Zooming with the Phillies, Preparing for Spring Training II

Four months ago, if you had said any of these things to me I would have thought you'd lost your mind:

• Spring Training would be stopped on March 13th due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and would be set to resume on July 1st at Citizens Bank Park and the IronPigs' ballpark in Allentown.
• Opening Day would be July 23rd with 30-man rosters to start the season, a National League designated hitter, no fans in the stands, an abbreviated 60-game schedule over 66 days and play limited to each team's geographic divisions.
• I'd partake in a virtual Zoom meeting with Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy, Jimmy Rollins and Charlie Manuel for season ticket holders, suite ticket purchasers and group leaders.

I would have had no idea what Zoom even was.  But here we are.  I enjoyed the special session held on Thursday night, even though I've heard most of Rollins' and Manuel's stories multiple times by now.  It was good to hear two Phillies legends talk baseball as we gear up for what will most likely be one of the strangest baseball seasons ever.  The biggest revelation for me was that Rollins considered John Mayberry, Jr. to be his funniest teammate.  Who knew?

Ben was kind enough to watch some of the session with me in The Phillies Room World HQ, while my wife and Doug were at his social distancing-enforced baseball practice.

Strange times, strange world.

Game 104 - Photo Night Returns! (Part One)

2019 Chachi Photo Night #2

2019 Chachi Photo Night #16

2019 Chachi Photo Night #8

Braves 15, Phillies 7
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 54-50, 3rd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves absolutely demolished the Phillies in this 15-7 loss.

What It Means:  This is one of the worst games Jenna and I have ever witnessed in person.  It only helped a little that both teams were wearing awesome throw-back uniforms, with the Phillies in their infamous, all-burgundy Saturday Night Special uniforms.  These uniforms were worn once and only once back in 1979.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin allowed 10 runs (six earned) in his 2 2/3 innings of work, with Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins contributing to the drubbing with costly errors.  The offense showed some punch with 12 hits and both J.T. Realmuto (13) and Sean Rodriguez (3) hit home runs.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #3

2019 Chachi Photo Night #5

2019 Chachi Photo Night #10

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Photo night returned!  One of the games we look forward to every season is the annual Phillies Photo Night promotion.  The players and coaches walk along cordoned sections of the outfield - some fast and some slow - and pose for pictures with the fans.  With last year's event cancelled due to rain, it was nice to return to this now annual tradition.

Promptly at 5:40, Bryce Harper was the first player to emerge and he took a brisk walk around the ballpark, never getting more than 15 feet away from the sectioned off fans.  Maybe over the next 13 years, that will slowly change and he'll interact more with us.  After Harper's stroll and polite waves, the rest of the team made their way around the outfield.  We enjoyed talking with the broadcasters and coach Pedro Guerrero asked if he could try on Ben's sunglasses.  New Phillie Mike Morin was very nice and he was one of the last players, along with Pat Neshek, out on the field.  Neshek was great to talk to as well.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #1

2019 Chachi Photo Night #4

2019 Chachi Photo Night #6

2019 Chachi Photo Night #7

2019 Chachi Photo Night #9

Doug snuck autographs from Morin and Brad Miller, although technically that was against the Photo Night rules.  We missed seeing Rhys Hoskins and Sean Rodriguez as their handlers shuffled them off the field right before both arrived at our location.  We also missed getting photos with Jean Segura (walked right by us), Scott Kingery, Nick Williams, Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta, as none of them made it over to our spot.  Any other players and coaches (including manager Gabe Kapler) not listed here or not featured on the cards I've created, we simply didn't see.  J.T. Realmuto and Zach Eflin were excused as they were getting ready for the game, and unless I'm mistaken I think Jake Arrieta skipped the event entirely.

After leaving the field, Doug stationed himself by the Phillies dugout and added autographs to his collection from coaches Dusty Wathan, Rob Thomson and Figueroa.  Adam Haseley also graciously signed for him again.  I'll have the rest of the Photo Night insert cards in a second post.

Memory Lane
1984 Photo Day - Hudson, Maddox and Lefebvre
2004 Photo Day - First at Citizens Bank Park
2006 Photo Day - with Rick White
2007 Photo Day - with Shane Victorino
2016 Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Photo Night - Parts One, Two and Three
2018 Photo Night - Cancelled due to rain
2019 Photo Night - Part One and Part Two

Game 47 - On the Field for Batting Practice #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 4, Braves 0
Game 47 - Wednesday Night, May 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-19, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta dealt against the Braves, helping secure the series win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are a half game behind the Braves in the division as they open up a Memorial Day weekend series at home against the Blue Jays.

What Happened:  Arrieta struck out 7 in his 6 2/3 innings of work.  Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris took care of the final 7 outs.  Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez contributed RBI singles while Maikel Franco and Nick Williams added RBI doubles.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #4

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #6

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Back in November, my wife Jenna and I attended the 40th Anniversary Gala of the Philadelphia ALS Association.  A close family friend of ours is battling ALS and the work of the Association is invaluable to the ALS patients and families in our community.

Jenna bid on and won a Phillies VIP Package that included a signed baseball from Rhys Hoskins, a signed bat from Nick Williams and a signed catcher's mitt from Cameron Rupp.  The package also included the opportunity to watch the Phillies take batting practice before a game and a behind the scenes tour of Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies contacted Jenna in April and we picked this game against the Braves for our "VIP" experience, partly because it was also Star Wars Night.  The experience did not disappoint.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #9

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #8

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #10

The highlight of course was getting to watch the Phillies take batting practice from right behind home plate.  We were told not to call over to the players, but several of them wandered over to us anyway.  Thanks to Scott Kingery, Carlos Santana, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jesmuel Valentin for taking time to sign some autographs and pose for pictures.  Santana offered Ben a hug, and Ben managed to avoid touching the pine tar already accumulating on Santana's right shoulder.  Broadcasters Tom McCarthy and Gregg Murphy also obliged with autographs and pictures.

After the players had all batted, manager Gabe Kapler made his way over to us and asked to see Doug's stack of Phillies baseball cards.  He looked at each one, pausing for comments, and then was impressed to see a Williams card in the style of the original 1983 Topps set.  It's something we and our sons will never forget.  Thanks again to the Phillies for a truly memorable experience!

Trio of Kevins Joins Broadcast Booth

1994 Fleer #601

2001 Topps #172

2012 Choice International League All-Stars #19

During the Phillies Broadcaster Golden Age between 1977 and 1997, the core broadcasting team consisted of Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler.  There were some supporting players that came and went during that time, but the core four were the primary voices of the Phillies.  I miss listening to Harry and Whitey call a game, and no one will ever replace them (in my opinion).

In recent years, I've thoroughly enjoyed the radio broadcast tandem of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen and those two have worked together since 2006.  My wife Jenna fully supports the nightly ritual of me muting the TV and turning up the radio so that we can listen to Franzke and L.A. call the game.  With Andersen announcing he'll no longer travel for road games in 2018, a replacement was needed to give Franzke a new partner.  The Phillies will fill Andersen's void with three former players - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker - and I can't help but feel the broadcast booth is getting way too crowded at this point.

If you're keeping score at home, here's the Phillies broadcasters' line-up for the 2018 season that now includes 11 (!) voices.

Television
Play-by-play - Tom McCarthy
Color commentary - Ben Davis and John Kruk (although not always together)
Color commentary, home weekends - Mike Schmidt
Roving reporter/occasional fill-in for play-by-play - Gregg Murphy

Radio
Play-by-play - Scott Franzke
Play-by-play, middle innings - Jim Jackson
Color commentary, home games - Larry Andersen
Color commentary, road games - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker

2017 Phillies Team Issue - Broadcasters

2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 - Phillies Broadcasters

Braves 12, Phillies 2
Game 158 - Wednesday Night, September 28th in Atlanta
Record - 70-88, 4th place, 22 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  In his final start of the season, Adam Morgan was hit hard and the Phillies dropped another laugher, 12-2.

What It Means:  Ryan Howard and A.J. Ellis called a players only meeting following this latest loss, discussing the need to finish strong over the final four games.

What Happened:  Morgan finished the 2016 season with a 2-11 record and a 6.04 ERA.  In five innings, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits.  Phil Klein entered the game in the sixth and by keeping the Braves off the scoreboard for that one inning, he became the first Phillies reliever in 11 appearances to not allow a run.

Featured Card:  This is as good a time as any for my annual show of appreciation towards the Phillies primary radio broadcasters - Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen.  I've mentioned before how my preferred method of enjoying a Phillies game is with the television muted and the radio broadcast synced up to the video.  Franzke and Andersen are a fantastic team and they've made the last few weeks of dreadful Phillies baseball almost bearable.

Franzke and L.A. are flanking former big leaguer Ben Davis on this year's broadcaster card found within the series two team-issued photo card set.

Want to revisit every game of the 2016 season?  My handy game summary index can be found here.

Fun at the @Phillies Photo Day! (Part Three)

2016 Chachi Photo Day #26

Marlins 3, Phillies 2 (11)
Game 94 - Monday Night, July 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-51, 4th place, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola's six scoreless innings were wasted when Jeanmar Gomez couldn't convert the save and the Marlins eventually won the game in 11.

What It Means:  The extra inning loss was especially tough to take, given that the Phillies were able to score twice off Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez.  Fernandez struck out 14 and notched his 500th career strike out in this game.

What Happened:  The Phils got their runs on a Maikel Franco ground out in the first and a Tommy Joseph solo home run (12) in the seventh.  Nola lasted six innings, giving up only two hits and striking out five.  Gomez blew his third save of the season and Brett Oberholtzer surrendered a lead-off home run to Martin Prado in the 11th.

Featured Cards:  This is the last round of Phillies Photo Day custom cards in the very limited 2016 Chachi Photo Day insert set.  Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how accommodating and gracious most of the Phillies players, coaches and broadcasters were as they took the time to pose for photos with our sons.  The only player not walking around pre-game was Jared Eickhoff, who was that day's starting pitcher.  Every other player, coach and broadcaster (including veterans Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard) spent more than a half hour on the field posing for photos with the fans.

Kudos to the Phillies for a very enjoyable, fan-friendly experience!

Be sure to check out the 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2016 Chachi Photo Day #23

2016 Chachi Photo Day #24

2016 Chachi Photo Day #27

2016 Chachi Photo Day #28

2016 Chachi Photo Day #29

2016 Chachi Photo Day #30

2016 Chachi Photo Day #31

2016 Chachi Photo Day #32

2016 Chachi Photo Day #33

2016 Chachi Photo Day #34

2016 Chachi Photo Day #36

2016 Chachi Photo Day #37

Ben & Doug's Amazing Autograph Adventure at the @Phillies Game

Pre-game preparations

Eickhoff signing for Doug & Ben

Braves 7, Phillies 1
Game 42 - Friday Night, May 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 24-18, 2nd place, 2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Bad defense and a quiet offense led to an easy 7-1 win for the Braves over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The Phils were so close to first place and now, thanks in part to the red hot Nationals, they're still in second place, two games back.

What Happened:  The Braves hit three two-run home runs (two from Freddie Freeman) and Maikel Franco committed two big errors.  The offense managed six hits and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Aaron Nola pitched seven innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits.


Featured Cards/Field Report:  We decided to splurge last night and get four tickets in Section 115, five rows from the field, right behind first base and just off the corner of the Phillies dugout.  It was Bark in the Park night, so while 360 dogs paraded around the warning track, our boys Doug and Ben positioned themselves at the edge of the Phillies dugout with their new (more on that later) photo card sets and two Sharpies.

After about 25 minutes of waiting, the Phillies young players did not disappoint these two eager autograph seekers.  Jared Eickhoff was the first to acknowledge them, followed by Adam Morgan, Odubel Herrera, David Lough and Tommy Joseph.  Joseph was omitted from the second team-issued photo card set, so the boys had to get creative.  Doug had Joseph sign his hat (after receiving a "What's up, bro" from Joseph) and Ben had him sign his Phillie Phanatic card.


The boys capped their autograph seeking with a final autograph from Phillies broadcaster Gregg Murphy.  The game itself was lousy, but Jenna and both boys found themselves on Phanavision during one of the between innings breaks, which absolutely thrilled our youngest son Ben.  We got to see the Phanatic dance on the dugout and we wisely left the game right before Brett Oberholtzer served up Freeman's second home run.

It was a great night, and one I won't soon forget.  The players who signed for our boys gained lifelong fans, and what's best is that both our boys have already asked when we can all go back again.

Joseph signing Doug's hat

Recently added to The Phillies Room - 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2014 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  This is the fourth of four straight team issued sets featuring basically the same design elements.  The player's name, number and position are listed at the bottom of the card in a red and blue design with the Phillies script logo appearing in one of the top corners.  All photos used for this set were taken during 2014 regular season games.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The second series set was available for sale at the ballpark beginning in mid-August.  I purchased my set at the start of the Phillies-Mariners series on August 18th.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Ben Revere 3 - Marlon Byrd 5 - Steve Henderson CO 6 - Ryan Howard 8 - Juan Samuel CO 9 - Domonic Brown 10 - Larry Bowa CO 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - John Mizerock CO 15 - John Mayberry, Jr. 16 - Cesar Hernandez 17 - Reid Brignac 18 - Darin Ruf 19 - Tony Gwynn, Jr. 21 - Wil Nieves 22 - Bob McClure CO 23 - Ryne Sandberg MG 25 - Cody Asche 26 - Chase Utley

27 - Roberto Hernandez 30 - Justin De Fratus 33 - Cliff Lee 34 - A.J. Burnett 35 - Cole Hamels 37 - Mike Adams 38 - Kyle Kendrick 43 - Mario Hollands 45 - Pete Mackanin CO 51 - Carlos Ruiz 52 - Jeff Manship 53 - Ken Giles 54 - Rod Nichols CO 55 - David Buchanan 58 - Jonathan Papelbon 59 - Antonio Bastardo 63 - Jake Diekman Phillie Phanatic Phillies Broadcasters

One and Done (1):  Manship
First Appearances (4):  Brignac, Buchanan, Giles, Hollands
Returning Players (23):  Adams, Asche, Bastardo, Brown, Burnett, Byrd, De Fratus, Diekman, Gwynn Jr., Hamels, C. Hernandez, R. Hernandez, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Mayberry Jr., Nieves, Papelbon, Revere, Rollins, Ruf, Ruiz, Utley

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Sandberg
Coaches (7):  Bowa, Henderson, Mackanin, McClure, Mizerock, Nichols, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  Mike Schmidt returns to the team issued set on the broadcasters card, which also features Gregg Murphy, Scott Franzke, Tom McCarthy, Larry Andersen, Matt Stairs, Jim Jackson and Jamie Moyer.
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  I'm not aware of any variations or rarities available with this set, but that doesn't mean there weren't any.  If cards are to made for the likes of Jerome Williams, Grady Sizemore or Aaron Harang prior to the start of the 2015 season, they'll most likely be produced using the design of this set.

Update (December 2016) - An Aaron Harang card has emerged, showing the pitcher in a portrait shot and with a Citizens Bank Park logo on the back.

• 34 - Aaron Harang

Cards with the Citizens Bank Park logo-backs also exist for Brown, Buchanan, De Fratus and Revere.  Giles and Utley versions with the Citizens Bank Park logo-backs emerged in December 2019 from the annual Phillies holiday sale.

Trivia:  I'm still bummed that Sizemore was omitted from this set.
Resources:  This set hasn't made it yet onto any of the mainstream online checklists/databases.