Offseason At Citizens Bank Park

Have you ever wondered what goes on at Citizens Bank Park when the baseball season is over?  While it is mostly quiet, there are still a few events going on.  This weekend, the Phillies hosted their annual Holiday Sale with game-used items, books, DVD's and Phillies collectables on sale.  Much of the sale proceeds go to Phillies Charities.

Phillies Game-Used Merchandise: Bats

Bats / Jenn Zambri

Game-used merchandise on sale at the Phillies Holiday Sale included bats, balls, batting helmets, cleats, locker name plates and jerseys.

Phillies Game-Used Merchandise: Banners

Banners / Jenn Zambri

Banners for sale included those hung both in and around the ballpark.  Some were as large as nine feet in height.

Phillies Game-Used Merchandise: Locker Plates

Locker Plates / Jenn Zambri

Inside the Phillies clubhouse, each player's locker is marked with one of these magnetic name plates.  Lucky fans can take one home and frame it or hang it on the refrigerator.  The locker plates are also great items to get signed.

Phillies Game-Used Merchandise: Batting Helmets

Batting Helmets / Jenn Zambri

The batting helmets at the Holiday Sale all came with an official MLB authentication sticker.  Some were even broken as the result of a player tantrum, adding a little intrigue to this collectable.

Phanta Claus

Phanta Claus / Jenn Zambri

Phanta Claus made an appearance at the Holiday Sale, taking photos with Phans and their families. 

Phillies Ballgirls

Phillies Ballgirls / Jenn Zambri

Phillies Ballgirls were also on hand to meet fans and assist with sales. 

Winter Cleaning

Cleaning at the ballpark / Jenn Zambri

While the sale rolled on, I wandered around the ballpark to check out a few other offseason activities.  In the winter months, much effort s put into cleaning up the stadium.  Seats are actually removed in order to power wash both the seats and the concrete pads they sit on.  The blank, grey areas are where seats used to be.

Empty Ballpark

Empty stadium / Jenn Zambri

And while an empty ballpark is a little sad, it is also an amazing opportunity to really admire the scale and splendor of this unique baseball landscape.

The Bell

The Bell / Jenn Zambri

The Liberty Bell at Citizens bank Park will not ring again until April 2011.

Philadelphia Landscape

Philadelphia landscape / Jenn Zambri

The ballpark may be quiet, but the city view never gets old.