Staff Blog
Matt Stairs is More Popular Than Santa Claus
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Matt Stairs, Phillies utility outfielder/international superstar is a big deal in his native Canada. He returned home to sign autographs at the Regent Mall in his hometown city of Fredericton (who plans to formally recognize Stairs in January) Saturday afternoon. The line started forming three full hours before he was scheduled to appear.
Matt Stairs outdrew Santa Claus at the Regent Mall on Saturday afternoon
[snip]
Ellen Seymour was saving a spot in line for her daughter, and seeking his autograph on three balls and two hats, “because he’s famous,” she said. “He won the World Series.”
He sure did.
Apparently the crowd was pretty enthusiastic too, Stairs signed everything from balls and hats to Fifty-eight-year-old’s Judy Petrossi home made tee:
There was a picture of Stairs with his Phillies Cap on, a big red M, and in red lettering, a sign that read “I’m having a Big Matt Attack.” She was too.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “I was so nervous. My knees were knocking … I can’t help it, I just like the man. I don’t know what I was nervous about. He’s just such a down to earth guy. But I love to watch him play ball. I waited about 20 minutes to talk to him and it was well worth it. I was thrilled to death … I’m still shaking.”
Read the entire article, it’s awesome.
That Native Son/Native Daughter thing is really primitive and strong. ESPN recently ran an article on what Kelly Pavlic meant to Youngstown (the Yo) – and he means a lot.
With Pavlic, he could move anywhere and still lives and, for the most part, trains in the Yo.
It sounds like Stairs was just coming home – but home a hero.
I remember when Pete Rose was playing in Philly thinking how much a guy can mean to people who just look like him – same type you know. I mean, after Pete, you just gave those Pete Rose looking guys one hell of a lot respect then you had before, at least until they dropped that ball.
It’s a little like that with Stairs – every kid in Fredericton thinks they could grow up to be somebody.
Man, Matt did strike a mighty blow against those Dodgers, no? That was all the way back on October 13th – time flies. Bet a lot of pints got raised in Fredericton that night! Could a been any of em stepped to that plate that night.
Useless stat: • Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs is the first player to debut for a team in September and hit a go-ahead HR for that team in the eighth inning or later in a postseason game.
Any stat that would get you in trouble in a writing course as a run-on sentence should never be recorded
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