Phillie fans arrive with a Halloween excitement

INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

As the rain poured down at Citizens Bank Park last night, one fan fretted not just about the delay in starting Game 3 but about something more personal: rust.

"I forgot my oil can," lamented the Tin Man, otherwise known as Tom Camano, of the city's Burholme section. "I wish it would stop."

Camano, 41, spent the early evening trick-or-treating with his wife and daughter, who were dressed as the Wicked Witch and Dorothy, then headed to the ballpark, holding up a sign that said, "Phillies Got Heart."

After an 80-minute rain delay, the Tin Man got his wish: Cole Hamels unleashed a pitch, and the Phillies-Yankees game was finally on.

The World Series returned to Philadelphia last night, and judging by fans' exuberance, the second time around is just as sweet - as sweet as Halloween candy.

Thousands came in costume. The ultimate celebrity even showed up. Yes, Elvis was in the building. And apparently he's a Phillies fan, given the sparkly, red "P" on the back of his ermine cape. Elvis - who moonlights as Brent Sharp, 26, of Reading - wore a bejeweled jumpsuit and big gold sunglasses.

As he made his way through the crowded concourse, Elvis high-fived a woman wearing a gorilla mask and a guy dressed as "King Cole" Hamels.

Fans wondered, of course, if the up-and-down Phillies pitcher would deliver a treat or a trick. He started strong, setting the Yankees down in order in the first. A cheer went up when he drilled Alex Rodriguez with a pitch in the second. A bigger cry rose in the bottom of the inning, when Jayson Werth's home run put the Phillies ahead, 1-0.

By the end of the second, the Phillies were leading by 3-0. And people partied.

One woman came dressed as an angel, complete with halo, no doubt praying for a Phillies win. Others came dressed as Darth Vader, the Duff beer man from the Simpsons, and, of course, a certain, fictional Philadelphia boxer, complete with a silk robe bearing the name Balboa.

Jeffrey Garrison wore a spiked, blood-red vest and a Phillies hat that featured protruding red horns. But without a pitchfork, could the devil stick it to the Yankees? Garrison, 47, sat in section 104 last night with Judith McLaud, 53, who joked that she and Garrison were "living in sin" - the only way the devil would have it.

Plenty of people made sacrifices - of the non-demonic sort - to be at the game last night.

Denise Jordan of Newtown Square had to cancel her annual, rip-roaring Halloween party. With World Series tickets in hand, she donned a silky, red wig, velvet cape, and long, red skirt, then headed to South Philadelphia.

"Halloween is forever, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Jordan, 49.

After splitting two games in New York, the Yankees and Phillies came south to a rollicking Citizens Bank Park, and to a home crowd dressed for the occasion.

Daniel Staerk, 23, of Glenside and Chris Najpauer, 23, of Allentown - both men, and former roommates at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - came dressed as bride and groom.

It was Staerk's idea: "I saw the wedding dress in a thrift shop when I was looking for a good mug to drink with," he said. "I called Chris and said, 'I'm wearing a wedding dress.' "

And of course, on hearing that from his buddy, Najpauer had one thought: "I better get a tux." The best he could find on short notice was a 60-year-old Macy's suit stuck away in his basement, once worn by his 83-year-old grandfather.

Last night, more than three hours before the gates opened, the scene outside the stadium was a giant party - with most people dressed as Phillies fans. The line to buy postseason merchandise snaked out of the sales tent. The splattering of rain couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm.

Yankees fan David Perez stood outside holding two fingers in the air, hoping.

"Go, Yankees!" yelled a woman in a Yankees coat, flashing him a two-fingered peace sign.

"No, I need two tickets!" Perez told her. "Yankees fans, sometimes we're not too bright."

Perez and his son, Kristopher, 9, drove from Reading, hoping to see the game, but prepared to simply soak in the atmosphere.

"For him," Perez said, nodding toward his son, "that's what it's about."

Across the street from the stadium, 21-year-old Ali Tanguay stood dressed in a near-perfect, homemade Phillie Phanatic costume. In her hand she held the headpiece - but no ticket to the game.

But, hey, the Voorhees woman suggested, maybe she could wait until the game started, then just stroll into the park in full costume, giving the security guards a confident wave.

" 'I'm late. They need me on the dugout,' " she said with a laugh. "That's my plan."