Snapshots: 2015 05 23 Cooperstown Classic

Couple of Pictures from the Cooperstown Classic which was played just down the street from the Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday May 23rd 2015.

Team Knucksie: Yount, Fingers, Niekro, Baldelli, Trammell, A Soriano, Pudge, B Molina

The teams were broken down loosely into AL and NL squads although the AL Captain was Braves Rep Phil Niekro.

For the Alan Trammell supporters here we have a pix of the Tigers Shortstop at the Hall of Fame.

The Wizards: Smith, Glavine, Steve Woodard, Jack Wilson, E Taubansee, Kerry Robinson, Mark Loretta, John Franco, David Delucci, Ron Cey, Vinny Castilla, Bobby Abreu - Tony Perez Foreground, Baldelli and Trammell background

Apologies to Night Owl, but Ron Cey is shielded here. The Phillies had at least six alums in the game including Abreu, David Delucci and Perez.

Roy Oswalt vs Rick Ankiel

As you can see it was a Beautiful day for a game. Short time Phillies Pitcher Roy Oswalt represented the Astros.

Jim Eisenreich & Bobby Abreu

A pair of Phillies Outfielders at First Base.

Ozzie Smith and Rick Ankiel

 NL Captain Ozzie Smith taking care of some third base coaching duties

Jeff Idelson with Phil Niekro 

HoF Prez Jeff Idelson and Phil Niekro likely discussing Pete Rose's reinstatement prospects

Vinny Castilla 

Prior to the game there was a Home Run contest which was won by Colorado Rockies Thirdbaseman Vinny Castilla

Aaron Rowand

The Bob Feller award for Game MVP was given to Aaron Rowand who Homered off Steve Avery. For the HOF game Rowand who played a couple of seasons with the Phillies Represented the Chicago White Sox. 

Bob Dernier

Good Guy Award goes to Bob Dernier, although it may not be just because he is fan friendly. Bobby D was the RF ball boy and happened to be next to the stands and signed dozen of autographs between innings.

Quick Notes
--I have never seen a steal of Home in a real Game but saw one at the Classic, Brady Anderson the back end of a double steal.
--Saw two players lose bats into the stands (Ankiel, Homer Bush). That probably should not happen in an exhibition game of this type.
--I am pretty sure Brian Holman's career ended due to injury and I can see why. It took everything the man had to push the ball 60 ft 6 inches.
--Greg Cadaret who I am not at all familiar with was awful. In a game where the only job for a pitcher is to get the ball over the plate and every pitch is a strike Cadaret could not throw one.
--The Baseball Hall of Fame Jersey is Ugly (see Robin Yount in Pix 1 or Ozzie in pix 2 above)
--
Sources and Links
Baseball Hall of Fame
Baseball-ref

Phungo 5 with the Phillies Room

We are very happy to debut the 2012 edition of Phungo 5 tonight by talking with fellow Phillies fan and collector the Phillies Room. 

P5 is loosely based around the Phillies scheduled opponents throughout the season, therefore there are a few teams that get skipped, typically AL teams that the Phils miss in interleague play.  Another casualty is the several Phillies Bloggers out there.  This year I have decided to expand our format and try and squeeze some extra teams in at noteworthy points in the season. 

Spring Training is always a good time for every baseball fan, especially those of us in the North East which really wasn't to wintery this year - and it is also a good time to start Phungo 5. 

1)What Phillies player from the past would you like to see featured on more current cards (inserts/Legends subsets etc)? 

Bob Dernier as he's always been my favorite player.  Bobby D. made a few appearances in Topps sets in 2005 (Fan Favorites and Retired Signature) but he's been absent from any sets since.  Honorable mentions - Kent Tekulve, Del Ennis, Juan Samuel, Johnny Wockenfuss.

2) What Vintage Phils Team set are you working hardest to complete now?  

I need one more card (#255 Milo Candini) to complete my 1951 Bowman Phillies team set.  It's a high number, and it's an expensive card, so it might take a while.  I'd also love to complete a full run of Kellogg's and Hostess Phillies cards from the 1970s.  Back in the day, these cards seemed so strange and exotic to me, so it's been fun tracking these cards down.  A long-term goal of mine is to add more pre-War Phillies cards to my collection.

3) Do you think that Curt Schilling should be this years Phillies Wall of Fame nominee?

No.  I'd vote in Jim Konstanty or Rick Wise before Schilling.  Undeniably, Schilling was a key cog of the 1993 team and he provided the team's sole bright spot during a few lean years for the franchise in the late '90s.  But quite frankly the guy just rubs me the wrong way.  He's got to be on the ballot since he was the best Phillies pitcher of that era, but I wouldn't vote him in this year.

4) Ryan Howard will play his first game in 2012 Before May 18th? 

Sadly, no.  But I hope he proves me wrong.

5) Pat's or Geno's

I'm going with Option C.  It's no longer there, but Phil's in Sea Isle City made the best steak sandwich around during the years I visited from the mid '70s through the mid '90s.  The secret was the slightly toasted roll and the secret seasoning in the steak.  Phil sold his restaurant and it's under new management now, but the thought of his steak sandwiches makes me nostalgic for the summers of my youth.  (Phil - If you're reading this, please come back.)

Phungo Note - There is a Phil's in Berwyn PA, and I believe they are associated with the Phils in Sea Isle City.  

Score Card

PR handled the Curt Schilling question well, not only conveying my personal feelings regarding Mr Schilling pretty well, but also coming up with some first rate alternative candidates in Konstanty and Wise.  I also like the answer on the Cheesesteak Question.  There are many many quality shops in the area outside of the tourist joints that folks can find a tasty chessesteak and it is good to see them get there props.  

4 out of 4 with 1 the Ryan Howard Q still in play.     

Thanks to the Phillies Room for helping start out another great year of Phungo 5 and Go Phils! 

More Swag from Tribe Cards

1993 UD All-Time Heroes #108 Robin Roberts
1983 Topps #43 Bob Dernier
2001 Topps Chrome #339 Scott Rolen
2007 Turkey Red #177 Kyle Kendrick

Indians Baseball Cards. And then some... found himself with a few extra cards and I believe under threat of eviction was good enough to offer them up to other collectors.

Being the good person that I am and understanding Dave's plight I offered to provide a home for the extra cards and when I say extra cards....I mean extra cards!!! Dave sent out two 300 count boxes of cards. I will be sorting them out for days.

Above are some of the Highlights. In 1993 UD produced an All-Time Heroes set that homages the Hassan T-202 cards from 1912. The cards are a nice idea and very sharp looking.

1983 is a set that I am pretty light on, and may be the last year that I collected cards before returning to the hobby. Bob Dernier was one of my favorite players in the mid-80s and this is a great addition to the collection.

I will always have mixed emotions about Scott Rolen. He always played hard and put up good numbers, but boy could he be a Diva sometimes.

A lot of the cards Dave sent over were from the late 80s and early 90s, but there were a handful of cool newer cards like this Turkey Red Kyle Kendrick.