Phillies Opening Day Feature Story

By Christine Fisher
Temple University

PHILADELPHIA – Was the 4-1 score of a beanbag toss game played Sunday outside Citizens Bank Park a coincidence or a foreshadowing of what was to come a few hours later inside the stadium?

The beanbag toss games played between parking spaces, grills, and crowds of people proved to be a staple item in the Phillies tailgating festivities that drew fans Sunday afternoon. As the Phillies prepped for their first game of the season against the Atlanta Braves, hopeful fans prepped themselves for another successful season for the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

“We were here around 3:30, and the lot was already pretty full,” Greg Merrill of southern New Jersey said as he and three others the area took a break from barbecuing for a game of beanbag toss.

Merrill and his three friends played in teams of two taking turns tossing beanbags into the slanted boards seen dotting the parking lot. There were official Phillies beanbag toss boards, boards from TailGateToss.com, homemade Phillies boards and more.

One  of Merrill’s friends sunk all four of its beanbags through the beanbag toss board while the other team, chatting excitedly about the prospects of the season, only managed to get one bag through the board.

In this lighthearted tailgating game, the losing team was much less upset than they and other Phillies fans would be later Sunday evening when the Braves beat the Phillies with the same 4-1 score.

“We used to play beer pong,” TJ Emric of southern New Jersey said. “But beanbags don’t get blown in the wind like pingpong balls.”

These experienced tailgaters know that weather can be a factor in beanbag toss just as it can be in baseball.

Neither the many teams of tailgating beanbag toss players nor the Phillies were setback by the weather this Sunday. With sunshine, temperatures in the 60s, and only a light breeze, the forecast was ideal for baseball.

“There’s always hype for a game as big as this,” Brian Koenig, a fan of both beanbag toss and baseball, said. “Being champions and having such nice weather makes it even more exciting.”

Koenig and Merrill, who considered themselves experienced tailgaters, said that last season they learned other lessons about their tailgating games.

“Throwing beanbags is better than throwing metal rings or golf balls when you’ve been drinking,” Koenig joked.

Christine Fisher can be reached at fisher.christine@temple.edu.

To Burn or Not To Burn

Last summer my aunt and uncle were talking about a family friend who died several years ago. They recounted that the last time they saw her she had asked what she should do with her journals. Should she leave them for her family to find and deal with after she passed away? Or, should she burn them?

At the time she was a little passed middle age, but she was far from elderly. My aunt and uncle told her to burn her journals reasoning that if she were not around to explain herself, the journals might be taken the wrong way. A few months later, she wandered into the woods and died – presumably of natural causes. The fate of her journals is unknown.

As a “writer,” I often think about this story. What would I have recommended? What would What will I do? Many famous artists are not discovered until after their death. It is unlikely that anyone will discover gold in my journals, but maybe they will enjoy something I have written.

Now, as I start this blog, I am again reminded of this story. Should I keep my writing tucked away in the pages of my notebooks so that I can retain the power to destroy it all? Or, should I set it free, with little explanation, for family and strangers alike to interpret on their own accord?

To burn or not to burn?