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It’s happening.

For several months now, we have heard from Nationals players, executives and other pesky Washingtonians about their Take Back The Park campaign. The marketing ploy is a transparent attempt to simultaneously win over DC fans and poke the angry hornet's nest that is Philadelphia sports fans. It’s a win-win for Nats COO Andrew Feffer, who knows that he can both save face with his team’s fans – all six of them – and sell more tickets to the very people that he is trying to keep out.

His plan worked.

Along with our new partners over at Phans Of Philly, the city’s premier road tripping company, we’ve secured 200 seats, located in right field behind $126 million man Jayson Werth (or, perhaps, the very douchey Bryce Harper), for the NATIONAL TELEVISION GAME ON ESPN on Sunday night, May 6. 

Washingtontoniantonians have been talking a big game. Take Back The Park. Swim across the river. Balance the budget. #FUPhilly. etc. We’re going to shut them up with a takeover the likes of which mankind hasn’t seen (OK, that’s hyperbole… but you get it). We’re taking over… and so are you. The national ESPN audience is going to see just how deep Philly fans roll.

Here’s the deal:

$120 gets you deluxe motor coach transportation both to and from the game. A lower-level ticket in right field. A tailgate buffet:

Shredded Beef BBQ

Shredded Pork BBQ

Cheeseburger & Hamburgers

Hotdogs

Mac & Cheese

Potato Salad

Corn on the cob

Fresh bakery rolls

Fresh Fruit

Potato Chips

Beverages (must by 21+ to consume alcohol). A DJ serving up jams at the tailgate. T-shirt. And refreshments and snacks on the bus.

Now, you might be asking: Why Sunday night? We understand that, for some, a Friday or Saturday trip would work better. But, as per the usual, we like to do things a bit differently around here. The Nationals are an up and coming team– we can’t deny that. The Sunday night game on ESPN will be the first real national exposure for what could be a legitimate rivalry over the next few years, and we want to put our stamp on the matchup so the whole country can see it. What better way to do so than on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Buses will depart from multiple locations in Philly at 2:30 p.m. (boarding starts at 2) on May 6. We will arrive in plenty of time to tailgate, eat great food and work up a nice, um, lather before taking over Nationals Park. Following the takeover, we will depart enemy territory no later than 30 minutes after the game ends. You’ll be home in time to catch highlights of Cliff Lee pissing excellence on the 2 a.m. SportsCenter.

The folks at Phans Of Philly are running the trip, and they are quite experienced at doing so. They have run five trips to DC over the past two years, plus many other day and overnight getaways, including this takeover of a New York City bar prior to a Flyers-Rangers game last year. Joe and Kyle, the founders of Phans Of Philly, provide high-end motor coaches, bring delicious food, beer, t-shirts, music and more. You won’t feel like a stranger on a bus during this trip. You’ll join 199 of your closest friends, me and Drew, and probably 30,000 other Phillies fans in a takeover of Nationals Park.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line CROSSINGBROAD [AT] YAHOO [DOT] COM. One item of note: all boarding locations have not yet been determined. We will have multiple locations depending on where most folks are coming from. There will be one boarding location in the South Philly stadium area, most likely one in Delaware County, and others. Phans Of Philly will communicate with you, via email, as the trip nears.

Click this link to purchase your ticket through our own PhillyFanDeals.com. It’s 100% secure, and you will be given a ticket (voucher) and confirmation number upon completion of sale. This will be your ticket to get onto the bus, where you will get your ticket for the game, t-shirt, and, obviously, a big comfy seat. 

Get your ticket here.

Friendly reminder that, despite the rhetoric being used by both Phillies and Nationals fans, this is a peaceful event. We are going to support the Phillies, not to be jackasses.