Last week: play ball.

Last week I went to a Phillies game, and also to a Yankees game. Here are a few notes.

- Citizen's Bank Park is a lot cleaner than Yankee Stadium. Parking is cheap and abundant. The food is reasonable (read, 2x street prices, as compared to 5x street prices in the Bronx). All the chairs have really nice cup holders. 40 bucks will get you awesome seats, between the dugout and first base putting you within Chase Utley's direct line of sight and hearing range. But, it also seems fake and sterile compared to the grunge of Yankee Stadium. History is dirty.

- It was a lot more relaxing watching the Phillies play, because I didn't care about the team. Loss or victory, it didn't matter, nothing was at stake, so I could enjoy the game without worry or stress. It was a lot more fun watching the Yankees play, because I cared.

- Phillies fans are mean. I heard a little girl in the front row behind first base yell "I hope you get traded" to Ryan Howard. Their cynicism reminds me of Shea circa 2002.

- I am used to the fascist Yankee Stadium security where they make you strip to your underwear and drink your soda to prove that it's not a bomb before they let you in. So the relaxed "go right ahead honey" attitude of the gate keepers in Philly was a little bit unnerving, especially since I was carrying a huge bag full of Nalgene bottles.

- Jon Lieber was starting for the Phillies. He sucked, and I rejoiced as the crowd booed him. This gave me the long sought-after opportunity to yell "You Suck Jon Lieber" at the top of my lungs, and having all the people around me join in made it all the sweeter.

- In Philly, we saw a guy in the stands wearing a Yankees cap. I said, "hey look at that guy wearing a Yankees cap," to which Dan replied "that's actually Carl Pavano, I hear he has a lot of free time these days."