Site News - 2006
Note: Site news before 2009 concerns the old Geocities site totally, and before August 2009 partially. The news archive is shown here to give a short history of the website from May 2005. Site news before May 2005 was not archived.
December Update: Oh, how the time flies during the holidays! Between the partying, the shopping, the decorating, and the various other holiday festivities, I was only able to add two articles to the website database. The two deal with an issue that is mostly forgotten about the 1980 season: the drug scandal. Though the Phillies players originally named in the story were eventually exonerated, the investigation and arrest of a Reading doctor that used players names to prescribe amphetemines was a distraction that had to be overcome. You can find them on the new articles page, or peruse all the articles on this page.
Phils Add Garcia: The Phillies completed their 2007 starting rotations by trading Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez for Chicago White Sox righthander Freddy Garcia. Garcia, 31, who has pitched over 200 innings for six straight seasons for Chicago and the Seattle Mariners and won 17 games for the White Sox last year, has a lifetime record of 166-71.
Phils Sign Barajas, Werth: The Phillies, in need of a catcher with the departure of Mike Lieberthal via free agency, signed veteran Rod Barajas to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million. Barajas, who played for the Texas Rangers last season, is expected to back up second-year cacher Carlos Ortiz. The Phillies also signed Jayson Werth, a Dodgers outfielder last season, to a one-year deal.
Newspaper Archive: The articles added to the website database this month come from newspaperarchive.com. This website has a large archive or newspapers from a variety of newspapers from around the world. I have found it helpful to work on this site. It is a pay site, but it does have some free features if you'd like to check it out.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there should be pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. Copies are wonderful! I am particularly interested in getting articles during the season from the Philadelphia newspapers (unfortunately, newspaperarchive.com do not have any Philadelphia newspapers).
Future Updates: The next few months will be primarily adding some new articles to the website's library. I also want to re-organize the articles page a bit. There's enough articles that the page is getting a bit unweildy. I am hoping to get the majority of that done during December, if I can get my Christmas shopping done. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
November Update: I pray that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This month I was able to add five new articles to the site library. Two of the articles come from the August 26, 1980 Doylestown Daily Intelligencer, stemming from a brawl between the Phils and Dodgers. The other three articles come from the June 1, 1980 edition of the Intelligencer. In one of those articles, columnist Mike Gibson questions Dallas Green's maneuvers. I have included the five articles on my new articles page. I am also adding links to the game articles to each game's boxscore page.
Howard Named MVP: Ryan Howard beat out Albert Pujols of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals to be named the National League's Most Valuable Player. Howard hit a Phillies-record 58 home runs and 149 RBI, and was the first Phillies player to be named MVP since Mike Schmidt in 1986.
Phils Sign Helms, Eaton: The Phillies, failing in their bid to acquire free agent Alfonso Soriano, took steps to improve their chances in the 2007 NL race by signing third baseman Wes Helms and right handed pitcher Adam Eaton. Helms, who hit .329 with 10 home runs in limited duty (240 ABs) is expected to give the Phils' lineup a boost that David Bell and Abraham Nunez were not able to provide last season. Eaton, who missed a fair amount of time due to injury last season, was a Phillies farmhand before pitching for the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers, posting a career record of 54-45 with a 4.40 ERA.
Newspaper Archive: Again, all the articles I added to the database this month were from newspaperarchive.com. This website has been incredible for me to find information in several ways: for this website, as a history teacher (great for primary sources), and it's helped my find information while researching my family history. It is a pay site, but it does have some free features if you'd like to check it out.
Wikipedia: The 1980 Phillies pages on Wikipedia have been coming up nicely. I haven't really added anything since my Dick Ruthven entry, but there seems to be more and more material added. Right now, 17 of the 25 players on the World Series roster are represented, and there is a category for the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Team.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies@ swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there should be pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. Copies are wonderful! I am particularly interested in getting articles during the season from the Philadelphia newspapers (unfortunately, newspaperarchive.com do not have any Philadelphia newspapers).
Future Updates: The next few months will be primarily adding some new articles to the website's library. I also want to re-organize the articles page a bit. There's enough articles that the page is getting a bit unweildy. I am hoping to get the majority of that done during December, if I can get my Christmas shopping done. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
October Update: It's been a crazy month, but I've been able to add four new articles to the site library. Three are from the April 13, 1980 edition of the Doylestown Sunday Intelligencer. One is a beginning-of-the-year fluff piece, one is a description of the April 12th game against the Expos, and one is on the contract negotiations with Garry Maddox. The fourth artilce is from the June 5, 1980 edition of the Daily Intelligencer, and is about Steve Carlton's tenth win, in the June 4th game against the Pirates. As started last month, there is a new articles page that will include all four new articles. I am also adding links to the game articles to each game's boxscore page.
Howard Wins Aaron Award: Ryan Howard was named the National League's recipient of the Hank Aaron Award, given to the person deemed the "best hitter" in each league. Howard followed up his Rookie-of-the-Year 2005 season with a Phillies-record 58 home runs and 149 RBI.
Joe Niekro Dead at 61: Joe Niekro, brother of Hall-of-Famer Phil Niekro and a stellar pitcher in his own right, passed away on October 27 following a brain aneurysm. Niekro dominated National League hitters in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning 21 games in 1979 and 20 in 1980 for the Houston Astros team that took the Phillies to the brink of defeat in the 1980 National League Championship Series.
Newspaper Archive: Again, all the articles I added to the database this month were from newspaperarchive.com. This website has been incredible for me to find information in several ways: for this website, as a history teacher (great for primary sources), and it's helped my find information while researching my family history. It is a pay site, but it does have some free features if you'd like to check it out.
Wikipedia: The 1980 Phillies pages on Wikipedia have been coming up nicely. I haven't really added anything since my Dick Ruthven entry, but there seems to be more and more material added. Right now, 16 of the 25 players on the World Series roster are represented.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there should be pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. Copies are wonderful! I am particularly interested in getting articles during the season from the Philadelphia newspapers (unfortunately, newspaperarchive.com do not have any Philadelphia newspapers).
Future Updates: The next few months will be primarily adding some new articles to the website's library. I also want to re-organize the articles page a bit. There's enough articles that the page is getting a bit unweildy. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
September Update: I was able to get 13 new articles on the website. I also decided to add a "new articles" page that will show a three-month rotation of new articles. They are also going to be added to the regular articles page. The articles come from several points of the year: a couple from spring training, a few from during the season, and a couple from the division-clinching win over the Expos.
Howard Possible MVP: Ryan Howard has almost single-handedly kept the Phillies in the race for the wild-card spot. He shattered Mike Schmidt's 26-year-old record for homers in a season: at the time of this update, he has 56 home runs and 140 RBI along with a .314 batting average. Certainly, Howard has more than made up the offense lost in the trade of Jim Thome over the winter.
Rollins over 20 home runs: Jimmy Rollins has turned on the power this season. He hit his 21st home run in the September 17 game against the Houston Astros. Along with the homers, Rollins is batting .271 with 71 RBI, 40 doubles and 7 triples from the leadoff spot.
Newspaper Archive: This month, all the articles I added to the database were from newspaperarchive.com. This website has been incredible for me to find information in several ways: for this website, as a history teacher (great for primary sources), and it's helped my find information while researching my family history. It is a pay site, but it does have some free features if you'd like to check it out. And, no, I'm not a paid endorser.
Wikipedia: The 1980 Phillies pages on Wikipedia have been coming up nicely. I haven't really added anything since my Dick Ruthven entry, but there seems to be more and more material added. Right now, I believe that a little more than half of the 25 players on the World Series roster are represented.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. Copies are wonderful! I am particularly interested in getting articles during the season from the Philadelphia newspapers (unfortunately, newspaperarchive.com do not have any Philadelphia newspapers).
Future Updates: The next few months will be primarily adding some new articles to the website's library. I also want to re-organize the articles page a bit. There's enough articles that the page is getting a bit unweildy. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
August Update: August is always a tough month to perform much in the way of updates. Between the beginning of school, getting my classroom and lessons ready, and the recent inevitable hurricanes, August is always jammed packed, and time to do any meaningful updates is hard to find. I did manage to find time to add two new articles that I found (see below). One is from spring training, and it mainly focused on Bob Boone. The other, a game report from the July 30th match against the Astros, has a nice writeup on Keith Moreland. Along with the bursting of the articles section (the reorganization of which may be the next major housecleaning project), I also added links to the article on the player pages, and on the boxscore for the July 30th game against the Astros.
Howard to Break Record?: At the time of this update, Ryan Howard just hit his 45th home run, a grand-slam (albeit in a losing effort) against the first-place Mets. With over a month left in the season, it seems a cinch, barring injury, for Howard to break the club record for home runs in a season. The old record, of course, is the 48 that Mike Schmidt hit in 1980.
Bye to Abreu: Since the last update, the Phils traded longtime rightfielder Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for prospects. Though sometimes chided for his apparent "cool" demeanor (much like Mike Schmidt before him), Abreu was the Phils' best player for much of the past decade, and perhaps the best right fielder the Phils have ever had.
Gold Mine: No, not a literal one (unfortunately), but a treasure trove of articles about the 1980 team were found on newspaperarchive.com. I recently became a member because of other interests (history teacher and genealogy), but happened to find that there are articles galore about the 1980 season. Not any of the Philly papers, but there are many from the suburbs. I'll be digging and sharing from these articles in the coming months.
Wikipedia: Though I have not added much content to Wikipedia since my efforts with Dick Ruthven, there is more and more information available on players from the 1980 World Series. If you would like to contribute, anyone can add information to any article on the website.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. Copies are wonderful! I am particularly interested in getting articles during the season from the Philadelphia newspapers.
Future Updates: The next few months will be primarily adding some new articles to the website's library. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
July Update: This update was primarily adding some new articles. Most were short blurbs from Spors Illustrated that gave summaries of each division. I also added two articles of some substance from Baseball Forecast magazine. One rates Baseball's Most Feared Hitters, while the other forecasts the Phillies 1980 season. The listings of both the articles and predictions sections were updated to show the new articles. I also adjusted some of the pages, especially the new broadcaster pages, including fixing a factual error.
Phils Freefalling: Since our last update, our beloved Phillis have done their dive bomber impression, going 11-22 since June 1, including losing 20 of their last 26 games along with losing streaks of six and seven games. As of June 7, the Phils were 32-27. They are now 38-47 and 12½ games behind the New York Mets. Amazingly enough, they're still in second place- for now.
Three All-Stars: Even though the Phils as a team are struggling, they still have three players named to the National League All Star Team. Second baseman Chase Utley has been named a starter by the fan vote, while first baseman Ryan Howard and closer Tom Gordon have been named as reserves. The All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 11 at Pittsburgh.
Wikipedia: I admit it- I've been neglecting to add any more pages to Wikipedia. I have too many other projects going on right now to give that the proper time needed. Of course, the yearly family vacation crept in there, too. There have been a few edits to the entry I added to on Dick Ruthven. Of course, feel free to add some 1980 Phillies players yourselves!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obsolete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: I am still working on fixing up some of the pages (making them more aesthetically pleasing and correctly formatted) and adding links to the broadcasters pages on each of the other pages. I also will add a few more articles in the coming months. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
June Update: In this update I added a brand new section! I have included a section on the 1980 Phillies broadcasters: Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Tim McCarver, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler. I'm not totally happy with all of their biographical sketches, and may be adjusting these pages as time allows. However, I have put them on the website as is.
Phils in 2nd: After the Phils' long hot streak, they've been mostly up and down, but are hanging on in second place in the NL East, five games behind the New York Mets. They've been a bit inconsistent, and need better starting pitching and more consistent offense in order to keep up with and (hopefully) catch the Mets.
Hamels Ready!: Any doubt about rookie lefthander Cole Hamels' readiness for the majors has been eased by his first couple of starts. After three starts, he stands at 1-0, with a 2.65 ERA. In is first two starts he was uncharacteristically wild, but walked just two in his 5-2/3 innings of work against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Overall, he's walked 11 in his 17 innings of work, but has given up only nine hits.
Wikipedia: There still has not been any new additions to Wikipedia- I've been busy creating the new broadcasters pages. There have been a few edits to the entry I added to on Dick Ruthven. Hopefully as my teaching schedule breaks for the summer, I can do a few more entries. Of course, feel free to add some yourselves!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: I was able to add the broadcasters pages this month, but I still want to adjust those pages a bit- basically make the writing a little better. I need to also clean up the other pages, and make certain that the link to the broadcasters pages are on each of the other pages. I also will add a few more articles in the coming months. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
May Update: This update was mainly adding the seven new articles from the October 13, 1980 edition of the Philadelphia Journal. It's not exactly Pulitzer-quality, but they're fun articles, and include stories from Game 4 and Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, of which I did a batch from the Philadelphia Inquirer last month. With the new articles, I also included links on the game pages, as well as the Greg Luzinski, Del Unser and Garry Maddox pages, since there were articles on them in that paper.
Phils Hot!: After a 9-14 stumble from the starting gate this season, the Phils suddenly got hot. Even though the team still has three starters with a 6+ ERA (Ryan Madsen, Jon Lieber and Gavin Floyd), the Phils have roared back into the NL East picture by reeling off seven straight victories (as of this update). The Phils now stand five games in back of the front-running New York Mets.
Hamels Ready?: Phillies minor league sensation Cole Hamels continued to excel this season. After beginning with the Phils' Florida State League Clearwater Threshers (A), Hamels was sent to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons of the International League. He gave up his first earned run with Scranton today and did not get a decision in a Scranton 2-1 win over Syracuse, but still has a 2-0 record with a 0.39 ERA. It seems just a matter of time before Hamels earns a spot in the Phils' rotation.
Wikipedia: I have not been able to make any new additions to Wikipedia- I've barely had time to do the update to the website! There have been a few edits to the entry I added to on Dick Ruthven. Hopefully as my teaching schedule breaks for the summer, I can do a few more entries. Of course, feel free to add some yourselves!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: I focused on putting new articles on the website this month. Next month looks to be extremely busy, and I may only have time for a moderate update of a couple of articles. I am planning on adding broadcaster pages to the website during my summer break. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
April Update: I have finally finished adjusting the boxscore pages to be 1) more visually appealling; and 2) work. I am hopeful that I have accomplished both of those goals. If you come across a boxscore page in which there is a link that does not work, please e-mail me. I also have put in a series of new articles from the October 13, 1980 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. These articles focus on the Phils winning the NLCS against the Houston Astros. All told, there are eight new articles!
Slow Start: So much for that successful spring training! The Phils, who had the best record in the Grapefruit League during spring training, stumbled to six losses in their first seven games coming out of the gate. Starting pitching was the largest culprit, though the offensive output was, well, offensive. Here's hoping that the slow start will be remedied soon!
Thome Doing Well: Former Phil Jim Thome, who was traded last winter after an injury-plagued 2005 season, had six home runs in the White Sox' first nine games. Though I love Ryan Howard and know that there wasn't room for two large first baseman on a National League team, I am still a Thome fan, and love the fact that he's doing well.
Rollins Streak Ends At 38: Jimmy Rollins' two-season hitting streak was halted by the St. Louis Cardinals at 38 games. The streak, which began at the end of last season, was extended into the first two regular season games of the 2006 season before Rollins was held hitless by Jason Marquis and former Phillie Josh Hancock.
Wikipedia: I recently discovered Wikipedia, the "free" online encyclopedia. It is an open-source encyclopedia that is maintained by the people who use it. I recently added to an entry on Dick Ruthven, the Phillies' pitcher that finished 17-10 in 1980. Check it out, and see if you would like to work on some entries in your main areas of interest. Also feel free to fix any mistakes or omissions I have made!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: Now that the boxscore pages have been finished (again!), I focused on putting new articles on the website this month. Next month looks to be extremely busy, and I may only have time for a moderate update of a couple of articles. I am also mulling over adding pages for the Phillies' broadcasters from 1980 this summer, since they were the best in the business. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
March Update: I was able to add two articles from the June, 1980 edition of Sports World magazine. One, with no author listed, was a 1979 re-cap of the Phillies. That article was also a (sort of) preview of 1980, but essentially theorized that the Phils, who had spent a fortune on Pete Rose in '79 and finished fourth, were afraid to take out the purse for the 1980 run. The second article was Charles Morey's Rating the Pitchers. An interesting read to see the pitchers that Morey put in front of Phils ace Steve Carlton (who was listed at #9).
Howard Tearing in Spring Action: Ryan Howard, the Phils' 2005 Rookie of the Year, is tearing the cover off the ball during Spring Training games. At his time, Howard has homered nine times in the Grapefruit League, tops in the majors. Following the Phils' trade of Jim Thome to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand and two minor league pitchers, the team is looking for sophomore Howard to post big numbers this season.
World Baseball Classic: Congratulations to Team Japan, who won the gold medal in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, defeating Cuba in the championship game. Team USA, which included Phils second baseman Chase Utley and was expected to compete for the gold, failed to make it out of the second round, finishing with a 3-3 record.
Bell's Balky Back: Phils' third baseman David Bell has had more back problems this spring, leading him to miss a lot of spring training games. Abraham Nunez, signed as a free agent in the off-season and penciled in as a utility man, has been getting the majority of the starts at third base in Bell's absence.
Wikipedia: I recently discovered Wikipedia, the "free" online encyclopedia. It is an open-source encyclopedia that is maintained by the people who use it. I recently added to an entry on Dick Ruthven, the Phillies' pitcher that finished 17-10 in 1980. Check it out, and see if you would like to work on some entries in your main areas of interest. Also feel free to fix any mistakes or omissions I have made!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: Wirh so little time to work on the website recently, I have not gotten around to fixing those annoying little formatting errors that keep the site from looking its best. I will be (hopefully!) working on that over the next couple of months. I also have new articles to transcribe into the website. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
February Update: Unfortunately, Real Life reared it's busy head the past two months, and I have not been able to make any substantial updates since January. There have been a few small tweaks here and there, but nothing that has been added or radically changed.
Spring Training!: The time of eternal optimism is here! All the players are in camp, preparing for the upcoming season. The Phils start their spring schedule this week, and there is only a month before the season starts.
World Baseball Classic: Several Phillies are among the players that have committed to the new World Baseball Classic tournament. Bobby Abreu and Tomas Perez are playing for Venezuela. Eude Brito and Robinson Tejeda are pitching for the Dominican Republic. Carlos Ruiz is representing Panama. Rheal Cormier, Scott Mathieson and Aaron Myette are suiting up for Canada. And Chase Utley is playing for the United States. Jimmy Rollins was not among the 20 that were asked to play for the United States.
Phils Acquire Nunez, Rhodes: Trying to add depth to the bench, the Phils acquired an infielder. Alex S. Gonzales, last with the Cubs, signed on February 8. The Phils also traded outfielder Jason Michaels to Cleveland in return for Arthur Rhodes. Rhodes is expected to be a set-up man to get to new closer Tom Gordon.
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: With so little time to work on the website recently, I have not gotten around to fixing those annoying little formatting errors that keep the site from looking its best. I will be (hopefully!) working on that over the next couple of months. I also have new articles to transcribe into the website. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers
January Update: I was able to get a couple of articles typed up and uploaded. Both articles came from the April, 1980 edition of Baseball Digest. One of the articles was the official 1980 season prediction article, and the other another "prediction" article by John Kuenster. You can find both of these articles on the predictions page. While I was at it, I also redesigned the predictions page just a little. Hopefully it is easier to read.
Happy New Year!: Another year has come and gone, and I hope that your holiday season was filled with love and joy. Now, let's hope that the Phillies' new year is filled with pennants and championships!
Phillies After Tejada?: Rumors have been flying over the internet about a possible trade between the Phillies and Baltimore Orioles, involving the Phils' all-star Bobby Abreu and Orioles' star shortstop Miguel Tejada. The rumors have enough teeth that it has been featured on FoxSports.com. I doubt that anything truly comes out of this, but it's an interesting possibility.
Phils Acquire Franklin: Trying to add to the team's pitching depth, the Phillies signed Ryan Franklin to a one year deal worth $2.6 million. Franklin had a 8-15 record with a 5.10 ERA with Seattle in 2005.
Spring Training Starts: February 16!!!
Problems?: If there are any problems getting to a page on the site, please e-mail me at 1980phillies @swfla.rr.com (address obselete). As of right now, there are pages for every link on the site.
Wanted: Any and all articles that pertain to the 1980 Phillies, or any players on the roster from that year. If you have some to donate/lend/sell/steal please e-mail me. I am particularly interested in newspaper articles about the games themselves. I have a lot of "celebration" articles, but have found that searching for game descriptions can be a headache!
Future Updates: Wirh so little time to work on the website recently, I have not gotten around to fixing those annoying little formatting errors that keep the site from looking its best. I will be (hopefully!) working on that over the next couple of months. I also have new articles to transcribe into the website. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see on the website, please e-mail me.
Go Phillies!
Richard Summers