Phungo 5 with 30-Year Old Cardboard

Today we are visiting with 30-Year Old Cardboard and talking Marlins.

1) When the Marlins move in 2012?, will there be anything you will miss at Dolphin/Blockbuster/Landshark Stadium?
When the Marlins move even further South, I will miss the 30-minute drive to the ballpark the most. And with their move to a new stadium, I will also miss the relatively cheap parking price of $10. I am guessing that the new ballpark will charge between $20-$25. YEAH!! The current stadium is set up for football, but I think it happens to be a great place to watch baseball as well. Hopefully the new stadium will be even better.

2) Are there any parameters on "Same Card Different Paths?"
'Same Card, Different Paths' was a fun series to add to '30-YOC'. Originally, the idea came to me from the idea of how it must feel to be a player or team collector that had problems securing a high-profile card due to the 'other' guy. Just ask Night Owl how it feels to have one of his favorite players featured on what is known by 99.9% of collectors as Mike Schmidt's rookie card.

2010 Phungo #50 Chris Coghlan

3) How surprising was Chris Coghlin's rookie season?

Coghlan's rookie campaign was incredible. At the start of the year, my eyes were firmly affixed on Cameron Maybin, but Coghlan came out of nowhere and made great strides as the Marlins' lead-off hitter. Had it not been for Maybin's demotion to AA ball, Coghlan may not have received the playing time he got with 'The Fish'. I firmly believe that the lead-off hitter has more pressure on him than any other hitter - and his tremendous success as a rookie was fun to enjoy each and every night. It felt very similar to what Jerome Walton did for the Cubs in '89.

4) How do you feel about the Marlins playing a Home Series vs the Mets in San Juan?
I'm ok with it. But if I were a season ticket owner, and I got billed for three games that were not at 'home' I may have another opinion. I do know that the team is working with any fans that want to make the trip to see the games...

5) Is the Cuban the best regional sandwhich?
Ask most South Floridians and they will say yes. My honest opinion is that you guys in Philadelphia own that title(amongst many others)!!!

Phungo 5 Box Score

Brian has come up with some interesting insights on the Marlins for us and Kudos for bringing the Philly Cheesesteak into the conversation. A well done 5 for 5 for 30-Year Old Cardboard. There are many fine and fun features over at 30-YoC, whether they are chronicling the efforts in collecting the 75 Reds or the exploits of Hall of Famers.

Thanks for helping out with this division rival version of Phungo 5.

Looking Back

For a look back at a previous Phungo 5 Click Here to see our Washington Nationals Q&A with 25 Years of Baseball.

Phillies 2009 Alumni Night

First off I want to let everyone know that there is still time to get involved in the

John Hughes Memorial Trading Card Trivia Contest!

It's looking like a crummy weather day here in the Northeast, I'm sure there are some 80s trivia buffs out there who could waste 20 minutes on the net finding the answers, and someone has to challenge Dayf.

Moving on to the present post:

Alumni Night was a bit of a bummer for several reasons. The Phils lost for the 2nd game in a row v the 2nd place Marlins. The Phils appeared to have a favorable pitching matchup (Cole Hamels v Sean West). The Alumni accessibility was not as good as expected. And finally we got caught up in a traffic jam on the way home.

Within the game itself the Marlins were terribly sloppy but the Phils let the Fish off the hook several times by going about 2 for 20 with runners on base. The Marlins won 6-4. Dingers were hit for the bad guys by Chris Coghlan (member of Phungo Fantasy Squad at least) and Cody Ross. Former Phil Brian Sanches got the W in relief, Cole Hamels was unimpressive in yet another loss and failed to go 6 innings. On a positive note Ryan Howard looked good without hitting a homer - a rare event. He has not been hitting well recently, hopefully his 4-4 night gets him out of his slump.

Despite the frustrating loss, I did have a good time and I am glad I went. I was able to pick up a couple of autos and got a couple of decent pictures.

Here are some of the hilights (all pix can be clicked to enlarge):

Harry Kalas was this years inductee to the Phillies Wall of Fame, this is his brand new plaque.


Phils New Addition:
Anybody notice anything odd about the above picture?



Mickey Morandini


Jim Eisenreich



National Anthem with Phillies Alumni and Current Phillies on the field

Close Up of Alums including all four Phils living HOFs

And I got some shots of the bad guys.



This is what Chris Coghlan looks like right before he hits a homer to center field

and Marlins Pitcher Sean West:


I met West's Aunt and Uncle at a local restaurant last year and have been following him a bit since then. He is young and has had mixed starts this year. Last night he was fair at best, he was able to get out of a few jams, but lasted less than 5 innings. The Marlins bullpen did a great job of holding the Phils in check and along with Chris Coghlan were the stars of the game.