#tbt 2008 October 31: a Phillies Parade

There is a big parade happening in Philadelphia today. A decade ago Team Phungo got to attend a parade similar celebration.

In 2008 the Phillies Parade ended at the Stadium, On our way there we crossed the parking lot that is located where Veterans Stadium once stood. There are markers for each of the bases there, This is team Phungo at Home Plate. Pretty cool to have that pix taken the date the Phillies celebrated their World Championship.

Within the Ballpark the Phillies road around the ballpark in convertible and later spoke. This is Charlie Manuel. I blew this up a bit and used it for an early Phungo Card.

The Celebration concluded with the Phillies raising the 2008 Banner next to the American Flag.

Beutiful Day for a great celebration. I hope that the fans at the Eagles parade get to enjoy the day as much as I enjoyed the Phillies party 10 years ago.

ANNIVERSARY: 1976 07 13 Veterans Stadium Hosts it's first All-Star Game

On the day after the 87th Mid-Summer Classic we are taking a look at the 47th All-Star Game.

If you have been following along here at Phungo you are aware that we are working on a yearlong series discussing the 1976 All-Star Game which was hosted in Philadelphia. Today Marks the 40th Anniversary of that game.

1976 All-Star Game Program

This is the cover for the 1976 ASG program. It may not appear this way but the cover was designed but an Artist many collectors are familiar with, Dick Perez.

While the cover does a nice job of featuring a behind the plate shot overlaying Independence hall I do find it odd that there is not a Red White and Blue motif to capitalize on the Bicentennial fervor.

The Program opens with a section that includes photos of players enjoying many of the tourist attractions around Philadelphia.

The man with the Liberty Bell is Phillies then President Ruly Carpenter.

The other two pictures are Mike Schmidt and Wife Donna, sporting similar hair styles while exploring Valley Forge Park, which I believe is now a National Park, but is listed as a State park in the above text.

Sheena & Larry Bowa at Independence Hall

The Luzinski's at the Art Museum, and the Garry Maddox family at the Zoo. These pictures are interesting as they feature a couple of kids that went on to play Professional Baseball, Ryan Luzinski and Garry Maddox Jr.. Neither of the youngsters made it to the major leagues.

I picked up the program at a SABR meeting and whomever I inherited it from kept score for the game. Near as I can tell the scoring is pretty accurate.

1976 All-Star Game +40 Series
A full Index to our postings related to the 1976 ASG can be found here. I know there are a lot of notables that we haven't gotten to, rest assured just because we have made it to the games anniversary that doesn't mean that we are done featuring the many players involved in that game. Ideally we will get to all of the Phillies and Hall of Famers that were involved in the game, but well time restraints and laziness always get in the way.

Sources and Links
Larry Bowa Index
1976 ASG Index
Mike Schmidt HoF Index
Baseball Almanac

Harold Ramis (1944-2014) once pitched at the Vet

Sort of...

Mark Harmon and Harold Ramis in Stealing Home (photo swiped from Cineplex)

A lesser known (and likely not so funny) Harold Ramis movie was a baseball flick set and filmed in Philadelphia

I have never really seen Stealing Home – I think it is safe to say it is more chick flick then baseball flick.

However, somewhere along the line I did catch a scene where Mark Harmon re-enacts a Home Run at the Vet that he never hit or never got the chance to hit - something like that. I believe the pitcher in that scene was Harold Ramis, who played one of Harmon's friends. The shot above shows Ramis at the pitcher’s mound at the old Veteran’s Stadium with Harmon.

More Harold Ramis
White Sox Cards
Swing and a Pop-Up

Fresh Air - Terry Gross

Sources
Cineplex
Fresh Air

Spot The Sig - Greg Luzinski - Congrats Dayf

2003 Fleer Ultra All Veterans Stadium Team #7 of 12 Greg Luzinski

Congratulations to Dayf for being the first to Spot the Sig. Should have known he would come through. Stay tuned for next weeks Sig - If I get enough support there may be a contest in the works. More on that below.

This card connects two eras of my Phillies Phandom. The Phillies gave each fan, who attended the final Veterans Stadium game in 2003, a set of 12 cards commemorating the All-Vet team. The Bull was the All-Vet representetive for the Left Field postion. I suppose it is fitting that Dayf was first to figure out this Auto, since the Braves defeated the Phils that day 5-2. After picking up this card at the last game at the Vet, I also took it down to the first game at Citizens Bank Ballpark where Greg Luzinkski signed it out front of the brand new Bull's Barbecue.

Yes, similar to Camden Yards in Baltimore, The new Phils park has a Barbecue area beyond centerfield. In Baltimore they have Boog's Barbecue presided over by "Boog" Powell. The Phils have Bull's Barbecue, with Greg Luzinski at the helm. The Bull has become an ambassador for the Phillies, appearing in the area and on TV and radio a good bit. And of course he also puts in time at Bull's Barbecue which is located on Citizens Bank Ballpark's Ashburn Alley. I find Barbecue a bit messy for my taste on most game days but have enjoyed a few sandwhiches there over the years.

Anyone on the late 70s and 1980 World Championship Phillies teams are among the first players I can remember. Of course Luzinski is among the most memorable of this group - Big dude lots of pop and of course that Polish last name. One of my favorite moments of the Phils run in 1980 is during one of the post season games Luzinski had been removed for pinch runner Lonnie Smith who stayed in the field. Howard Cosell was the color analyst for the game and had apparenly forgotten about the replacement. When Smith eventually came to bat in Luzinkski's spot in the order, Cosell said "And now the question is 'Can the Bull do it again?'". I will post a card here eventually but in case you don't know, Lonnie Smith don't look much like the Bull.

I am sure Cosell was only looking off his scorecard but it was a moment that still remains funny to me today.

And since this Card commemorates Veterans Stadium, I also find it appropriate to post here during the week of Veterans day.

I plan on running Spot the Sig weekly throughout the Baseball off-season. As of now I would like to get the next STS up on Sunday night. I am thinking of having a contest that will run the duration of the feature. Probably will award a stack of cards to whomever spots the most Autos during the contest.

November 11th - Veterans Day

At the time Veterans Stadium was built there was a controversy over the naming of the stadium. This was during the era of the Viet Nam war and ultimately Philadelphia city council chose the name Veterans Stadium to honor of the Veterans of all wars.

In 2008, the country is once again at war and on this day America honors it's Veterans.

Veterans Stadium was the Home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1971 through 2003. The Vet was demolished in the spring of 2004. The photo below is of a Marker placed where Home Plate was once located in Veterans Stadium.



Veterans Day Novermber 11th 2008