Break out your finest red, get ready to dance (on your own) and RING. THAT. BELL. It’s World Series time for our beloved Phillies, and members of RV’s staff are bursting at the seems with excitement (check out Mr. Marmarou’s breakdown here) Here are some voices from some true Philly Phanatics as we approach Game 1 tonight.

Baseball has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I vividly remember 2 Philadelphia Phillies World Series winning teams. First, as a 10-year old boy, Joey Martin enthusiastically watched Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose defeat the Kansas City Royals in 1980. I literally cried tears of joy, banging pots and pans with my fam on our front porch after the big victory. Fast forward to 2008. The Phillies star-studded line up including Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins downed the Tampa Bay Rays. Again, I cried tears of happiness. This 2022 team is different, however. We should NOT be here. Repeat.

Coincidentally, like the 2017-2018 Eagles, Philly Phandom find ourselves as major UNDERDOGS. This is what makes this team special. Though we do have the MV3, Bryce Harper, we should lose to the Houston Astros. The MLB experts have us going down. But it does not matter. Repeat! This team has an immeasurable chemistry and continues to thrill. My prediction: there will be tears of joy once again on the streets of Philadelphia.

Rocky Balboa…know what I mean?

#RingTheBell

#RedOctober

-Principal Martin

There’s nothing like watching your team make a championship run when you’re young.  I remember those days from my childhood when New York teams enjoyed success in the 90s.  And now, today, I love that RV students are getting to witness athletic heroism.  Fans packed in stadiums, not alone watching from home.  Athletes performing to crowds, not to screens.  Bryce Harper’s home run in Game 5 was a celebration of life, of excellence.  Good for him and good for us.  Our young deserve to see the glory of sports, to cheer with their city live and in the flesh.

–Mr. Freitag

I’ve never been a baseball fan. Sure, I’ve gone to games; I love Citizen’s Bank Park, and I love the feel of a tall cold beverage in one hand and a warm hot dog in the other, settling down with everyone to watch the game. But ask me to watch a game on TV? Heck no, sorry.

As the Phillies heated up, I started spending more time watching. I caught clips on YouTube and peeped the final innings of important games. This past weekend, as the final games of the NLCS wrapped up, I watched not one, but two games in their entirety on TV. I actually sat down on the couch, stopped multitasking, and watched.

It wasn’t just the hype that made me tune in. This baseball — from Wheeler’s aggressive pitching to Harper’s homers to the younger players (Marmarou calls them “Philly Day Care”) going wild in the stands — is unlike any baseball I have seen before. It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s sitting on the edge of your seat and holding your breath, praying for a strike out or a grand slam.

To all the fair-weather baseball fans like me, come on over and have a seat on the Phillies bandwagon. It’s super fun, and there’s plenty of room.

–Sherm