Michael Kirshenbaum (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: All right. Here we go.

Michael Kirshenbaum: Okay, cool.

Robby Incmikoski: Sounds good. Mike, when was the first time you went into Citizens Bank Park? What do you remember about your first game there as a fan?

Michael Kirshenbaum: The first-ever game I saw there was against the Indians. It was before the regular season started—they had these two “fake” games at the stadium. There were still wires hanging from the ceiling in the Hall of Fame Club. And of course, that’s where Stu got tickets for the first-ever game. I remember walking in through the center field gates and seeing grass and thinking, “My God, this is crazy,” because I was used to the Vet. Then we used the same Hall of Fame Club tickets for the second fake game—even though we didn’t have those seats anymore.

Robby Incmikoski: Wait—say that again? I missed the first part of that because of a text. You said something about seeing grass?

Michael Kirshenbaum: Yeah, I said I remember seeing grass—because I was used to the Vet. And then for the second game, we had cheaper tickets, but we snuck back into the Hall of Fame Club using the day-before tickets because they didn’t really check.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s hilarious. Just mute your phone next time! Anyway, the Vet opened in what—1971?

Michael Kirshenbaum: ’73.

Robby Incmikoski: Okay, so we both grew up with the Phillies at the Vet. The ’93 team was a huge one for me.

Michael Kirshenbaum: Yes.

Robby Incmikoski: You’re a little younger, but I’m sure you remember that team.

Michael Kirshenbaum: Yeah, my first real baseball memory was Curt Schilling in Game 5 of the ’93 World Series.

Robby Incmikoski: Yep—against Toronto. I remember it well.

Michael Kirshenbaum: And I remember my dad—I wouldn’t say he destroyed our house, but he came close—when Joe Carter hit the home run.

Robby Incmikoski: I remember exactly where I was.

Michael Kirshenbaum: I have this weird memory—I don’t even know how true it is. I might’ve made it up. But I think we were living in Westwood, New Jersey at the time. I was six. In one room, my mom was watching The Bodyguard, and in the other, my dad was watching the World Series. They both ended up screaming at the same time, for different reasons. And I was just in the middle, not knowing what to do. That definitely predicted their divorce.

Robby Incmikoski: That is amazing. So let me ask—when they announced Citizens Bank Park was being built, what do you remember about the anticipation? What was that like for you as a lifelong Phillies fan?

Michael Kirshenbaum: I remember driving down Pattison Ave from the Walt Whitman Bridge—because we lived in Jersey—and seeing what they called the Ballpark Viewing Area. But between me and my dad, we called it “The Travis Lee House” because it had this giant picture of Travis Lee on it. And that thing stayed up way past when Travis Lee was even on the team—I think it was still there in 2021, seriously.

I remember seeing the little model stadium and thinking, “This is going to be cool.” We’d been to Camden Yards, which I thought was amazing, and Yankee Stadium, which I respected but didn’t really love. So I was excited to finally have a baseball-only stadium close to home.

The Vet had its charm if you were a kid—like that pitching thing with Randy Johnson—but it was obviously kind of crappy. So I was excited. At first, I thought it should’ve been built in Center City or Spring Garden, but I eventually came to accept the location. And now I love it. Honestly, putting it downtown would’ve been a nightmare.

Robby Incmikoski: Right. Like what they’re talking about doing with the Sixers, which is even more insane. But I digress.

Last time I saw you, you were at Citizens Bank Park with your wife and daughter. The place opened in ’04, so here we are 20 years later. How would you describe the impact Citizens Bank Park has had on baseball in Philly?

Michael Kirshenbaum: I think it’s had the impact. You could argue they still would’ve sold out if they’d been that good in ’08, ’09, and ’10 and were still playing at the Vet. But having that park experience made everything better. Even if the games weren’t great, it was just a nice place to be.

One time, we were living in South Philly and the Phillies had a doubleheader. I was off work but had a ton of expenses to submit, so I bought a $5 ticket, sat in the outfield with my computer, and just did my expenses. It was just a pleasant place to be—unlike the Vet, which was concrete and steel, and kind of bleak.

I think Citizens Bank Park changed the whole vibe of the team. Getting Jim Thome in 2003 doesn’t happen without a new stadium. It helped turn the Phillies from a self-proclaimed small-market team—which was always ridiculous—into one of the biggest. Now they’re top five in payroll, selling out every night. That doesn’t happen without Citizens Bank Park.

Robby Incmikoski: You’ve traveled with WWE—you’ve seen a ton of ballparks. How many are you up to?

Michael Kirshenbaum: I think I’ve been to all but three. I haven’t seen a game in Cleveland—though I’ve stood next to the stadium while one was going on—and I’ve only been to the team store in Cincinnati. And I haven’t been to the new park in Texas.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s incredible. Most fans will never get to do that, which is why Kyle and I want to do this book. So let’s say someone’s never been to Citizens Bank Park, but they want to. What would you say? What can they expect?

Michael Kirshenbaum: A couple things. It was built at the perfect time—opened in ’04, same as Petco. Unlike newer stadiums where all the lower-level seats are separated by exclusive clubs, at CBP you can sit behind the Phillies dugout without needing a concierge or $1,000. You’re still paying for those seats, but not a fortune. There’s no bad seat in the house, and every seat has a good view.

And you can walk the whole concourse—360 degrees—without ever losing sight of the field. At Wrigley, we were behind a pole. Even Camden Yards has some separation in levels, but not here.

Ashburn Alley’s cool—it’s kind of a rip-off of that warehouse view in Baltimore, but it works. There are great standing spots all around, and it just has this blue-collar Philly vibe. Nice but not fancy. You don’t have to be a millionaire to afford season tickets.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s such a great way to put it.

Michael Kirshenbaum: And I’ll just say—being at Citizens Bank during the playoffs? It’s unlike anything else. It’s the closest thing in America to a European soccer match. People are on their feet the whole game, singing along to walk-up music. The energy is unreal.

Remember when Harper got doubled off first, and Arcia said “Attaboy Harper”? I would’ve bet everything I owned he was going to homer in the next game—and he did. That kind of inevitability you feel in that stadium is crazy.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s one of the best fan answers we’ve gotten. And I agree—Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, when Harper homered off McCullers Jr.? That was one of the greatest baseball atmospheres I’ve ever been in.

Michael Kirshenbaum: Yeah. Wild.

Robby Incmikoski: Anything else before we wrap?

Michael Kirshenbaum: Just one funny personal anecdote. In 2008, we had a Sunday ticket plan—13 games—and that entered us into a raffle for the chance to buy World Series tickets at face value. We won Game 3. My dad couldn’t go, so I brought a friend. We were in Section 434, right by the left field foul pole—worst seats in the park.

Game got delayed like three hours. Jamie Moyer was starting at age 700. But we still had no doubt they’d win. And I’ve always defended Taylor Swift because she sang the anthem that night. People forget that.

Later that week, we had tickets to the Sixers’ home opener—Elton Brand’s debut. We were there, and three minutes into the game, my dad gets a call: a friend’s daughters didn’t want to go back to the resumed Game 5 because it was freezing. He said, “You’re nearby, right?” We were across the street.

So we left the Sixers game, went to the ballpark, and got in just in time for 45 of the craziest minutes of baseball I’ve ever seen. And then the Phillies won the World Series. It was insane.

Robby Incmikoski: That is such a perfect story. Thank you, man. That’s what this book is all about.