An Interview with Anthony Medio

Anthony with his father at Game 5 of the World Series

Anthony Medio has been a friend of mine since last year. He's a sophomore here at Rowan. He, like me, is one of the biggest Phillies fans you will ever meet. He not only eats, sleeps, and breathes Phillies baseball but he knows his sh*t too. Here is a little interview I comprised up with him:

What playoff games did you go to?

Game 2 vs. the Brewers when (Shane)
Victorino hit the grand slam off of (C.C.) Sabathia. I also went to Game 2 of
the Championship Series when they f*cked up (Chad) Billingsley. And the first
half of Game 5 of the World Series.

Why the hell did you not go to the 2nd half?

Because I had a physics test. But see I had physics Monday/Wednesday and my test was on Monday and skipped to go to the game. The game got postponed until Wednesday and I couldn’t skip the testagain so I was f*cked and wound up going to Campus Crossings when they won it. But I went to the parade and sat in the stadium.
What was your reaction to Chase’s comment?

I was like ‘What!’ and I video-taped it with my phone. I was video-taping the whole thing and right after he said it the whole crowd just went into a roar and you couldn’t hear yourself think and I turned to my friend and said ‘Did he just say f*ck?’ It was unbelievable.

Which of the games was your favorite to attend?

The best playoff game I went to was the Brewers game. The crowd was intensifying when Victorino hit the grand slam but then when Myers kept making Sabathia pitch, the crowd started chanting ‘C.C.’ and it pissed him off. We pissed him off so much and it was so great. But I do have a better game than that.

What game was that?

It was the last game of the 2007 season, the season clinching game that won the division. It was great because every time Florida scored (on the out of town scoreboard) the place went nuts. And finally when Florida won, the place would not stop yelling. Oh and the fireworks at the end when they won were incredible. And just seeing the ‘2007 Champions’ on the billboard was so incredible. It took 14 years for them to get to the playoffs. He (Myers) struck out Wily Mo Pena.

How long have you been attending Phillies games?

My dad’s been buying us the Sunday package since 1994, which is every Sunday home game, but the first game I can remember going to was the 1996 All Star Game at The Vet.

What was the craziest game you have ever been to?

It was the one where Feliz won the whole game by himself. Basically bottom of the 9th, men on first and third, 2 outs and down by 1, Feliz hit a base hit up the middle to tie the game. Top of the 10th, bases loaded with no outs, and the Dodgers can take the lead. Manny (Ramirez) is on third. A sharp, ground ball was hit to Feliz who steps on third and throws Manny out at home. It basically went from bases loaded and no outs to first and second with two outs. Then he hits a 3 run walk off the next time he was up with 2 outs.

Did you go all out in buying World Series merchandise after they won?

My parents bought everything. They bought shirts, hoodies, hats, banners. For Christmas, on our fire place, we had World Series banners hanging. We’re going to opening day and willbe getting the 2008 championship banner.

What do you think the Eastern division standings will be?

Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Braves, Nationals. Watch out for the Marlins. Read ‘em and weep. This is off topic but the Kansas City Royals will have a winning season. They will have at least 81 wins.

Right now, who is your 2009 World Series champion and over who?

I think the Cubs are actually gonna go this year. They’re gonna lose to the Red Sox.

Do you think the Yankees will be back to form?

Yea they will win the Wild Card.

What are your NL and AL awards?

NL MVP will be Hanley Ramirez, the other Ramirez, and the AL MVP will be Mark Teixeira. Cy Young will be Ervin Santana. Watch out for him. And the NL Cy Young will be Aaron Harang from the Reds.

Any last words for all the Phillies fans out there?

In the words slightly altered by Joe DiMaggio, ‘I thank god everyday that I’m not a Mets fan.”