PHILLIES JOURNAL 1888-2008

by Max Blue

 

The book begins with the first great Phillie, Ed Delahanty, and his four inside-the-park home runs in one game, and ends with Chase Utley on the platform at Citizens Bank Park proclaiming the Phillies 2008 World’s Champions in a way that long-suffering Phillies’ fans would most appreciate . . . short and, oh so sweet.

 

In between are, among other things: 1. A play-by-play account of the 1915 Phillies-Red Sox World’s Series. 2. A pitch-by-pitch account of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s 1916 season when he won 32 games for the Phillies including 16 shutouts. 3. A summary of the 1922 Wrigley Field game where the Phillies trailed the Cubs by 19 runs after the third inning but rallied to put the tying runs on base in the 9^th inning of a 26-23 loss, the most runs and hits ever recorded in a single 9 inning major league game.

 

But most of all, the book contains more than 1,000 limericks beginning with the 1997 season that began like this:

                       NAILED

                       The first pitch to Dykstra was fine,

                       And he nailed it, tight to the line.

                       A double to right,

                       What a beautiful sight.

                       A sign the new Phillies will shine.

 

You can follow in rhyme a ball bag full of historic events in recent Phillies’ history including:

1.      March 31, 2003. Jim Thome doubles to right in first Phillies at-bat.

2.      April 24, 2003. Chase Utley’s first major league hit – a grand slam homerun at Vet Stadium

3.      April 27, 2003. Kevin Millwood’s no hitter at Vet Stadium.

4.      9/9/03. Tomas Perez and Jason Michaels both hit grand slam home runs in 18-5 win in Atlanta.

5.      9/11/04. Ryan Howard’s first major league home run, hit at Shea Stadium, New York After nine innings both Mets and Phillies had 9 runs and 11 hits. Phillies win 11-9 in 13 innings. Baseball gods enjoy the day.  

 

The book makes the case that Chase Utley and Ryan Howard compare well with the storied New York Yankee pair of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, who played together in four World’s Series.

 

                                  NO MORE WAITING

                       Let bells ring and hear people cheer!

                       Cast aside all your doubt and your fear,

                       The Phils champs of baseball!

                       By far, sweetest thing of all:

                       We don’t have to wait ‘til next year.

 

PHILLIES JOURNAL 1888-2008, now available, amazon fills the order:

Phillies-Journal-1888-2008

Published 2009

Archive of daily games from 2005-2008 seaasons. Click on any month in the log archives (bottom of page).

Philadelphia's Phillies - Baseball Thrills in Three Centuries - Includes game summaries and daily limericks and for 2009 and 2010 seasons. Published March 5, 2011.

Contact Max Blue – maxblue@snip.net  856-848-8792 www.maxblue3.tripod.com