Site News - 2024

December 2024 Update:  Work on the pages kept up the monthly pace, as the November articles are now done in the Press of Atlantic City.  I fell short, though, of closing out the year’s articles.  I am also continuing to fix the formatting on pages as I have time.  The holidays, of course, have a way of consuming that time!

 

Bye-bye Kingery:  The dramatic saga of Scott Kingery’s career with the Phillies came to an official close, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations.  Kingery’s career started with a promising rookie and second year, but Kingery’s swing fell apart in his third year after catching covid during the pandemic.  After one appearance in the field in 2022, he never again played a game for the major league team.

 

Stubs, Ruiz Re-signed:  Backup catcher Garret Stubbs and relief pitcher Jose Ruiz were both signed to one-year contracts by the Phillies.  Stubbs, known as the “vibes guy” for the team, batted just .207 with a lone home run in 54 games.  Ruiz rebounded with the Phillies after struggling the two prior seasons with the White Sox and Diamondbacks.   He finished 5-1 with a save and a 3.71 ERA with the Phillies in 2024.

 

Bye-bye Hays:    Austin Hays, the target of the Phillies’ main deadline deal, was not tendered a contract by the team and will become a free agent.   The Phils acquired Hays for Seranthony Dominguez and Christian Pache, hoping to add a power right-handed bat to the lineup.  However, Hays battled injury and illness and was largely ineffective for the team.

 

Still On the Lookout For:

 

·   Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

 

·   Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:  I hope to (finally!) close out the Press of Atlantic City in December.  I will also continue as time allows to fix the formatting errors that I have discovered in recent updates.  Then I will choose the next newspaper to include in the site library.  Future possibilities include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era, and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I still need to further condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities:  instead of individual pages for the non-Philly newspapers, I will need to combine the rest into Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania newspapers (with maybe an additional page for Suburban papers).  That process will continue as I work to add to the site.

November 2024 Update:  The October articles went faster than anticipated, and I was able to put them all in the site library this month.  I continued to condense the Camden Courier-Post and the Atlantic City Press through the month, but decided to keep them separate for the World Series, as each newspaper had more articles during the Series.  One thing that I began to add was the newspaper masthead, to give a little spice to those pages.

 

Playoff Crash:  Sadly, the Phillies crashed and burned against the Mets in the playoffs, losing the NLDS three games to one.  The feast-or-famine lineup went hungry, and the bullpen, perhaps the most consistent part of the team for much of the season, collapsed in the spotlight of the playoffs.  And thus the season, that seemed to hold so much promise, instead ended in disappointment.

 

Offseason:  With the closing of the World Series, the offseason will begin.  Will the Phillies once more “run it back,” and spend another of Bryce Harper’s prime with essentially the same team, or will a few major changes be made to the core?  Only time will tell. 

 

Thomson Extended:    The Phillies did not allow the disappointing playoff exit to sour their affinity for manager Rob Thomson.   Thomson, whose ascension to the manager role sparked the recent playoff runs for the Phillies, was extended throughout the 2026 season.

 

Still On the Lookout For:

 

·   Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

 

·   Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:  I should be able to close out The Press of Atlantic City in November.  I will continue as time allows to fix the formatting errors that I have discovered in recent updates.  Then it will be time to begin the next retelling of the story.  Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era, and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I still need to further condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities:  instead of individual pages for the non-Philly newspapers, I will need to combine the rest into Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania newspapers (with maybe an additional page for Suburban papers).  That process will continue as I work to add to the site.

October 2024 Update:  Another month up, another month done!  September articles from the 1980 Atlantic City Press, including the untimely death of long-time sportswriter Harry Hoffman, is now in the library.  I also was able to condense the Camden Courier-Post and the Atlantic City Press from April through September.  While condensing, I was also able to fix the formatting errors I had discovered.  There is still a ways to go, but progress was made!

 

RIP Pete:  Pete Rose, the major league's all-time hit king, passed away on Sept. 30 at the age of 83.  Rose, whose ban from MLB for gambling on baseball has led to his exclusion from the Hall of Fame, was pivotal to the Phillies' first world championship in 1980.  Playing five years for the Phils, Rose stroked 826 of his 4,256 hits in pinstripes.

 

Division Title!  For the first time since 2011, the Phillies are the National League Eastern Division Champions!  The Phillies finished their schedule with a 95-67 record, six games above both rivals. 

 

Playoff Time:    The Phillies did not quite earn the best record of the National League, which went instead to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  However, the Phils did earn the second seed, which includes a bye for the wildcard round.  While there are some who believe the bye leaves teams flat for the second round, it seems to be that the team could use a few days’ rest to prepare for the playoffs.  As long as they can be mentally sharp, the rest could do them good.

 

Still On the Lookout For:

 

·   Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

 

·   Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:  With October, the Phillies will enter the playoffs – both today and in 1980.  I will be starting the playoff articles this month, and hopefully finishing them (though sometimes there are many more articles to transcribe with the playoffs).  I will continue as time allows to fix the formatting errors that I have discovered in recent updates.  Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I will need to further condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities:  instead of individual pages for the non-Philly newspapers, I will need to combine the rest into Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania newspapers (with maybe an additional page for Suburban papers).

September 2024 Update:  Month-to-month is the mantra, and that was accomplished this month.  August 1980 of the Press of Atlantic City is complete.  With work back in full swing, nothing extra was able to be done at this time, and won’t be for quite awhile.

 

Light at the End of the Tunnel?:  The All-Star Break has been a struggle for the Phillies, particularly in the line up.  After the astounding April and May, the Phils were below .500 after the break.  Fortunately, the team won enough to keep it’s lead between 5 and 8 games, but left the fans ill at ease.  The team did a turn around at the end, though, winning six of their last games in August against the Royals, Astros and Braves.

 

Castellanos On Fire:    One of the few Phils that got hot after the All-Star break was Nick Castellanos, who has been hitting at a .288/.335/.497 clip since the break.  His home run off Braves reliever Grant Holmes helped the Phils overcome a 4-0 deficit to win the opening game of their end of the month series against Atlanta.

 

Still On the Lookout For:

 

·   Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

 

·   Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

 

Future Updates:  I’m going to continue to try to keep a monthly pace with the Press of Atlantic City, along with redesigning the New Jersey newspapers (currently the Press and the Camden Courier-Post) to the new format. I will continue as time allows to fix the formatting errors that I have discovered in recent updates.  Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I will need to further condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities:  instead of individual pages for the non-Philly newspapers, I will need to combine the rest into Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania newspapers.

August 2024 Update:  July was family time, and it took much of the month!  I did manage, barely, to finish the July articles in the Press of Atlantic City.  I also discovered a formatting error in some of the pages I was doing – and that may be a lengthy process to fix, unfortunately.  Other than the reorganizing the New Jersey newspapers pages in conjunction with adding the Atlantic City Press, there was not much else accomplished.

 

Trades:  The Phillies have made a few adjustments to the roster in preparation for the stretch run and the playoffs.  Added were outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles, and pitchers Carlos Estevez (from the Los Angeles Angels) and Tanner Banks (from the Chicago White Sox).  Gone from the major league roster are Christian Pache and Seranthony Dominguez (for Hayes) and Gregory Soto, traded to Baltimore in a separate deal from two minor league pitchers.

 

Troubled Times:    Recently the Phils have been… bad. Since sweeping the Dodgers and winning two of three from Oakland before the All-Star Break, the Phils have floundered to a 3-9 record coming out of the break, including a disastrous home sweep from the hated New York Yankees.  There is not really a single facet of the game that the Phils are doing well in the past two weeks.  You would think that a team with this much talent should get it turned back around, but the schedule will not be doing them many favors with the next ten games in the west coast against Seattle, Los Angeles and Arizona.

 

Still On the Lookout For:

 

·   Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

 

·   Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:  With my job revving up again, I’m going to attempt to keep pace with the Press of Atlantic City, along with redesigning the New Jersey newspapers (currently the Press and the Camden Courier-Post) to the new format. I will also begin working on fixing the formatting errors that I have discovered in recent updates.  Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I have a plan to condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities.

July 2024 Update:  I managed to finish the June articles in The Press of Atlantic City before taking some vacation time with my family.  I also formulated a plan to reorganize the articles by combining the out-of-city newspapers by states (Delaware-New Jersey-Pennsylvania) rather than the individual newspapers.  I would prefer to keep the newspapers separate, but that would mean that the Atlantic City Press would pretty much be the last one I could add due to space issues.  The June Press articles were combined with the pages from the Camden Courier-Post.

 

Still in First:  The Phillies slowed down a bit in the latter half of June, but still enjoy an 8-game lead over Atlanta in the National League East, and holding the best record in MLB at 55-29.  Pitching has been the constant for the team, and Christopher Sanchez was especially dominant this past month.

 

Injuries:   The good news - Trea Turner came back from injury, though it took six weeks.  The bad news - the Phils lost J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to injuries.  Realmuto had surgery to repair his meniscus, while both Harper and Schwarber suffered hamstring strains in the same game against the Marlins.  In addition, pitchers Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull also have been placed on the injured list.  

   

Still On the Lookout For:

  • Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

  • Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper, but to this point I cannot find it online.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:    I’m going to keep working on the Press of Atlantic City, redesigning the New Jersey newspapers (currently the Press and the Camden Courier-Post) to the new format. Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I have a plan to condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities.

June 2024 Update:  As expected, progress slowed to a crawl this month due to numerous commitments.  I did manage to complete the month of May in the Press of Atlantic City. At the end of the month, Greg Luzinski had seemed to be back to his old self and was tearing the cover off the ball right with Mike Schmidt.  His upcoming knee injury would decimate his rest of the season.

 

First to 40!  The Phillies had a good May.  A great May.  A spectacular May!  The end of the month sees the Fightins with the best record in the majors at 40-18.  A small stumble at the end of the month at San Diego and San Francisco has not eaten into their lead over Atlanta in the NL East, which stands at 6½ games.

 

Trea Turner:   The lone major setback for the Phils in May was a hamstring injury to shortstop Trea Turner.  The Phils haven’t missed a beat in his absence, mainly due to the great play of Edmundo Sosa in Turner’s place.  Sosa is batting .307 and playing steady shortstop for the Phils.  The team is hopeful that Turner will be able to return to the field in June.

   

Still On the Lookout For:

  • Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

  • 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 will keep on keepin’ on with the Atlantic City Press.  With May done, my schedule will slow down during the summer months, and I am hoping to do better than a month-to-month pace in June and July. Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  I have a plan to condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities.  I will play around with the June articles pages while I am entering the A.C. Press stories.

May 2024 Update:  Progress continues on the 1980 season articles from the Press of Atlantic City. It’s a busy time of year for me, but I was still able to finish the April articles and make a good dig into the ones from May as well.  I am also beginning to formulate a plan to maximize space if and when the time comes that I need to condense the article pages on the site.

 

Hot Start:  The Phillies, after stumbling a bit in the first couple of series, have righted the ship and surged to a 20-11 record through games of April 30.  While not in first place (stupid Braves!), the Phils are only a half-game behind Atlanta going into the second full month of the season.

 

Pitching:   The main reason for the Phillies’ big start has been a stellar starting rotation.  Three starting pitchers, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Spencer Turnbull all sported ERAs below 2.00.  Aaron Nola, after a rough first start, has been similarly effective.  And with Taijuan Walker ready to return, the rotation may be even deeper.

   

Still On the Lookout For:

  • Digital pictures from the 1980 season.  I’ve been putting in a lot of clips from the newspaper I get the articles from, but the quality is often less than optimal.

  • Articles from the Philadelphia Bulletin.  Richie Ashburn used to do a weekly article in that newspaper.  Online, scanned, clipped… most importantly free!

 

Future Updates:    Work will continue on the  Atlantic City (NJ) Press.  Work will likely slow down this month due to both work-related and personal events that annually crowd the month of May.  I am hoping to finish at least the month of May since I got a good start on it during April.  Future possibilities for articles include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  And I am formulating a plan to condense the article pages to give space for these future possibilities.

April 2024 Update:  As the season begins today, so does the 1980 season repeat itself, this time in the lines of the Press of Atlantic City.  We’ll see if I can fit the entire season in the limited space I have left, but will look for ways to shoehorn it in if it doesn’t fit naturally.  To this point, I finished spring training articles and am eager to jump into the regular season, just as the boys in Citizens Bank Park are ready to begin their quest for the World Series this year.

 

As Is:  The Phillies were not enticed by the delayed signings of pitchers Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, and have elected to begin the season with a pitching rotation of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker (when he’s off the injured list) and Christopher Sanchez. For now, Spencer Turnbull will act as the fifth starter.

 

Opening Day:   While the loss to the Braves on Opening Day was not what the Phillies were looking for, it sure is nice that baseball is back!  Hopefully, the Phils iron out the wrinkles and begin this season fighting not just for a wild card spot, but the division title.

   

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 have started, I will continue to put in articles from the  Atlantic City (NJ) Press.  While I am going through the season, I will also look for opportunities to free up space for future additions, possibly by combining the date and boxscore pages, but that change will come later.  Future possibilities include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  All of this is, of course, as space provides.

March 2024 Update:  I spent most of the first half of the month tinkering with the pages for the players, coaches and front office.  Old graphics from the Geocities site were re-added for some nostalgia, and the pages were tidied up a bit.  A few of the descriptions even got edited for clarity – and a few grammar errors.  Then I began adding articles from the Atlantic City (NJ) Press.  I am in mid-March, when the players had just begun the Grapefruit League schedule.

 

Whiz Wit:  The Phils finally added a free agent to the club.  Whit Merrifield, who represented the Toronto Blue Jays in the All-Star Game last season, signed a one-year contract with a club option with Phillies.  This season, Merrifield is expected to play a sort of super-sub role with the Phils.  Other minor additions include pitchers Spencer Turnbull and Kolby Allard, who each signed one-year contracts.

 

Spring Training!    Speaking of the Grapefruit League, the Phils have begun their spring training games.  As the team regroups for another run for the playoffs and World Series, the players seem loose and confident.  Hopefully, the season plays out that way!  

   

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 started, I will be concentrating on the Atlantic City Press.  I will also continue to try to find ways to clear some space, as my free account with Jimdo is quickly approaching its limit of pages.

February 2024 Update:  This month I was able to complete the full year of articles from the Allentown Morning Call!  It was fun reliving the World Series once more.  I did note a fair amount of… anger? from the writers in the Morning Call against the players and their rectitude in interviews.  More so than in the other papers.  There just seemed to be a bit more snippiness from these writers than most others, outside of Bill Conlin, of course.  As Mike Schmidt once said, “Philadelphia is the only city, where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day.”

 

Nothing?    Since the re-signing of Aaron Nola, the Phils have been largely silent during the annual free agent rush.  While other contenders are making moves to improve their teams, the Phils have seemed content to stand pat and perhaps see what bargains shake out at the end of the winter.

 

Florida Bound!    Just a few weeks remain for those sweet words to be said once more:  Pitchers and Catchers Report!  On February 14, the Phils’ hurlers and receivers will begin spring training at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Florida.  The rest of the team will arrive a few days later, on February 19.

   

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:    In the near future, I’ll begin the process anew with articles from a new source. Right now, I am leaning towards beginning the Atlantic City (NJ) Press.  Other possibilities include the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster (PA) New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  In the meantime, I’ll look to do a bit of housecleaning to clear some space, as my free account with Jimdo is quickly approaching its limit of pages.

January 2024 Update:  I was able to finish the NLCS according to the Allentown Morning Call.  The tense 5-game series with the Houston Astros brought in turns frustration, elation, agony and joy.  It is always fun to relive those memories, and get a fresh perspective from a different writer.

 

No Yamamoto:   Though the Phillies reportedly put in a competitive offer, Japanese phenom pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Dodgers, who also spent millions on Shohei Otani in the offseason, signed Yamamoto to a contract worth $325 million over twelve years.

 

What next?    Other than re-signing Aaron Nola, the Phils have been relatively quite in the offseason.  However, there are still some name players available as of the new year.  Starting pitchers include, among others, NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and starters Marcus Stoman, Jordan Montgomery and Shota Imanaga; relievers Josh Hader and Hector Neris, outfielders Cody Bellinger, Adam Duvall, Teoscar Hernandez… and, of course, first baseban Rhys Hoskins.

   

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:    As expected, progress on the website slowed quite a bit with the holidays.   I’d like to say it will pick up again in January, but things are going to be quite busy for awhile. For now, I’ll keep working to finish out the articles from the Allentown Morning Call and then look to see what should come next.  Possibilities include the Atlantic City (NJ) Press, Asbury Park (NJ) Press, Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster New Era,  and the Lebanon (PA) Daily News.  Considerations will also have to be made for space, as my account with Jimdo is quickly approaching its limit.