Utley Wins Silver Slugger

Chase Utley was chosen today for the Silver Slugger for best hitting 2B in the National League. This is his fourth straight award. Mike Schmidt holds the Phillis record with six straight. Utley this year batted .295 with 31 homers, 112 runs, and 93 RBI's. He led all two-baggers in runs and was tied with Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins in dingers.

Here are the NL winners:

C. Brian McCann - Atlanta
1B. Albert Pujols - St. Louis
2B. Chase Utley - Philadelphia
3B. Ryan Zimmerman - Washington
SS. Hanley Ramirez - Florida
OF. Ryan Braun - Milwaukee
OF. Matt Kemp - Los Angeles
OF. Andre Ethier - Los Angeles

FIM Recap

I'm still up for absolutely no reason whatsoever so I decided to recap moment 15-2 of the Famous/Infamous Moment series. Tomorrow morning I will post #1 which is pretty obvious as to what it is. Here is the list:

#15 - Steve Cartlon (1994), Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn (1995), and Jim Bunning (1996) get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

#14 - The 2007 run when the Phillies helped the Mets create the biggest choke in baseball.

#13 - The birth of our beloved Phillie Phanatic.

#12 - The Phillies record career loss #10,000 versus the Cardinals in 2006.

#11 - Veterans Stadium is imploded.

#10 - Ryan Howard wins the Rookie of the Year and MVP in back-to-back seasons.

#9 - The departure of Harry Kalas and Whitey Asburn.

#8 - The Phillies trade Larry Bowa and Ryne Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus.

#7 - The collapse in 1964.

#6 - Schmidt hits his 500th homer.

#5 - The Whiz Kids win the 1950 pennant.

#4 - Jim Bunning goes perfect in 1964.

#3 - The Phillies win their first world championship in 1980.

#2 - Joe Carter breaks our hearts.

I wonder what #1 will be.....

FIM #3: 1980 World Champions

It only took 95 years for it to happen. Hell even Cubs fans wish it would have only taken 95 years but they're still working on 100 right now. It took three Hall of Famers and a great supporting cast of great players to finally get the Phillies over the top. Before then, they had only reached the World Series two times: losing in 1915 and 1950. The year was 1980 and it will be the year that Phillies fans would never forget.

The Phillies won their division. They finished the year 91-71, just a game ahead of Montreal. The would play and beat the Houston Astros in the NLCS and then take out the Kansas City Royals in 6 games to win the World Series.

This team was perfect in the eyes of the fans. They had an experienced skipper in Dallas Green to go along with their veteran-filled team. They were led by MVP Mike Schmidt (.286, 48 homers, and 121 RBI's) and Cy Young winner Steve Carlton (24-9, 2.34 ERA, 286 strike outs). Pete Rose led the team with 185 hits and 42 doubles as well. They also got plenty of stolen bases from Gary Maddox in centerfield. Carlton was supported by Dick Ruthven's 17-10 record and 3.55 ERA. In the pen, Tug McGraw tallied 20 saves and held a 1.46 ERA in 92.1 innings of work.

Other key offensive members included Manny Trillo, who batted .292, Bake McBride with his .309 average and 87 RBI's, and Greg Luzinski's 19 home runs. Larry Bowa, Maddox, and Bob Boone were all big contributers defensivley.

In game one of the World Series, the Phillieswere down 4-0 going into the bottom of the third. They got a lot of support from McBride's 3-run homer that set up the 5-run innings that put the Phillies ahead for good. The added on a run in the 4th and 5th to make it 7-4 and then surrendered two in the 9th but held on to win game 1.

In game two, the Phillies were down 4-2 going into the 8th inning where timely hitting scored them four runs to permanently go ahead 6-4 and win.

Game three was won in extra innings by the Royals 4-3, halting the Phillies come-from-behind magic temperarily. The Phillies tied it up on Schmidt's solo shot in the 8th but the Royals scored on an RBI single in the 10th to win game three.

Game four didn't look good for the Phillies as they trailed all day. The Royals scored four runs in the 1st and added a run in the second to own a 5-1 lead on the Phillies. The Phillies would add 2 runs in the game but lose 5-3.

Game five was scoreless until when in the 4th, Schmidt jacked a 2-run shot. The Royals would then add a run in the 5th and two in the 6th to go up 4-3. In the top of the 9th, the Phillies magic woke back up as Schmidt led off with a single and Del Unser drove him home on a double to tie it up. Trillo then stepped in and drove in Unser for the go ahead and potential game winner as the Phillies took game five by a score of 4-3.

Game six was the first game the Phillies never trailed. The got two runs from a single by Schmidt in the 3rd and tacked on 2 more runs later in the game. Carlton pitched until McGraw came in to close it out. With the bases loaded and Willie Wilson at the plate, I hand it over to the late Harry Kalas:

65,000 plus on their feet here at Veterans Stadium. The Tugger needs one
more...Swing and a miss! Yes, he struck him out! Yes, they did it! The Phillies
are world champions! World champions of baseball! It's pandemonium at Veterans
Stadium! All of the fans are on their feet. This city has come together behind a
baseball team!...Phillies are world champions! This city knows it! This city
loves it!

Schmidt won the series MVP and McGraw won the Babe Ruth Award (best performance).

FIM #6: Schmidt Hits #500

Harry Kalas couldn't have said it any better:

"The 3-0 pitch... Swing and a long drive, there it is, number 500! The career 500th home run for Michael Jack Schmidt!"

Mike Schmidt stood in against Don Robinson of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Down 6-5 in the top of the 9th, Schmidt had 2 men on with 2 outs. He took Robinson's 3-0 pitch 360 feet deep to left field, becoming the 14th player in league history to hit 500 home runs.

With that home run, Schmidt put the Phillies ahead for good as they went on to win 8-6. That home run not only signified a win but it also symbolized what he did his entire career for this city. Schmidt is considered the greatest Phillie of all time and the greatest 3rd baseman in the history of the game.

It was the perfect scenario for Schmidt. His team was trailing and they were down to their final out and the hero was at the plate. He delivers the heroic home run and we all live happily ever after. There was one tiny flaw to that moment though. ''It didn't happen at Veterans Stadium, and that's unfortunate,'' Schmidt said in the article I found.

Here is the article from the New York Times the next day.

FIM #10: Ryan Howard Wins ROY/MVP

The Phillies have not seen hitters like Mike Schmidt or Pete Rose since 1990 and 1983 respectively. They wait no more as we have another pair of amazing hitters that my generation's children wish they would have seen in their prime: Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Moment #10 will be dedicated to Ryan Howard and his history making first two seasons.

Howard saw some playing time while Jim Thome was still in town, playing a majority of the games at first base. It wasn't until an injury to Thome in 2005 that people got a taste of Howard's potential.

In 2005, Howard replaced Thome and played in 88 games total, hitting 22 homers with a .288 average. He also recorded 63 RBI's and 52 runs scored, sweltering numbers for half a season, especially by a rookie. He would win Rookie of the Year and Jim Thome would be traded along with $22 million in cash to the Chicago White Sox for Aaron Rowand and two pitchers. It was Howard's time to shine.

In 2006, Howard made history. No player in the National League has ever won Rookie of the Year and then followed it up with an MVP award. Only one player has done it in the history of the game and that was Cal Ripken Jr., winning the ROY in 1982 and MVP in 1983 for the Baltimore Orioles.

Howard's season was highlighted with 2 ridiculous homers, the first being the first ever to be hit into Ashburn Alley in center field which traveled 496 feet and the other was the first home run hit into the 3rd deck, a 381 foot shot.

Howard finished his MVP campaign with a .313 batting average, 58 homers and 149 RBI's. He shattered Schmidt's record in Philadelphia of 48 homers. He beat out Albert Pujols in the MVP balloting, who argued that he should have won because his team won the World Series and the Phillies missed the playoffs. Unfortunately for Pujols, post season doesn't mean a thing to the regular season.

Howard's power numbers never died off but his batting average sure did drop. He's a career .270 hitter which is not bad just as long as he hits 40 homers a year. He is going to keep doing this for a very long time we hope, especially batting behind a guy who gets on base like Utley.

FIM #11: Goodbye Vet

A brand new era deserves a brand new stadium. But with bringing in a newer, fresher experience for the fans and players comes the sacrifices of memories and traditions. Moment #11 is the destruction of our beloved Veterans Stadium.

Built in 1971, The Vet was home to the infamous "Boo Birds" (Eagles fans) and the rowdy Phillies fans in the 700 level. Whether it was fights, flashings, or pure vulgar banter, the 700 level was one of the most infamous group of fans in all of sports. The fans were so bad that a municipal court was installed in the stadium for fans who were ejected from the game.

The stadium was famous for it's terrible field conditions such as a concrete like playing surface and poor draining. The AstroTurf would also act as an oven for baseball and football players, reaching up to 120 degrees on hot July, August, and September days.

The Vet was home to two MLB All Star games: the first in 1976 during the nations bicentennial and again in 1996. The Phillies won their first championship in 1980 there. Players like Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton to Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk to Jim Thome and Scott Rolen all played in this stadium.

There were so many great Phillies moments that occurred here. Game 6 of the 1980 World Series was won here when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals in front of about 66,000 fans to win their first championship.

The latest game in MLB history was played their. The Phillies and Padres started a double header on July 2nd, 1993 and due to rain outs and delays all day, they didn't complete the second game until 4:40 in the morning on July 3rd. Mitch Williams drove in Pete Incaviglia to win the game in the 10th.

Kevin Millwood and Terry Mulholland own the only 2 9-inning no-hitters in The Vet's history. Mullholland did his in 1990 and Millwood did his in 2003. Both were ironically against the Sn Francisco Giants.

In 2004, Phillies fans threw D-cell batteries at St. Louis Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew after when drafted by the Phillies, said he would never play for Philadelphia, re-entered the draft next year and was picked by the Cardinals.

After it's demolition in 2004, Citizen Bank Park used the area where The Vet stood as an additional parking lot. Fans will never forget The Vet nor the memories left in it. But there are new ones to be made at CBP, including a World Championship and seeing guys like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, and Chase Utley represent the new home of the Phillies.

The implosion

My ticket stubs throughout the years at The Vet

FIM #15: Three Straight Years of HOFers

It was in the wake of a World Series run that ended in heart break. But fans were soon reminded of the great players that have worn the Phillies jersey in years past. 1994 was the first of three consecutive years a Phillie would get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

In 1994, Steve Carlton was inducted. He is considered one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. Carlton came over to Philadelphia in the “greatest trade in Phillies history” for Rick Wise in 1972. He continued to be the dominatne pitcher he was in St. Louis, helping the Phillies win their first World Series in 1980. Carlton won 329 games in his career with 254 complete games, 55 of those were shut outs.

In 1995, the Phillies were treated with 2 HOFers: Mike Schmidt and the late Richie Ashburn. Schmidt is considered the greatest third basemen ever. He was a Phillie his whole career and was a 9-time Gold Glover, 12-time All Star, 6-time Silver Slugger, and 1-time world champion.

Ashburn was a member of the 1950 pennant winning team nicknamed the “Whiz Kids” and became one half of the famous Harry and Whitey broadcasting team. He could hit, get on base and steal then would steal them. He is 3rd in Phillies history in runs scored. He is also a 5-time All Star. He passed away on September 9, 1997.

Lastly, in 1996, Jim Bunning was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bunning was famous for throwing the only perfect game in Phillies history in 1964, the same year they had their monumental collapse. Bunning was excellent his whole career, winning 224 games and striking out 2855 batters.

All four players have had their numbers retired by the Phillies. Surely it was a wonderful consolation prize after losing the heart breaker in 1993.

Michael Jack Schmidt!!

After beating Chase Utley easily in the March Madness Finals, Mike Schmidt became the ultimate Phillie. Here is the bracket tracking the entire tournament.

Phillies March Madenss: Finals

The best hitter of the 1980 World Champions team will go up against the best hitter of the 2008 World Series team: Mike Schmidt vs. Chase Utley. I went into details about the two superstars here. Here is the updated bracket so you can track to see how Mr. Utley and Michael Jack got here.

Phillies March Madness: Final Four

Here is your Philadelphia Phinal Phour

#1 Chase Utley vs #2 Curt Schilling

Why Utley: Mr. Utley was THE man for the Phillies since 2005. He has a .298 average going into the 2009 season and is one of the few guys producing offensively during the Phillies current slow start. Some of his career achievements in Philly include his grand slam in his MLB debut versus the Rockies and most recently his infamous pump fake to first - throw out at home during game 5 of the World Series which kept the game tied.

Career w/ Phillies: .298 AVG / 130 HR / 492 RBI / 60 SB

Why Schilling: He started his career in Baltimore and then was traded to Philadelphia. he quickly became their ace, most notably during the 1993 NL Pennant team. He posted great numbers throughout his career in Philly but got the 3 rings he owns somewhere else, one in 2001 with Arizona where he and Randy Johnson were one of the greatest pitching duos of all time and two in 2004 and 2007 with Boston. Sure he was successful elsewhere but he became the pitcher he was playing in Philly.

Career w/ Phillies: 16591.1 IP / 101-78 / 3.35 ERA / 1554 K

#1 Mike Schmidt vs #1 Richie Ashburn

Why Schmidt: Michael Jack Schmidt, as we affectionately remember Harry Kalas calling him that, is considered the greatest Phillie of all time and greatest third baseman in the history of baseball. He is the only Phillie on this list to play his entire career in Phillie (we hope guys like Utley, Ryam Howard, and Cole Hamels do so as well) and be great. I could go on for hours as to why the 9 time Gold Glover, 12 time All Star, 6 time Silver Slugger, and 1 time world champion is the best ever. His #20 is also retired in Philly and was inducted into the baseball Hall Of Fame in 1995. 

Career w/ Phillies: .267 AVG / 548 HR / 1,595 RBI / 174 SB

Why Ashburn: Whitey is considered more than just a player. He was also the 2nd half to the greatest broadcast team in Philadelphia history, Harry and Whitey. Ashburn was one of the greatest center fielders of all time and a member of the 1950's "Whiz Kids" team. He could hit, get on base and steal them. He is 3rd in Phillies history in runs scored. He is a 5 time All Star and has his #1 retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Schmidt in 1995

Career w/ Phillies: .311 AVG / 22 HR / 499 RBI / 199 SB