In the spirit of Fan Appreciation Day at Citizens Bank Park, the fans of the Philadelphia Phillies would like to take a minute to respond to all this appreciation.
You're welcome, Phillies, for coming out to the ballpark in massive numbers to support your $93 million payroll and mediocre 42-39 home record.
You're welcome from the 400,000 fans who turned out to watch your 1-9 homestand that effectively knocked you out of contention for a playoff spot.
You're welcome for every $7.25 sandwich we bought at Bull's Barbecue.
And most of all, you're welcome for grabbing up every seat in the stadium days in advance for Sunday's meaningless game against the Marlins.
Now you didn't really expect us to show up, did you?
While the sellout was officially the 44th of this season, there were empty seats throughout the ballpark, a result of a simultaneous Eagles game and a season that left some fans too frustrated to attend.
And the ones who did were just as frustrated. The target: general manager Ed Wade, who many feel is the man to blame for the team's shortcomings, not Larry Bowa, the manager Wade fired 160 games into the 162-game season.
One fan's sign read, "Wade must go. Bring back Bo."
And when interim manager Gary Varsho came out to argue that Jason Michaels was hit by a pitch, the frustration boiled over in the crowd.
"Larry Bowa" chants mixed in with "Fire Ed Wade" chants to form a sound that the crowd felt was fitting for a team that failed to make a significant deal at this year's trade deadline.
The Houston Astros acquired star center fielder Carlos Beltran, who helped turn a .500 club into the National League wild card winner. The contending Chicago Cubs traded for shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, and the Los Angeles Dodgers locked up the NL West title after acquiring center fielder Steve Finley.
The Phillies? They traded for reliever Felix Rodriguez and finished six games out of the playoff hunt.
On a day when empty seats were so widespread, it was the prevalence of headset radios tuned in to the Eagles game that really showed the fans' apathy toward the events on the field.
Sundays are Eagles days in Philadelphia, and this Sunday's contest at Chicago was no exception, even at Citizens Bank Park.
Fans dressed as Jim Thome and Billy Wagner barely outnumbered those decked out in their Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb jerseys.
There was even one fan in the front row of the lower deck who kept a white board and marker with him and used it to keep the fans informed of the happenings at Soldier Field.
Even for some fans in attendance, the baseball game was little more than a distraction from their Sunday NFL routine.
So the Phillies appreciate all that the fans have done for them this season.
The fans just wish they could say the same for the team.
Oh, yeah. The Phillies won Sunday.
The score was 10-4.
