Game 118 (Continued) - Alumni Weekend Chachi Cards

I didn't have enough room to tag everyone in my main game summary post, so here's a continuation post featuring the bulk of the Chachi Alumni Weekend insert cards.  This is always a fun night, and creating these cards is annually a fun project.

Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: July 24th to July 26th

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #3

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  It will be relatively quiet at the ballpark this weekend, with the only fans in the stands in the form of cardboard cutouts.  Located in the Diamond Club behind home plate, cutouts of local doctors, nurses and hospital staff who have been invaluable to our community throughout the pandemic will watch the action.  The Phillies announced on Wednesday season ticket holders could purchase cutouts of themselves for $25 and non-season ticket holders will be able to purchase cutouts for $40.  All proceeds will benefit Phillies Charities.

Marlins 57-105
2019 Record
5th Place in the N.L. East, 40 games behind the Braves

Marlins Probables
2019 Statistics
Sandy Alcantara (6-14, 3.88)
Caleb Smith (10-11, 4.52)
Jose Urena (4-10, 5.21)

Marlins Spring/Summer Leaders
Average:  Jesus Sanchez - .538
Runs:  Monte Harrison - 9
Home Runs:  3 tied with - 3
RBIs:  Chad Wallach - 10
Stolen Bases:  Monte Harrison - 6

Wins:  Jordan Yamamoto - 2
ERA:  Yimi Garcia - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Caleb Smith - 10
Saves:  Dylan Lee and Alex Vesia - 2

Phillies 81-81
2019 Record
4th Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
2019 Statistics
Aaron Nola (12-7, 3.87)
Zack Wheeler (11-8, 3.96)
Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.91)

Phillies Spring/Summer Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .429
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Roman Quinn - 7
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 4
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 14
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 4

Wins:  4 tied with - 2
ERA:  Jose Alvarez - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler - 13
Saves:  6 tied with - 1

Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: August 2nd to August 5th

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #32

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #33

Thursday, Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Marlins 46-63, Tied for 4th place in the N.L. East, 14 games behind the Phillies
Phillies 59-48, 1st place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves

Marlins Probables:  Pablo Lopez (2-2, 5.34), Trevor Richards (3-5, 4.06), Jose Urena (3-10, 4.40), Wei-Yin Chen (3-8, 5.86)
Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (6-9, 4.85), Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.02), Zach Eflin (7-3, 3.64), Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.35)

At the Ballpark:  This is annually one of the best weekends all season at the ballpark as the Phillies go above and beyond to celebrate their past and bring back as many alumni as possible.  On Friday, Shane Victorino will officially retire in a pre-game ceremony and he'll throw out the first pitch.  Fans will receive a Shane Victorino Big Head Collectible.

On Saturday, Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony and all fans will receive a commemorative print.  There will also be a pre-game wiffle ball tournament featuring members of the 2008 Phillies.

Sunday is the annual Alumni Day and the 2008 Phillies team will be honored in a pre-game ceremony.  All fans will also receive a Brad Lidge bobblehead and the list of returning Phillies alumni is impressive.

Marlins Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .308
Runs:  Brian Anderson - 63
Home Runs:  Justin Bour - 16
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 53
Stolen Bases:  Cameron Maybin - 8

Wins:  Caleb Smith - 5
ERA:  Jose Urena - 4.40
Strikeouts:  Jose Urena - 98
Saves:  Kyle Barraclough and Brad Ziegler - 10

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera - .278
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 66
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 21
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 70
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 12
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.35
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 142
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 11

Alumni Weekend Continues with More Autographs

Mets 6, Phillies 2
Game 115 - Sunday Afternoon, August 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-72, 5th place, 26 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets dampened the good vibes brought on by the annual Phillies Alumni Day, defeating the Phillies 6-2.

What It Means:  The Mets took three out of four in this series, and the Phillies now head to the West Coast for games in San Diego and San Francisco.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin allowed home runs to Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson in his 5 1/3 innings of work.  The Phillies went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position, failing to capitalize twice with the bases loaded.  The fifth inning was cut short when Odubel Herrera ran right into an out at third, as Freddy Galvis was already manning the base.  Rhys Hoskins collected his first big league hit and RBI.


Featured Cards/Field Report:  My wife Jenna and youngest son Ben joined in the fun for this game, as the four of us set out to meet some more Phillies alumni.  The Phillies truly do a great job with this stuff.  Before the start of the game, five tables were set up throughout the ballpark, each with two members of the 1980 World Championship team signing autographs.  We made it to four of the five tables, with the boys getting autographs from Warren Brusstar, Dickie Noles, Bob Boone, Bake McBride, Larry Christenson, Marty Bystrom, Manny Trillo and Greg Luzinski.

We settled into our seats and enjoyed the pre-game ceremony introducing over 40 former Phillies players and once again honoring the late Darren Daulton.  Members of the 1993 Phillies team each appeared on the field wearing Daulton's #10 jersey.


Mid-way through the game, we walked over to an alumni photo both and the boys had their pictures taken with Jim Eisenreich, Milt Thompson, Kevin Stocker and Tommy Greene.  Doug added autographs from Stocker and Greene to the Wall of Fame print he had received on Saturday night. By Doug's tally, he added 22 (!) alumni autographs to his collection on Saturday and Sunday.

I should also mention we received four 15-card packs of the special Topps National Baseball Card Day Phillies sets as we entered the ballpark.  This is a fantastic giveaway, the only problem with it being there are 20 cards in a complete set.  With the four packs we received, we were able to put together only two complete sets.  Still, it's a great looking set and Jenna and Ben don't seem to mind too much (yet) that their sets are missing a few cards.

Ben looks on as Freddy Galvis bats

Wall of Famers Return and Doug's Big Night of Autographs

Phillies 3, Mets 1
Game 114 - Saturday Night, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-71, 5th place, 26 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Wall of Famers returned for a pre-game ceremony and Aaron Nola continued his dominant second half performance as the Phillies won, 3-1.

What It Means:  This was Nola's 10th consecutive outing allowing two runs or less, which no other Phillies pitcher has accomplished since 1893.

What Happened:  Nola struck out eight in his seven innings of work, allowing just one run (a solo home run to Yoenis Cespedes) and two hits.  Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis delivered RBI singles.


Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I attended this game, and while none of the current Phillies were signing autographs pre-game, he was able to get quite a few autographs later in the Hall of Fame Club.

The Phillies brought back past Wall of Fame inductees for an on-field ceremony, and they then paid tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton.  All three Wall of Famers had passed away this year.  Mike Schmidt delivered an emotional speech remembering each of the former Phillies, and he also recognized Ruben Amaro, Sr., who had passed away earlier this year as well.

Around the fifth inning, we decided to take a walk and as is normally the case during Alumni Weekend, there was a large contingent of autograph seekers stationed outside the suite where the alumni were holding their reunion.  As alumni entered and exited the suite, some would pause to sign while others would not.  Here's a summary of our night:

• Larry Christenson and Jim Eisenreich were the first Phillies alumni we spotted signing, and both took their time to sign for anyone who wanted an autograph.  The same can be said for Manny Trillo and Bake McBride.
• While waiting for other alumni to exit the suite, I noticed Desi Relaford and Mike Lieberthal casually chatting about 10 feet away.  I called Doug over and both players graciously signed his Wall of Fame print and posed for pictures.
• Rheal Cormier was also interacting with fans and the two of us got a selfie together.
• Next out the suite door was Jim Thome, who immediately went right for Doug, grabbed his print and asked him where we wanted to have it signed.  It should be noted that Doug was by far the youngest autograph seeker in the area, as the majority of people waiting were more experienced collectors, equally excited to add a long-sought after autograph to their collections. Kudos to Thome and the other signers for going out of their way for the younger fans, and then making sure to sign for the older fans as well.
• Shane Victorino briskly walked past, not acknowledging any of the fans.  Doug was disappointed, but that went away when Tony Taylor emerged.

Tony Taylor . . . the Phillies great singled out Doug and spent about two minutes talking to him.  He talked about the players on the print, he told Doug to follow his dreams and he told Doug to never give up.  He talked about kindness and helping others and hard work.  He wanted Doug to promise to never throw away the print and to remember everything he had told him.  Finally, he told Doug to pass on everything to his kids and to bring his kids to Phillies games when they were older.  Doug took it all in.  I took it all in.  It was a very cool moment.

• The last two signers were Charlie Manual and Bobby Wine.  Wine, the long-time Phillies player and coach, took one look at Doug's straight brim on his baseball cap and admonished him to, "Bend that brim for God's sake!"  He then grabbed the hat and bent the brim.

There were throngs of people around Thome and Manuel, so I didn't get good photos of those two, but I've created a custom card set for the other autograph signers.  It was a fantastic experience for Doug (and me) and one neither of us will soon forget.

Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton

1988 Topps - Phillies Cards

1988 Topps #714, #348, #156 and #683

I spent all of 2014 looking back at the 1988 Topps set.  I used the 1988 Topps design for my 2014 Chachi set and I used 1988 Topps Phillies-related cards in my game preview posts.  I wasn't able to feature all the Phillies-related cards from the 1988 Topps set either because the Phillies didn't play every team in the American League or certain teams just had way too many cards featuring ex or future Phillies.

Similar to what I've done with the 1973 and 1979 Topps sets, here's a look at all 154 cards in the 1988 Topps set featuring players, coaches or managers with a Phillies connection.

National League East (52 - 17 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (6) - #90 Dale Murphy, #549 Dale Murphy TL, #627 Joe Boever, #732 Dave Palmer, #755 Ozzie Virgil, #39T Ron Gant
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (7) - #8 Kevin Elster, #30 Sid Fernandez, #164 Dave Johnson MG, #333 Wally Backman, #355 Roger McDowell, #655 Len Dykstra, #787 Bill Almon
Philadelphia Phillies (35)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (4) - #93 Bob Sebra, #251 Tom Foley, #365 Floyd Youmans, #588 Jeff Parrett

National League Central (29)
Chicago Cubs (9) - #10 Ryne Sandberg, #36 Jamie Moyer, #171 Manny Trillo TL, #287 Manny Trillo, #416 Keith Moreland, #564 Frank Lucchesi MG, #642 Bob Dernier, #717 Jay Baller, #768 Dickie Noles
Cincinnati Reds (4) - #265 Bo Diaz, #475 Pete Rose MG, #686 Terry Francona, #55T Danny Jackson
Milwaukee Brewers (2) - #592 Dale Sveum, #670 Dan Plesac
Pittsburgh Pirates (3) - #168 Barry Jones, #349 Bob Walk, #539 Mike LaValliere
St. Louis Cardinals (11) - #59 Danny Cox, #133 Greg Mathews, #208 Steve Lake, #310 Tom Herr, #483 Rod Booker, #509 Bill Dawley, #536 John Morris, #562 Jim Lindeman, #612 Curt Ford, #34T Jose DeLeon, #70T Larry McWilliams

1988 Topps #171, #549 and #201

National League West (19)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (5) - #92 Len Matuszek, #149 Ken Howell, #481 Mariano Duncan, #489 Fernando Valenzuela TL, #780 Fernando Valenzuela
San Diego Padres (12) - #7 Benito Santiago RB, #148 Carmelo Martinez, #284 Larry Bowa MG, #404 Benny Santiago AS, #426 Randy Ready, #482 Mark Davis, #596 John Kruk, #693 Benny Santiago, #699 Benny Santiago TL, #72T Keith Moreland, #80T Mark Parent, #121T Dickie Thon
San Francisco Giants (2) - #52 Don Robinson, #445 Mike Krukow

American League East (6)
Baltimore Orioles (2) - #11 Mike Young, #142 Andy Van Slyke
Boston Red Sox (0)
New York Yankees (2) - #636 Charles Hudson, #741 Mike Easler
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (2) - #438 Rob Ducey, #24T Sil Campusano

American League Central (20)
Chicago White Sox (5) - #334 Dave LaPoint, #613 Bobby Thigpen, #634 Jose DeLeon, #657 Gary Redus, #714 Jim Fregosi MG
Cleveland Indians (4) - #82 Darrel Akerfelds, #293 Doug Jones, #374 Doc Edwards, #683 Julio Franco
Detroit Tigers (3) - #14 Sparky Anderson MG, #713 Willie Hernandez, #751 Jim Morrison
Kansas City Royals (5) - #324 Danny Jackson, #348 Jim Eisenreich, #597 Gene Garber, #724 Danny Tartabull, #777 Lonnie Smith
Minnesota Twins (3) - #218 Dan Schatzeder, #317 Tom Nieto, #49T Tom Herr

1988 Topps #777, 1988 Topps Traded #72T, 1988 Topps #636 and #713

American League West (25)
Houston Astros (7) - #24 Jim Deshaies, #226 Dave Lopes, #291 Billy Hatcher TL, #306 Billy Hatcher, #342 Larry Andersen, #643 Rocky Childress, #684 Hal Lanier MG
Los Angeles Angels (5) - #243 Mark Ryal, #420 Wally Joyner, #498 Bob Boone, #774 Gene Mauch MG, #97T Cookie Rojas MG
Oakland Athletics (4) - #527 Steve Henderson, #272 Steve Ontiveros, #424 Dwayne Murphy, #476 Dave Stewart
Seattle Mariners (5) - #55 Phil Bradley, #156 Gary Matthews, #332 Jerry Reed, #519 Phil Bradley TL, #129T Glenn Wilson
Texas Rangers (4) - #26 Mitch Williams, #201 Pete Incaviglia TL, #280 Pete Incaviglia, #369 Greg Harris

Other
Team USA (3) - #30T Pat Combs, #71T Mickey Morandini, #88T Jim Poole

Memory Lane

1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more

1996 Topps Phillies

1996 Topps #66, #180, #44 and #370

I've collected baseball cards on a regular basis since 1979.  However, there are three specific years when I only collected baseball cards as a afterthought.  The latter two of these three years were 2002 and 2005 when there were quite a few major changes going on in my life and collecting baseball cards took a back seat.  The first year of those non-collecting years was 1996.  The summer of '96 was the first full summer I lived away from home as I opted to rent an apartment and stay in North Carolina after my spring semester wrapped up.  I clearly remember scrounging up the money needed ($20?) to buy a hand-collated 1996 Topps set that summer for the sole purpose of trying to combat an extreme bout of home-sickness.  Other than that purchase, I didn't add any 1996 Phillies baseball cards to my collection until a few years later.

1996 Topps #44 (Back)

The Set
Number of cards in the set:  I have nothing to base this on, other than my own personal recollections, but I imagine Topps scaled down their flagship brand to just 440 cards due to lack of interest on the part of baseball fans and baseball card collectors.  At this point, a lot of us were still trying to forgive the players and owners for the 1994 strike and collecting cards of current players wasn't a priority.  The set was released in two series (220 cards each) and for the first time since 1980, there was no traded set.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I actually don't mind these cards, but I just wish there was more of them.  The set feels like an afterthought.  On the front of the cards, we get the player's name, a team logo and a close-up, smooshed version of the player's face.  It's as if the people at Topps got together in late 1995 and collectively decided, "Well we have to do something.  Let's go ahead and release this thing and see if anyone notices and maybe by 1997 things will have turned around."  (And then someone in the meeting added, "Besides, collectors are just going to go crazy over our new Topps Laser set.  It's a sure thing!")

Notable competition:  In my opinion, Fleer, Donruss and Score put out sets superior to the Topps set in 1996.  The Upper Deck set isn't one of my favorites (too much gold), but their Collector's Choice set from 1996 was very nicely done.  In a nod to the increasing number of premium shiny cards on the market, Topps released its first Chrome set in 1996.  At the time, I dismissed Topps Chrome as just being a shinier version of Topps Tiffany.

1996 Topps #394, #35, #261 and #85

1996 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phils sunk to a record of 67-95 on their way to a last place finish, 29 games behind the Braves.  This would be the final season for manager Jim Fregosi and his coaching staff as the team's brass decided to wipe the slate clean in 1997 with a new regime.  I recall first hearing the dreaded "re-building" word at some point in late 1995 or early 1996, and that re-building would go through several frustrating fits and starts before finally paying off beginning in 2007.

Key players:  Catcher Benito Santiago, signed to a one-year deal to bridge the gap between Darren Daulton and Mike Lieberthal, had a decent year, hitting .264 with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs.  Third baseman Todd Zeile, another short-timer, was having a solid year before his late August trade to the Orioles.  Zeile hit .268 in his 134 games with the club, with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.  Jim Eisenreich had his season ended prematurely by injuries, but he still hit .361 in 113 games.  Curt Schilling led the pitching staff with just 9 wins, followed by Terry Mulholland's 8 wins.  Mulholland rejoined the Phillis in February before getting shipped to the Mariners in July for Desi Relaford.  Ricky Bottalico assumed the closer's duties, saving 34 games.

Key events:  The Phils stunk.  Other than hosting the All-Star Game in July, there wasn't a whole lot of good baseball being played in Philadelphia.  Injuries limited Lenny Dykstra to 40 games and Daulton to just 5 games.  Scott Rolen made his Major League debut on August 1st, and he'd soon become the face of the franchise, whether he liked it or not.

1996 Phillies in 1996 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are only 18 Phillies cards within the 1996 Topps set, representing the lowest number of Phillies cards in a base Topps set since 1955.  Four of the 18 cards are multi-player Prospects cards, so if you remove those cards from the tally, the count goes down to a mere 14.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 4 cards

#180 Gregg Jefferies (1b), #370 Mickey Morandini (2b), #44 Kevin Stocker (ss), #66 Jim Eisenreich (rf)

Regular catcher Santiago and third baseman Zeile are in the set, but they're featured with their former teams.  Left fielder Pete Incaviglia, who returned to the Phillies after a year in Japan, and center fielder Ricky Otero aren't in the set at all.

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 2 cards

#128 Curt Schilling, #97 Mike Mimbs

Mulholland, Mike Williams and Mike Grace are completely omitted from the set.

1996 Topps #128, #97, #161 and #418

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 1996 - 3 cards

#85 Darren Daulton, #161 Ricky Bottalico, #261 Lenny Dykstra

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1996 - 3 cards (with new teams listed)

#255 Charlie Hayes (Pirates/Yankees), #385 Heathcliff Slocumb (Red Sox), #418 Tyler Green (injured)

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Prospects cards - 4 cards

#426 Kevin Jordan, #430 Rich Hunter, #431 David Coggin, #434 Scott Rolen

All but Coggin actually played with the Phillies at some point in 1996.  Coggin wouldn't make his Phillies debut until 2000.  Jordan's card also features Relaford, who appeared in 15 games with the Phillies after being acquired from Seattle.

• Phillies appearing on Star Power cards - 1 card, #11 Heathcliff Slocumb
• Phillies appearing on Draft Pick cards - 1 card, #240 Reggie Taylor

There was a draft pick card featuring Taylor within the 1995 Topps Traded set, and he pops up again in the 1996 Topps set.

1996 Topps #426, #430 and #434

Who’s out:  The Phillies featured 54 players in 1996, with only 12 receiving Phillies cards within the Topps base set, for a woeful coverage percentage of 22%.

Phillies on other teams:  As mentioned previously, Santiago (#394 - Reds) and Zeile (#35 - Cubs) have cards in the set, as do Lee Tinsley (#359 - Red Sox), Glenn Dishman (#410 - Padres) and Relaford (#426 - Mariners).

What’s he doing here:  Why do we need two draft pick cards featuring Taylor in successive sets?  Scanning the list of other 1995 Phillies draft picks, they could have gone with a card for Marlon Anderson.  Then again, I'm still against the draft pick card concept in general.

Cards that never were candidates:  Given the small amount of Phillies cards in the Topps set, there are a lot of candidates.  Given the lackluster performance of the 1996 team however, there aren't a lot of good candidates.  Here are the Phillies cards I'd potentially add - Santiago, Zeile, Incaviglia, Otero, Mark Whiten, Lieberthal, Williams, Mulholland and Grace.  Relievers Ken Ryan (2.43 ERA and 8 saves in 62 games) and Toby Borland (4.07 ERA in 69 games) should also have cards.

Favorite Phillies card:  There aren't many cards from which to choose a favorite.  But for purposes of at least trying to pick a favorite, I'd go with either Daulton's or Dykstra's card for pure nostalgic reasons.  By 1996, the fan favorites on the 1993 National League Championship team were breaking down or moving on or both.  I've never dealt well with change, and the changes for me personally and for the Phillies over the next five years would be swift and at times painful.

2011 Topps Chrome
Vintage Chrome #VC21

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps went back to this design for last year's Vintage Chrome insert set, found within packs of 2011 Topps Chrome.  The recycled versions are fairly close replicas of the originals, other than the lack of embossed features found on the original cards.  Each of the original 1996 Topps Chrome base cards feature a background of small embossed circles, I'm guessing in an attempt to make the cards appear futuristic.

Blogs/Websites:  By the time this posts, a 1996 Topps-style card of Dick Allen may be up over at Dick Allen Hall of Fame.  I've been avidly following along as the blog posts Dick Allen cards for each year using the Topps design from 2012 and years earlier.  He's up to 1997 as of this writing.

Did You Know?:  My Dad and I attended the 1996 All-Star Game at the Vet.  Even though he had a natural aversion to heavy traffic and large crowds, he took one for the team by getting me to the game several hours before first pitch and staying to the bitter end of the game.  I remember it was actually kind of a boring game, with the N.L. All-Stars defeating the A.L. squad by a score of 6-0.  The Phillies sole representative was reliever Bottalico and he pitched a scoreless fifth, retiring Ivan Rodriguez, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Jay Buhner.

The stuff I remember best about that day had nothing to do with the game.  I remember that Kelsey Grammer sang the National Anthem and LL Cool J led the crowd in a pseudo-rap version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.  Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts and Jim Bunning simultaneously threw out first pitches.  I remember that we booed Joe Carter at every possible opportunity.  And I remember a great night with my Dad.  Team President David Montgomery recently indicated that he'd like to see the Phillies get the All-Star game in 2026 as the country celebrates its Sestercentennial.  (Quarter-Millenial?)  If that's the case, I'll make every effort to be there with my sons.