Extra points
By Pete Thompson
I need to start off by addressing that each week, I write this column on a deadline and last week’s column was written about two hours PRIOR to knowing the full picture of what moves the Phillies made at the trade deadline.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski hit a “grand slam” in my opinion and the Phils are fighting to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
They also are trying to move on from an awkward situation with Pete Rose from their “Alumni Weekend”.
Since I last wrote, the Phillies continued their winning ways on the field. Plus, they honored a longtime and beloved employee. So, we’ll address their playoff chances, Pete Rose, and other tidbits from “Alumni Weekend”. The Eagles held their one “open practice” at Lincoln Financial Field, and are now preparing for their first actual preseason game. Not long after that practice, the team announces that one of the more popular veteran players has to have surgery. Finally, the Birds see one of their former coaches go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. A Sixers guard is back in the area to hold a youth camp. What does back surgery mean for one prominent young Flyers forward? Injuries and age are forcing one of the best female tennis players ever to step away from the game. On the local front, I got to see a mural that honors one of the greatest local baseball players ever.
We’ll begin with the Phillies as they certainly addressed a lot of moves prior to the trade We’ll begin with the Phillies as they certainly addressed a lot of moves prior to the trade deadline. To sum up that whirlwind of a day on Tuesday August 2nd, the Phillies made a bunch of transaction moves. It began with them designating relief pitcher Jeurys Familia & centerfielder Odubel Herrera for assignment. So, even before acquiring anyone, the Phillies subtracted two pieces that were frustrating to most fans!
Then, they traded minor league pitcher Ben Brown to the Cubs for relief pitcher David Robertson. Robertson had been with the Phillies in the past, and wasn’t able to stay healthy, so this is a chance for a “do over” and a key bullpen piece.
Later in the day, the Phillies traded minor league catcher Logan O’Hoppe to the Angels in exchange for center fielder Brandon Marsh. Marsh is supposed to be excellent defensively, and Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long thinks he can fix his swing, so this seems like a good move.
Just when you thought they might be finished, the Angels blinked and accepted Mickey Moniak and minor league outfielder Jadiel Sanchez for starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. That’s right, “Thor” is now a Phillie. Now, he’s not the Syndergaard of the past, but he’s still better than Bailey Falter or Cristopher Sanchez in my opinion. So, overall, I give Dombrowski a solid “A-minus” for his trade deadline moves.
Moving on to “Alumni Weekend” now and I have to admit I was really excited for this. I was at the Sunday game with my father and was planning on clapping for Pete Rose as he made a return to a professional baseball field in Philadelphia for the first time since being banned from baseball in 1989.
Rose and the 1980 team did reunite, and that was fine. What was not so good, was how Rose answered a question from a female reporter. Rose was questioned about how he was accused in a 2017 lawsuit of having a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the 1970’s, and he responded by saying “‘It was 55 years ago, babe.” That was before the game even began!
Then, once the game was underway, Rose was brought into the broadcast booth as a guest on the telecast, and he proceeded to curse twice and also tell an extremely inappropriate story from his playing days with the Reds. He also made a crude joke about analyst John Kruk, and things became very “cringe-worthy”.
What’s interesting is that NBC Sports Philadelphia, the network that allowed Rose to join the broadcast booth, later edited his entire visit to the booth out of the replay of the game by deleting the entire sixth inning and putting up a graphic that read “due to time constraints, we now move ahead in the following program.”
The 2022 Phillies won the game 13-1 to sweep the Nationals right out of town, but it’s a shame because the current team’s success was lost because of the Rose controversy.
On the complete opposite side of things, the Phillies did everything right on Friday night when they honored longtime P.A. announcer Dan Baker for 50 years with the club. Baker has had some health issues the past 12 to 24 months, so to see him get his due and be honored by the ballclub was very special. His daughter Courtney was an intern at TV 40 back when I was there. He’s about the nicest guy I’ve ever met in all of pro baseball. Congratulations Dan!
As I write this, the Phillies are in the second NL wildcard position and pushing the Braves for the top spot and the three games at home if they are the top NL wildcard team. The Phillies are 9-1 in their last ten as I write this, and really the formula is simple. Keep beating the bad teams, and racking up wins!
They have seven games left with the Mets and seven games left with the Braves before the end of the season. It appears the Mets will win the division, but if the Phillies want to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, they need to win some of these games!
So, hopefully when I write next week, the Phillies will have swept the Marlins, or at least won two out of three. And, at least two out of four against the Mets. I’m going on Saturday 8/20, and hoping to see a win.
One thing that is concerning to me is the attendance for the Phillies. Their highest attendance during “Alumni Weekend” was 35,393. Each game after that was less than 30,000 fans. Well, the Eagles drew an estimated 30,000 fans for an open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday 8/5.
Oh yes, the optimism is “sky-high” as the Birds get ready for the first of three preseason games. One thing that gives me pause is the news that center Jason Kelce had elbow surgery on Tuesday August 9th. The team says it’s just a “routine cleanout” and indications are that he will be ready by the season opener on September 11th. Fingers crossed.
My last item with the Eagles is about former coach Dick Vermeil as he goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. A large contingent was on hand for the ceremony, and Vermeil was told he could go longer than the normal 8 minutes. He ended up speaking for 23 minutes, and surprisingly only got choked up with emotion once. Former Mainland alum Dave Klemic was on hand for the ceremony, and caught up with his coach afterwards. Congrats to Dick Vermeil on going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
There’s not much to report from the Sixers, other than the fact that Tyrese Maxey was back in the Delaware Valley for a few youth basketball camps. Maxey is only 21-years-old, but is already mature beyond his years as he hosts a FREE youth basketball camp at Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. I like to see that.
In hockey, Flyers forward Joel Farabee had to undergo spine surgery. Farabee had artificial disk replacement surgery, which is troubling to me because only three known NHL players have had the procedure done in their cervical spine before. Jack Eichel had it in Buffalo and hasn’t been the same player since. Doctors at Penn Medicine where Farabee had the surgery are optimistic about his recovery though. Stay tuned.
Speaking of injuries, tennis star Serena Williams has written an essay for Vogue.com saying that her career is winding down and that the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadow, NY might be her last major. She admitted she had mixed feelings about her next chapter and didn’t even like using the word “retirement,” instead opting for “evolution.” This could be it for one of the most dominant women to ever play the game.
Finally, on the local front, I was driving out of Atlantic City the other day and looked over to see the John Henry “Pop” Lloyd mural on the wall of a building near Ocean Casino. “Pop” Lloyd is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and spent his later years in Atlantic City. I can’t believe I’ve lived in the area since 2004 and had never seen this mural until now. Someone needs to do a better job of marketing that mural. Hopefully I just did. It’s on the side of the old Mel’s Furniture building on 508 Atlantic Avenue. Check it out.
I’ll close with my usual thanks and let you know that I am very thankful for your readership and hope you will patronize the businesses you see in the pages here. Remember, the LOCAL in Shore Local comes from the support of those businesses, so please support them!
Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:00pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
