Site News - 2021
December 2021 Update: Happy holidays! I've been able to keep on with the month-to-month pace, as I entered the August issues of the Camden Courier-Post to the site database. I also was able to put the articles from the rival newspapers on the dates they played the Phils. I had to stop entering the boxscore pictures the articles pages, as I ran into available space issues.
RIP Doug Jones, Dom Demeter: Two former Phillies passed on during the month of November. Doug Jones, a Phils All-Star reliever in 1994, died in Arizona at age 64 on November 22. He went 2-4 with 27 saves and a sparking 2.17 ERA with the Phillies. His career spanned 1982-2000, going 69-79 with 303 saves and a lifetime 3.30 ERA. Demeter, an outfielder and third baseman who played in Philadelphia 1961-1963, hit 163 homers in 11 years in the majors, and 71 for the Phils. May they each rest in peace.
MV3!: Bryce Harpers’ 2021 season was spectacular, and the BBWAA voted to honor him with the 2021 National League Most Valuable Player award. Harper batted .309 with 35 homers and 84 RBI – a number limited by the Phils’ team offensive struggles. Teammate Zach Wheeler fell just short, finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting. Wheeler was a workhorse (by 2021 standards, anyway!), pitching a league-leading 213⅓ innings and finishing 14-10 with a 2.78 ERA. He was bested for the award by Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: For now, my goals remain the same, aiming for a month-to-month transmission of the Camden Courier-Post and rival newspapers as the Phillies complete their August schedule. Work demands and the approaching holidays may eat into that a bit… but I am hoping to keep pace!
November 2021 Update: I was able to put in articles from the July issues of the Camden Courier-Post, as well as articles from rival newspapers for each game that month. I am still working on the boxscore pictures from these issues, though some were included on the articles pages.
2021 Post-Mortem: The Phils were largely their own worst enemy in 2021. A lack of pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen, as well as defensive shortcomings added up to a disappointing finish to what began as a hopeful season, especially in the light of the rival Braves playing their way into the World Series. It should be a busy offseason for Phils president Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld.
MV3?: One Phillie who lived up to the billing was Bryce Harper. A torrid second half that saw him hit .338 and slug over .700, Harper was the one player who lifted his weight throughout the season. It remains to be seen if his season will be deemed worthy of an MVP nod by the voters, but he certainly made a valid argument for the award in my book.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: For now, my goals remain the same, aiming for a month-to-month transmission of the Camden Courier-Post and rival newspapers as the Phillies complete their August schedule. Work demands and the approaching holidays may eat into that a bit… but I am hoping to keep pace!
October 2021 Update: Somehow, production kicked into high gear this month. A full two months of the Camden Courier post were loaded into the site library, bringing it through the end of June, 1980. Articles form opposing teams were also included when available, and pictures have been added to the boxscore pictures from these newspapers.
RIP Ruly Carpenter: The former owner of the Phillies, Ruly Carpenter, passed away on September 13 at the age of 81. Becoming team president in 1972, Carpenter was the financial force behind the team that would eventually win the World Series in 1980. After selling the team in 1981, Carpenter remained active in supporting the University of Delaware and continued to follow the fortunes of his team.
RIP 2021 Phillies: The up-again, down-again Phillies of 2021 will once more fall short of reaching the players. Despite the stellar pitching of Zach Wheeler and Ranger Suarez, and the MVP-caliber season from Bryce Harper, the Phils were too inconsistent in both hitting and pitching to reach the playoffs. Fans will once more spend their winter wondering about “what if,” and praying that the team makes the moves necessarily to finally reach the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: Despite this extra productive month, my overall goal remains to keep a month-to-month pace in the Camden Courier-Post, aiming to complete July 1980 this month. As I am able, I’ll also be looking to add more articles from opponent newspapers to give a more rounded picture of the 1980 season.
September 2021 Update: It was a productive month! I was able to finish the April articles in the Camden Courier-Post, as well as many of the articles from the various opponents’ local newspapers. I’ve also been clipping the pictures from these newspapers to include in the boxscore pages. Of course, the quality of those pictures varies from paper to paper… but better than nothing!
RIP Don Seger: News came out in late August that Don Seger, the Phillies’ head trainer from 1969 through 1980, passed away. Prayers for his grieving family, and may he rest in peace.
Pennant… chase?: Even though the Phillies continue their inconsistent play, they are still in the mix for the Eastern Division. Bryce Harper has gotten some mention in the MVP conversation as he tries to carry a rather lethargic Phillies offense on his back. As September begins, the Phils have some work to do to catch the Atlanta Braves, who have been playing very well.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I am looking to keep up pace for the Camden Courier-Post, trying to finish the May articles in the next few weeks. As I am able, I’ll also be looking to add more articles from opponent newspapers to give a more rounded picture of the 1980 season.
August 2021 Update: My progress was rather brisk on the Camden Courier-Post, managing to finish all the spring training articles, as well as the Phils 1980 preview from the newspaper. I am ready to begin working on the regular season articles as we begin this month.
The more things change…: The 2021 Phils continue to be a maddeningly inconsistent team. Thankfully, being in the NL East has to this point kept them within shouting distance of the division lead. At least enough to make the team reluctant buyers at the deadline, anyway! The Phils traded once-top prospect Spencer Howard to Texas with a pair of minor league pitchers for pitchers Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy. They also acquired former Phil Freddy Galvis from Baltimore. And, after the acquisitions… they promptly lost two in a row to the lowly Pirates.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I am hoping to keep a steady pace on the Camden Courier-Post articles, though the two-months of articles in a month pace of this last update is untenable with the work schedule ready to pick up. But I’ll keep plugging ahead. Also, I’ll also be trying to get some articles from the opposing cities as the Phils play various teams in the league.
July 2021 Update: I have begun transcribing articles from the Camden Courier-Post into the site database. So far, I have gotten to Spring Training, meaning I have all the articles from January and February. These pages are somewhat easier to transcribe than some of the others I’ve been tackling recently, so maybe it will go pretty quickly!
Mediocrity: The Phils managed to hold serve in June, finishing 12-12 for the month. In this year’s struggling NL East, that means the team is hanging in on the fringes of the pennant race, 5 games behind the leading New York Mets. The season is not going the way many fans hoped… but maybe the Phils still have some time to turn things around. Zach Wheeler has been everything advertised, but Aaron Nola has struggled. The bullpen? That’s not a topic for a family-friendly website!
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: Now that we’ve begin on the Camden Courier-Post, I hope to get a roughly month-to-month transcription rate, though I cannot guarantee that when my work schedule picks up. As I get to the regular season games, I’ll also try to keep a lookout for articles from other cities’ newspapers.
June 2021 Update: The 1980 World Series, at least the story according to the Kansas City Times, is complete! I was able to enter all of the articles through October 23, 1980, which takes us through the parades… both in Philly and in Kansas City. I also selected the Camden Courier-Post as the next Philly-area newspaper to enter into the site database.
May… or May Not: Well, this month did not go so well for the Fightin’ Phils. After an April of first place, if mediocre, baseball, the Phils dropped to a 12-16 May, placing them in a fading third in a bad National League Eastern Division. The offense is… well, offensive. The defense is even more offensive. And the pitching, while not quite as putrid as it was last year, has left a lot to be desired this month. Hopefully June goes a lot better. If it doesn’t…
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I have decided to cross the Delaware for my next selection for the site database. The Camden Courier-Post will be the next newspaper to tell its story of the 1980 Phillies. I will aim for a month-to-month progression, but that pace may prove impossible to keep. Either way, I’ll put in what I can! I will also keep looking through newspapers from Kansas City, Houston, Montreal and Pittsburgh as well, especially on the dates the Phils played those teams.
May 2021 Update: The pace is agonizingly slow, but I did manage to get through the articles of October 20, 1980 in the Kansas City Times. The Royals’ press was just beginning to realize that it just may not be their year, after all… but still held out hope that the Royals would beat Steve Carlton and at least force Game 7.
First Place! I know, it’s May: The Phillies have had their ups and downs in the beginning of the 2021 season, but as of the time of this update, the Phils are currently enjoying the view from the top of the standings in the NL East. Hopefully they can get their lineup producing more consistently, and the bullpen to at least resemble one that belongs in the major leagues. If they can do both of those with the trio of Nola, Wheeler and Eflin, the Phils should be in this race until the end.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: May is often a busy month in my schedule, but I will try to complete the Kansas City Times World Series articles. After that, I am looking at the Philly-area suburban newspapers. Top contenders are the Camden Courier Post, Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington News Journal or (Allentown) Morning Call. I will also keep looking through newspapers from Kansas City, Houston, Montreal and Pittsburgh as well, especially on the dates the Phils played those teams.
April 2021 Update: Got two more days worth of Kansas City Times articles entered, which brings us through Game 3 of the Series. The Kansas City outlook was much cheerier overall than the Philadelphia newspapers, and were heartened with the Royals’ win in Game 3.
And The Chase Begins: The Phillies have started the race for the 2021 National League pennant with a three-game sweep over the Braves, mainly on the strength of their pitching. The Phils have some questions going into this season: bullpen, centerfield, and the starting rotation beyond Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler. The Fightin’ Phils should be good enough, though, to keep the season interesting well into September.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I’ll keep plugging away at the Kansas City Times newspapers. If my pace the past few months holds out, I should finish in May or June at the latest. Then I’ll be shifting to some of the suburban newspapers. Top contenders are the Camden Courier Post, Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington News Journal or (Allentown) Morning Call. I’ll keep looking at Kansas City, Houston, Montreal and Pittsburgh, especially on the dates the Phils played those teams.
March 2021 Update: Did a little better this month, completing the Kansas City Times articles through Game 2 and October 16, 1980. It is interesting to see the Kansas City perspective going into these World Series – they were pretty confident that their Royals would win this thing going away… even after going down 2-0!
Happy Spring! It’s been very good to finally see some baseball after the long, dark winter of 2020. Of course, being a Philly fan, not everything is positive… like the injury to J.T. Realmuto’s thumb. Hopefully he’ll be ready to begin the season. Other Phils coming back from injury include Rhys Hoskins… and even Bryce Harper, who suffered from back pain at the end of the 2020 season. Here’s hoping for a good, productive 2020 season for the Fightin’ Phils!
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I’ll be working on the Kansas City Times for a few more months – after all, I am only up to Game 2. The transcription process is a bit more cumbersome with these articles than they had been with the Philly papers. After this goal is accomplished, I’ll shift to the suburban newspapers. Top contenders are the Camden Courier Post, Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington News Journal or (Allentown) Morning Call. I may still throw in some opposing newspapers from Kansas City, Houston, Montreal and Pittsburgh as well.
February 2021 Update: It’s slow going, but I did start working through the World Series from the Kansas City perspective. I started transcribing articles from the Kansas City Times, finishing the October 13 edition. However, the month has turned out to be extremely busy, and for some reason the transcribing process is a bit more complicated with these newspapers, so this could take a while. But some progress is better than no progress!
#SignedJT: It seemed to take forever but the best catcher in baseball is officially back in the Phils’ lineup. J. T. Realmuto signed a five year contract for $115.5 million dollars, keeping him in Philadelphia through 2025. The $23.1 million per year average eclipses the record for catchers previously help by Minnesota Twin Joe Mauer.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: Now that I’ve begin the Kansas City Times, I am committed to completing the World Series issues, but these transcriptions are rather time consuming, so it may be a month per daily issue for a few months. After that, I’ll shift to the local newspapers outside the city limits. Top contenders are the Camden Courier Post, Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington News Journal or (Allentown) Morning Call. I may still flirt with some opposing newspapers from Kansas City, Houston, Montreal and Pittsburgh as well.
January 2021 Update: The Philadelphia Daily News from 1980 is officially done! Articles are in through the end of 1980, finishing two of Philadelphia’s largest newspapers. Unfortunately, online sources for the Bulletin do not seem to exist, so that is not an option for me right now.
Happy New Year!: And may your 2021 be much better than the year we just escaped. Maybe the Phils can resign one J.T. Realmuto. That would be a good beginning of the year, along with the signing of reliever Archie Bradley.
Still On the Lookout For:
- Pictures from the 1980 season. Looking for digital copies of pictures that can be posted on the site.
- Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin. Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper. Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!
Future Updates: I’m looking to shift to other city perspectives of some of the Phils’ important games for a month or two. Missouri newspapers for the World Series, Texas newspapers for the NLCS, and things like that. After that, I’ll shift to the newspapers outside the city limits. Top contenders are the Camden Courier Post, Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington News Journal or (Allentown) Morning Call.