The Philadelphia Phillies held their World Championship Victory Parade on Halloween. Halloween was quickly forgotten as millions of fans packed Broad Street to celebrate the Phillies World Championship. My experience was a blast, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
We arrived at the train station at about 8:30 AM. It was packed. We waited in line for tickets that Septa didn't even check for. Fans cheered as a train approached, but booed as it drove by since the trains were filled to capacity.
We finally boarded the train at around 9:30 AM. When we arrived to the station in Philadelphia, everybody chanted "Let's Go Phillies!" Anything and everything was cheered yesterday.
Broad Street was packed. We could barely move. When we went one direction, we had to turn around and go another. We finally settled near Walnut and Broad at around 10:45 AM. It was crowded, but not as bad as some places. Only a few people were in front of us, but we could still see the parade.
As we waited, the fans entertained themselves. Superwoman, a man in boxers, and the chicken man all ran earning a cheer. Beach balls were thrown from one level to a building to the next. Fans cheered as it reached the top level, but booed as it fell to the ground.
The parade started late. It wasn't until around 1:00 PM when the players on flat beds passed us. The trucks passed with all the players, their families, coaches, and Phillies employees aboard, but Pat Burrell had his own chariot pulled by horses.
Both the players and fans were ecstatic. Fists were pumped or one finger was put up. Cole Hamels encouraged "MVP" chants. Rally towels were waved. Confetti, or shredded paper acting as confetti fell from the sky. The Phillie Phanatic danced on his own platform. We waited longer than the parade lasted, but it was worth the wait.
After the parade, we went to the station and waited for the train. We waited about an hour, but we got home just in time to see the players speak at Citizen's Bank Park.
All the players thanked the fans and said they want to do it again next year. In words on Cole Hamels, "..again, again, and again." Jamie Moyer expressed how this parade topped the 1980 World Series he attended when he was 18. Utley threw out an explicative again on National TV that nobody expected.
The first parade in 25 years, and I can say, "I was there."
A New York Yankees beat writer claimed that two million people did NOT attend the Phillies World Series parade in 2008. He used some mathematical equation to determine how much space each person had to "prove" that there were only a few hundred thousand who attended.
