Robert Gordon - Then Bowa Said to Schmidt. . .: The Greatest Phillies Stories Ever Told

To Octavius Catto, one of Phillys finest

Contents

Acknowledgments

There are numerous players, coaches, and fans I would like to acknowledge for their input over a number of decades in compiling this diverse collection. In no particular order, the list includes: Charlie Manuel, Curt Simmons. Putsy Caballero, Bobby Shantz, Art Mahaffey, Matt Stairs, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Von Hayes, Dave Hollins, Clay Dalrymple, Mike Tollin, Curt Schilling, Randy Wolf, Ruben Amaro Jr., Ruben Amaro Sr., Bobby Wine, Chuck Bednarik, Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Tug McGraw, Steve Carlton, Bob Boone, Manny Trillo, Greg Luzinski, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey, Gary Matthews, Jerry Martin, Larry Christensen, John Denny, John Kruk, J.C. Romero, Shane Victorino, Mariano Duncan, Larry Shenk, Jack Baldschun, Video Dan Stephenson, Tim McCarver, Darren Daulton, Jamie Moyer, Bill Giles, Dave Raymond, Chrissy Long, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen, Liz Ennis, Marty Bystrum, Ramon Aviles, Dickie Noles, Garry Maddox, Al Mr. T Holland, Dick Ruthven, Glen Wilson, Ed The Guv Rendell, Mitch Williams, Jim Fregosi, Mickey Morandini, Pete Inky Incaviglia, Terry Mulholland, Lenny Dykstra, and Jim Eisenreich.

I also tapped into the vault to extract tidbits and tales from numerous past interviews and conversations with pillars of the Phillies legacy who have passed away, including: Granny Hamner, Robin Roberts, Joe Lonnett, Ryne Duren, Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Del Ennis, Jackie Donnelly, Dennis Bennett, and John Vukovich.

In particular, I give special thanks to Tom Burgoyne (the Best Friend of the Phillie Phanatic), whose unfailing good humor and impossible-to-dislike personality eases the process of arranging interviews. I also give a special tip of the hat to the late Maje McDonnell, who was undoubtedly the best source of Phillies folklore and inside information that ever existed. And finally, I thank the late, great John Callison, a guy I spent endless hours with talking Phillies baseball, past, present, and future.

Foreword by Jimmy Rollins

What can I say about the Philadelphia fans that anyone fortunate enough to play in front of them on a nightly basis hasnt already said? Its all good! Yes, Im well aware that outside of Philadelphia the reputation of Philadelphias fans isnt exactly squeaky clean. Other cities simply dont understand and appreciate Philadelphia fans. Thats because Philadelphia-bashers dont live in Philadelphia. If they lived in Philly, theyd join the rest of the city and become diehard fans.

One thing Ive found out and learned to appreciate in my 13 years here, is that, once youre a Phillies fan, youre a Phillies fan for life. Thats what we see when we go on the road. In half the towns where the Phillies play, the Phillies seem more like the home team than the actual home team because theres more Phillies fans than home-team fans. And if Phillies fans dont outnumber the other teams, they outshout them.

I appreciate that support. So does the entire Phillies organization. Its a pleasure to play in this city, and the biggest pleasure is the Philly fans.

As a Phillie, Im also proud to be part of a great baseball tradition. Sure, the Phillies have had more than their share of rocky years. No one can deny that because, as a great baseball player once suggested, You can even look it up! But you can also look up and see that the fans here never stop loving their team even in lean years. Fortunately, we havent had too many lean seasons in Philly in recent years.

In the past half-century, the Phillies have put together some really memorable squads. The hometown fans have cheered lots of diverse talents wearing red pinstripes. Theyve watched lots of homegrown talents blossom, like Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Cole Hamels, Darren Daulton, Chase Utley, Ryan Howardoh, and a guy named Jimmy Rollins, toojust to name a few. Phillies teams have enjoyed some extended periods as one of baseballs elites teams. I myself am proud to be a member of one of those groups.

Theres a great Phillies tradition in this town. Some memorable pieces of that tradition are captured in Then Bowa Said to Schmidt...

So for you loyal Phillies fans, sit back and soak in some tales about Phillies players, teams, games, and whateverstories you probably didnt read in sports pages anywhere. The tales are told not only by Phillies players, but also by some of the behind-the-scenes guysthe guys who got the scoop straight from the players mouths.

Yes, Then Bowa Said to Schmidt... is a real page-turner! Itll have you reminiscing and smiling and chuckling. Oh, and enjoy our upcoming season, too. Im looking for a lot of Phillies success this year. You can bet Ill be doing my utmost day in and day out to make that success happen.

One final thingIve got to apologize for something I just noticed that I wrote a few paragraphs back. I wrote loyal Phillies fans. Thats redundant!

Jimmy Rollins

December 2012

Introduction

What did Bowa say to Schmidt? Well, lots of things over the course of their long and storied careers as teammates and coaches. But some conversations were obviously more noteworthy than others, and you simply have to read the book to find out. The answer is definitely in here. Dont be put off by the breadth of the material. The book is a page-turner that you wont want to put down, and like much in life, the journeys more fun than the journeys end.

Then Bowa Said to Schmidt... is not about Bowa, nor is it about Schmidt. What Bowa said to Schmidt is but a single story buried within an abundance of othersstories, tales, reflections, and recollections about teams, players, coaches, managers, fans, announcers, and mascots that have kept Philly fanaticism alive since the 1950 Whiz Kids transformed Philadelphia after long decades of being a weak sister to the Philadelphia As into a city fanatical about its Phillies.

In assembling these tales, Ive tapped the wit and wisdom of the current corps of Phillies insiders who share their insights on the recent past. Ive also consulted voices from the less-than-recent past and asked them to reconstruct the glory and gloom of their times. They speak with the candid frankness that distance and time alone allows.

Perhaps most importantly, Ive gone deep into the vault to revisit and rekindle conversations and interviews I had in the past with some great voices that death has silencedlegends of the Phillies such as Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Del Ennis, Maje McDonnell, Tug McGraw, and Johnny Callison. Over long years, I had several talks with these men, the very men who shaped the Phillies legacy. To exclude their rich, pioneering experiences from this compilation and permit their reflections to go softly into the dark night of lost patrimony would be a travesty.

Throughout the book, when a speaker appears in capital letters, his or her comments stem from conversations and interviews I had with them personally for books and articles I have written over the years. Those interviews span the entirety of the modern era.

This book is brimming with humorous and amusing anecdotes. Yes, our beloved boys of summer can and will be boys. As Larry Andersen, Phillies former hurler and announcer, insisted, Youre only young once, but you can be immature forever. But those same boys can also be noble, ignoble, vulnerable, perplexing, uplifting, downtrodden, hopeful, triumphant, defeatedin short, just like you and me: limited and human. No matter what the story, this book tries to plumb and convey the human elements that underlie it. I believe thats the most interesting yet least-explored aspect of any sports yarn.