Looking at the walls, one would think they're sitting in a sports bar.
But, as their eyes lowered, they'd find themselves in the apartment of three lifelong Philadelphia sports fans eagerly awaiting each pitch of the 2009 World Series.
It was Saturday night, and Jason Aversano (junior-telecommunications), Bob Lemon (junior-broadcast journalism) and Ben Yocum (junior-film) -- along with several of their friends -- sat in Phillies gear and watched Game 3 of the Fall Classic in their Philly sports shrine.
One would never guess the streets outside the building were filled with costumed students roaming the streets and heading to parties on Halloween night. For the residents of this Philly-themed home, it may as well have been Christmas, as they watched their gift of a second-straight World Series featuring the Philadelphia Phillies.
"There was no question," Aversano said of his plans for the night. "I've blown off like 100 plans. I don't even care."
The collection of fans sat in the confines of walls filled with banners and posters -- each with its own story.
Banners of the Phillies' 2007 Division and 2008 World Series titles were bought by Lemon at the following seasons' home openers and now hang with pride on the wall.
Aversano said the three men went to beer distributors and begged them for signs that had logos of the Philly sports teams. Over time, he said the amount of posters accumulated to make the apartment what it is now.
Their dedication paid off about a month ago, when the apartment was featured on 700level.com, a popular Philly sports blog. Aversano said they were taking pictures of the apartment and decided to send them in to the Web site. A few days later, they were surprised to see the pictures and their names in a posting on the site.
As the group sat waiting for the game to begin, shots of the Philadelphia crowd showed the fans crowded out of the rain under the cover of the stadium. Lemon said he'd be there jumping up and down, and all three agreed ponchos would be out of the question if they were at the game.
"I would be out there," Aversano said. "I would stay in the rain. I came to watch the
game."
After an 80-minute rain delay, the game finally started.
Bodies slouched on the couch were suddenly leaning forward. The volume of the room multiplied as the first pitch neared. With every pitch, the group erupted with enthusiasm -- proving their dedication to the team.
The three roommates agreed Penn State was filled with Phillies fans who had just hopped on the bandwagon in recent weeks. While they didn't approve of the false loyalty shown by some fans, Yocum said the Philly support helped for the battle of Pennsylvania's top sports city.
"You see all those Pittsburgh fans who are like, 'Yo, we got six Super Bowls, we're awesome,' " Yocum said. "They were alive for two of them, right. I'll be alive for two World Series in a row."
Just as Yocum was comparing the two major cities, the room shook as everyone jumped and cheered a Jayson Werth home run. The fans dressed in Phillies shirts -- some having not been washed since the beginning of the playoffs -- high-fived each other as replays of the homer played on the television.
Though the Phillies eventually lost Game 3, the group hopes their team can come back to repeat as champions.
Aversano said while at the Penn State Berks campus last year, they bought 14 bottles of sparkling apple cider and went through campus spraying it around.
The group got a noise violation for the celebration, but said it wasn't the only time they've gotten into trouble because of cheering for the Phillies -- and if the championship comes back to Philadelphia this year, it won't be the last.
"We're going to go bigger and better," Aversano said. "I'll get sprayed in the face with mace for the World Series any day."
