Stadium Switcheroo

So the G20 Summit is descending on Toronto in a few weeks and it’s the Phillies that may be the biggest beneficiaries of all. Thanks to all the Political Honchos who will descend on the Canadian city, the Interleague series scheduled to be played in the Skydome has been relocated to Citizens Bank Park. The Blue Jays will still serve as the home team and the designated hitter will still be in full effect, but there are still more issues that need to be worked out in order to make the Blue Jays feel right at home here in Philly.

First of all: no Phillie Phanatic. Sorry fans, he may be the best mascot in baseball but he doesn’t travel with the team. Therefore, he isn’t invited to this road series.

When the big screen tells us the rules of fan behavior in the stadium, it should come from Adam Lind and Aaron Hill and not Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez. But either way, “enjoy the game.”

If and when Ryan Howard hits a home run, the Liberty Bell must remain silent. No banging back and forth to try and excite the crowd. They are the road team after all.

The organist and PA announcer from Toronto should be on hand. Dan Baker and his well respected pipes will have to sit this one out. And when the stadium feels flat, it will be up to the Toronto organist to play some Canadian little ditty to pep the fans back up.

When the 7th inning stretch rolls around, fans should be instructed to “Root root root for the Blue Jays.”

For this one weekend, the fans of the Phils are granted the opportunity to make bad jokes about how good of a road team the Phillies are.

Blue Jays fans are allowed to harp on visiting Phillies fans and tell them to “go back home!”

A red Maple Leaf should be painted in the on-deck circle.

The soft pretzels should be shaped like T’s instead of P’s and sodas should be served in collectible cups with an image of Vernon Wells instead of Chase Utley.

So as you see, shifting from one stadium to another isn’t as easy as hoping on a plane. There are so many more things that are involved in Home Field Advantage. Obviously, none of these things will actually happen. And that’s just fine with this Phillies fan. Here to 3 extra home games!