The Phillies kind of remind me of my first car.
In the summer of 1977, following my freshman year at Appalachian State University, I had saved enough from my summers working at Steger’s Beach Service to buy a used Chevy Vega.
Like the Phils, it looked cool – it was brown with a white racing stripe on the side – and worked very well for a while, but it wasn’t long before the wear and tear set in and it started leaking oil.
A lot of oil.
To the point where I eventually had to carry a case of Quaker State in my backseat for long trips back and forth from Cape May to Boone, North Carolina.
And then the clutch broke while joining my roommate on a weekend trip to his hometown of Thomasville, North Carolina.
Don’t be surprised if the Phils’ clutch starts to fail down the stretch.
They decided to ride in basically the same car for the last three or four years and the mileage is starting to show.
The Phils have enjoyed moments that make fans believe they can win their first World Series since 2008. But there are holes in the batting order and in the back end of the rotation and bullpen that suggest a championship is not in the cards.
Kyle Schwarber is leading the National League with 33 home runs. Co-aces Cristopher Sanchez (12-4) and Zack Wheeler (10-1) are Cy Young contenders. Closer Jhoan Duran is second in the N.L. with 24 saves.
But others have had moments where they are struggling. Brandon Marsh has cooled off a bit after a sizzling start. Shortstop Trea Turner is booting grounders at an alarming rate. Starter Aaron Nola’s tank is close to empty.
But it could be worse.
While I was a buzzing around town in a Vega, my girlfriend (now wife) Karen was driving a red Opel that was given to her by her uncle, Hal.
The gas gauge in her car didn’t work, so she had to improvise by carrying a yard stick that she would dip into the tank to measure if she needed fuel.
The Phils should make the playoffs, but it will be a challenge for them to make it to the top of the mountain without running out of gas.
Or oil.
Lifeguard racing update
The lifeguard racing season continues this week with three of the top races of the summer.
The action starts Wednesday with one of the area’s most unique events: the 18th Cape May Point Women’s Lifeguard Challenge.
In the case of inclement weather Wednesday, the race will be held either Saturday, July 25 or next Wednesday, July 29.
Two-person teams from beach patrols from Delaware, Maryland and New York will join squads from patrols up and down the New Jersey coast to compete.
The event consists of a 1.3-mile soft sand run, followed by a one-mile ocean paddle, and a half-mile ocean swim.
The race awards trophies to the overall winner and the top team.
As of Tuesday, there were 53 total competitors and 17 teams entered in the event.
Defending champion Becca Cubbler of Avalon is not competing this year. There is a chance that six-time champion Jenna Parker of Harvey Cedars will be in the field. Parker, a former professional triathlete, recently won the women’s division of the Harry “Buzz” Mogck Memorial Cape May SuperAthalon.
On Friday, the Avalon Beach Patrol will host the 42nd David J. Kerr Memorials while Atlantic County patrols head to the 25th Atlantic City Lifeguard Classic.
Avalon has won the Kerr’s five straight years and 12 out of the last 13.
The Longport Beach Patrol is the defending champion of the Atlantic City Classic, which features a surf dash relay, doubles surfboat rescue, one-mile doubles race, swim/paddle relay, doubles surfboat relay and singles row.
Local baseball draft picks sign contracts
Four of the five local players selected in the recent Major League Baseball amateur draft have signed contracts.
Pitcher Cameron Flukey, a first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox, signed a contract that included a $3.8 million bonus. Flukey, an Egg Harbor Township High School graduate and standout at Coastal Carolina University, was the 22nd overall pick in the draft, which carried a $4.1 million slot value.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander became the fourth local athlete to be drafted in the first round of a major sport, joining football player William Green from Holy Spirit High School and baseball players Mike Trout (Millville High School) and Chase Petty (Mainland Regional High School).
Green, a running back from Boston College, was taken 16th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2002 NFL Draft. Trout, the three-time American League Most Valuable Player, was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the 25th overall pick in 2009. Petty, a pitcher, was taken 26th overall by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
Recent St. Augustine Prep graduate Alex Weingartner, selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round, signed for $1.4 million. Weingartner, a shortstop/pitcher, was the Gatorade Player of the Year for New Jersey after batting .495 with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 46 runs scored. As a pitcher, he recorded 81 strikeouts in 48.1 innings with a 0.87 earned run average.
By signing with White Sox, Weingartner gave up a scholarship to Penn State.
St. Joseph University teammates Andrew Gaines (St. Augustine), Christian Coppola (Cedar Creek) and Duke McCarron (Ocean City) also signed contracts after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, Phillies and Miami Marlins, respectively.
Gaines, a 10th-round pick by the Brewers, received a $50,000 bonus. Coppola, the Phillies’ 12th-round selection, signed for an undetermined amount. McCarron, a 17th-round choice by the Marlins, received a $47,500 bonus.
Coppola was the third Cedar Creek High School grad to be drafted by a major sports league, joining NFL players and brothers Bo and Max Melton.
Bo was a seventh-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2002 and now plays for the Green Bay Packers as a wide receiver/defensive back/returner.
Max, a cornerback, was the Arizona Cardinals’ second-round pick in 2024.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points. Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
