Phandemic Krew Helping Citizens Bank Park Feel Like Home For Phillies Fans Amid Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The baseball season has been anything but normal this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. But something hasn't changed -- the enthusiasm and participation of Phillies fans.
Going to a Phillies game in 2020 isn't like it used to be.
"If you climb on top of this ladder here, you can actually see straight down and you can see the balls and strikes," Phandemic Krew founder Brett MacMinn said.
If you stand and squint, you can make out some signs of Major League Baseball.
The Phandemic Krew has patrolled the center field gate all season since the news of no fans came from MLB. MacMinn says he saw an opportunity 500 feet from home plate.
And it continues to grow.
"We do have a pretty good core of people out here if not every game, most games," MacMinn said.
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Oh, and it's a party on ladders.
They say the police only come over to ask for the score, not to come down.
"I absolutely love it," Phandemic Krew member Brittany Petersen said. "Everyone here is so friendly and nice, and I just absolutely love it It's a lot of fun for everything that's going on."
You'll find elements of the real thing too.
"I enjoy keeping score," Jordan Fredette, of Northeast Philadelphia, said. "I just kind of like to keep the tallies of all the different like who they're hitting it to, what side of the field it's going to, kind of look at it afterward, who got the weak hits, who got the lineouts."
But it's all Philly passion as they peer and cheer through closed gates.
"We have no problems standing here. It even rained here earlier, we had no problem. We just love supporting our favorite team," Petersen said.
Oscar Alvarado didn't hesitate to break out the broom after the Phillies swept the New York Mets this weekend. He posted a video on Facebook sweeping the street near Citizens Bank Park as buses drove by possibly transporting the Mets.
"SWEEPING The Mets Right Out of South Philly #MetsSuck #PhiladelphiaPhillies #Phillies #HitTheRoadJack #TollMoney #CitizensBankPark #PhandemicKrew," the Facebook post read.
