New Season Begins For Phillies And Their Fans
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's Opening Day for the Phillies 2015 season, and fans at Citizens Bank Park are ready for the renewal and tradition that a new season brings.
The recent glory days may be in the rearview mirror, but fans say while the Phils may be one of the worst teams in baseball on paper, you've got to play the games on the field. Fan Steve Kobasa of Lansdale is hoping for a surprise, like the pennant-winning 1993 team.
"If they get off to a good start like they did years ago, and everyone jumped on the bandwagon," he says. "But it doesn't matter if they win or lose. It's just good to be here watching the Phillies play."
The Phillies are coming off a last-place finish with back-to-back 73-win seasons. Fans are painfully aware of that, but Steve isn't the only one staying positive.
"I'm trying to be optimistic, mostly because I like to come to games," says Alison Lamond. "It's nice and warm out. It means the winter is gone. So I'm trying to keep that optimism alive and I'm hoping it passes to them."
And for Alison's sister, Shannon, Opening Day signals a renewal.
"Baseball season is the most exciting time of year for me," she says. "It's the start of summer, it's coming to the ballpark, the smells and sounds, and it's just an experience. It's awesome."
The Phillies are coming of a spring training in which they put up the worst offensive slash line in all of baseball. But fans say the beauty of Opening Day is that those stats are out the window -- and now it's a clean slate, beginning with today's game against the Boston Red Sox.
