PhotoBlog - philadelphia-phillies

Oct

2011

7:49pm, EDT

'Rally squirrels' delight fans, torment stadium groundskeepers

By Rich Shulman

The so-called "rally squirrels" have been delighting fans in St. Louis, but stadium officials decided they have to go. Groundskeepers in Philadelphia today had better luck corralling the critters.

The New York Times has an excellent tongue-in-cheek report on the rally squirrel phenomenon: Who Needs a Black Cat? Rally Squirrel Toys With the Phillies

Matt Slocum / AP

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt walks behind a squirrel on the field before baseball's Game 5 of the National League division series with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Oct. 7 in Philadelphia.

Matt Slocum / AP

Philadelphia Phillies groundskeeper Soule Sidibe holds a squirrel he caught before baseball's Game 5 of the National League division series with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 in Philadelphia.

Cardinals come back from 4-run deficit to beat Phillies, 5-4

AP reports:

Cardinals players jumped up and cheered wildly in the dugout, while Phillies fans sat silently in disbelief. The red-clad faithful had their hearts broken already once Sunday.

Just a few hours earlier, the Eagles blew a 20-point lead and lost 24-23 to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game across the street.

Many fans walked over to watch the two-sport doubleheader, and the crowd of 46,575 was the largest in the eight-year history of Citizens Bank Park.

Read the full story here.

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'Rally squirrels' delight fans, torment stadium groundskeepers

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Cardinals come back from 4-run deficit to beat Phillies, 5-4