and Todd Pratt hit an RBI double to score the Phils only 2 runs. Being at that game was like trying a Philly cheesesteak from Genos and/or Pats for the first time and becoming addicted to it. At that point, the Phillies were my favorite NL team while the Yankees were my favorite AL team. (Obviously, I could not like the Yankees AND the Mets). BTW, for fall 2003, we would watch Eagle games together too.
In addition, not only were the Phillies like a Philly cheesesteak, but the Philadelphia metro area (not the city itself since there are not-so-good parts), I started liking the general city since 1. its an urban setting like New York, and 2. I feel like moving there eventually since its a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Big Apple which means I’ll still be close to my family and friends in New York, but I can still be far away to be considered “far”. That was how that Philadelphia metro area embraced me from that early August weekend.
Finally on February 16, 2004, there was a deal which I did not really liked and would change my fan allegiance for good. The Yankees traded Alfonso Soriano (who should have stayed, in my opinion) for A-Rod. I did not like it because #13 is one of the highest paid players, and of course one does not win championships with $$$ (see every season from 2001-2008, and especially 2008 when they failed to reach the playoffs!). I just thought it was the wrong move for the Yankees to make, so at that point I stopped following them. This is how I became a Phillie and Eagle fan.
