Philadelphia Baseball History

Niagara Falls.  Tourist from across the globe have been attracted to the majestic beauty of the falls for more than two centuries. But the deceptive beauty of the Falls is also a call to danger.  Attention seekers have courted that danger, daring to plunge over the Falls in homemade barrels.  Others have dared a tightrope walk over the soaring heights.   Since 1850, about 5,000 bodies have been found at the foot of the Falls.  An estimated 20 to 30 people use the Falls each year to commit suicide. The Falls have even been used in an attempt to cover up a gruesome murder.  The tranquility of the tourist attraction was shattered on July 9, 1903.  That day, William LaBlond, operator of the popular tour boat, the Maid of the Mist, found a mangled, bloated body in the Niagara Gorge, a natural pool just upstream from the Falls.  The man’s leg had born shorn off, likely due to the boat’s propellers. The only clothing left on the body was his tie and hi...

The news at the end of Friday was that the Phillies had avoided arbitration with five of the six players eligible this year. That one player with whom the Phillies have not reached an agreement is Aaron Nola. News reports indicate that Nola seeks $6.75 from the arbitrator, while the Phillies want the aribitrator to award $4.5 million. Many Phillies fans are incensed over this. Nola has been the Phillies’ most consistent starting pitcher over the last three years. Last year, he finished third in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award, with a record of 17-6 and an ERA of 2.37. Surely Nola has been the Phillies’ most promising prospect in the latest rebuilding process.  How can the Phillies be so greedy as to let Nola slip into an embarrassing and potentially damaging process of arbitration over two million dollars?  This is especial egregious given that the Phillies May be poised to conclude long-term $300 million contracts with not one, but two free agents, neither of whom are ...