Connie Mack-Dick Allen Chapter

07/17/2026

An event for a worthy cause hosted by our friends at Bucks County Baseball Co.

⚾️ Meet Two Phillies Legends While Supporting a Great Cause! ⚾️

Join us at Bucks County Baseball Co. for a special autograph signing and fundraiser featuring John Kruk and Larry Andersen, two fan favorites and members of the 1993 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies!

📅 Saturday, August 15, 2026
🕐 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
📍 Bucks County Baseball Co.
237 Mill Street, Bristol, PA 19007

🎟 Presale Tickets Available Now!

* John Kruk Autograph – $35
* Larry Andersen Autograph – $15
* Combo Ticket (Both Players) – $45

This is a great opportunity to meet two Phillies legends, get your favorite memorabilia signed, take photos, and celebrate one of the most memorable teams in Phillies history.

❤️ Best of all, every dollar raised from this event will benefit Transformation to Recovery & Hope House, helping support individuals in our local community.

Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so reserve your presale tickets today!

For tickets and additional information, visit www.buckscountybaseballco.com.

07/17/2026

Not one Phillie in the top 25 in the SABR NL Defensive Index, released today. All four Phillies infielders as well as Crawford are rated last at their positions in the NL. Yikes.

SABR Defensive Index: July 12, 2026July 17, 2026/by wpadmin Here are the SABR Defensive Index™ rankings through games of July 12, 2026. The SDI is used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR. The SABR Defensive Index acco...

07/09/2026

Don't miss this special evening celebrating the life and legacy of Dick Allen.

Join us at Free Library of Philadelphia's Parkway Central Library for an exclusive screening of Part 3 of My Father, Dick Allen, exploring his unforgettable years in Philadelphia. Following the screening, stay for a panel discussion featuring director Andy Billman, Richard Allen Jr., designer/illustrator Todd Radom, co-producer Andy Wooley, and executive producer Sharon Pannozzo, moderated by Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Matt Breen.

We hope to see you there!

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/docuseries-preview-and-discussion-my-father-dick-allen-tickets-1991722070328

06/25/2026

55 years ago today, Willie Stargell hit the longest home run in the history of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Future Hall of Fame pitcher and U.S. Senator Jim Bunning surrendered the blast in the second inning of a 14-4 Pirates rout of the Phillies. The spot in Section 601 where the ball landed was commemorated with a black “S” inscribed within a yellow star inside a white circle, it painted black when Stargell died in 2001. The star remained in place until the stadium’s 2004 demolition.

“The Stargell Star was a high slider that I used to get Stargell out on,” said Bunning, “only I didn’t throw it hard enough and didn’t get it in. It got over the fat part of the plate. He couldn’t hit it any further.”

“That ball was still going up,” said Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa. “As an infielder, when a guy hits one that you know is a home run, you give it a casual look. When he swung, you didn’t take your eyes off it because you wanted to see where it was going. It was majestic.

06/16/2026

NOW OPEN at the Free Library of Philadelphia

https://library.drexel.edu/news-and-events/events/event?_i=46630_122840

06/05/2026

I’m giving a presentation on the Triumphs and Disappointments of the 1966 Phillies at the Free Library of Philadelphia (Parkway Central branch, 1901 Vine Street) on Wed., June 10 at 6 pm, Heim Center (Room 131/132). Free. 90 min.

Phillies GM John Quinn and manager Gene Mauch turned over half of the team's roster between 1965 and 1966, traded a future Hall of Famer, and in the process the team became so old that they were called The Wheeze Kids by local columnists. They then had to remake their roster again the following year.

I’ll discuss the reasons for such an unusual strategy, how well it worked (or not), as well as the Phillies-Giants game of July 16, 1966, which I attended and which featured a rare Bob Uecker HR.

This will be the 4th time I have given this presentation, and it has gotten better every time.

Reservations are encouraged but not required: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/168501

Hope to see you there.

Heim Center Room 131/132 Local baseball statistician and researcher Mike Walsh of the Society for American Baseball Research will present the story of the 1966 Phillies, often called The Wheeze Kids in contrast to the famed Whiz Kids of the 1950s. Highlights of the presentation will include the unus...

05/30/2026

REMINDER - This Friday, June 5th, Robert K. Fitts’ will be doing a book talk and signing at the Barned and Noble in Bryn Mawr at 7 PM on his book, IN THE JAPANESE BALLPARK: Behind the Scenes of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Fitts is an award-winning author and speaker, his articles have appeared numerous journals, magazines, and websites. He is also the author of ten books on Japanese baseball and Japanese baseball cards.

Fitts is the founder of SABR’s Asian Baseball Committee and a recipient of the society’s 2025 Henry Chadwick Award for "outstanding, long-term contributions to the study of the game," the 2013 Seymour Medal for the Best Baseball Book of 2012 (Banzai Babe Ruth); the 2019 and 2023 McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Awards; the 2012 Doug Pappas Award for the best oral research presentation at the annual convention; and the 2006, 2021, 2023, and 2024 SABR Research Awards.

05/15/2026

Middleton recently stated that the Phillies lose money every year. He said that the team lost $40 million last year and will lose a lot more this year. He and the ownership group put up “stupid” money to win a World Series, but it doesn’t look like they’ll get it. At least they tried, right?

Well, I’m not convinced that the Phillies are losing money every year. That could be tricky accounting to use in the run up to negotiations with the players union. Professional teams have a documented record of under-reporting profits during collective bargaining.

05/11/2026

Chapter member Mike Walsh (me!) just published a SABR Games Project article about a KC Athletics v White Sox game on August 16, 1966 in Chicago. In that game, Bert Campaneris ran wild on the basepaths, tormenting Sox pitchers Tommy John and Hoyt Wilhelm (as well as White Sox catchers and infielders). Campy even scored "standing up" all the way from 1st on a pickoff throw error. It may be one of the greatest base running performances in baseball history.

Check it out:

August 16, 1966: Bert Campaneris runs wild on White Sox, scores all runs for Athletics without an RBIMay 7, 2026/in Games Project 1960s /by wpadminLnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdod...