Phillies clubhouse hosts sleepover for patients from area children’s hospitals
The home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park was a happening place late Friday night and into Saturday morning as new general manager Matt Klentak welcomed his first batch of free agents to the Philadelphia Phillies
No, you won’t find any of the names included on any free agent rankings or lists. You won’t find their stats on Baseball Reference either. That’s because these new signees were there as part of the Phillies second sleepover in the clubhouse. An event that allows children’s hospital patients to spend the night in the clubhouse, interact with the Phillie Phanatic and just have a good time on the Phillies behalf.
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We weren’t kidding about signing with the Phillies though. According to MLB.com’s Tom Singer, they were all put under contract and given major league treatment throughout the night.
Each youngster was assigned a balloons-bedecked locker; one reedy teen broke into a grin as he entered the room and, with glee, immediately pointed to the nameplate “Marcus Quattlebaum” above a locker.
As the kids began to settle in, new Phillies general manager Matt Klentak welcomed them with a video message to inform them that they would each sign an official players contract to become Phillies for a day as “my first official signings.”
Bending over the contracts placed in their lockers, the kids affixed their signatures, then made a beeline for the indoor batting cage, where they took turns taking cuts off tees with the help of a quartet of Phillies ballgirls.
This is already something entirely better than awesome, but the good times didn’t end there. The kids got to do a few of their other favorite activities as well, including eating, watching movies and dancing.
After slicing line drives, the kids took slices of pizza, as well as french fries and chicken fingers, from a buffet in the middle of the clubhouse. The Phillie Phanatic crashed the feast, adding selfies to the menu. The meal was followed by movies with the usual accompaniments — ice cream and popcorn.
We’re not here to kick the Phillies while they’re down. Especially when they’re putting on events as special as this one. But we’re guessing there were more smiles and laughs shared during this event than the Phillies players enjoyed all season in that same clubhouse.
The Phillies started the sleepover last season as part of the team’s Phantastic Auction. The winner of the auction then anonymously donated it to the local children’s hospital, allowing four patients and their families to spend the night in the clubhouse. This year the event continued and expanded to six families, and based on the images and good feelings it seems to create, perhaps there’s room for it to grow even more in years to come.
It truly looked like a fun experience. One that fans of all ages might actually enjoy. But it will definitely be one these young children and their families will never forget.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
