Yes, we booed Santa Claus. He was a pretty lousy Kris Kringle and deserved it, OK.
Yes, we may have thrown a few things at J.D. Drew. Hey, he not only snubbed us, then he rubbed our faces in it.
Yes, we booed Michael Irvin as he lay prone on the Veterans Stadium carpet with a serious injury. No excuses here, even though he was a Cowboy at the time.
Yes, we booed Donovan McNabb on Draft Day 11 years ago. Geez, get over it already.
We are Philly fans. Loud, proud, knowledgeable and passionate. And sometimes a little over the edge.
But it’s never our passion or knowledge that gets us national acclaim.
It’s the other stuff. And the networks never miss an opportunity to harpoon us. “Here’s those ugly Philly fans again.”
That’s why this morning I have a new hero.
His name is Steve Monforto. He, along with his adorable daughter, is changing the image of Philly fans. Not just here. And not just across the nation. But across the globe.
Monforto and his daughter Emily were at Tuesday night’s Phillies game along with his wife and other young daughter.
In the fifth inning, Jayson Werth fouled off a ball, and Monforto had one of those once-in-lifetime experiences. He leaned out over the rail and made a perfect two-hand catch. The stands erupted, and Monforto exchanged fist bumps with a couple of fans nearby.
Then he turned to his 3-year-old daughter Emily, high-fived her and handed her the ball.
Thetn, as the folks from Mastercard would say, his once-in-a-lifetime experience was about to become priceless.
Emily promptly took the ball and chucked it over the rail back toward the field. Monforto, and everyone else around him, was momentarily stunned. He raised his arms in momentary shock after his daughter threw away his souvenir.
That’s when Monforto the fan became Monforto the dad. In the process he did us all proud.
Monforto wrapped his arms around his daughter and gave her a big hug and kiss, assuring her she didn’t do anything wrong.
The whole thing was caught on camera. And if you’re a father – hell, even if you’re not – you’ve just got to love what Monforto did.
And as a Philly fan, it’s nice to know that image is now being beamed around the world on the Internet.
The Monforto family home became media central yesterday as every TV station in the region beat a path to his door to talk to him and Emily.
This morning they were booked on the “Today” show.
By the way, Monforto was part of something else on Tuesday night. He and his family were part of the 33rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, the 64th of the season.
Last night made it 34 in a row.
That’s something else Philly fans do. They show up. Yes, we bring our passions with us, and we’re not shy about voicing them. But we’re there, night after night, week after week, year after year, good years, bad years, playoffs, losing streaks or Word Series games.
Don’t take my word for it. Just ask Steve Monforto. He’s a great dad.
And a Philly fan.
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