Very few of our homes have ever exploded, so it may be tough to imagine what it felt like for the 2003 Phillies to play in Veterans Stadium, a home that they all knew would be demolished come season's end. For a developing group of young players (Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell), vets with varying degrees of belovedness (Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, Marlon Byrd, Placido Polanco working his first shift), and all the rest (David Bell), perhaps the gravity of losing their iconic venue built with bricks of filthy snow, quikrete, and AstroTurf fused together with 700 level old barf, was too much.
At the very least, Chipper Jones and the Braves proved too much for them one late September afternoon in a 6-0 victory that featured a hideous little half-inning for starter Vicente Padilla, whose complete loss of control didn't faze anyone except those harmed by his actions. Join Justin Klugh and Trevor Strunk as they once more journey back in time to an afternoon of prolonged agony.