Philadelphia Phillies fans young and old bond over baseball

VOORHEES, New Jersey (WPVI) -- As fans all over the Delaware Valley look forward to the World Series, some are taking the opportunity to reflect on baseball memories of the past.

Residents of Lion's Gate Senior Living in Voorhees, New Jersey, met their pen pals, 5th and 7th-grade students from Kellman Brown Academy on Wednesday.

"This has been really fun," said former teacher Paula Richman.

"It's really cool that this year we can come to see them and talk to them in person," said 7th grader Amit Ben Ari.

And they didn't have to look far for something to bridge the generational divide.

Everyone in the room was excited to watch the Phillies in the World Series.

For the kids, there's just one team.

"I feel happy and excited," said 5th grader Travis Massenburg, of Cherry Hill.

But some of the honorary grandparents remember when the Phillies weren't the only team in town.

"There was the team called the Athletics and there was the team called the Phillies," said 94-year-old Michelle Brill. "And naturally, I was interested in both but basically I was an athletics fan then. And then they up and went to California."

While the students and residents both love baseball, technology has definitely changed how we enjoy the games.

The seniors talked about a time when they couldn't watch the games unless they were there in person.

"We listened to baseball on the radio. We didn't have television at the time," said 94-year-old Rita Seiden. "But now on television, it's fabulous. Because with a big TV I take my chair and go right up to the TV. I'm right with the pitcher."

"Back then they didn't have so much technology so I think it would be fun to just listen," said 10-year-old Layah Nyquist, of Moorestown.

There were even some stories from other stadiums that were too good not to mention.

"I did stand with my mother through the playoff game of the Giants/Dodgers, and the shot that went around the world - I was at that game," said 86-year-old Lois Goldberg, remembering the dramatic playoff game in New York City in 1951.

Young and old, they'll be watching this series and cheering for the Phils.

"I think it's wonderful," said Seiden. "They deserve it."