Reds Retire Pete Rose's #14

Over the weekend the Cincinnati Reds Retired Pete Rose’s number.

1977 Topps #450 Pete Rose
The Reds drew 40,805 fans for the ceremony and 120K+ for a three game series versus the Padres for Pete Rose weekend.  Outside of an early season Saturday Game against the Cubs and the Home Opener versus the Phillies, the trio of games rank as the Reds top 3 draws of the season. 
 
1976 ASG
In 1976 Pete Rose made his 10th All-Star Team. However, it was his first at Third Base the fourth different position he played in the Mid-Summer Classic. Rose batted leadoff in the game and recorded a single off of AL Starter Mark Fidrych. Pete went 2 for 3 in the game wit the 2nd hit coming off of Luis TIant. After Five innings Rose was replaced at third by the Home Town player and future teammate Mike Schmidt.

During Rose's first AB in the All-Star Game a fan in the stands can be heard screaming "Where's Mike Schmidt" 

Reds alums present for the number retirement ceremony on Sunday included 3 of Rose’s Reds teammates that were on that NL ASG squad in ’76, Tony Perez, Johnny  Bench and David Concepcion.
 
 Flip

1977 Topps #450 Pete Rose 

Just wanted to show off the cartoon on the back of the card. As far as I know the 30+ year old factoid remained true until the stadium closed. In 2008 Josh Hamilton came close during the Home Run Derby and there is also a debate as to the possibility of Josh Gibson hitting one in a 1930s Negro League game. For a New York Times article regarding those homers and other long ones at the House that Ruth built click here.

Sources and Links 
1976 All-Star Game summary
Pete Rose Non-HoF Index
Baseball-ref
Cincinnati Reds
New York Times 2008 07 16
YouTube - 1976 All-Star Game 

Phungo Cards - Futures Game

2009 Phungo Black Frame Insert - Futures Game

I am sure most of us cannot afford to go to the All-Star game or the Home Run Derby, but there is one event that is part of All-Star weekend that a baseball fan of lesser means may be able to attend. That event is the Futures Game. I have been to two Futures games, 2006 in Pittsburgh and last year at Yankee Stadium. It is a great opportunity to see several players from the next generation of superstars all in one day.

It has only been three years since that 06 Futures game yet the list of notables that have emerged from that game is already pretty formidable: Gio Gonzalez, Yovani Gallardo, Alex Gordon, Josh Fields, Stephen Drew, Hunter Pence, Troy Tulowitzki, Phil Hughes, Joey Votto, Cameron Maybin, Pablo Sandoval, Yunel Escobar, Ryan Braun and sadly the late Nick Adenhart.

For a Card Bloggers view of the 2009 Futures Game in St Louis click here to find out how the squad over at Autograph Cards made out this past weekend.

Help! - I need Yankees and Mariners Fans - 2008 Topps U & H

I need to hear people's opinions on this Miguel Cairo card. Can anyone let me know if you think that this card has been photoshopped (from Cairo's days w/ the Yankees possibly) or if this is really Cairo playing for the Mariners. Big Thanks from Team Phungo.


2008 Topps U&H #UH163 Miguel Cairo

Also

This weeks Spot the Sig! was solved by Cardboard Junkie Dayf but there is still time to get in on the action and answer the bonus question. The bonus this week is total guesswork so anyone could possibly win - just go here and pick the section, row, and seat from the game ticket that is shown and you could be on the scoreboard in the Phungo Spot the Sig! contest. I will take guesses till 10:30p (Eastern) on Tuesday.

The House that Ruth Built - And Mariano Closed?

Tonight the first pitch in the final game in Yankee Stadium will be thrown by Andy Pettitte.

Babe Ruth once held the post season record for consecutive innings pitched without allowing a run. Mariano Rivera now holds that record at 34 1/3 innings. It would only be fitting if he could close the door of the House that Ruth Built by Throwing it’s final pitch.

Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium. Bronx, New York September 21st 2008 8:05 PM.

The House That Ruth Built - Perfect Games

My first visit to "the Stadium" was on June 30 1998, The Phillies were playing the Yankees that night. 1998 was the second year of interleague play and this was the Phillies first trip to Yankee Stadium since the 1950 World Series.

Things didn’t go that well for the Phils, Yankee starter David Cone was on his game and the Phils were outmanned. Cone was perfect until 2 outs into the fifth and was an out away from pitching a shutout when Jon Zuber hit a 2 run homer, which was not nearly enough as the Bronx Bombers scored 9 runs including a Homer by Darryl Strawberry. The Yankees won 9-2.

A year later Cone did pitch a perfect game at Yankee Stadium. The Stadium was the site of two other Perfect games, one by David Wells and one by Don Larsen, the only Perfect Game in World Series History.

The House that Ruth Built

On Sunday September 21 2008, The New York Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles in the final game at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankee’s are a team which has a legacy so great that Topps and Upper Deck have dedicated entire series’ to single players:

And there is a series dedicated to the stadium itself:

Yankee Stadium is the place that the Yankees called home while winning 26 World Championships. A wing of Hall of Famers have played in Yankee Stadium: Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Reggie. This Legend played the home half of 2131 consecutive games there:

The more recent versions of the Bronx Bombers have consisted of all-stars at nearly every position. Some are from the system some from trades some were free agents. Jeter, Posoda, Rivera, Clemens, Bernie, O’ Neill, Tino, Pettite, and of Course A-Rod.

This guy even left the enemy and SHAVED to play in Yankee Stadium.

Over the next couple of days I will be putting together a series of entries about the Yankees and Yankee Stadium. I hope you enjoy the posts.

Goose Gossage enters the Hall of Fame

Welcome to the Hall of Fame Goose Gossage:

The picture below is from the All-Star Celebrity Softball game held at Yankee Stadium a couple of weeks ago. I think that is Goose on the mound.

I was also lucky enough to see Gossage pitch in a real game in 1978. He actually blew a save in the game, but Graig Nettles bailed him out giving Goose the victory. I don't remember much about the game other than that they had to stop play twice due light failures in old Memorial Stadium.

2008 07 13 - 2008 All-Star Futures Game

The World team captured the 2008 All-Star Futures game by a 3-0 score. Nine pitchers combined to shutout the USA Squad on only 3 hits. Che-Hsuan Lin, a Low-A Bosox prospect, from Taiwan captured the MVP trophy for the game by collecting two hits including a 2-run Homer into the left field seats. A's farmhand Henry Rodriguez (Hi-A) also excited the crowd by firing several pitches in the Hi 90s and topping out with a handful at 100 MPH.

Plus - The oft-questioned Phils minor league system, sent 4 prospects to the futures game. Carlos Carrasco playing in his third futures game earned the W for the world team pitching a scoreless first where he struck out 2 and got a broken bat grounder to retire all three batters he faced. One of the three US hits was by Jason Donald.

The game was attended by an estimated 20,000. This was so few that we were able to sit in section 7 behind home plate.

Minus - Of course I paid the full price of $75 for my tickets instead of the $20 I could have easily gotten away with.

Hopefully the performance of Team USA is not indicative of what they will do in Beijing. According to the NY Daily News only two of the world players were expected to represent their native countries in the Olympic games.

Shenanigans - According to Topps Ryan Howard is an "Own the Game" caliber player, unfortunately he does not own enough of it to make the All-Star team. This is despite the fact that he leads the league in both Homers and RBIs. To find the last RBI/HR leader at the break to be a non-star you have to go clear back to Hank Sauer in 1948.

BlogBlogBlog - Baseball America is always a good place for Futures Game Coverage.

BlahBlahBlah - Apparently Jim Leyritz is bent out of shape about not being formally invited to participate in All-Star festivities. Not sure if DUI related manslaughter charges have anything to do with the Yankees oversight.

Off the Diamond - Team Phungo stuck around for the first inning of the celebrity softball game. Wade Boggs Homered in the first AB for the AL/Yankees squad.

This was my third and most likely final trip to Yankee Stadium. I am not a Yankees fan and did not go to enough games for the stadium to have any particular memories for me, but I did enjoy the handful of trips I made to the House that Ruth Built.

Scoop - According to a Phungo source Pat Gillick was spotted at the Futures Game sitting w/ Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

Useless Info - Spotted hungry autograph hounds outside of the Inter-continental @ 48th & Lexington.

On Deck - Next game on the team Phungo slate is a Phillies road game @ DC scheduled for 7/31, but I would think we will try and squeeze in a game or two between now and then.