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Outside the park, fans tailgate and hope
If Phillies fans carried any optimism from last night's win into the bright sunshine of this afternoon, they didn't let it change their collective prognosis.
Coming off the 3-2 win in game 1, the tailgaters' consensus for the National League Championship Series remains a Phillies win, albeit in six games -- the same prediction separately given by more than a dozen parking lot Phanatics last night.
"It's a Philadelphia team, and you know Philadelphia teams," said Ward Thomas, a police officer from Lansdale. "We were here last week for the Eagles and the Redskins, and you saw how that turned out. If something can go wrong, it always goes wrong with a Philadelphia team."
Thomas didn't just wear his pessimistic Philly partisanship on his sleeve this afternoon. He has it sprayed on his head as well, courtesy of the red-and-white cans of hair color sprayed on by his son Mitchell.
"What you will do for your kids, right?" Ward Thomas said, laughing.
If tailgaters are hesitant to offer optimism -- the word "sweep" remains scarce this afternoon -- last night's three-run sixth-inning outburst was embraced as an encouraging sign, at least.
"We know we're able to get into their heads with some crowd noise," said Keith Kearney, a physician from Upper Darby, as he grilled cheesesteaks for his crowd.
Despite holding tickets for a possible game seven, he too sees a six-game Phillies series victory.
So did Pete Fazio, who doesn't have any tickets, even to this afternoon's game. He showed up to tailgate anyway.
Fazio, a snack-foods sales manager from Jeffersonville, set up a "Need 1 tix" sign, established his price ceiling at $150, then settled himself into a lawn chair to watch a scene of grillers and beanbag-tossers spring up around him and reminisce about bribing a guard to get into the 1993 World Series.
"I don't think that'll work this time," Fazio said. "Too many cameras."
Outside the grill-clogged parking lot, Citizens Bank Way, stirred to life as a street fair. Booths hawked junk food, souvenirs and games, rock music blared and chants of "Beat L.A." filled any quiet space.
If you listened close enough, you might have even heard Alex Garcia joining in, much to his father's chagrin. Pete Garcia, the father and an attorney living in Carlisle, was clad in an LA shirt and Dodgers cap and looked on with dismay as his son proclaimed fandom for Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley.
"In spring training, they were nice to me and signed autographs," said the younger Garcia.
Sometimes, that's all it takes.
Contact staff writer Derrick Nunnally at 610-313-8212 or dnunnally@phillynews.com.
