Victorino pulling them into Forman Mills
There's a line 500 strong waiting for a Shane Victorino autograph as the Phillies continue to move the meter at regional stores.
The line is 500 or 600 deep at Forman Mills on Grant Avenue in the Northeast, a manager there said a few minutes ago, as Shane Victorino is there for a couple of hours to autograph Phillies merchandise. Chris Achilefu, the manager at the store, said by phone that he has sold around 5,000 Victorino jerseys the past two days. Victonirno is scheduled to sign through 8 p.m.
That's only been part of the run on Phillies merchandise since the team clinched the NL pennant last Wednesday night, when the store stayed open overnight to begin selling the NL champion merchandise. Achilefu said that the championship hoodies have been a particularly good seller, especially now that the temperatures have trended down, and that accessories such as necklaces, etc.
Meanwhile, at the Modell's Sporting Goods store in South Philly, Victorino merchandise has been moving as fast as he does circling the bases. A manager at the store on Snyder Avenue said at some point they expect to receive the dueling T-shirts that reflect the Phillies and their World Series opponent. But fans seems perfectly happy, he noted, to be purchasing any number of items that have the World Series insignia, an image of the World Series trophy in addition to saying "NL champions." Anything with Victorino's name on it, he said, is leading the way.
That World Series merchandise specific to Phillies vs. the AL champ could be in stores as early as tomorrow afternoon or evening, but more likely by Tuesday, still a day before Game 1 on Wednesday night in the American League city.