Zoo With Roy Recalls His Favorite Philly Sports Moment

August 09, 2011

Initially a lark when the Phillies landed Roy Halladay, complete with kid-like drawings of Halladay and zoo animals, the website Zoo With Roy has quickly established itself as one of the most beloved sports websites in the city of Philadelphia. And while its author wishes to remain anonymous, he does drop a hint of who he is in the following piece…he was a sophomore in high school in 1993. (I also have it on good authority that he occasionally used to play quizzo at O’Neals). That’s all we have to go on at this time. Here he talks about a cherished childhood memory…watching Game 6 of the NLCS.

I went to a lot of Phillies games with my stepfather- and have memories in some form or another from a good deal of those- but I’d have to say that my favorite involves one we watched in our living room: Game Six of the 1993 NLCS. I was a sophomore in high school, and he was a blue collar “man’s man”, though we each let our guards down enough to be colossal dorks that postseason. Folks spoiled by the current incarnation of the Phillies need to recall that they basically stunk like butt for the decade preceding and following (despite your optimism at the time, that season always kind of had the feel of an anomaly) that miracle run.

Caught up in the excitement, we would make the same shrine around our television set for each game. McDonald’s glass to the left, knit hat magnet on the center of the console, logo drawn into our carpet directly in front of it. It made no sense whatsoever, and actually wasn’t very impressive now that I think back on it. We evidently didn’t hold our gods in very high regard. That game, the clincher, also got recorded on our VCR. I hit “pause” during commercials so that they wouldn’t tape. I sat on the floor, the old man on the couch. These were our spots.

The game played out the way one predetermined to be a win and forever special is designed to play out – gloriously. We were allowed ample game time to revel. Mitch Williams struck out the last Braves batter. His leap. The two of us were frozen in that moment, the culmination of hundreds of games after little league and on give-away days and with Phillies Franks coupons and after I got stitches and when my mom needed a night off and free tickets from his boss and anything else that thankfully gave cause. Then we celebrated. With the team we loved, which seemingly never was special, we had also won.

I still have that magnet on my refrigerator, all these years later and a few states away. Whenever I see it I think of that night, and how lucky we were to share that joy… even if it was a fluke of a year.

PREVIOUSLY SHARED FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENTS:

Larry Mendte.

Black Landlord vocalist Maxx.

CSN’s John Finger.

Beerman Nick Staskin of Phillies Nation.

Also in The Shibe Vintage Sports History Blog