Phillies having a tough year
By Rob Maaddi
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA- The
Philadelphia Phillies are playing
their worst when it matters most.
Careless baserunning, sloppy
fielding, inconsistent pitching,
untimely hitting and poor
managing decisions have cost
the Phillies during their five-game
losing streak, in which they went
from leading the NL wild-card
Billy Wagner takes one for the team Friday after a tough loss
to the Astros. Although he played a good game the boos and
shouts of disapointment from the crowd fell on his shoulders
By Kathryn Herr
Editor in Chief
kah92B@psu.edu
On game day, State College
becomes a sea of navy blue and
white. Students walking in all
directions make their way toward
the stadium. Girls with blue and
white painted fingernails and
ribbons in their hair move in
tandem with guys wearing khaki
shorts and letters painted on
their chests.
From Erie to Delaware Valley,
students from all campuses
come together in Beaver Stadium
to cheer on their team. Although
students from other campuses
are far from the usual campus
atmosphere at University Park,
they posses a strong sense of
Penn State pride in their hearts.
Bonded together in the infamous
Penn State student section, they
make for a wild cheering section
for the players.
With painted t-shirts, faces,
chests and hair, students find
many ways to show their Penn
State pride. Someone from
another college, smuggled into
the student section is easy to
spot. Wearing anything but a
Penn State shirt to the game is
taboo.
The smell of sweaty fans and
face paint is one that is familiar
to regular student fans. Students
stand crammed in line, shoulder
to shoulder on the bleacher
seats, arms raised above their
heads in celebration. On a hot
day, one can really work up a
sweat screaming, shouting and
jumping around.
When the lion jumps into the
stands, the students instinctively
lift the lion above their heads
and pass him back through the
crowd. This tradition is called the
"Pass the Lion" and it has been
carried through the years in the
student section.
As the camera pans or photos
of the crowd the huge blue and
white square with the letter S can
be seen. Another student section
tradition is the "S Zone." When a
student is given a blue or white
standings by a half-game to
trailing Houston by 2 1 /2 games.
The Astros completed a three
game sweep over the Phillies on
Wednesday night when Craig
Biggio hit a three-run homer off
All-Star closer Billy Wagner with
two outs in the ninth inning.
It was a gut-wrenching loss
that left the Phillies searching
for answers and wondering if
they can get back in the playoff
chase.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
t-shirt, they know they've sat in
the "S Zone." Those sitting or
standing on blue tape on the
bleachers are given a blue shirt
and white shirts go to those
around them. The 'S' stands for
State.
Even before the game begins,
students conjugate around the
stadium for some pre-game
tailgating.
Beginning as early as 7 a.m.,
elaborate tailgating camps are
set up in parking lots and fields
around the stadium. The Penn
State football experience starts
here for most. Tables of snacks,
macaroni salad, hamburger buns
and condiments stick out from
the bumpers of SUV's forming
the boundaries of each camp.
Energized fans of all ages,
dressed in Penn State sweatshirts
and jeans cluster together in
folding chairs. The smell of
grilled burgers
and hot dogs
wafts through
the camps as
young fans toss
a football back
and forth. Some
students take
this time to meet
up with their
infrequently
seen parents
and family
members, also
attending the
game. Tailgating
is as much a
part of Penn
State football as
the game or the
lion
There was
a time when
a touchdown
sent students
either throwing
anything at hand
or ducking for
cover. Students
are not allowed
to throw any
objects during
the game, as
that tradition
has caused
After the Phillies scored three
runs in the eighth to take a one
run lead, Wagner came in trying
to earn his first save against
his former teammates and end
Philadelphia's 11-game losing
streak to Houston.
The hard-throwing left-hander
retired the first two batters before
Jose Vizcaino reached safely
when third baseman David Bell
booted a grounder for his 19th
error. Speedy Willy Taveras beat
out an infield single to shortstop,
and Biggio followed with a shot
into the left-field seats in his first
at-bat against Wagner.
Boos rained down from the
skeptical fans who weren't sold
on the Phillies being a legitimate
playoff contender and didn't fill
two-year-old Citizens Bank Park
for any of the three games against
the Astros, even though the team
came into the series leading the
serious injury in the past. Bottles
of water are now distributed sans
hard plastic caps to eliminate the
danger of flying bottles.
While the student section no
longer requires a helmet for
survival, the fans are as rowdy
as ever. The sound of sneakers
making contact with metal
bleachers almost overpowers the
constant chatter. However, when
the team scores a touchdown,
the crowd yells in unison and
whether you know the student
beside you or not you give him a
hug because you both know you
are sharing that age-old Penn
State pride.
p r o,
t
...
J J Kowal gives the number one sign to the camera sporting his
masterpiece art work on his chest. The great Joe Paterno is a sub
ject of celebration JoePa and PSU football are one in the same
Hard hat not required
Sports
wild-card standings.
"We have to come out Friday and
go at it harder," manager Charlie
Manuel said. "We're not out of
this. They know what's at stake. If
they don't, we're in trouble."
The atmosphere inside the
Phillies' clubhouse after the. loss
seemed like a funeral parlor.
More than 30 minutes after the
game, only Wagner and Bell were
around to answer questions.
It might be difficult for the
Phillies to recover from such a
heartbreaking loss, especially
considering the Florida Marlins
are coming in for a three-game
series starting Friday night and
the NL East-leading Atlanta
Braves follow for a four-game
set.
"If we dwell on it and wait for
things to happen when we play
Florida, we're really going to be
out of this," Wagner said.
The Marlins entered Thursday
night's game at Washington
leading the Phillies by 1 1/2
games and were one game
behind Houston. Philadelphia
doesn't have to face 20-game
winner Dontrelle Willis or Josh
Beckett in the Florida series.
But the Phillies got swept by the
Astros even though they didn't
face Roger Clemens, Morgan
Ensberg played just one game
and Jeff Bagwell was out.
"We should be aggressive, have
fun playing," Manuel said. "We
definitely shouldn't be tight. I can't
figure whether we try too hard or
we get too tight in situations. I
can't determine which one."
Manuel, too, has made some
curious moves. In Monday's
4-3 loss to Houston, he didn't
start left-handed hitting Ryan
Howard against left-hander Andy
Pettitte only to use the slugging
The Penn State Nittnay Lion Cheers on the crowd. The infamous SZone is
glowing in the background. Students know if they stand on the blue tape in
the student section they will be part of this PSU time honored tradition.
Passing the lion: As the lion raises his hand in the air students sitting in
the student section pass him around throughout the stands. This is a stu
dents section tradition that will be carried out for years to come.
The Capital Times, September 26, 2005
first baseman as a pinch-hitter
against lefty reliever Mike Gallo
with the bases loaded in the sixth
inning. Howard struck out, but he
homered in the next two games.
The Phillies are used to
second-half collapses. With eight
games left in the 2003 season,
Philadelphia had a half-game
lead over Florida in the NL wild
card race. But then the Phillies
lost two straight at home to the
woeful Cincinnati Reds and
were eliminated from the playoff
race with a three-game sweep in
Florida.
Philadelphia led the NL East by
one game after beating Florida on
July 21 last year. But the Phillies
lost seven of their next nine
games and fell out of the race for
the division title. They were in the
wild-card chase in August until a
disastrous homestand in which
they went 1-9.
Photots courtousy of Google