On April 30, 1919, Joe Oeschger (pronounced Esh-ker) of the Phillies faced off against legendary spitballer Burleigh Grimes of the Brooklyn Robins (aka the Dodgers) in front of 1,300 fans at the Baker Bowl. Neither pitcher started well, and after 3 innings, the Robins held a 5-4 lead. But the two pitchers settled down, and […]
On today’s date in 1887, the Baker Bowl opened for business. The home of the Phillies from 1887-1938, the Baker Bowl was located on North Broad Street, by West Lehigh Avenue. When it opened in 1887, it was considered state of the art. It was the first ever stadium built of brick and steel. The […]
Both needing seven games to get past their first-round opponents, the Flyers and Bruins face-off beginning this Saturday in a rematch of last year’s memorable Eastern Conference semi-finals in which the Flyers came back from a 3 game to zero deficit and a 3 goal to zero deficit in Game 7 to advance to […]
The Penn Relays are taking place now through Saturday at Franklin Field. Officially the Penn Relay Carnival, the Relays are the longest running uninterrupted collegiate meet in the United States. The first meet was held in 1895 (a year before the first modern Olympics) and is considered the birthplace of the modern relay. The event […]
When discussion turns to the Eagles worst draft picks, there are a lot to choose from. Jon Peters was a bust, as was Leroy Keyes. Bernard Williams had a lot of talent, but loved getting high more than he loved playing football. A lot of people throw Jon Harris into the mix, and Kevin Allen […]
Leonard Tose’s daughter, Susan Tose Spencer, recently discussed the lockout with the Las Vegas Sun. (She currently lives in Las Vegas.) Not surprisingly, Spencer, who was the first (and still only) female GM in NFL history, sides with the owners. “The players are employees, but they’re not taking any risks,” she said Tuesday. “They’re not […]
There’s an interesting piece on MLBtraderumors.com right now about how Sam Fuld has stepped in nicely since Manny’s sudden retirement in Tampa, and it references how the Phils tried to replace Schmidt when he suddenly retired in 1989: The stakes were very different back in 1989, when an aging Mike Schmidt unexpectedly retired on May […]
Interesting story in today’s Inquirer about Philly track star John Taylor. I don’t think I had ever heard of him: The first relay race in Olympic history – a sprint medley consisting of two 200-meter legs, a 400 and an 800 – was held later on July 25, and the U.S. team won easily. Taylor […]
Happy birthday to the Phillie Phanatic, who debuted on April 25th, 1978. The Phanatic was recently named the beloved mascot in sports by Forbes Magazine. So how did America’s most beloved mascot get his start? The Phanatic was created in 1977 because the team wanted a more family-friendly mascot. Their previous mascots, Phil and Phyllis, […]
Both the Sixers and the Flyers are in action today with their playoff lives on the line. The Sixers, down 3-0 in the first round, try to avoid being swept by the Heat at home at 1pm. The Flyers, down 3-2 in the Conference Quarterfinals, are in Buffalo where the puck drops at 3pm. Having […]
Perhaps there’s a Toronto sports history blog that looks at April 22nd, 1976 as the day Darryl Sittler scored five goals in a playoff win against the Flyers. But in Philadelphia we look at today as the anniversary of Dave “The Hammer” Schultz setting a playoff record for penalty minutes in a single game. The […]
It may seem like only yesterday, but it was 135 years ago today, April 22nd, 1876, that Wes Fisler of the Philadelphia Athletics (not related to the later Philadelphia A’s) was credited with scoring the first run in MLB history. Don’t ask me how they decided that this game between two teams who no longer […]
