A Fantastic Father’s Day Phillies Food Fest

Another Father’s Day has passed, and this was one of the best in recent memory for me and my dad. My father, Harold, will turn eighty-nine this year so every day, especially every Father’s Day is a blessing.

I was a kid once, and like many kids, I think my dad is the best dad ever. He did everything you would expect or want from a dad. He was always there for everything, taught me many things, and I can’t remember a day that we had any type of argument or major disagreement.

One of the things we have in common is our love for the Philadelphia Phillies. For Father’s Day this year, my wife had the wonderful idea to have a Phillies-themed watch party celebration for us. Kathleen loves to plan and entertain, and along with my parents and our kids, we had a great time watching the Phillies game and enjoying all kinds of ballpark eats.

Kathleen created many of the foods that are served at Citizen’s Bank Park where the Phillies play their home games. The Phils were away this Father’s Day, so we attended a home game on the big screen with the ballpark tasty fare in our luxury box seats aka family room sofa and chairs.

One of the menu items was 1883 Burger Company Burgers and Franks. They’re a vendor at the park that serves, among other things, burgers and hot dogs. We had “Harold Hamburgers,” and “Harriet Hot Dogs.” Yes, those are my parent’s names. They’ve married sixty-five years, but the burgers were fresher than that.

Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken is another favorite at Phillies games. A Father’s Day favorite, because “Harold has never met a chicken he didn’t like … to eat.” Kathleen’s creation, in my biased opinion, was better than the ballpark version. Just like Colbie’s, Kathleen’s chicken sandwiches were “also available with grilled chicken.”

The most amazing feat was Kathleen’s recreation of Chickie’s and Pete’s Crab Fries. They have been a Philly staple for close to fifty years, French fries with Old Bay seasoning and cheese dipping sauce.

We also enjoyed the “Greens and Grains Wedge Bar” with salad wedges and various vegetarian fare. The “Yard Bar” served alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (Seltzers, Iced Teas, Wine, and Beer). Thankfully, the beer was much cheaper than the $7.75 they charge at Citizens Bank Park.

And what baseball game would be complete without peanut and cracker jacks? These were featured at “Shibe Park Eatery.” Shibe Park is a throwback to where the Phillies used to play, and where my dad used to attend the games when he was a kid. It also had sunflower seeds and cotton candy.

Finally, we had “Old City Creamery” soft serve ice cream in the miniature baseball batting helmet bowls as they serve at the park. We even had the choice of rainbow or chocolate sprinkles aka jimmies.

However you spent the day, I hope your 2024 Father’s Day was the best ever!

We've officially made it to Major League Baseball's opening day. And we've got four bold predictions for the 2024 MLB season.

Last year felt like a nice setup for this season to really hit one out of the park, so to speak. 2023 saw the new MLB rules take hold. This was notable with the pitch clock and the attempt to speed up the game. The looming question of what's next for Shohei Ohtani was lingering all year. Obviously the uncommon pitcher/hitter superstar chose to stay in southern California, but headed to move over to the Dodgers.

A consistent, no-frills style of baseball led the Texas Rangers to defeat a young and scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Both have similar rosters this year, but will either team be as good?

We are already off to a unique start with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers splitting the Seoul Series in Korea. We are certainly teed up for an exciting seven months of baseball.

Some factors came close to finding their way into my four bold predictions, but were not strong enough to grab a spot in the lineup. However, they do remain open questions for baseball fans to look out for as the season unfolds.

In New York, will the Yankees adding the fierce bat of Juan Soto to the team bounce them back from a disappointing season? Soto may have to make up for the lack of depth at pitching now the Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole is starting the season injured.

In Atlanta, the Braves are so talented across the board, it's hard to pick against them in all of the National League. However, I do expect some epic NL East clashes throughout the year between division rivals, the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

We shall see about all of the above. In the meantime, let's hit some 2024 MLB bold predictions to get the ball rolling.

It may be a news subject that fades away, but Shohei Ohtani's name being involved in a potential gambling scandal is not a great way to kick off the season. This general topic is one that all pro sports are taking very seriously and could hang over the organization's head for much of the season. The Dodgers are certainly loaded with stars, but as the Yankees have proven in years past, a monster payroll does not guarantee wins. In fact, too many superstars in one clubhouse can be detrimental to team unity.

MLB has been faced with the challenge of making the games more exciting and engaging. There's only so much you can do to change the rules of the sport without stepping on the integrity of the game. The adjustments to speed things up certainly helped. So did the arrival of flashy alternate uniforms. Nine new teams will have a creative new jersey thrown into their mix. They will be unveiled soon. However, rocking a special edition jersey that is a nod to your home city should make this gear a top-seller in the shops. We've already seen teams like the Diamondbacks add accents of teal and fluorescents into their color schemes. This City Connect theme has been a very successful model in the NBA.

Speaking of uniforms, the Padres adding a sand tone to their away threads is an all-time classic look. The beach and baseball are synonymous. That has nothing to do with why SD will finish ahead of the bigger names like the Dodgers or San Francisco Giants. Fernando Tatis Jr is fully back, and the cornerstone to a team that is full of both speed and strength. The Padres did a great job of giving fans an inside glimpse of their spring training this year, and it certainly appeared as if the club was already having a blast. Their team unity and chemistry will carry them far.

Seattle, and the great state of Washington was so close to starting the year off with a championship parade thanks to the Huskies making the college football finals. They may end the year with one instead, and it will be well worth the wait. Julio Rodríguez is one of the most well-rounded players in the game. He's also just 23 years old. The X factor for the M's, though, will be how solid their pitching is, with the bulk of the rotation remaining healthy all year. The lineup then institutes small-ball baseball beautifully throughout the year, where the team seems to always know how to close out the close games. Ultimately, I'm taking the Mariners over the Braves in the 2024 World Series, which I can foresee being one of the most thrilling finals we've seen in a long time.