Philadelphia Baseball History

As Charlie Ferguson sat on the bench, the twenty-two year old must have had butterflies in his stomach.   He turned in a remarkable pitching performance, having gone a full nine innings for the Philadelphia Quakers, one of the nicknames that the Phillies were known by until about 1890, and not a single member of the Providence Grays had gotten a hit off of him.   Unfortunately, the Quakers’ offense was just as anemic as the Grays’ was that day.   And so, on this August 29, 1885, Charlie Ferguson would have to sit and wait, and even be ready to go out for a possible tenth inning. Charlie Ferguson's Opponents Had Been Involved in the First World Series The Quakers’ opponent was the Providence Grays, the reigning National League champions.   They had been involved in the first World Series, although, calling it that may give it a bit more of an air of formality than the series of matches really deserves.   Back in 1884, there were two separate major leagues. ...

It was the bottom of the ninth, with two outs.  Although the Phillies had a four run lead, this was no time to relax.  One of the best hitters in the league, a former Rookie of the Year and two time batting title champion, had worked a full count.  Much was riding on this next pitch. The man on the mound, however, had been preparing his whole life for this moment.  Just thirteen years earlier, at age twelve, he had led his team to the Little League World Series.  Three years after that, he became only the second player to pitchers  a no-hitter in the Babe Ruth World series.  Major league scouts had shown interest in the teenaged Rick Wise, for quite some time.  One scout even pressured Wise's parents to sign a major league contract for their minor son on the spot, warning that his value could only decrease if Rick had a bad game.  In his next game, Wise proceeded to strike out twenty-two batters in nine innings. June 23, 1971 would prove to b...

It's a shame that nothing like YouTube was around in the 1970s.  Because if it were, I'm sure that the play I want to discuss would have gone viral.  It was that unusual, and it was that entertaining.  It happened on July 4, 1976, when I was about two weeks shy of my fifth birthday.  So I don't have any independent memory of it.  But, it gave my father and my grandfather such a kick, that they talked about it for years afterward.  And that is Tim McCarver's grand slam that wasn't. Most young baseball fans know Tim McCarver as a broadcaster.  He only retired seven years ago.  But before his TV career, McCarver was a fan favorite among the Phillies faithful.  In fact, he was the player who introduced the world to the Phillie Phanatic in 1978, on the popular local kids' TV show on Channel Six, Captain Noah and His Magical Ark. McCarver had two stints with the Phillies.  The Phillies first acquired McCarver in 1970 from the Cardinals....

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...