My wife and I decided on a whim that we would venture to Philadelphia with the kids on Sunday to watch the Mets take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. With school, dance competitions, and little league, it’s rare that we’re able to do anything spontaneous anymore. So this was quite different, and a lot of fun. With the third straight sellout coming up Sunday evening, I knew tickets would be hard to find. Fortunately, my brother was able to work his contacts for me and come up with some very nice seats. Thanks Steve!

My wife and kids are Mets fans through and through with me being the most neutral of the group. As I mentioned before, ever since I decided to start this site 4 years ago, I’ve come to know so many people in the game, that it’s hard to root for any one team. Instead I just appreciate the talent and enjoy the sport even more.

Anyway, everyone was dressed up in Mets gear (except my somewhat neutral self) as we embarked on the 2 and a half hour road trip to the City of Brotherly Love. It’s interesting that it has such an affectionate name since every time I’ve been to Philly, there’s been a lot less love and a lot more swearing. On one occasion, I even witnessed an Eagles fan hurl a beer bottle at an innocent women who happened to be wearing a Troy Aikman jersey. So, to say I was a bit nervous entering “enemy territory” would be an understatement.

We left our house early and decided to do a little touring. We made our first stop at the Franklin Institute so the kids could check out the new Star Wars exhibit. For all you fans of the 6-part movie series, you won’t want to miss this. There is some pretty cool stuff on display including the actual light sabers of  Mace Windu, Chancellor Palpatine, and Darth Maul. Costumes from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith are encased for viewing as well. You can even see the actual mask used to fit the crippled Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader. I felt like a kid again. It was really a cool exhibit.

From there, we turned the corner and proceeded to walk toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art…you know, the place where Sly Stallone runs up the stairs in the Rocky movies? So, yes, Ashley, Daniel, and Tyler ran full speed up the ridiculous amount of steps so that they could pump their fists in the air at the top…just like Rocky. I have to admit, it was kind of neat though!

After playing the role of tourists, we finally made it to the game. Again, I was a little nervous. I tried to get Tyler (my 5 year-old) to button up his jacket and hide his Mets jersey, but he would have none of that. He was proud of his Mets! As it turned out, things were pretty calm. Most fans joked around and were good natured about things. Sure, there were the rowdy few, but overall it was an uneventful experience.

Now on to the game…

This was my first trip to Citizens Bank Park, and I have to say, it was pretty damn impressive. The architecture is beautiful, and I really love the cuts and curves of the stadium. It has a cozy feel to it and the bells and whistles are just enough to get people involved. The Liberty Bell is a pretty cool touch too.

I can go on about the game here, but I really want to focus on Chase Utley. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen an athlete like Utley in person. The guy is just a tremendous player. He possesses incredible bat speed and is rarely fooled. His pitch recognition and plate discipline all seem to be improving to elite levels as well.

Utley’s walk rate has increased three straight years, and his strikeout rate has decreased for four straight years. Not coincidentally, his batting average and on base percentage have climbed from 2005 through 2008 and his slugging percentage has risen over the past three seasons.

I had the pleasure of watching Utley smack 2 home runs on Sunday night. I don’t recall the last time I witnessed two balls leave the park as fast as those 2 did. Checking the data from Hit Tracker, while those 2 home runs weren’t even close to being the fastest off a player’s bat this year (Mike Jacobs hit one on April 11^th that left the bat at 122.8 mph), they were the two fastest off Utley’s lumber until that point in the season.