PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The beer taps were open and the suds flowed. The hot dogs sizzled, cheesesteaks were served and every other gluttonous goodie was ready to eat.
About the only shortage for Game 5 of the World Series were the innings.
Let’s play 3 1/2! No wonder fans were in a rush to stuff their bellies.
Two days after Philadelphia and Tampa Bay were suspended after 5 1/2 innings because of rain with the score 2-2, the cliffhanger resumed Wednesday. Game 5, Take II was no ordinary World Series night.
The national anthem was benched for the seventh-inning staple “God Bless America.” If those legs got uncomfortably cramped after only six outs, no worries. Fans wouldn’t have to wait long to stretch and belt out “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Parking and admission was free, well, as long fans held on to their stubs and receipts.
ramark, treated the final 3 1/2 innings at the shortened World Series night as business as usual.
Sure, the Phillies have champagne on ice ready to pop and pour should they celebrate a title.
And forget those peanuts and Cracker Jack. Buy me some cocoa and chicken soup!
As long as there’s a Game 5 of the World Series, the beer vendors will be pouring. Oh, and 16,000 hot dogs, 5,500 cheesesteaks and all the other ballpark food favorites were piping hot and available at full quantity.
The concession stands were fully stocked Wednesday and ready to serve the 45,000 fans expected at Game 5.
“We’re treating this as a regular game day,” said David Freireich, an Aramark spokesman.
The game time temperature was forecast to be about 40 degrees – with a wind chill about 10 degrees colder. So those famous Philly water ice stands were converted into hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup hot spots.
Aramark and the Phillies set up an “Autumn Grille” stand just for the World Series, serving fall classics like hand carved turkey sandwiches, apple turnovers and hot apple cider.
The freezing fans can use those hot chocolate cups as hand warmers. They still need to stay sharp for the foul balls.
re normally prepared for a regular-season game, and Phillies equipment manager Dan O’Rourke gave mud massages to 12 dozen baseballs for each World Series game.
Maybe Cole Hamels can’t come back to Game 5 on short rest, but the Phillies fans sure could – as long as they had their ticket stubs. Instead of sticking their stubs in a scrap book or souvenir lanyard, fans needed to protect them like a family heirloom if they wanted re-entry on Wednesday. Parking passes or receipts got them into parking lots. If they were lost, the cost was another $12.
Ushers said there was no early trouble at the gates or signs of counterfeit stubs.
Lifelong Phillies fan Dan Norman drove from Toronto and spent two extra nights in Philly because of the suspended game. Wearing a Phillies cap, jersey and blanket, he was ready to add the stub to his souvenir list.
“We were going to save it anyway, as long as it wasn’t too wet,” he said. “I’m holding on to this no matter what.”
Kids who are usually sent to bed not long after the first pitch, and their parents who might doze off in the easy chair while the game flickers on, might actually be able to watch the end of this game. No learning the results over breakfast or waking up startled in the middle of the night and surfing the Web for a score.
That appealed to Andy Klein, who returned two days later with his 11-year-old nephew.
“It’s supposed to be about family,” Klein said. “I think this is great. It’s ridiculous how late these games start. The ratings are down. This one should get over at a normal hour.”
That might be the only thing normal about wacky Game 5.
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