Site News - 2014

December Update:  Managed to fulfill the article quota, and am nearing the end of the run of Reading Eagles articles.  Hopefully I will finish up the World Series and that source before the New Year!

Now What:  With a disappointing 73-89 record, there are rumors galore about the breakup of the current Phillies team, from trading Cole Hamels to even cutting Ryan Howard altogether, though that will be an expensive release as Howard is still owed millions in his contract.

Media Update:  I was not able to create more sound clips, but will try to make some more this month.  I did attach a few YouTube videos celebrating the World Series victory to the October 22 page. 

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos. 

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

November Update:  With the baseball season officially over and the holidays upcoming, there is precious little time for anything.  However, I did squeeze in the time to get my quota of new articles put into the site database.  I am working on the World Series, which will exhaust my supply of Reading Eagle articles.

Now What:  With a disappointing 73-89 record, there are rumors galore about the breakup of the current Phillies team, from trading Cole Hamels to even cutting Ryan Howard altogether, though that will be an expensive release as Howard is still owed millions in his contract.

Media Update:  I was able to add three more video clips to the site database, from the 1980 Phantastic Phillies LP that was issued after the World Series win.  The three this month are from the division-clinching October 4^th game against the Expos, with Mike Schmidt’s game-winning home run in the 11^th inning as well as a couple of interviews from the celebration of the division win.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos. 

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

October Update:  And thus we have reached the end of another baseball season.  September was a busy month (I know… they all are anymore!), but I did manage to keep up with my quotas, adding articles from a few various sources that had been forgotten in the move from the original Geocities website to here, and finishing off the October 17^th articles from the Reading Eagle.

Season Ender:  73-89 was the final record for the Phils.  Forget a closed window – this one seems nailed shut.  It will be interesting to see what the team does this winter to begin the transition from the aged core of the 2008 champions to a new generation of Fightin’ Phils.

Media Update:  I was able to add three more video clips to the site database, from the 1980 Phantastic Phillies LP that was issued after the World Series win.  The three this month are from the October 3^rd game against the Expos, where the Phils pulled a game ahead of Montreal with two to play, setting up the division clincher the next day.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

September Update:  Time just marches relentlessly on, doesn’t it?  I managed to meet my monthly quote of articles (actually managed to get an extra couple in), from the October 16^th and 17^th Reading Eagle.  I still have a few more articles to transcribe from the October 17^th edition, but that will be added for next month.

Team No-Hitter:  In an overall forgettable year, the Phils managed something remarkable:  a combined no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves.  Cole Hamels started the game, but ran a high pitch could because of wildness.  He was supported by relievers Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon.  It was the first combined no-hitter in Phillies’ history.

Media Update:  I was hoping to create four clips to make up for missing last month’s quota (though I did add two Pete Rose clips from YouTube!), but I was able to add only three, all from the October 2, 1980 game against the Chicago Cubs when the Phils caught the Montreal Expos for a first-place tie with a 2-1 win.  I will try to get an additional three next month to complete my catching up.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

August Update:  School is back in session – and the beginning of the school year means that time is in extremely short supply.  I did get in the seven articles for the month, but was unable to create the two media clips from the Phantastic Phillies record.  To reach my quota, I added two YouTube videos about Pete Rose (to his player page):  an Aqua-Velva commercial with his son Pete, Jr., and a short This Week in Baseball clip from 1981 when Rose set the NL record for hits while still in a Phillies uniform.

Oy Vey:  The year of consternation continues, with the Phils mired in last place.  They just can’t seem to quite get everything straightened out, though Ben Revere has had a nice past month.  Chase Utley was the sole Phils representative in the All-Star game.

Media Update:  I borrowed two Pete Rose clips for this month.  I will try to make up for that by creating four this month, if time allows!

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

July Update:  Ahhhh… the restful summer… of camps and trips and all the little projects put off during the school year… and mowing.  Can never forget the mowing.  But I did manage to reach my goals of seven articles (from the Reading Eagle, basically their World Series preview articles) and two media clips.

Ups and Downs:  June saw the longest winning streak of the season for the Phils (six games vs. the Braves and Cardinals).  Since then, they’ve lost eight out of nine.  C'est la vie, I suppose!

Media Update:  I was able to create three clips for the 1980 season:  Bake McBride’s homer that beat Montreal on Sept. 26, and Garry Maddox’s and Manny Trillo’s hits that finished the Phils’ 15-inning comeback against the Chicago Cubs and started them on the streak that would ultimately clinch the division.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clippings, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

June Update:  Finally a second or two to take a breath!  The end of the school year, and it always is, was incredibly busy.  I began to add articles from the Reading Eagle for the playoffs – I had intentionally put off transcribing the articles from the playoffs to concentrate on showing the story of the regular season.

Nobody Hits?:  As all fans know, Josh Beckett of the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to no-hit the Fightin’ Phils on May 25.  Congratulations to a tremendous pitcher on that achievement.

Media Update:  Once again, I had to resort to YouTube videos to meet my quota for the month.  I added the 1980 All-Star Game, in which Pete Rose was the lone Phillie to make an appearance (Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton were both named to the team, but neither played in the game.).  The other was a 7-Up commercial that featured Mike Schmidt, Dave Parker and Bruce Sutter.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

May Update:  The end of the school year approaches, as well as all of the activities, evaluations and business that goes with it.  I did make part of my goal – the seven news articles.  I was not able to create two clips on my own, but did add a YouTube video on the Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw pages.

Early Season Struggles:  The Phils have been… well, mediocre, during the early part of the season.  Hanging around .500, the Phils seem to be struggling both in batting and in the bullpen.  Hopefully those two areas improve as the season continues into the hot summer.

Media Update:  No clips were created this month, but I did find two YouTube videos.  One is a video made for Tug McGraw, featuring the song “Hero” by Skip Denenberg.  The other is a clip created by the Phils to honor Steve Carlton following his release in 1986.  Each of the two videos are on the respective player pages under personnel.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

April Update:  It’s been a busy month – I even took a trip to “Atlanta and Alabama,” but I managed to meet my goals for the month.  I am inching closer and closer to the beginning of the season with the Reading Eagle newspapers.

Happy Opening Day!:  It’s the most wonderful time of the year… the day that baseball begins anew!  It’s looking like a long year for the Fightin’ Phils, but with the new season comes hope.  Go Phillies!

Media Update:  This month I managed to exceed expectations, and added six new clips to the site.  All six are pieces of broadcast from the Phantastic Phillies LP from the September 22nd game against the Cardinals, and the September 24th and 25th games against the Mets.  It’s good to hear Andy Musser and Richie Ashburn (sadly, no Kalas clips in this bunch)

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).  Once I have exhausted my supply of Reading Eagle articles, I will proceed to the Doylestown Daily Intelligencer.

March Update:  This time of year is always a tough one in terms of finding time to add to the site.  In this case, I was able to reach my goals, with a little help from YouTube! With this month’s update, I now have the month of May completed for the Reading Eagle.

Spring Training:  It’s been good to see baseball over the last few weeks, even if the games don’t count!  Hopefully the team plays better as they enter the regular season than they have during the beginning of the Grapefruit League.

Media Update:  This month I added two YouTube videos to the website:  One of Tug McGraw’s participation in the closing ceremony for Veterans Stadium (accessible on his page on the website) and one that showed fan reaction to the World Series win on WPHL-17, with coverage from a then relatively unknown Maury Povich (accessible on the Game 6 page).

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).

February Update:  January turned out to be an even busier month than anticipated!  Lots of meetings, meetings about meetings, and other assorted… meetings!  And, of course, in between meetings I had to actually work.  The schedule, as well as my own growing children, made time lean for the website.  I did, however, reach my goal of 7 articles.  I also added three YouTube clips – maybe not TRULY the sound clips promised, but more media anyway!

It’s Coming!:  It may not be coming with the excitement of prior seasons, but baseball will soon be returning with those magic words:  Pitchers and Catchers Report!

Media Update:  I was able to add links to three official Hall of Fame biographies:  Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn.  Those videos are located on the personnel page for each Phillie.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  I will be continuing my resolution for 2014:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).

January Update:  I always have big intentions for the website over the Christmas holiday, but family and the season always seem to get the best of me.  I managed to reach my goal of five articles and two media clips, but little of note was done beyond that… maybe an extra article or two.  I am still working mainly through digital copies of the Reading Eagle from May of 1980 right now, desiring to add some news articles from the early part of the season.  I also added a few game pictures as well as I was going through each game’s articles.

Big Bucks:  The Phils just signed a new agreement with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia for a huge windfall.  The final agreement seems to be $2.5 billion (yes, that’s with a ‘B’) over 25 years, as well as increasing the team’s ownership stake in the network.  Now, let’s see how Ruben Amaro spends some of that profit.

Media Update:  I met my monthly goal of adding two sound clips from The Phantastic Phillies record to the website.

Digital Pictures Needed: I’d still love pictures of the 1980 season If you have something (for free – I’m poor and this is a non-profit site!), please let me know through the contact section.

Wanted: I am still looking for any and all articles from the 1980 season to include in the website.  In particular, I seek the Philadelphia papers, which I have very limited access to. Anyone that has copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News or other area newspapers please contact me – digital scans are fine by me (and in fact are preferable, as I don’t get in trouble with the wife for cluttering up the house!). Clipping, photocopies, whatever contains part of the story of the 1980 Phillies is acceptable.  I am also looking for any YouTube videos from the 1980 season, as Jimdo allows easy connection to these videos.

Future Updates:  A new year, a new resolution:  7 new articles added to the site per month, and at least 2 new sound clips (as long as my source holds out).