Citizen’s Bank Park Stormed; Phillies’ Phanatic Slays Vader

I’m still not sure if I like the feeling of 43,000 voices on the inside of my helmet. I found myself wondering how professional athletes are able to stomach the pressure - and then I realized I probably had some leverage. Eventually I felt fine once I realized I was in costume, and nobody in the crowd knew who I was.

What the crowd DID know was that Darth Vader just marched onto the field followed by a platoon of anxious troopers and Boba Fett by his side. Waving a Chicago Cubs hat in the air, Vader made it clear that he and the rest of 501st’s Garrison Carida represented the visiting team. The Imperial March was loud as it played through the park’s outdoor speakers and as we lined up on the chalk, I thought to myself “holy frack, talk about geeks in Philadelphia…”

The Phanatic sped into the scene on his quad, and with surprising agility, leapt out of it wielding a plastic saber and commenced a swordfight that can only be described as Epic in its entirety. He won the fight, because Vader was a Cubs fan (subsequently the Cubs lost too) , and because of his vile trickery. Just kidding, I love the Phanatic and his massive feathered ass.

Here’s some footage of the battle that ensued, filmed by a fan that commented about his Father loving “this”. More shots of the lineup after the jump

So there you have it, that was my Saturday night. As much as I like to think the audience didn’t know who I was, it turns out my mother could tell…as well as a few friends watching on TV. The text message I received shortly after the game was “Ha! We saw you doing the YMCA on tv” which only asserts the common assumption that EVERYTHING is easier in costume. I assure you, it’s not. I attempted the YMCA and I heard a guy yelling “YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!” . Haha, whoops.

Photos by Chris

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