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Lefty’s Slow Descent

June 24, 2011

25 years ago today, the Phillies said goodbye to the greatest pitcher in the franchise’s history. It was not an easy decision to make. The Phillies had hoped that Carlton would see that his skills had deteriorated, that his fastball no longer had pop or movement, and that he would agree to retire. But Lefty was nothing if not stubborn, and he refused to acknowledge that he was done. Bill Giles explained how it went down at a press conference.

“I met with Steve and his wife, Beverly, a week ago at their Center City apartment, and we discussed his retiring,” Giles said. “He convinced me at that time that he could still pitch, so I decided we’d give him another start.

“But when he was knocked out of the game in the fifth inning Saturday, I decided we had to do something. I couldn’t take it anymore, I couldn’t watch him struggling anymore. And it took me three days to get up the nerve to tell him.

“We met again Tuesday night. He again expressed his belief that he could still pitch and that he did not want to retire. But I told him that it just was not in the best interest of the Phillies to have him keep pitching for us.

“And this is easily the toughest thing I’ve had to do since becoming president of the club. I apologize for my emotions. You build up great attachments to someone who is with a club for 14 years. He’s probably had more impact than any pitcher in this club’s history.”

The club had hoped to send him out Julius Erving style, with an enormous standing ovation for his last start. Instead, two years later, after bouncing around several teams, the end came quietly in Minnesota, where he racked up a 16.22 ERA before the Twins pulled the plug. Sadly, Carlton had long been represented by an agent who was ripping him off, so part of the reason he held on for so long was money. But it was dumbass Tim McCarver who gave the real reason that Lefty held on for so long.

“Lefty has an irascible contempt for being human. To a great degree, he feels superhuman. He refuses to think like other mortals. It’s not in his makeup to ever consider things in realistic, practical fashion.

“Everybody says, ‘If I were in his shoes, I’d quit.’ But if you’re not in his shoes, you don’t understand how he thinks. Part of the things that made him great are part of the things that are making him hang on.”

Also in The Shibe Vintage Sports History Blog

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The Year the Steelers and Eagles Merged Teams

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One of the lesser known pieces of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh football history is that the two cities at one point shared a team. Much like many other sports at the time, the NFL had to deal with shrinking rosters caused by military service during World War II.

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June 05, 2019

While the Philadelphia Warriors received less attention than other Philly pro sports teams, this team exemplified the Philly attitude as well as any of the major franchises.

Size Charts

Select your brand and style to read more about how your purchase will fit:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.
Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.
Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.
Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.
Hat Size: Measure your head about a half-inch above your eyebrow where the hat will sit. If you are unsure or between sizes, buy the larger size.

American Needle Fitted Hats

If you do not know your size, first determine where on your head you want to wear your hat. Usually it is worn about a half-inch to an inch above the eyebrows and/or just above the ears. Have a friend hold the tape measure (cloth, plastic, or download a printable version here) at the point where you want the hat to rest on your head. Insert the tip of your little finger between the tape and your head. Record the measurement and find your Fitted Hat size using the chart below. This should provide you with a comfortable fit.

'47 Brand Hats

47 Brand Adjustable Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Adjustable Hats	Men's	6 7/8 - 7 5/8	55 - 61
	Women's	6 5/8 - 7 1/4	53 - 58
	Youth	6 5/8 - 7 1/8	53 - 57

47 Brand Fitted Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Fitted Hats	XX Small	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	X Small	6 3/4	54
	Small	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium	7 - 7 1/8	56 - 57
	Large	7 1/4	58
	X Large	7 3/8 - 7 5/8	59 - 61
	XX Large	7 5/8 - 7 3/4	61 - 62
	XXX Large	7 7/8	63
	XXXX Large	8	64
	XXXXX Large	8 1/8	65

47 Brand Stretch Fit Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Stretch Fit Fitted Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	Small / Medium	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium / Large	7 1/8 - 7 3/8	57 - 59
	Large / X Large	7 1/2 - 7 5/8	60 - 61
	One Size Fits All	7 - 7 1/2	56 - 60

47 Brand Knit Hats Size Chart	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Knit Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 3/4	52 - 54
Knit Hats	One Size Fits All	6 7/8 - 7 1/2	55 - 60

'47 Brand Apparel

47 Brand Men's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Neck	14"-14.5"	15"-15.5"	16"-16.5"	17"-17.5"	18"-18.5"
Shoulder	21"	22"	23"	24"	25"
Chest	36"-38"	39"-41"	42"-44"	45"-47"	48"-50"
Waist	28"-30"	31"-33"	34"-36"	37"-39"	40"-42"

47 Brand Women's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL
Size	2-4	6-8	8-10	10-12
Shoulder	14.25"	15.25"	16.25"	17.25"
Bust	32"-34"	35"-36"	37"-38"	39"-42"
Waist	26"-27"	28"-29"	30"-31"	32"-33"

Majestic apparel

**Men's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL	4XL
Chest	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	52-52	54-56	58-60
Waist	28-30	32-34	36-38	40-42	44-46	48-50	52-54
Hip	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	50-52	54-56	58-60
Sleeve	32-33	33-34	34-35	35-36	36-36 1/2	36 1/2-37	37-37 1/2
Neck	14-14 1/2	15-15 1/2	16-16 1/2	17-17 1/2	18-18 1/2	19-19 1/2	20-20 1/2

**Women's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	XS	S	M	L	XL	1X	2X
Size	0-2	4-6	8-10	12-14	16-18	16W-18W	20W-22W
Chest	32-33	34-35	36-37	38-40	41 1/2-43 1/2	43-45	47-49
Waist	24-25	26-27	28-29	30-32	33 1/2-35 1/2	36-38	39-41
Hip	34 1/2-35 1/2	36 1/2-37 1/2	38 1/2-39 1/2	40 1/2-42 1/2	44-46	46-48	49-51
Sleeve	29 1/4	30	30 3/4	31 1/2	32	32 1/2	33

**Youth Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL
Size	6-8	10-12	14-16	18-20	20	22
Chest	24-26	28-30	32-34	36-38
Waist	21-23	25-27	29-31	33-35	37-39	40-42

Majestic Jerseys

Adult Men's Replica Jersey Sizing
Jersey Size	Small	Medium	Large	X Large	XX Large
Neck (diameter of neck)	6.5	6.75	7	7.25	7.5
Chest (underarm to underarm)	20 1/2	22 1/2	24 1/2	26 1/2	28 1/2
Sleeve (back of inside neck to end of middle sleeve)	8 1/2	8 3/4	9	9 1/4	9 1/2

Apparel Sizing Tips:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.

Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.

Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.

Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.

Red Jacket apparel

Junk Food apparel

Next Level apparel (Shibe Originals)

General Size	Neck (in inches)	Chest (in inches)	Waist (in inches)	Arm (in inches)

Small	14-14.5	34-36	28-30	31.5-32
Medium	15-15.5	38-40	32-34	32.5-33
Large	16-16.5	42-44	36-38	33.5-34
X-Large	17-17.5	46-48	40-42	34.5-35
XX-Large	18 – 18.5	50-52	44-46	35.5-36