Today was the annual Broad Street Run, a staple in the City of Philadelphia the first Sunday of May every year. The Phillies responded to the event by postponing the start time of today's game from the typical 1:35 p.m. start to a 3:05 p.m. start. However, the reported 40,000 plus all on Broad Street made Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg's travel to the ballpark a very interesting one.
If you have attempted to travel around the city during the race before, you know that there is no crossing over Broad Street until the end of the race. Sandberg learned that the hard way today as he attempted to get to the ballpark. After his car service could not get him onto the other side of Broad Street and to the ballpark, Sandberg had to improvise.
The Associated Press via CBS Philly got the story in Sandberg's own words:
“It was full strength of runners at that point and there were no gaps,” Sandberg recounted following the Phillies’ 1-0 win over Washington on Sunday. “I talked to the policeman and told him I’ve got to get to the stadium.
“He said, ‘Well, if you want to risk it, you can go and kind of get with the runners and then get across. I actually ran about 50 feet.”
It's a sight from a comedy movie: Sandberg joining the runners and working his way to the other side, carrying his briefcase bag along the way, dressed much differently than the other runners.
Sandberg got there in time and managed today's 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. There is no word if Sandberg will participate in any of the 11 races that will take place in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding area on May 10th.
