Week 1 in Philadelphia or Shaking Off The Rust

Back to school...back to school...to prove to dad that I'm not a fool...

I have done solo trips like this before, most recently last year when I did a West Coast Adventure Tour with not much more than a duffel bag and my Jeep, but I still felt some nerves a few days leading up to this day; I had the First Day Jitters.  Will the other kids like me?  Will I end up eating lunch alone?

I woke up excited, made some coffee, took a few deep breaths, and then made my way to the stadium.  Google Maps directed me to the general destination, but then my instincts took over and I found a street near the stadium where a bunch of fans were parking and hanging out.  I asked a couple standing next to their van about this area and they said that it was a free parking hidden gem where they liked to pregame before meeting their group at the game.  After helping me park, they offered me a beer and soft pretzel, we exchanged a few stories, and then I set back out on my own to "run the gauntlet" of Philly fans and meet my group.

First shout out goes to Nick Bartucci and the Philadelphia Browns Backers club.  They did a great job making me feel at home with the tailgate setup and the large group of Browns fans hanging out during the pregame made it feel like a little slice of home.

Second shout out goes to the Philly fan base.  They’re passionate AND compassionate.  Some of the CLE group and I did a walk about through the lot to get a glimpse of the talent/competition and to stoke the Philly fan fires (read: poke the bear) and see what they had for us.  To my surprise, a lot of the fans just stared at us as if they were surprised to see Browns fans outside of their natural habitat.  Some fans used the names of various body parts along with the words “suck”, “Cleveland”, and/or “Browns”.  But then there were the fans who showed great sportsmanship, raining down boos as we passed and then came over to greet us, welcome us to their town, and offer up some of their beverages.

Third shout out goes to the Browns Brothers.  Their matching Blues Brothers themed outfits sets them up on the next level of fandom.  I look forward to seeing them at several of the games this season.  Check them out on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brownsbrothers2015

Honorable mention goes out to the drunk 20-year-old who tossed an empty beer can in my general direction.  I encouraged the rowdiness by recording you and your drunk bunch as you were yelling obscenities, but that was uncalled for.  You’re classless, your aim is garbage, you receive no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Favorite moment 1: A small group of us, including the Browns Brothers, were walking through the N Lot when we ran into the Philadelphia Eagles Drum Line.  Part of the band’s caravan included a golf cart in the shape of an Eagles helmet and the Browns Brothers wanted a picture in front of it, but we had to walk by the band. One of them said, “fuck it”, so we started walking between the band and the crowd that surrounded them.  The band stopped mid jam session allowing the crowd to let out a chorus of boos while one of the drummers shooed us off like Sandman at The Apollo.  Priceless.

Totally worth the heckling

Favorite moment 2: Minutes later we’re walking around the lower tailgate lots when a Philly fan approaches the Browns Brothers and says something to the effect of, “I love what you’re doing here.  You though (pointing to me), fuck you. You can learn something from these guys.”  Now I feel like I need an outfit.  Please post ideas in the comments section and we’ll see what happens.

Loss aside, it was a great day and I made it home having the same number of teeth with which I left.  Plus, before I left town I was able to score an Italian Steak topped with broccoli rabe and Provolone cheese from Tony Luke’s which was phenomenal.

There’s more fun coming up in Week 2 when we travel to The 'Land for the home opener and a taste of Cleveland fandom.

Stay tuned…