A collection of the greatest Philadelphia Phillies stories ever told
By Jonathan Leshanski
June 6, 2003
Tales from the Phillies Dugout: A collection
of the greatest Phillies stories ever told.
by Rich Westcott
Published by Sport Publishing LLC.
p. 206
This is part of a series of sports books going under titles such as Tales
from the Dugout and Tales from the Mound, which are published by Sports
Publishing LLC. This is the first one of several that we will review for
you this summer.
Tales from the Phillies Dugout is a lighthearted and very entertaining
look at the oldest single city franchise in the majors. The Phillies are
by no means the most successful franchise in the majors nor the National
League nor even the National League East, however they are one of the
most colorful franchises to ever play the game.
No other franchise has finished dead last 29 times and managed only 5
pennants with a single World Series in 120 seasons. While the on the field
antics may not have proven to be the most successful they are certainly
one of the most beloved teams of all time. Rich Westcott takes the fan
inside the Phillies clubhouse on a decade-by-decade tour of the good seasons
and the bad.
His chapters include sections on some of the most interesting, bizarre,
and influential characters who’ve ever donned the famous red and
white uniforms of the Phillies, as well as history that is fun, easy to
read and of interest to even the most casual of baseball fans.
Starting with the original owner in 1883, a second baseman by the name
of Al Reach who had been born in England, to the letter to the editor
written (with assistance one might think since he can barely speak English)
by Vincente Padilla thanking the fans in Philadelphia last year - Westcott
takes you on a journey of discovery that makes you realize just how much
the fan never gets to see.
Great victories and blunders abound on the page as well as stories from
a different age - when the Phillies were always on the brink of bankruptcy
in the early days. There are the stories of attempted name changes to
the Live Wires in the 1910 season, Phils in 1942 and the Blue Jays shortly
after that. The name changes never stuck and at least in the case of the
Blue Jays was loudly reviled by the student body at Johns Hopkins whose
teams had used that nickname for 68 years and in no way wanted to be affiliated
with the losing team from Philadelphia. Ironically that name was eventually
used in Toronto - where the Phillies once had a farm team.
It’s the story of a team whose first manager bore the nickname “Death
to Flying things”, once had a manager who was an undertaker, and
had owners who raised the fences to prevent their players from hitting
too many home runs. The Phillies have had their share of oddballs and
you can find them in the pages. They have also had their superstars -
men like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Tug
McGraw, Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, Jim Fregosi and Dr. Strangeglove (Dick
Stuart). All of them are here.
Even the modern Phillies, guys with names like Wolf, Abrieu, Schilling,
Rolen and more can be found here - but that’s not the whole Phillies
story - the stories of the Vet and old Shibe Park not to mention the fans,
press and even grounds keeping can be found within the book.
In one especially entertaining anecdote we learn the story of the player
that was traded for himself; the Phillies got first baseman Vic Powers
for Marcelino Lopez and a player to be named later. Then at the end of
the season they gave the player named later…Vic Powers.
It’s light reading and good for fans of all ages. Some of the stories
will make you laugh and some will be rather sad but they are the stories
of the Philadephia Phillies and 120 years of baseball.
Give this book 2.5 balls out of four, if you are not a Phillies fan,
but ratchet it up a notch if you are. You’ll enjoy this book
either way.
Buy from Amazon by clicking on the book image
Our Rating System is based on a four ball system
as follows: One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special. Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above
average, and worth reading/owning. Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended. Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out
together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk -
straight to the local book store to get a copy.
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