I would imagine the truck will be slightly larger than this Eagles, I mean... Phillies truck.

First, Punxuatawney Phil signals that winter will soon be coming to an end. Thank God…

…and then the Phillies go ahead and make it even better by sending out a press release today, informing us all that the Phillies equipment truck will head to Clearwater on Friday morning.

Every year, I wait for this day… the beginning of the light at the end of this ridiculous winter tunnel. What’s interesting about the truck is not the truck itself, but its contents, and the quantity of the contents. Here’s what we’re looking at… and by the time you’re done reading this, you’re going to be excited. Don’t question it, just let it happen:

  • 15 cases of gum (regular and sugarless) – Charlie is still watching his sugars after losing all that weight last year.
  • 12 cases of sunflower seeds – My guilty pleasure, I can go through one of those bigger bags in less than two hours, and I don’t chew my seeds. Additionally, there is nothing better than seeds and baseball.
  • 20 coolers and a half-pallet of POWERade mix – Gatorade is better, but whatever.
  • 250 batting practice tops – Why so many? Ryan Howard has a perspiration problem and it destroys shirts… no, not really.
  • 300 helmets – Because not everyone wears the same helmet for 150 years, like Manny Ramirez.
  • 350 pairs of shorts – Because even players that wear a Phillies uniform soil themselves when they think of R2C2
  • 450 pairs of socks – That just seems like a lot… is that a lot?
  • 600 pair of pants – See: 350 pairs of shorts
  • 600 hats – New hats are amazing, and that “P” on the front means more and more as this Phillies team continues to be a legitimate World Series contender
  • 200 fleeces – You can never be too careful after a winter like this. It snowed in 49 states on the same day in January… Florida was the one that was exempt, but c’mon… no state is safe. And I mean, ice storms in Texas? Seriously?
  • 1,200 bats - I hope they aren’t made of maple…
  • 2,000 t-shirts - Can I get one? I’m sick of paying $25 for a freakin’ shirt…
  • 10,000 12-ounce cups – So Raul has something to spit into… and you never know when crazy-ass Lenny is gonna show up.
  • 15,000 baseballs – I may need a pair of those shorts… too graphic?
  • 150 pairs of batting gloves – The thought of players adjusting their batting gloves in between pitches is getting me excited. That’s how desperate I’ve become, I can barely stand myself anymore. Check out number eight on this list… oh yeah, that’s hot.

The Phillies will load the equipment truck at 9:00 am and it’s slated to hit the road around 11:00 am outside of the clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. I’ll be leaving Wing Bowl around then… I may have to stop over.

Aces and Carlos report in 11 days…

…I told you you’d be excited.

A special thanks to Chris Lyons for forwarding the press release.