Ryne Sandberg Had to Run and Literally Cross Broad to Get to the Game Yesterday

Photo credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Four years of running this site and finally I get to make that pun in a headline.

After the Phillies’ 1-0 win yesterday, Ryne Sandberg told reporters about his adventure getting to the ballpark. The Broad Street Run was going on, which meant that Broad Street was closed throughout the morning. That caused all sorts of problems for Sandberg. Todd Zolecki explains:

“I jumped in a Uber car and said, ‘By the way, Broad Street is closed,’” Sandberg said.

The driver took Sandberg down I-95 South heading to the ballpark, but missed the Packer Avenue exit. The next thing Sandberg knew he was at the airport.

“Now I’m hoping that he makes a u-turn, gets back on and goes all the way around to the east again but he punched in something else that gave him directions,” Sandberg said. “So before you know it, I was a mile west of the stadium and it was a parking lot. So I jumped out, not too happy about it, so I walked a mile.”

But he still had to cross Broad Street with a steady stream of runners running to the finish line.

“It was a full crowd, full strength runners at that point,” Sandberg said. “No gaps. I talked to the policeman, ‘I got to get to the stadium.’ Got my briefcase and everything. He goes, ‘Well, you want to risk it, kind of get with the runners and get across.’ So I actually ran about 50 feet with the runners.”

And with that, Ryno has now run more this season than Jimmy Rollins.*

Several items of note here:

1) Ryno takes (CB sponsor) Uber to the game.

2) By a show of hands, how many of you have accidentally crossed the Girard Point, Platt, Ben Franklin or Walt Whitman Bridges by accident at some point? I’ve done it with at least two of them – Girard and Ben – multiple times. Make a wrong turn out of the airport and, hello, you’re heading to the stadiums. And there’s a 40% chance you’re going to Camden if you’re driving around 6th Street in Old City whilst hungover.**

3) HALL OF FAMER AND PHILLIES MANAGER RYNE SANDBERG is running with a briefcase in the Broad Street Run, with thousands in attendance, and there are no pictures on social media? If that was Charlie Manuel, my timeline would’ve been flooded with Tweets, Vines, Instagrams and grainy portrait mode videos. I’m disappointed in you. All of you.

…

I’m not sure there was any better apparel for the race. Nice job, reader Amber and friend:

I probably should send Ryno one.

*I’M KIDDING! I had to. It was right there.

**You haven’t lived until you’ve accidentally driven to Camden on a rainy Sunday morning with a splitting headache. And by “lived,” I mean “felt like killing yourself.”