PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Who says you have to live in the Philadelphia region to be obsessed with our sports teams and proudly represent the fan base?
Mitch Lambert is proof you don’t.
“Moving to Arizona has made me even more proud to be a Philly sports fan,” Mitch said.
Mitch, 29, was born in the Northeast and grew up in Bucks County. He got hooked on Philadelphia sports as a 10-year-old during the Eagles NFC Championship season in 2004-05.
But his introduction to this way of life happened well before that. As a baby, Mitch would sit on the lap of his beloved late grandfather, John Shields, and watch Eagles games.
Shields was a diehard fan dating back to when he was a kid, even attending the Eagles NFL Championship winning game over Vince Lombardi’s Packers in 1960 at Franklin Field. His love of the team was passed down to his grandson. The two bonded over the Birds, and Mitch would call his grandfather before and after games. So, it’s no surprise that Mitch mirrored his grandfather’s path – Shields once relocated to Arizona, himself.
Related
Mitch – son of recent KYW Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week Marla Gelfont – loved that area so much during visits, that he always knew he would follow suit.
After working in radio in Reading for a couple years, one moment made him realize it was time.
“It was eight degrees on New Year’s Eve one night … and I said to my wife, ‘That’s it. I think we need to get out of here.’”
‘I had more fun watching there than I did ever back East’
Mitch and his wife Jamie – high school sweethearts from Council Rock South – moved to the desert five years ago. They live in Mesa, near Phoenix.
When they met in high school, Jamie quickly recognized Mitch loved Philadelphia sports, “literally from the beginning.”
“I showed up in Eagles gear once,” Jamie remembers, “and he’s like, ‘I contemplated proposing.’”
They’ve been married for four years – an occasion that Mitch considers to be in a tie with Super Bowl LII as one of the greatest days of his life.
“She just laughs,” Mitch says, “but she knows it’s true.”
They got married during an Eagles bye week.
Related
Jamie called her husband a dedicated, enthusiastic fan who will yell, ‘Go Birds!’ when he sees anything Eagles in Arizona, while booing Dallas if he sees a Cowboys hat.
“I’m nuts,” Mitch says. “I watch every Eagles, Phillies, Flyers game pretty much. I just can’t get enough.”
They will watch many Eagles games at a place called Rockbar in Scottsdale, which is consumed by a fan club called Eagles West. Going to an Eagles game at the Linc — or any venue really — is an experience. But to Mitch, a game at Rockbar is its own kind of awesome.
Referring to the atmosphere as “absolute bedlam,” he estimates there were 1,500 to 2,000 people watching Super Bowl LVII there. The bar will play music and the Eagles Fight Song. They crank the volume.
Related
“I had more fun watching there than I did ever back East,” Mitch says.
And in addition to “Go Birds!” chants and watching games at Rockbar, Mitch makes sure he’s donning something to rep the PHL as often as he can.
“I have a whole closet full of Philly sports stuff.”
“I think it’s just something that he likes to represent a lot,” Jamie said, “and kind of rub in people’s faces sometimes … So he gets excited to just wear jerseys.”
‘The first words will be eff the Cowboys’
Mitch has carried on the legacy of Philadelphia sports from his late grandfather. His wife is more invested now as a result of his fandom. And coming soon to a cradle in the desert, the Lamberts are expecting their first child this November – a baby boy.
“He wants a bye week baby [just like our wedding], but I’m like, ‘You’ll take what you can get, sir,’” Jamie said with a laugh.
One thing Jamie is certain about is Mitch will be handing down his fandom to his son.
“He’s like, ‘You know, my kid’s gonna be an Eagles fan. The first words will be … I’ll just say, ‘...eff the Cowboys.’”
It wouldn’t be shocking if this baby will be sitting on Mitch’s lap watching an Eagles game this upcoming season just like he was back in the day with his late grandfather John.
Related
