Philadelphia Baseball History

I was on Facebook pursuing a group dedicated to baseball when I saw someone had posted a picture of Mark McGwire as a Cardinal. Immediately under the photo, someone posted a comment that said, “cheater pants.”  I posted that I thought McGwire and Sammy Sosa didn’t get a fair shake. My reasoning is that there was a lot of blame to go around for the steroid era, which included the fans. It was amazing to me how many people responded by denying history and hurling insults at me for daring to defend a cheater. But I stand by what I said. A lot of people were complicit in the steroid era, including the fans.  Let’s go back in time to set the context. The baseball strike of 1994 was catastrophic. Not only did we lose months of baseball, but the Commissioner also cancelled the World Series. Once the strike was settled and the players returned, the fans did not. Baseball, losing popularity, was in a crisis.  Then, something amazing happened. Baseballs were leaving...

This year's off-season has been marked by big name free agent ball players remaining unsigned through the beginning of Spring Training. The situation has left some players and their agents crying foul against the owners. In addition, the union has found itself in conflict with the Commissioner over proposed rule changes allegedly intended to enhance the pace of play.  The emergence of these issues raises the question of whether a labor dispute is brewing for baseball. Starting with the issue of unsigned free agents, this is a problem with two root causes.  The first is the way baseball's economic and salary rules operate.  The second is how teams currently value players. From the point of view of the ball player, if he shows his abilities and talents on the field, he expects to be rewarded.  In particular, baseball's rules can keep a player tied to one team for up to six years after being drafted.  Initially, the player has three years to earn a spot on th...

It may seem like odd timing. For years, the Phillies have been silent over talk at the Winter Meetings.  And that silence made sense. The Phillies had nothing to offer. Up until last September, the Phillies had nothing in their system worth discussing. But now, the Phillies prospects, including Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford have all shown that they can perform at the major league level. Now it is time for more serious discussions. What would it cost to turn the Phillies into a contender now by the acquisition of Manny Machado and Jake Arietta? For Machado, it makes sense to try to make a deal now. Machado is a free agent next year.  The Orioles will loose all value they may have in him. If the Orioles could find an interested trading partner now, at least Baltimore can salvage something. Connecting the Phillies to any potential Machado deal is interesting. With the disappointing play of Mikail Franco, third base currently represents the Ph...

Despite a career average of .292, 351 total home runs, 1,119 total RBIs, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award, seven All-Star appearances, and the 1972 AL MVP award, during his fifteen years of eligibility of 1982 through 1997, Dick Allen never garnered more than 20% of the vote from the BBWAA for Hall of Fame induction. The oft-cited reason for this has been the character issue. Baseball writers viewed Allen as a divisive figure in the clubhouse. Bill James has accused Allen of “manipulat[ing] racism as an explosive to blow his teams apart.” But far from manipulating racism, Allen was a victim of racism, who was saddled with an undeserved reputation because of his reactions to regrettable treatment by players and fans alike.  Allen broke into the major leagues in Philadelphia, a city Curt Flood described as “[t]he nation’s northernmost southern city.”  Philadelphia was infamous for its treatment of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier in 1947. The Philli...

Joe Morgan set the baseball world ablaze this week when he emailed BBWAA voters a letter stating that known steroid users do not belong in the Hall of Fame.  Morgan argued that PED users cheated to post big numbers, and in the process made the numbers of players who were clean look small by comparison. Morgan claimed that his opinion represented his only his own thoughts.  But the fact that he signed it as the Vice Chairman of the Hall of Fame, used a Hall of Fame email address, and sent it to an email list only the Hall had led many to believe that Morgan was speaking on behalf of the Hall itself.  Sportswriters also argued that Morgan's letter represented an attempt to counter the rising support Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have enjoyed, both having received over 50% of the vote last year. Morgan's letter erupted a firestorm of debate.  Some, like Intentional Talk host Chris Rose, criticized Morgan's letter as sanctimonious.  Others wholeheartedly agree...

Could interleague play have been meant to condition fans for an eventual major realignment? There was a time when the two major leagues were completely separate.   They had separate rules.   They hired separate umpires.   They had a separate organization structure.   American League owners met and voted on American League issues. Likewise for National League owners.   They were two completely distinct organizations whose teams only met for the annual All-Star Game and in the World Series. This is the reason why baseball has two Rookies of the Year, two Most Valuable Players and two Cy Young Award winners; one for each league. When expansion happened in 1961, it was an American League issue.   The American League owners voted on it, and two American League teams were added.   Likewise, when expansion occurred again in 1962, it was a National League issue.   National League owners voted on it, and two National League teams were added. ...

The imposing figure on the mound was familiar to the Shibe Park faithful, but not in the uniform he currently wore and not in the position he was playing.  It was 1945.  Jimmie Foxx had returned to Philadelphia, but this time with the Phillies (who were calling themselves the Blue Jays informally). World War II was still raging.  Although President Franklin Roosevelt insisted that baseball continue during the war, it ranks had been depleted.  With the likes of Ted Willliams, Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio joining the war effort, many teams struggled to put players on the field.  Many older players, like Foxx, found their career extended as a result. Foxx, known in his prime as The Beast or  Double X, saw his skills begin to diminish around 1941.  He played for the Cubs for a few years mostly as a pinch hitter, before joining the Phillies.  Now he was being asked to round out the Phillies' pitching staff as the season, and Foxx's playing career...