Wednesday, July 15, 2026
An Open Letter to Philadelphia, PA
Dear Philadelphia,
Being that this Open Letter to Philadelphia is indeed broadly and plainly addressed to "Philadelphia," and in consideration of this communication being broadcast to a broad array of audiences via platforms both near to and far — and with the hopes of reaching as wide an audience as possible, I request that the addressee "Philadelphia" be broadly interpreted to include any and all within an affiliation to the city.
Indeed, for the purposes of this letter, "Philadelphia" begins at the top with Mayor Cherelle Parker and her administration, the Philadelphia City Council, the entire city management teams and support staff, and especially the city staff leaders and consultants specializing in economic development, all of whom worked so closely with and on behalf of the MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies to both secure and flawlessly execute the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Also, let ‘Philadelphia’ also encompass all of the support staff and volunteers that worked inside or outside of Citizens Bank Park throughout the ASG festivities, in whatever capacity, for whatever company, all of the hospitality industry workers providing top-notch service and, ultimately, the fans for showing up and delivering a product for the rest of the nation and the world to witness. Except they were not acting. Their passion is 100% real, and their knowledge is top-tier. Philly fans know their baseball. They know directness. They know candor. And they know loyalty.
Being that we are already several paragraphs in and have not formally opened the letter, let us do so here and now me do so here and now. And I know this is a bit unconventional. I know. I know. But here is something else I know, and it’s something that I have learned from Philadelphia, I do not give a damn if it’s conventional or not. Instead, what I do care about, is seeing that Philadelphia gets full credit and a perfect score for delivering an amazing week for the rest of us. As long as I convey that message, I really do not care if this is the entry of the year, if a paragraph is in the wrong spot, or if I sell a single card, plaque, or piece of memorabilia.
Truly, the overarching purpose of this communication is to simply thank you, Philadelphia. Now that we have established the identity of the said “Philadelphia,” it should be as clear as the day is long why we thank them. Their excellence has been so consistent that this letter is hardly groundbreaking news. Still, people like to be thanked and acknowledged — at least on occasion, from time to time. At least I do. So I thought that perhaps I should offer some of that same type of treatment, inclusive of somewords of appreciation in this most deserving of instances.
With all of the above having been communicated, please allow me to be a bit more specific about the reasoning behind me thinking it is so important that Philadelphia be offered such high praise and kudos. Plainly and simply, here it is: Thank you, Philadelphia, for once again building baseball and taking it to the next level, and enabling baseball to come out stronger after a major event in your city then it was prior to that event. It is not possible, at least in my opinion, to dispute or second-guess your impeccable performance over a full week of All-Star festivities.
They gave you the approval. That means they gave you the trust. That means they gave you the confidence. And you grabbed all of that and ran — freakin’ ran with it — full speed and flawless, demonstrating excellence to everyone watching the greatness of your city, the sport, and your local baseball team, which happened lead all major league teams with a total of six (6) All-Stars this year.
On a personal level, the week focused on Philadelphia revitalized me personally. As a Mets fan, I did not get here as often as I should have throughout my earlier years. Though I did so often enough to remember what it was like to spend Fireworks Night on the field at ‘The Vet’. As time progressed, and I moved further out of the area, there was a signifiant stretch of time during which my work travels would enable me to return to Philadelphia at least once per year. The scheduling was an idea, and often limited. Still, more often than not, I would be able to gather my younger cousins from South Jersey and somehow get them into the city to at least catch a game. Amidst much commotion on many of the occasions, it often ended up working out overall. I wish there had been more of those times. Even today, I miss it. There is no doubt that I have had many good times in Philadelphia. In fact, I have had some great times. I loved Citizens Bank Park from day one. As focused as I was on the All-Star activities over the past week, I did find a significant amount of time to also reminisce about those days of the past.
Earlier on, I alluded to the Phillies fans and noted that I would circle back on that. In many ways, they were the factor that defined the festivities of the past week. Just like that great stadium, the fans are a bit rigid, very abrupt — and it's so damn compelling, especially on TV. Not that Phillies fans necessarily care what you think of them. Many probably don’t even think about it. They are not in attendance to serve as extras or props for the cameras. And that's what makes it so great. They made great television just by living in the moment — believing in the game, enjoying the time with their families and their friends, whether they had just finished work in Center City, or traveled from a distance further away. Their joy for life, for baseball, for each other — It is obvious. It comes off as genuine. And that's the real story of the 2026 All-Star Game.
For Philadelphia, their excellence can be traced back all the way to those initial interactions with those Founding Fathers. Now, can it be said that the importance of the success of those events were higher than that of the 2026 All-Star Game. Well, I would say yes. So too were the two (2) modern-day presidential nominating conventions Philly was awarded to host over the past quarter century.
Then we get to the memory of WrestleMania just a couple of years back. Another winning bid by Philly. And guess what? Philly delivered flawlessly, and exceeded expectations, without fail, each and every time. Now, just leads me to my next question. Is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game more important than WrestleMania. Well, as I think on the answer to that question for just a moment, damn straight it is! Now, and in all seriousness, with wrestling or baseball are more important, whatever each of us thinks does not really matter. And are these entertainment, exhibitions more important than the patriotic and political stuff noted earlier. In fairness, probably not. However, make no mistake about it. They are all important. We don’t just live to wake up and go to work and make a little money only to never experience a magical moment at the top of the line in a robust city with your family whether it be your spouse, your partner your child, your best buddies from high school, your lifelong friends, the new friend you met that just moved to the area. Let me be clear, baseball is life! Bottom line! End of debate!
The point is, 100% of the time that Philadelphia is awarded and/or charged with an opportunity or responsibility to perform magic at the highest level levels, they do not back down, they do not retreat, and Philadelphia does not lose. Furthermore, it is highly likely that a solid number of these successful beds and contracts secured by Philadelphia have been a clear result of their previous impeccable performance. That is why your city and economic leaders have continuously won. It is why they will continue to win in the days ahead.
Some of this has been said, but really we can summarize it all and read it in right here. Look — sometimes it's serious. Sometimes it's the most important political moment in a generation. And sometimes it's wrestling. And sometimes, yes, it's baseball — which is slightly more dignified than wrestling, but don't tell the wrestlers I said that. The point is: Philly has learned to dial it up and dial it back. To bring the intensity when it's needed and let the moment breathe when it calls for it. That's maturity with an attitude.
I speak from experience. Back in 1990, Philadelphia threw me out of an arena for defending Dusty Rhodes from Randy Savage at the first SummerSlam, held at the Spectrum. Overtaken with emotion after Savage had clobbered Dusty over the head — after the Million Dollar Man stole his manager, the Sweet Sapphire — I somehow, on instinct, thought it would be a good idea to push the Macho Man and instruct him to "get off him." Security had a different opinion. They took us to the door and told us never to come back. Well, I did anyway. That's how much I love this place. That's what this city does to you.
Of course, I had to refine my antics a little bit — and gladly. What happened way back then at SummerSlam is not something I could anticipate occurring today, not simply because the Macho Man has passed on, but because I would like to think that I have grown up a fair bit since then. And perhaps, from time to time, some Philly fans might consider dialing back the beer bottles and the vulgarity — but that's a private conversation for another time. Overall, we accept you for who you are, that being courageous, spirited, knowledgeable, passionate, fired-up fans who are among the best in the entire league.
In closing, let us talk briefly about The impact a fan base can have on players that come through a certain city or, better yet, specifically to Philadelphia. This is important. If you ever have the chance to cross paths with one or a few of them, naturally, depending on the setting, ask any of them to take on that question. Make no mistake about it. Many of them will tell you themselves that they were better athletes because of Philadelphia. Stronger people. More resilient competitors. They made more money, won more titles, earned more prestige — because of their time spent in front of these fans. That is no small thing. That's a legacy. Philadelphia does not only host greatness. Instead, Philly creates it. It demands it. It pulls it out of you whether you are ready or not.
Though here is the the question worth asking: Do the fans create the players, or do the players create the fans? The honest answer is both. That is exactly what makes Philadelphia different. It is an ecosystem on passionate autopilot. Once you have it, it feeds itself. The passion in the stands raises the level on the field. The greatness on the field deepens the passion in the stands. Generation after generation, it compounds. That is no accident. That is Philadelphia.
And it didn't start this week. It didn't start with this generation of Phillies. Philadelphia's baseball history is as rich as any city in this sport — Hall of Famers, perennial All-Stars, and local heroes who may never have made a headline outside of South Philly but who meant everything to the people that watched them play. Not every legend gets a plaque in Cooperstown. Some of them are simply blessed by a city that never forgets them. Philadelphia is that city, and it always has been.
Thank you all that have read from start to finish. I know this particular communication was a bit long. Though it was also important. Enjoy the remainder of the season. Wishing you much positivity during the final stretch of the race for the postseason. Enjoy and be safe.
—ADAM I ECOM, Founder & Commissioner, THE BASEMALL and BASEBLOG