Cornell-Harvard TV event + ballpark tour in Philadelphia (pictures)

[Note: This event is SOLD OUT -- and now the wait list is officially closed as well. There will be no tickets available at the door]

Thanks to Philadelphia Phillies exec Joe Giles (Cornell '84), Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' home venue, is going to be taken over by Cornell on Saturday evening, February 18 (the last day of the CACO meeting), starting at 5:30 when the puck drops in Lynah. The Phillies are opening up the exclusive Diamond Club for us.

Here's what's on the agenda:

* Behind-the-scenes tours of Citizens Bank Park (it's an incredible place), including locker rooms and bullpen.

* Cornell-Harvard hockey live on plasma TVs throughout the Diamond Club at 5:30.

* Cornell-Penn basketball live on plasma TVs throughout the Diamond Club at 8:30.

* Meet Phillies executive Joe Giles '84, our host.

* Silent auction of cool stuff to benefit the Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia's scholarship fund. Take note, hockey fans: Items will include a hockey jersey and stick autographed by the Cornell men's hockey team, Philadelphia Phantoms stuff autographed by Charlie Cook '05, autographed Phillies gear, autographed Eagles gear, Cornell memorabilia from the University's archives, Sixers' tickets, Eagles tickets, New York Giants tickets, hotel and beach rental packages, meals at Philadelphia area restaurants, Finger Lakes wine, and much much more (see posts below).

* Food is included: "Taste of Philly" menu (everything from cheese steaks and hoagies to stir fries, salads, and healthy/veggie options).

* Music from the Irish-American Mummers String Band (fab indigenous flava).

* Free parking (see post below for parking instructions and directions...easy access from I-95) ... Folks coming down for the CACO meeting can take a shuttle bus from the Marriott in Center City (see post below).

* Hang with the Philly Phanatic.

* Cornell Bandstand -- dance in the city where American Bandstand was born.

* Plenty of entertainment for children.

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.

There will be no tickets available at the door the day of the event.

See who's among the 400+ folks who'll be coming: [calendar.aad.cornell.edu]

CACO (the Cornell Assn of Class Officers) is meeting in Philadephia that night and I think they're nervous about dinner defectors, given the presence of Cornell-Harvard hockey on TV, so they're talking about bringing in a bigscreen TV. Good to see CACO has its priorities straight.

Still, the competing offer sounds better than rubber chicken. [Edit:] Looks as if there is no formal banquet to interfere with the hockey this year. Maybe CACO knows better than to ask which is more important, a $75 a plate dinner or watching Cornell pummel (and maybe also defeat) Harvard on the big screen. Especially after last year's snowstorm-tangled banquet.

(Hillel, isn't "major" redundant before the words "Cornell" "Harvard" "hockey" and "TV"?)

Edit: Deleted -- all info is now updated in top post.

It's on. The agenda for the "Welcome to Philly" event, including Cornell-Harvard hockey live on TV, is now set (see top post, which has been updated).

Online registration is now available (100+ have already signed up -- you can see who's coming): [calendar.aad.cornell.edu]

Please come to South Philly and hang with us.

Another update of interest to Cornell hockey fans attending the Feb. 18 event at Citizens Bank Park in Philly...

The latest excellent addition to the long list of items going on silent benefit auction: A bunch of Philadelphia Phantoms stuff, including a stick autographed by former Cornell captain Charlie Cook '05 and the rest of the Phantoms*, an autographed Charlie Cook card, Phantoms tickets, and more.

(Thanks, Charlie.)

More than 230 people are now signed up.


* ...and "rest of the Phantoms" could mean loads of other ex-NCAA players, depending on who the Flyers have called up at any given moment (Cavosie, Jones, Meyers, Umberger, Voce, and so on).

that is pretty cool. hope u guys have fun!

so i'm a class officer but will be AT the harvard game..in sec O (sucks). you guys can look on the big screen for me. i'll be embarrassing myself 3 rows in front of harvard's players' parents

Holy Smokes, even more nice stuff is being added to the silent benefit auction list. Here are some highlights:

* Cornell hockey jersey donated by the hockey team.
* Autographed Phillies gear, incl. Lieber baseball and Rollins cap (thanks to our host Joe Giles '84).
* Philadelphia Eagles tickets.
* Donovan McNabb autographed football.
* Weekend townhouse rental in Dewey Beach, DE.
* Hotel Hershey package.
* Orchestra and theater packages.
* Private tour of Sirius radio studios.
* LOTS of Cornell and Ithaca stuff, from Robert Trent Jones Golf Course green fees to vintage Cornell view books and song books (from archives).

I have signed up to go to the Philly event. CU there!

"How high is the water, Mama?"

Three hundred people registered ...and rising.

Is there a cap on registration?

From the online "list of people coming:"

[Q]
Cook, Charles '05
[/Q]

If they get too many people maybe they can just let folks into the stands and put the game on the big screen...

Jordan 04
Is there a cap on registration?

Glad you asked -- I should've clarified that earlier. Yes, we'll have to cap registration at 400. Given how fast people have been signing up, I would register NOW if you want to participate. There may not be any space left by game time.

OK, the cap of 400 people got me. I just signed up.

Last call. Looks like we may reach capacity sometime today (Tuesday, 1/31). Regardless, I've been told that they're going to shut down the registration site on Wednesday at noon, latest. I can't promise that it's not already full, as I write this.

Also looks like Philadelphia's excellent NLL franchise -- the Wings, co-founded/owned by Mike French '76 -- will be donating some stuff for the benefit auction, likely to include gear signed by rookie star Sean Greenhalgh '05. [Wayne Campbell]"Oh yes, you will be mine."[/Wayne Campbell]

Don't want to worry you Jeff, but I don't see your name on the list.

nshapiro
Don't want to worry you Jeff, but I don't see your name on the list.

They told me they had trouble with my credit card info. I called it in and got a confirmation today.

I spoke with Janet yesterday. She said there will be over 400 people attending, far exceeding expectations. They are indeed cutting of registrations because they've reached capacity. Wow.

My wife & I will be there in time to watch the hockey game. Please say hello if you see us.

Karl Barth '77

I've been told that the registration web site is going down in half an hour (5 p.m. Wednesday). It appears they've let the numbers sneak a bit over 400, so this may be the last chance to get your toe in the door before it slams shut.

The event is now officially "sold out."

[Edit: No more wait list. Sorry!]

There will be no tickets available at the door the day of the event.

Another interesting package of stuff for the silent benefit auction just arrived, courtesy Mike French '76, Cornell lacrosse legend and co-owner/founder of the Philadelphia Wings of the NLL:

* One Warrior stick autographed by all members of the Wings, including rookie of the month Sean Greenhalgh '05

* One Wings helmet autographed by all members of the Wings, including Sean Greenhalgh '05

* Arm pads signed by Sean Greenhalgh '05

* Four VIP (box) tickets to a Wings game at the Wachovia Center.

* ...and an absolute killer piece of Cornell sports memorabilia: A red Cornell lacrosse jersey, #17, signed by hall of famer Mike French on the back along with the words "16-0 Undefeated 1976 National Champions" on the back. The jersey is not a 1976 original -- it's a circa 1987 road jersey with the infamous bizarro crossword lettering on the front, which is an interesting bit o' Cornell lax history in itself. For those who either don't follow the game or are too young to remember Mike French, he is one of the greatest attackmen of all time, and still holds many Ivy and NCAA and world tournament (as a member of Team Canada) scoring records.

The Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia thanks everyone for registering. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday night.

Demand has been so intense that the waiting list is now officially closed (it already has the names of more than 150 people). So sorry about that. We're limited by the capacity of the Diamond Club.

Tickets will not be available at the door.

Driving and parking directions later.

Parking info for folks who'll be driving to Saturday's event:

There will be a designated free parking area available for us at Citizens Bank Park. It will be at the "Plaza Parking" garage, which is accessed off of Darien Street on the east side of the ballpark. There will be a guard at the entry and a sign that says "Special Event Parking." Please tell the guard you are with the Cornell group. The Diamond Club is a short walk from the garage. Enter the park at the Suite & Club Entrance/Home Plate. Driving directions to come shortly.

Bus info for folks who are signed up to take a bus from the CACO meeting:

Two buses are scheduled to leave for Citizens Bank Park from the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown (where the CACO midwinter meeting is being held). They'll leave from the hotel's 12th Street entrance. Departure times are 5 and 6 p.m. ... on the dot. Buses will be available to return to the hotel from Citizens Bank Park starting at 9 p.m., with the third and last bus returning to the hotel at 10:30 p.m.

For driving directions to Citizens Bank Park in South Philly from all points, go to [philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com]

[Further OT] And for those of you who just plug an address or phone # into your nav system or cellphone to navigate, it is:

Citizens Bank Park
One Citizens Bank Way (at Pattison Avenue)
Philadelphia, PA 19148-5249
215-463-5000

[For those who get wildly lost:] It's about 5 miles east of Philadelphia airport off Route 95.

And for those of you who are lazy:

From the Schuylkill southbound, Take the Broad St./Sports Complex Exit. Turn Right at the end of the ramp. Turn left onto Pattison Avenue. Go past the stadium and turn left onto Darien St.

From the Schuylkill Northbound, Take the Broad St./Sports Complex Exit. Turn left at the end of the ramp. Turn left onto Pattison avenue. Go past the stadium and turn left onto Darien St.

From I-95, take the Broad St. exit. Head north on Broad past the Wacko and Spectrum to Pattison. Turn right onto Pattison. Go past the stadium and turn left onto Darien St.

Those are the easist routes.

There are many good mass transit options too, of course.

Just take the Broad Street subway line south all the way to Pattison, which drops you off at Pattison & Broad Streets -- three blocks west of the ballpark. Or take a Broad Street bus to the same intersection.

How much do you think I can get on ebay for this event?

What an awesome event that was Saturday in Philadelphia at the Phillies' ballpark (Citizens Bank Park). This was for Cornellellians to gather after a Cornell class meeting and watch on big screen TVs the Big Red go against Harvard in hockey and Penn in basetball. Nice coincidence that the Phillies team colors are red and white so all the attendants and ushers looked like Cornell fans. The stadium is awesome. The press box is incredible and so are the VIP suites. All VIP boxes seem pretty nice where you're looking up at them from the stands, but in places such as Yankee Stadium, they're kind of dumpy inside.

We hear there was a pretty good hockey game at Lynah during this event although reports of the final score was garbled. Did Harvard really win? Alas, just before gametime, it turned out that all the big screen TVs in the lounge couldn't pick up the game because, we were told, high winds thoughout Philadelphia knocked satellite dishes out of alignment. There was a backup plan for a sports bar nearby in case Citzens Bank went down, but their signal was out, too, we were told. Finally someone brought in a laptop whose audio was on the fritz (so no audio gamecast possible), a 50-foot Ethernet cable procured and hooked into a patch panel, and eLynah provided the play by play, monitored and announced by Jeff Hopkins '82.

A white Cornell jersey signed by the team and up for auction languished around $100 for most of the evening -- imagine, new jersey, autographed, for less than the cost of game-worn -- and then doubled in price in the closing minutes as people scrambled to be top bidder. Still, not bad for a jersey with the signatures of two, three or four future NHLers. There also was a slew of entertainment for kids (think bar mitzvah DJ plus a visit by the Mummers travel squad plus stadium tours) so I'm lying through my teeth when my kids wake up this morning and ask, "Was it any fun?" "Oh, you know, guys, lots of grownups standing around and talking, and only about six kinds of desserts." "Yuck. Boring."

Cornell should demand we be invited back to the ballpark next year and the year after that (the annual Cornell class officer meetings are in Philadelphia for a three year run) until they get it absolutely right. <g> Including the final score.

Obviously, we (and the Phillies) were mortified that we couldn't pick up the satellite signal in the Diamond Club last night. They had been receiving the signal all day until that afternoon.

A thousand apologies to everyone for that. Thank you for your patience (and a big thanks to Bill Casswell '89 for bringing the Laptop that Saved the Universe).

CACO will be returning to Philly for another two years, so we hope to see you all again.

Here's to the Welcome to Philly co-chairs:

Marcia Epstein '64
Jeff Estabrook '80
Mary Kahn '79

Nicely done, y'all.

I'll also put in my thanks to the team that put together this event. And to the other members of the faithful who made this a fun time, despite the loss of TV coverage. Nice to put some faces on the names. BTW, there were several people receiving text messages during the game, as well as Bill C's laptop.

And Hillel, don't agonize over force majeure. It happens. It just better not happen again next year

Pictures of the event have been posted:

[www.alumni.cornell.edu]

Almost $7,000 was raised for the Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia's scholarship fund. Thank you.