1941 Play Ball #28 "Joe" Marty

I've always been very envious whenever I read a blog post by someone who can provide the exact number of a certain player's baseball cards he owns in his collection.  There are a few bloggers out there who can tell you, at any given time, exactly how many cards they have in their collection including the player and/or team break-down.  I think these bloggers use some combination of Excel spreadsheets or home-made databases to accomplish this, and I've seriously considered trying this approach myself.  However, as someone who works with Excel spreadsheets on a daily basis in my chosen profession, the thought of coming home after a long day in the coal mine and relaxing in front of another Excel spreadsheet just seemed depressing.

Sure, I've got detailed checklists, and I can tell you exactly what cards I have and what cards I need, but I have absolutely no idea how many cards are currently housed within the actual Phillies Room from where I'm typing this now.

So I've joined Zistle.  Zistle has been around for a while, but it recently re-launched with (I'm assuming) a more user-friendly approach. Its tagline is simple, "Organizing your collection online couldn't be easier. Zistle actually makes organizing your collection online, dare we say, fun!" And, dare I say it, I agree.

I started adding cards in my collection to my new account over the weekend.  I started with the few Phillies cards I have from the '30s and I've worked my way forward up through the 1981 Donruss set.  I'm going to stick to only including my Phillies cards as this is now the main focus of my collection.  Said another way, I'm more interested in knowing how many Putsy Caballero cards are in my collection (currently one) than knowing how many 1992 Donruss doubles I have.

One of the cool things about Zistle is the ability to add sets, teams, and photos to their ever expanding inventory.  Shortly after posting this, I'll upload front and back scans of this 1941 Play Ball card to the database, as there's currently no image available for this card on Zistle.

There are also trading and wantlist tools available that I have yet to explore.  And once I've input my collection, I have the ability to download the whole mess to an exportable file whenever I want.  I like this.  It's free, and they say they'll never charge for their service, but I like the idea of being able to take my Phillies collection data with me, especially after the time investment it's going to take to get everything in there.

So look for me on Zistle (Ringo73), where as of this writing, I have 756 Phillies-related baseball cards in my collection from the 1934 Diamond Stars Blondy Ryan card through the 1981 Donruss Greg Gross card.

2011 Phillies Team Issue 2 #6 Ryan Howard

Phillies 4, Cubs 3
Game 66 - Sunday Afternoon, June 12th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard's two-run single in the seventh gave the Phils the come-from-behind victory, 4-3.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies head into tomorrow's off-day having taken three out of four from the Cubs.  They're 40-26 with a two game lead over the Braves in the division.  On Tuesday, they'll open a four-game in three-day series with the Marlins, who have fallen to seven back after losing nine of their last ten.

What Went Right:  The Phillies had a few opportunities to blow this thing wide open against Doug Davis and the Cubs, but they had to wait for a late rally to secure the win.  Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Howard's single scored Shane Victorino and Chase Utley with the tying and go-ahead runs.  The hit gave Howard three RBIs on the day, as he had doubled in the first to bring home Victorino.

Roy Oswalt (4-4) dug an early hole, allowing three first inning runs.  Fortunately, that was the only scoring from the Cubs today and Oswalt bounced back to pitch scoreless ball through the seventh.  Michael Stutes and Ryan Madson shut down the Cubs in the eighth and ninth.  With two outs in the ninth, Carlos Pena scared the crap out of me (and Madson) when he hit a ball out of the ballpark that was just foul.  On the next pitch, he popped out to Utley, who made a running, over the shoulder catch, for the last out of the game.

Featured Card:  I was fairly surprised last year when the Phillies released a "2nd series" for their team-issued postcard-sized baseball card set.  So I was even more surprised when I recently found a new 2011 team set for sale at the ballpark and we're not even through June.

The new 40-card set features pictures from 2011 game action as opposed to the Spring Training photos found in the original 36-card set.  This is Ryan Howard's card from the new set, and I like the design much better than the first series.  The player selection between the two sets differs as follows:

Who's out - Domonic Brown (surprisingly), Delwyn Young
Who's in - Dane Sardinha, Pete Orr, Michael Stutes, Vance Worley, David Herndon, Mike Zagurski

Does this open the door for a third series late in the season?

1970 Topps Phillies

1970 Topps #125, #645, #564 and #539

In the summer of 1989, I started collecting the 1970 Topps set.  My Dad and I had previously completed the full run of Topps sets from 1973 through 1989, and we needed a new set to collect.  We skipped 1971 (too difficult) and 1972 (high series too expensive) and started looking for the gray-bordered cards from 1970.  I graduated high school and college before finding the final card I needed nearly ten years after we had started collecting the set.  I remember the Mets and Yankees cards from this set being particularly difficult to find, but it was the Pirates Team Card (#608) that eluded me until I found a mint copy at a baseball card show in Raleigh, North Carolina on Valentine's Day, 1999.

The Set

1970 Topps #564 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Topps crossed the 700-card threshold for the first time, as this set comes in at 720 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  This could be one of the most under-rated sets from the 1970's.  After three years of ho-hum designs, Topps changed things up a bit with better photography, a clean gray border and the player's name in a script font.  I would have liked it better if the color used for each team name was consistent, but that's a minor quibble.  I also really like the backs of the cards, and I'm glad to see the backs ranked #28 in Night Owl's Card Back Countdown.

Notable competition:  Kellogg's released their inaugural issue of 3-D style baseball cards, found in boxes of Kellogg's cereal.  There are four Phillies to be found within the 75-card set.

1970 Phillies

Record and finish:  The team could only go up after 1969.  The Phillies finished with a 73-88 record, in fifth place and 15 1/2 games behind the pennant-winning Pirates.

Key players:  First baseman Deron Johnson (.256, 27 home runs, 93 RBIs) and third baseman Don Money (.295, 14 home runs, 66 RBIs) provided the most offense for the team.  The pitching staff did the best they could as Rick Wise (13-14, 4.17 ERA), the recently returned Jim Bunning (10-15, 4.11 ERA) and Chris Short (9-16, 4.30 ERA) soldiered on.  Dick Selma led the bullpen with 22 saves.  A World Series championship was a decade away, but three members of that team made their debuts in 1970 - Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski and John Vukovich.

Key events:  Frank Lucchesi was hired as the team's new manager following the dreadful 1969 campaign.  In October 1969, the Phillies parted ways with Dick Allen, Cookie Rojas and Jerry Johnson, sending them to the Cardinals for Tim McCarver, Joe Hoerner, Byron Browne and Curt Flood.  When Flood refused to report to the Phillies, challenging the reserve clause which bound a player to whichever team held his contract, the first domino eventually leading to free agency fell.  As part of the compensation for Flood refusing to report to the Phillies, the Cardinals sent Willie Montanez instead.  Long-time Phillie Johnny Callison was also shipped off in a November 1969 deal with the Cubs, with the Phillies receiving Oscar Gamble and Selma in return.

1970 Topps #605, #403, #270 and #6

1970 Phillies in 1970 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 29 Phillies in a complete 1970 Topps team set.

Who’s in:  

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 6 cards

#90 Tim McCarver (c), #125 Deron Johnson (1b), #645 Don Money (3b), #564 John Briggs (lf), #288 Larry Hisle (cf), #388 Byron Browne (rf)

Denny Doyle and Larry Bowa, the starting middle infield, shared their card - see below.

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#605 Rick Wise, #403 Jim Bunning, #270 Chris Short, #5 Grant Jackson, #677 Woodie Fryman

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1970 - 10 cards

#24 Dick Selma, #28 Bill Wilson, #149 Bill Champion, #186 Rick Joseph, #218 Ron Stone, #252 Lowell Palmer, #324 Tony Taylor, #486 Terry Harmon, #511 Joe Hoerner, #591 Mike Ryan

1970 Topps #90, #591, #324 and #24

• 1969 Rookie Stars cards - 3 cards

#56 Scott Reid/Joe Lis, #539 Denny Doyle/Larry Bowa, #654 Oscar Gamble with Boots Day (Cubs) and Angel Mangual (Pirates)

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1970 - 2 cards

#168 Dave Watkins, #302 Jeff James

• Base cards of players who never played with the Phillies - 1 card, #360 Curt Flood
• Manager card - 1 card, #662 Frank Lucchesi
• Team card - 1 card, #436

Who’s out:  Pitcher Barry Lersch should have been in the set as he appeared in 42 games for the Phillies.   A case could also be made for the back-up to the back-up catcher Mike Compton and outfielder/infielder/catcher Jim Hutto.

Phillies on other teams:  Similar to the 1968 Topps set, there are no Phillies players appearing on other teams in this set.

What’s he doing here:  The ultimate "What's he doing here" Phillies card from the entire run of Topps sets is most likely Curt Flood's 1970 Topps card.

Cards that never were candidates:  Bowa, Doyle and Gamble each deserve his own card and Lersch deserves a card, period.  Topps could have also included rookie cards of Montanez, Luzinski and Vukovich.

Favorite Phillies card:  There are a few contenders here including Bowa's rookie card and Taylor at the bat rack.  But I've always liked the classic simplicity of Money's first solo baseball card, complete with the gold Topps All-Star Rookie trophy.

1970 Topps #360, #252, #218 and #662

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps just hasn't dipped into the 1970 Topps well enough, in my opinion.  Between you and me, the set's design is an early contender for the 2012 Chachi set.  Baseball Cards Magazine used the design for their 1992 Repli-Cards set, which included a John Kruk card.

Blogs/Websites:  This concludes the series of Jim from Downingtown's landscape of baseball card set blogs.  The 1970 Topps Baseball blog was started once Jim realized there was a void in set-related blogs for this underrated set.  If you're not following along with his blogs, you're missing out.

Did You Know?: Starting with Series 2, card #133, Topps decided a white line was needed on the front of the card to separate the player's name and position.

2011 Topps Kimball Champions #KC-9 Chase Utley

Phillies 7, Cubs 1
Game 65 - Saturday Afternoon, June 11th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Chase Utley drove in four runs and Cliff Lee cruised against the Cubs as the Phils won, 7-1.

What It Means:  The Phils have taken two out of three from the Cubs and they'll go for the series win tomorrow afternoon.  Their record is now 39-26, so they'll maintain at least a two game lead over the Braves no matter what happens tonight in Houston.

What Went Right:  Lee (6-5) didn't let a rain delay at the outset of the game throw off his rhythm.  He allowed just four hits and one run in his eight innings of work while striking out seven.  The Phils scored twice in the first thanks to Utley's two-run double.  They added a pair in the seventh on an RBI-single from Ryan Howard and an RBI-double from Raul Ibanez.  Utley added a two-run home run to cap a three-run eighth.

The tarp comes off - Our view from Harry the K's

Featured Card:  I received this card in March from The Other World back when Topps Series 1 was still all the rage.  My kind wife bought a blaster of Topps Series 2 for me this afternoon from Target and I plan to open it shortly.  I'd love to add the Series 2 Kimball Champions Phillies cards to my collection, as I think these old-timey cards look much better than the Gypsy Queen offering.

Field Report:  In the last field report, I provided valuable information as to how to avoid questionable hot dogs during a Dollar Dog game.  Tonight's hot Citizens Bank Park tip has to do with what to do and where to go during a rain delay.  With thunderstorms threatening as we approached the ballpark, Jenna and I decided to dine at Harry the K's.  Harry the K's is the sit-down dining establishment located beneath the scoreboard in left field and named for former Phillies broadcaster and Hall of Famer Harry Kalas.  We walked right in, got a seat with a great few of the field and ordered our food and beverages.

On the face of the menu, there's a bit of text informing patrons their stay should be limited to 90 minutes.  This afternoon, 90 minutes was all the time we needed to enjoy some nachos, the fiesta chicken salad and a few adult beverages - and, most importantly, avoid getting soaked during the rain delay at the outset of the game.  We stayed dry, had a nice meal and caught the first inning from the comfort of our seats at Harry the K's.  This has been another ballpark hot tip brought to you by your friends at The Phillies Room.  (The Phils are 6-3 in games I've attended this year.)

2011 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection #CCR-PP Placido Polanco

Phillies 7, Cubs 5
Game 64 - Friday Night, June 10th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay had another fine outing and Placido Polanco hit a grand slam to lead the Phils over the Cubs, 7-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 38-26.  It appears as if the Braves will win their ballgame tonight, so they'll maintain a two game lead over the Braves in the East.

What Went Right:  Halladay (9-3) pitched seven shutout innings, allowing six hits while striking out nine.  For the first time in a while, the offense was powered by the long ball.  Domonic Brown hit a two-run home run in the second and Polanco hit his slam in the seventh.

Michael Stutes bailed out the bullpen, retiring his four batters before turning the ball over to Antonio Bastardo who recorded the one-out save.

What Went Wrong:  Jose Contreras and J.C. Romero retired just one batter between them, while allowing five runs on three walks and four hits.  What should have been a laugher for the Phillies quickly became tense due to their ineffectiveness.

Featured Card:  I'd like to believe this relic card from 2011 Topps Heritage features a piece of a Polanco game-used bat, but the small print on the back tells me, "The relic on this card is not from any specific, game, event or season."  Reading between the lines, the small piece of wood ("relic") glued to the front of the card may or may not be a bat and it may or may not have been a bat at one point used by Polanco.  I think I'll stop reading the backs of these relic cards and just enjoy the fronts from now on.

2005 Topps Retired Signature Autographs #TA-BD Bob Dernier

Cubs 4, Phillies 3 (11 Innings)
Game 63 - Thursday Night, June 9th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Madson blew his first save and sloppy play in the 11th doomed the Phillies against the Cubs.

What It Means:  The Phils fell to 37-26.

What Went Wrong:  Madson entered the ninth trying to protect a one-run lead against the Cubs.  With one out, Geovany Soto homered to center to tie up the ballgame, 3-3.  One batter later, Tyler Colvin hit a ball that appeared to go over the right field wall, but upon review, the umpires ruled it a fan interference double.  Colvin didn't score, and the game headed to extras.

The bottom of the 10th ended when reliever David Herndon (0-1) struck out with the bases loaded.  He batted for himself since an hour-plus rain delay forced the Phillies into their bullpen after the third and Herndon was the last man standing.  The eleventh was just ugly.  Colvin reached on an infield single when Ryan Howard fielded the ball but couldn't get it out of his glove to scoop to Herndon.  Colvin went to second on a Carlos Ruiz passed ball and eventually came in to score the winning run on a Placido Polanco throwing error.  Ugly.

The Phillies only scoring came in the second when Jimmy Rollins hit a three-run home run.  In total, twelve men were left on base and the Phils were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  It's great to see my favorite player, Bob Dernier, on the sidelines coaching first base for the Cubs.  This is Dernier's only high-end baseball card, featuring a nice on-card autograph.  The photo is the same one from his very blurry 1982 Topps Traded card.  As far as I know, this is Dernier's most recent baseball card, although I'm hopeful he'll appear in a Cubs team-issued set at some point this year.

2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT-54 Ryan Howard/Cole Hamels

Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Game 62 - Wednesday Night, June 8th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels pitched masterfully, shutting out the Dodgers through eight as the Phillies squeaked by, 2-0.

What It Means:  It means another series win for the Phillies, even though there wasn't a lot of offensive support.  They're now 37-25 as they prepare for a four-game series with the Cubs.

What Went Right:  On a steamy night in Philly, Hamels (8-2) turned in a terrific performance, striking out nine and allowing just six hits in his eight innings.  He capped his night by getting out of a no-out, first and third situation in the seventh without allowing a run.  Ryan Masdon worked a scoreless ninth for his 14th save.

Ryan Howard provided the only run needed by Hamels with his 13th home run in the sixth.  Shane Victorino tripled and came around to score in the seventh for an insurance run.

Featured Card:  For the record, my Mom never threw out any of my cards.  Also, for the record, I find it hard to believe that any Mom ever threw out this card from 2005, reprinted last year as part of a Topps Series 2 insert set.

2011 Topps Opening Day Spot the Error #4 Chase Utley

Dodgers 6, Phillies 2
Game 61 - Tuesday Night, June 7th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  A sloppy third inning doomed the Phillies as the Dodgers took game two of the series, 6-2.

What It Means:  The Phils fell to 36-25.  The Braves have overcome the Marlins to pull within three games of the top spot in the division.

What Went Wrong:  I listened to the majority of this game while driving to Long Island for work for a few days.  I don't know what was more frustrating - listening to the Phillies hand the game to the Dodgers in the third or having my GPS decide I should go over the Brooklyn Bridge instead of taking the way I usually drive into Long Island. 

The Phils couldn't take advantage of a very wild Rubby De La Rosa, the Dodgers starter, who walked five in his five innings of work.  Almost half of his pitches were thrown for balls (46 out of 96) which just isn't very good.  Phillies radio announcer Larry Andersen wondered (as did I) why more batters weren't just standing at the plate waiting for De La Rosa to throw strikes.  They managed just five hits off Dodgers pitching.

Roy Oswalt (3-4) started the top of the third by walking De La Rosa on five pitches.  It's was De La Rosa's first plate appearance in the Majors.  He'd eventual come around to score on Casey Blake's single.  With runners on first and second, Oswalt made a pick-off throw to first . . . where no one was covering.  It was pretty much all over after that, as the Dodgers exited the third with a 4-1 lead.

Featured Card:  Sadly, I thought this would be an appropriate card for this game.  Chase Utley was charged with only one official error in the third when he threw away a dead double play ball, but he could have been charged with an error in the second.  Utley caught a line drive off the bat of Juan Uribe and he could have easily doubled Matt Kemp off second.  Instead, Kemp scampered back to the bag when Utley threw the ball into left field.  Kemp would come around to score the Dodgers first run of the game.

Cubs at Phillies: June 9th through June 12th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Thursday and Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:10, Sunday 1:35

Cubs 24-36, 5th Place in N.L. Central, 11 1/2 games behind the Cardinals
Phillies 37-25, 1st Place in N.L. East, 3 games ahead of the Braves

First Game:  The Cubs began life in the National League as the White Stockings (1876-1889), before changing their name to the Colts (1890-1897), trying out the Orphans for a few years (1898-1902) and finally settling on the Cubs (1903-present).  In the first year of the Phillies existence, back when they were known as the Quakers, the White Stockings defeated the Quakers by a score of 11-9, on May 11, 1883.

Meet the Cubs: Manager - Mike Quade is in his first year as manager of the Cubs
Starters - Geovany Soto (c), Carlos Pena (1b), Darwin Barney (2b), Aramis Ramirez (3b), Starlin Castro (ss), Blake DeWitt (lf), Tyler Colvin (cf), Kosuke Fukudome (rf)
Rotation - Carlos Zambrano (rhp), Matt Garza (rhp), Doug Davis (lhp), Ryan Dempster (rhp), Randy Wells (rhp)
Bench - Koyie Hill (c), DJ LeMahieu (inf), Tony Campana (of), Lou Montanez (of), Brad Snyder (of)
Closer - Carlos Marmol (rhp)
Bullpen - John Grabow (lhp), Rodrigo Lopez (rhp), Sean Marshall (rhp), James Russell (lhp), Jeff Samardzija (rhp), Kerry Wood (rhp)
Disabled List - Andrew Cashner (rhp), Brian Schlitter (rhp), Jeff Baker (inf), Marlon Byrd (cf), Reed Johnson (of), Alfonso Soriano (lf)

At the Ballpark:  Tomorrow night is the Phanatic About Reading Night and all kids will receive a Phanatic story book.  Kids can run the bases following Saturday afternoon's game and all men receive a white Phillies cap on Sunday afternoon as part of Father's Appreciation Day.

Cubs Probables: Randy Wells (1-1, 5.74), Carlos Zambrano (5-2, 3.98), Matt Garza (2-5, 4.07), Doug Davis (0-5, 6.38)
Phillies Probables: Kyle Kendrick (3-4, 3.78), Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.56), Cliff Lee (5-5, 3.62), Roy Oswalt (3-4, 3.05)

1960-1969 Phillies Want List

1961 Topps #433

1963 Topps #13

1964 Topps Stand-Ups

1965 Topps Embossed #36

1968 Topps #225

I don't know what's more fun - compiling these wantlists or daydreaming about the possibility of some kind soul e-mailing me out of the blue to let me know he's been looking for a great home for his shoebox full of vintage, oddball Phillies cards and he'd like me to have them.

1960 Armour Coins - Conley
1960 Bazooka - 24 Ashburn, 26 Roberts
1960 Fleer - 53 Foxx, 57 Evers
1960 Leaf - 80 Mason, 91 Hopke, 104 Woods, 111 Walls, 125 Anderson, 137 Meyer, 143 Dalrymple
1960 Nu-Card Baseball Hi-Lites - 44 Roberts
1960 Topps Tattoos - Ashburn, Roberts, Phillies Logo, Ashburn Auto

1961 Bazooka - Herrera
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats - 112 Hamilton
1961 Topps Stamps - Farrell, Taylor, Walls

1962 Salada Coins - 105 Covington, 112 Mahaffey, 122 Herrera, 129 Buzhardt, 135 C. Smith, 141 Dalrymple, 163 Amaro, 170 Demeter, 176 B. Smith, 204 Callison
1962 Topps Baseball Bucks - Demeter, Mahaffey, Taylor
1962 Topps Stamps - Baldschun, Demeter, Taylor

1963 Bazooka - 15 Callison, 35 Mahaffey
1963 Salada Coins - 26 Callison

1964 Bazooka - 15 Callison
1964 Philadelphia Bulletin Photos - Need All
1964 Topps Coins - 69 Baldschun, 93 Bunning
1964 Topps Stand-Ups - Baldschun, Culp, Gonzalez, Roebuck
1964 Topps Stamps - Baldschun, Callison, Culp, Gonzalez, Taylor
1964 Topps Tattoos - Callison, Culp, Phillies Logo
1964 Wheaties Stamps - Bunning

1965 Bazooka - 2 Jackson, 15 Callison, 21 Bunning
1965 Old London Coins - Allen, Bunning
1965 Topps Transfers - Allen, Bunning

1966 Bazooka - 4 Allen, 12 Callison, 23 White, 31 Bunning
1966 Topps Rub-Offs - Allen, Bunning, Stuart, Phillies Pennant

1967 Bazooka - 4 Allen, 12 Callison, 23 White, 31 Bunning
1967 Phillies Safe Driving - 4 Mauch, 6 Callison, 10 White, 11 Dalrymple, 12 Briggs, 15 Allen, 25 Gonzalez, 41 Short, 46 Jackson

1968 Bazooka - Allen, Gonzalez, White
1968 Topps Posters - Allen

1969 Topps Stamps - Allen, Briggs, Taylor, Wise
1969 Topps Super - 53 Allen, 54 Short, 55 Rojas
1969 Transogram - Callison

1950-1959 Phillies Want List / 1970-1979 Phillies Want List

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen #162 Cliff Lee

Phillies 3, Dodgers 1
Game 60 - Monday Night, June 6th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee had his good stuff working tonight, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out ten Dodgers as the Phillies won, 3-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies start off the homestand on the right foot, improving their record to 36-24.  They have a four game lead over the Marlins and Braves, who are now tied for second place in the division.

What Went Right:  Lee (5-5) was phenomenal, Antonio Bastardo pitched a perfect eighth and Ryan Madson recorded his thirteenth save.

The Phils scored a pair of runs in the third on RBI-singles from Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard.  They added an insurance run in the eighth when Chase Utley came around to score on Carlos Ruiz' RBI-double.

Featured Card:  Lee's Gypsy Queen card continues the streak of 2011 Topps cards featuring Lee in his road grays.  It appears as if Topps Series 2 has gone live, so I'm hoping there's a few new cards available of Lee in his home whites.  (I need to update my checklists.)  If not, we'll most likely have to wait until next month's Allen & Ginter's release for a chance at a 2011 baseball card featuring Lee in a home uniform.

Be prepared:  Always stay alert when the Phanatic
brings out his hot dog cannon.

Field Report:  The Phils improved to 5-3 in games I've attended this year.  Jenna and I polished off four Dollar Dogs between the two of us.  Here's an important tip when it comes to Dollar Dog Night at Citizens Bank Park - write this down.  Stay away from the regular concession stands where the dogs are stacked in piles nine or ten high, wrapped in generic silver foil.  Those dogs were most likely prepared a while ago.  We purchased four of these unfortunate dogs at the last Dollar Dog night and a few of them looked as if they had been originally prepared at The Vet.

You want to buy your Dollar Dogs from the carts where they're normally grilling up the Italian sausages with onions and peppers.  During Dollar Dog Night, they convert these portable carts to grill only hot dogs.  We secured our dogs from one of these locations, and we were pleased with the results.  Here at The Phillies Room, we're not only a blog about Phillies baseball cards, we're also here to help you the fan find the freshest Dollar Dogs.  You can count on us.

Drafted:  Congratulations to outfielder Larry Greene, Jr. from Berrien County High School in Georgia, the Phillies' first selection in this year's amateur player draft.  Greene was selected 39th overall.

Dodgers at Phillies: June 6th through June 8th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05

Dodgers 28-32, Tied for 3rd Place in N.L. West, 5 1/2 games behind the Giants
Phillies 35-24, 1st Place in N.L. East, 3 games ahead of the Marlins

First Game:  On April 28, 1890, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms defeated the Phillies, 10-0.  Tom Vickery started the game for the Phillies, and although a complete box score is not available, I'm guessing he didn't have a very good day.

Know Your Dodgers: Manager - Don Mattingly is in first season as manager of the Dodgers
Starters - Rod Barajas (c), James Loney (1b), Aaron Miles (2b), Casey Blake (3b), Jamey Carroll (ss), Jerry Sands (lf), Matt Kemp (cf), Andre Ethier (rf)
Rotation - Clayton Kershaw (lhp), Chad Billingsley (rhp), Ted Lilly (lhp), Rubby De La Rosa (rhp), Hiroki Kuroda (rhp)
Bench - Dioner Navarro (c), Juan Castro (inf), Ivan DeJesus (inf), Jay Gibbons (of), Tony Gwynn (of)
Closer - Matt Guerrier (rhp)
Bullpen - Scott Elbert (lhp), John Ely (rhp), Javy Guerra (rhp), Josh Lindblom (rhp), Mike MacDougal (rhp), Ramon Troncoso (rhp)
Disabled List - Jonathan Broxton (rhp), Jon Garland (rhp), Blake Hawksworth (rhp), Kenley Jansen (rhp), Hong-Chih Kuo (lhp), Vicente Padilla (rhp), Hector Gimenez (c), Rafael Furcal (ss), Juan Uribe (2b), Marcus Thames (of)

Dodgers Updates:  In a flurry of roster moves this afternoon, Juan Uribe (2b), Blake Hawksworth (rhp) and Marcus Thames (of) were activated from the disabled list and top prospect Dee Gordon (ss) was recalled.  Ivan DeJesus (inf) and John Ely (rhp) were optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque while Juan Castro (inf) and Jay Gibbons (of) were designated for assignment.  Gordon is the son of former Phillie Tom "Flash" Gordon.

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is another Dollar Dog Night at the ballpark.

Dodgers Probables: Ted Lilly (4-4, 4.22), Rubby De La Rosa (1-0, 1.80), Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.46)
Phillies Probables: Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.94), Roy Oswalt (3-3, 2.70), Cole Hamels (7-2, 2.83)

2011 Bowman's Best #BB24 Ryan Howard

Phillies 7, Pirates 3
Game 59 - Sunday Afternoon, June 5th in Pittsburgh

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies averted the sweep behind Roy Halladay's pitching and 14 hits from the offense, defeating the Pirates, 7-3.

What It Means:  The four-game losing streak is over and the Phillies escape Pittsburgh having gone 4-5 on their road trip.  They'll open an 11-game home stand against the Dodgers, Cubs and Marlins tomorrow night.  The Phils are 35-24 and they lead the Marlins and Braves by three games in the East.

What Went Right:  Halladay (8-3) gave the Phillies seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out six.  The Phils took advantage of wildness from Pirates starter James McDonald, scoring in the fourth after McDonald had walked a few batters and then hit Carlos Ruiz to load the bases.  Raul Ibanez brought home Chase Utley with a sacrifice fly to get the Phillies on the board.  It was the 1,000th career RBI for Ibanez.

1994 Bowman's Best #11

McDonald's wildness helped the Phils again in the fifth when he walked the bases loaded.  Ryan Howard, following a 13-pitch at bat, tied the game up with a sacrifice fly and Ruiz was hit (again) to force in the go-ahead run.  Howard would finish the game with three RBIs.

Utley added three hits to the winning effort and made an amazing diving catch in the seventh to help preserve the lead for the Phils.

Featured Card:  Fortunately, the Phillies pulled out a victory and I didn't have to resort to posting a Sil Campusano card.  This is one of the cooler inserts found within packs of 2011 Bowman.  There are three Phillies featured within the 2011 Bowman's Best insert set - Howard, Halladay and Utley - and the set is modelled after the 1994 Bowman's Best set.  Three Phillies appeared in the original version - Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra and Wayne Gomes.

Transaction:  John Mayberry, Jr. was optioned back down to Triple-A following the game and Ross Gload was re-instated from the paternity leave list.

1960-1969 Phillies

Similar to what I did after finishing up my posts on the 1951 to 1959 Topps Phillies cards, I wanted to bookend the 1960 to 1969 Topps Phillies series with one final post to summarize the tumultuous decade.

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #15, 2001 Fleer Greats of the Game #66,
1986 TCMA All Time Phillies #10 and 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game #103

Decade MVPs
If I was going on longevity and the decade's leaders in the main hitting and pitching statistical categories, Johnny Callison and Chris Short would be the decade MVPs for the Phillies.  However, it's hard to overlook the  contributions made by a future Hall of Fame pitcher and one of the franchise's most talented (and most frustrating) sluggers of all-time.

In his first stint with the team, Jim Bunning pitched with the Phillies between 1964 and 1967, appearing in 163 games and compiling a record of 74-46.  He struck out 992 batters while walking just 236 over 1,191 innings.  His 2.48 ERA is impressive even considering the pitcher's era in which he pitched.  In his four seasons with the Phillies, he finished in the top ten in the National League in ERA, wins, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts.  He was a two-time All-Star with the Phillies and he pitched the seventh perfect game in Major League history on Father's Day, 1964.

The enigmatic Dick Allen made his Phillies debut in September 1963 and officially wore out his welcome at the tail-end of the 1969 season.  (Like Bunning, Allen would make a return cameo in the '70s.)  In 866 games, Allen hit  an even .300 with 177 home runs and 544 RBIs.  He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year award and he was named to three All-Star teams.  During the decade, he finished in the top ten in the National League in home runs five times, batting average four times and RBIs twice.  His OPS led the league in both 1966 (1.027) and 1967 (.970).  Unfortunately, despite all his statistical accomplishments, it was his inability to toe the line with his managers and his scribblings in the dirt that most people remember.

2011 Topps Tribute #47, 2001Fleer Greats of the Game Retrospection #10,
1997 Fleer Million Dollar Moments #29 and 2004 Donruss Classics #160

Leaders
Games – Callison (1432), Tony Taylor (1342), Tony Gonzalez (1118), Clay Dalrymple (1006), Cookie Rojas (880)
Average* – Allen (.300), Gonzalez (.295), Wes Covington (.284), Callison (.271), Rojas (.262)
Home Runs – Callison (185), Allen (177), Gonzalez (77), Don Demeter (71), Covington (61)
RBIs – Callison (666), Allen (544), Gonzalez (438), Taylor (368), Demeter (312)
Stolen Bases – Taylor (155), Gonzalez (68), Allen (64), Callison (60), Rojas (27), Johnny Briggs (27)

Games – Short (370), Jack Baldschun (333), Turk Farrell (214), Dallas Green (175), Art Mahaffey (173)
Wins – Short (96), Bunning (74), Mahaffey (58), Rick Wise (45), Ray Culp (43)
ERA** – Bunning (2.48), Farrell (3.09), Baldschun (3.19), Short (3.19), Grant Jackson (3.53)
Strikeouts – Short (1329), Bunning (992), Mahaffey (620), Culp (506), Wise (449)
Saves – Baldschun (59), Farrell (38), John Boozer (15), Gary Wagner (15), Ed Roebuck (15)

*At least 5 seasons with the Phillies, completely subjective
**At least 4 seasons with the Phillies, again completely subjective

1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #25

1960-1969 Topps
The Breakdown:  When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now, I may tackle the ambitious project of making a master baseball card set featuring each of the 160 players to have worn the Phillies uniform between opening day 1960 and the final game of the 1969 season.  Topps did a decent enough job during the decade, featuring 118 of those 160 players (74%) on Phillies baseball cards.

The 295 different Topps Phillies baseball cards released during the decade feature 118 different players, three of the team's five managers, three coaches and just two players who didn't suit up at all during the decade - Valmy Thomas and George "Sparky" Anderson.

Card Statistics
Most Featured:  Callison (13 cards), Allen (10 cards), Dalrymple (10 cards), Gonzalez (9 cards), Taylor (9 cards), Phillies Team Card (9 cards), Bunning (8 cards), Gene Mauch (8 cards), Rojas (7 cards), Mahaffey (7 cards)
Most Games (Batter), No Phillies Topps Card: Roberto Pena (138 games in 1968), Charley Smith (112 games in 1961), Harvey Kuenn (86 games in 1966), Gene Oliver (85 games in 1967) and Cal Neeman (78 games in 1960 and 1961)
Most Games (Pitcher), No Phillies Topps Card:  Darold Knowles (69 games in 1966), Al Raffo (45 games in 1969), Ken Lehman (41 games in 1961)

The Phillies Topps 60
Here are the next ten cards in the Phillies Topps 60, just in case Topps decides to go ahead with this insert set in a future release.  Did I miss any?  Do you agree with these choices?

11 - 1960 Topps #366 Dallas Green
12 - 1961 Topps #20 Robin Roberts
13 - 1962 Topps #77 Tony Taylor
14 - 1963 Topps #385 Art Mahaffey
15 - 1964 Topps #135 Johnny Callison
16 - 1964 Topps #243 Phillies Rookie Stars - Richie Allen/John Herrnstein
17 - 1965 Topps #20 Jim Bunning
18 - 1966 Topps #254 Phillies Rookie Stars - Ferguson Jenkins/Bill Sorrell
19 - 1967 Topps #309 Hurlers Beware - Johnny Callison/Richie Allen
20 - 1967 Topps #395 Chris Short

1993 Action Packed #146, 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #198,
2004 Fleer Greats of the Game #72 and 1986 TCMA All Time Phillies #6

Cards That Never Were Series
I came up with the first twenty cards in the series from the 1950's, and I added another thirty cards for the 1960's.  Honestly, Short should have had a Topps card for every year between 1960 and 1966, but I limited him to just two cards for this set.

Byrum Saam was a long-time and beloved Phillies announcer who was inducted into the broadcaster's wing in Cooperstown in 1990.  He called Phillies games from 1938 through 1949 and again from 1955 through 1975.  He's got a card in the series too.

21 - 1960 Topps Ruben Amaro
22 - 1960 Topps Tony Taylor
23 - 1960 Topps Tony Gonzalez
24 - 1960 Topps Cal Neeman
25 - 1961 Topps Charley Smith
26 - 1961 Topps Don Demeter
27 - 1961 Topps Wes Covington
28 - 1961 Topps Ken Lehman
29 - 1961 Topps Bob Lemon (Coach)
30 - 1962 Topps Bobby Wine
31 - 1962 Topps Dennis Bennett
32 - 1963 Topps Richie Allen
33 - 1964 Topps Chris Short
34 - 1964 Topps Vic Power
35 - 1964 Topps Bobby Shantz
36 - 1965 Topps Peanuts Lowrey (Coach)
37 - 1965 Topps By Saam (Announcer)
38 - 1966 Topps Dick Groat
39 - 1966 Topps Bob Uecker
40 - 1966 Topps Harvey Kuenn
41 - 1966 Topps Chris Short
42 - 1966 Topps Rick Wise
43 - 1966 Topps Darold Knowles
44 - 1966 Topps Ed Roebuck
45 - 1967 Topps Turk Farrell
46 - 1967 Topps Gene Oliver
47 - 1967 Topps Dallas Green
48 - 1968 Topps Roberto Pena
49 - 1969 Topps George Myatt (Manager)
50 - 1969 Topps Larry Hisle
51 - 1969 Topps Don Money
52 - 1969 Topps Al Raffo

Coming next . . . the 1970's.  Far out.

2003 Donruss Elite #141 Jimmy Rollins

Pirates 6, Phillies 3
Game 58 - Saturday Night, June 4th in Pittsburgh

One Sentence Summary:  Despite generating some late, ninth inning excitement, a quiet offense was again the story as the Phillies continued their struggles in Pittsburgh.

What It Means:  The Phillies dropped their fourth in a row for the first time this season and they've now scored seven runs in the past four games.  The Phillies record is 34-24 and their lead in the division stands at two games over the Marlins.  Roy Halladay will try to help the team avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon.

What Went Wrong:  There was no offense.  Again.  Kyle Kendrick (3-4) gave up four runs in his five innings of work and the bullpen coughed up two more runs late in the game.  (As an aside, how much longer will the team stick with reliever J.C. Romero?  In 14 innings so far this year, he's allowed 14 hits and 10 walks.  That's not good.)  The team had just six hits before adding three hits in the ninth.

Jimmy Rollins left the game in the third due to discomfort stemming from taking a foul ball off his knee in the first.

Featured Card:  When the the Phillies lose, and there really isn't anything interesting or historically significant about the loss, I sometimes struggle with finding an appropriate card to post.  So tonight, I turned to Baseball Reference to find the biggest blow-out victories the Phillies have had against the Pirates since 1901.  In the hopes of adding a game to this list tomorrow, here are the three games since 1901 in which the Phillies outscored the Pirates by at least 15 runs:

• July 11, 1910 - Phillies 18, Pirates 0 in Pittsburgh
• May 20, 1951 (Game 1) - Phillies 17, Pirates 0 in Pittsburgh 
• April 5, 2003 - Phillies 16, Pirates 1 in Philadelphia

Rollins led the hit parade back in the 2003 game, going 5 for 6 with four runs scored and three RBIs.  If his knee is OK, here's hoping he leads an offensive explosion tomorrow afternoon.  (And if this doesn't work, so help me, I'll post a Sil Campusano card.)

Transactions:  John Mayberry, Jr. is back from Lehigh Valley after a one game demotion as Ross Gload has left the team to take a brief paternity leave.  Following tonight's game, Mike Zagurski was sent back down to the minors and David Herndon was brought back up.

1989 Topps #74 Nick Leyva

Pirates 2, Phillies 1 (12 Innings)
Game 57 - Friday Night, June 3rd in Pittsburgh

One Sentence Summary:  A quiet offense managed just six singles off Pirates pitching (two of which came from pitcher Cole Hamels) as the Pirates downed the Phillies in extras, 2-1.

What It Means:  Sadly, the offense has decided to slumber again.  Over the last three games, the Phillies have scored four runs.  Their record drops to 34-23 and since the Marlins also lost, they maintain a two game lead in the division.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils couldn't get anything going against Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Karstens who allowed just a run on four hits in his seven innings of work.  The Pirates put runners in scoring position in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings before finally pushing across a run against Danys Baez (1-3) in the 12th.

Hamels pitched well, giving up just one hit and three walks in his eight innings of work.  His one gaffe came in the sixth when he walked the lead-off batter, Ronny Cedeno.  Cedeno advanced to second on a sac bunt, moved to third on a Hamels wild pitch and came home on a Jose Tabata sac fly.

Featured Card:  When Xavier Paul came home to score the winning run on Tabata's single off Chase Utley's glove in the 12th, it was Pirates third base coach Nick Leyva waving him home.  Of course Leyva is better known in these parts as the manager of the Phillies from 1989 until early in the 1991 season.  (Also known as the Sil Campusano Era.)

Transaction:  Prior to the game, Shane Victorino was activated from the disabled list and John Mayberry, Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Phillies at Pirates: June 3rd through June 5th

PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Phillies 34-22, 1st Place in N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Marlins
Pirates 26-29, 4th Place in N.L. Central, 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

First Game:  The Pittsburgh Alleghenys made their National League debut in 1887 after spending the first five years of their existence as part of the American Association.  On May 30, 1887, the Alleghenys defeated the Philadelphia Quakers by a score of 2-1 in the first game of a double header.  The Quakers would take the second game.

Meet the Pirates: Manager - Clint Hurdle is in his first year as manager of the Pirates.  His third base coach is Nick Leyva, who managed the Phillies from 1989 until part-way through the 1991 season.
Starters - Chris Snyder (c), Lyle Overbay (1b), Neil Walker (2b), Josh Harrison (3b), Ronny Cedeno (ss), Jose Tabata (lf), Andrew McCutchen (cf), Garrett Jones (rf)
Rotation - Kevin Correia (rhp), Paul Maholm (lhp), Jeff Karstens (rhp), Charlie Morton (rhp), James McDonald (rhp)
Bench - Dusty Brown (c), Pedro Ciriaco (inf), Brandon Wood (inf), Matt Diaz (of), Xavier Paul (of)
Closer - Joel Hanrahan (rhp)
Bullpen - Jose Ascanio (rhp), Daniel McCutchen (rhp), Evan Meek (rhp), Daniel Moskos (lhp), Chris Resop (rhp), Jose Veras (rhp)
Disabled List - Joe Beimel (lhp), Michael Crotta (rhp), Kevin Hart (rhp), Ross Ohlendorf (rhp), Ryan Doumit (c), Pedro Alvarez (3b), Steve Pearce (inf)

At the Ballpark:  At one of the best ballparks in baseball, tonight is Free Shirt Friday.  Fireworks follow Saturday night's game and all kids receive a Pedro Alvarez batting practice jersey on Sunday afternoon.

Phillies Probables: Cole Hamels (7-2, 3.01), Kyle Kendrick (3-3, 3.18), Roy Halladay (7-3, 2.56)
Pirates Probables: Jeff Karstens (3-4, 3.58), Charlie Morton (5-2, 2.51), James McDonald (3-3, 4.85)

2008 Chachi #7 Jayson Werth

Nationals 2, Phillies 1
Game 56 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 1st in Washington

One Sentence Summary:  On a sweltering afternoon in D.C., Laynce Nix provided the offense and defense for the Nationals as the Phillies dropped the game and the series.

What It Means:  John Lannan, who entered this game with an 0-10 record and a 6.44 ERA in 13 career starts against the Phillies, finally won a ballgame against the Phillies.  The Phils fell to 34-22 and they'll have a day of rest tomorrow before opening a series in Pittsburgh on Friday.

What Went Wrong:  Nix hit a solo home run in the third to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead.  In the top of the sixth, with the bases loaded with Phillies and two outs, Nix made a diving catch of Domonic Brown's line drive to left, ending the rally and thwarting the team's best chance to take the lead.

Roy Oswalt (3-3) lasted five innings, allowing both Nationals runs on six hits.

Featured Card:  Jayson Werth started the scoring against the Phillies with a RBI-single in the first.  We're only a few months into the 2011 season and it already seems normal to see Werth in a Nationals uniform.  Back at the beginning of Werth's tenure with the Phillies, it was actually kind of difficult to find a good picture of him for my Chachi sets.  When searching for Les Walrond's 2008 Chachi card for last night's post, I came across Werth's card from the year the Phillies went all the way to the promised land.  It's not a very good shot of the slugger, but I remember being pleased I was able to find something, anything, to use for his card.  And now he's a Washington National.  A very, very rich Washington National.

2008 Chachi #44 Les Walrond

Nationals 10, Phillies 2
Game 55 - Tuesday Night, May 31st in Washington

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were blown out for the first time this season, losing to the Nationals, 10-2.

What It Means:  Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you.  The Phils fell to 34-21 and they have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Marlins as I'm writing this.

What Went Wrong:  Cliff Lee (4-5) didn't have it tonight.  Lee allowed six runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.  Doing the most damage was Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa who hit a three-run home run off Lee in the third and added a solo home run off Lee in sixth.

What Went Right:  Domonic Brown (1) and John Mayberry, Jr. (3) hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning.

Featured Card:  If you were listening to the radio broadcast tonight, Phillies announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen started to get punchy after the Nationals threw up a three-spot in the seventh to put the game pretty much out of reach.  Franzke reported that at least the Double-A Reading Phillies had won their game, with the newly re-acquired Les Walrond recording a hold.  Walrond, who most recently pitched with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League, was brought back into the organization over the weekend.

Walrond appeared in six games with the Phillies in 2008, the year the team won its last World Championship.  In fact, Walrond was the winning pitcher in the team's 162nd and final regular season game that year.  About the only amusing part of tonight's game was listening to Franzke and L.A. try to recollect Walrond's tenure with the team and discussing the starting line-up in Game 162 from 2008.

This is Walrond's 2008 Chachi card, which has got to be his only Phillies card in existence.  (Even though it's a home-made, virtual card, named in honor of my dog.)

Transaction:  The Phillies recalled lefty reliever Mike Zagurski to take Vance Worley's spot on the roster.  Worley was optioned back to Lehigh Valley yesterday.