Cutting Edge & The Philadelphia Phillies
Throughout the Philadelphia Phillies successful chase to a world championship, Cutting Edge Entertainment was right by their side, rooting them on. Although not all of the employees are Phils Phanatics, the entire company got sick with Phillies fever. Flags decorated the cars of our workers, newspapers were scattered around the office from clinching games, and almost every conversation included the hypothetical “what-if-we win?” questions. Unfortunately, those of us who had jobs during some of the games counted on other co-workers for the scoring updates and boy did they ever come through! One of the assistant managers Marc, kept Richie and I updated, with batter-by-batter texts of Game 3 of the NLCS. I must say however, that was the fastest break down of equipment I have ever done or been a part of; Richie and I hauled ass out of the Aldie Mansion that night to turn on the radio and listen to Harry “the K” and Scott Fanzke call the game. The pursuit to the World Series was well underway, and Cutting Edge Entertainment was strapped up and ready for the ride.
Although all of the workers could not be there in person to root the Phightens on, some of our very lucky employees were able to attend. Two of our managers, Marc and Christine were able to make it out to Game 5 of the World Series against the Rays, and young up-incoming DJ Steve, was there at every home game throughout the playoffs. Marc told me that he sold his Game 4 tickets to the October classic for a pair of Game 5 tickets; turns out that not only did he make the right choice by going to the clincher, but he got to see two games (sort of).
The daily rain clouds that hover over Florida’s skies, decided to take a trip up north, and visit Citizens Bank Park, as the fall classic made its way into the City of Brotherly Love. Game 3 of the World Series started after an hour and a half delay due to rain. Game 4 went by with no major weather problems, but Game 5 was truly a night to remember, or forget, depending on your reaction to what happened.
On the morning of October 27th, a few questions ran through the mind of almost every person in Philly; could tonight be the night that the old curse of Willy Penn ends? Every Philadelphian knew what they deserved, and the fans were ticking time bombs, set to go off right around 11:30 P.M., when Brad Lidge would make the final out. But perhaps the most intriguing thought of the night was, “How will the weather effect the game tonight? Will they be able to play?” Only time would be able to tell, and after about three innings of play, that question could have been easily answered by any fan who was sitting at CBP. It was obvious to all who had a working pair of eyes that the field was unplayable after the 3rd inning, yet the umpires wanted to get the game over with, and have a World Champion crowned in what would hopefully be 6 innings later. However, the Phillies, Rays, all of their loyal fans there and watching from home or a bar, baseball, and the world saw something they had never been seen before, a suspended game in the World Series!
It was so interesting that the Rays only started to score their runs after the field became a mudslide. Pitcher Cole Hamels, who had his name in history washed out by the rain, had no movement on his stellar change-up because he could not get a decent grip on the ball. After the top of the 6th inning, the Tampa Bay Rays tied the score at 2, and the umpires called the game. How convenient was it that the umpires decided to call the game after it had been tied up? Well I must say, that Bud Selig and others from Major League Baseball had some explaining to do. Our night of destiny was now to be rescheduled until weather permitted us to take care of business.
After yet another storm threatened the game being concluded on Tuesday, the MLB set the date of the game to Wednesday, October 29th at 8:00 P.M. Game 5 ½, as it came to be known, would hopefully be the game that the 45,940 fans in attendance would have the opportunity to see the Phils clinch the World Series. Three of those 45,000 and change fans were Cutting Edge’s own. Marc, Christine, and Steve, dressed warmly for their second chance at seeing our beloved Phightens win it all; if someone saw us, they might think we were dressed for an Eagles game, had it not been for the Phillies red that bled from our outfits. The Cutting Edge crew split up after a short meeting in the parking lot to catch up and talk about what could result from these 3 ½ innings.
The rest of the Cutting Edge Staff did their part by making sure they were home in time for the first pitch. Craig, the Manager and founder of our company, closed the office at 7:30, and made sure he was home and in front of his T.V for the game. Many of our other DJs and dancers exchanged texts and met up to be with each other for this moment; the Cutting Edge family really came together and shared their Phillies pride with one other and everyone else that they could. The Rays hoped that the rain delay would quiet the crowd, but our anger and frustration would not be silenced on this night, and if you don’t believe me, Cutting Edge could show you three workers whose voices were gone by the end of the night.
As the night progressed, the ticking time bomb that was waiting to go off, really felt ready to explode as Lights Out Lidge made his way into the game. The whole city stopped at this time, and everyone dropped what they were doing and turned to a television set or a radio. Cutting Edge’s own Production/Equipment Manager Carl, woke his two kids up for the final out. Even though they are young and were already tucked into bed, Carl ran to their rooms to wake them up. Even though his kids had school the next day, Carl knew that his kids needed to see this moment; who knows how long it will be until this happens again. Carl waited for many years, and watched through endless seasons and heartbreaks to get to this moment, and who better to share this with then his two kids!
“And the 0-2 pitch… Swing and a Miss! Struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions of Baseballlll!!!!!” was the call from Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas, and the bomb exploded. The level of excitement in that stadium would have been enough to blow all of our speakers at work. The amount of alcohol wasted that night and poured all over the place I’m sure would be enough to quench the thirst of some third world countries, but after all was said and done, Cutting Edge Entertainment was there to support the Phightens; the team so many of them grew up with, the franchise so many of them stuck by through the ups and the downs, the same Phils that came so close in ’93, and that almost same roster that flirted with the playoffs in 2007. But all of the experiences led us all to this moment, the moment that would define a city. A moment that no one will ever forget; a memory that will forever be embedded in the minds of those who witnessed it.
Cutting Edge stuck through all of the rain, and everything else that stood in the way of seeing the Phighten Phils do it. There was only one thing left; a parade down Broad Street that turned out an outstanding 2 million people. The company vans, which ironically are blue and red, were decorated with Phils logos and anything else we could paint on. This was our way of saying “thank you!” to the team we love. Our decorated vans were not kept for that long, but long enough to transport a great deal of Cutting Edge employees to the parade. We made sure we were all down there, and who better else to be with then the co-workers who are like family. I can honestly say I was so glad to be with the crew, and feel so honored to work under Craig and represent Cutting Edge Entertainment. Throughout everything, the Philadelphia Phillies brought an entire city together, and turned the country’s focus onto the city of Philadelphia. Amidst all of the excitement we all went through, the workers at CEE decided to celebrate together; there were many others with whom we each celebrated, but a majority of us shared that special moment together on Broad Street, where the Phils will parade again and again and again…
Submitted by Steven Foltz
‘Future sports writer extraordinaire’
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