who was better known as Connie Mack, a major league catcher for eleven seasons and a manager for 53 seasons. Fifty of his seasons were with the Athletics in Philadelphia from 1901-1950. Much could be learned from the creed that he asked to be placed below his statue in Philadelphia.
We had the opportunity to visit with my Uncle Stan and attend a game with him at Citizens Park in Philadelphia. The park is right off of I-95 but well outside the main part of Philly. If you don't mind the parking, there is plenty of parking. The Park itself is pretty impressive from the outside.
It is the only park that I have seen that the bull pens are co-located in the outfield, one right above the other. We were a bit surprised by the condition of the field. There were quite a few brown spots in the outfield that we had not seen in other stadiums.
Right across from the main gate is the statue of Conny Mack that I had referred to earlier. During his 50 years of managing, he never wore a uniform (except for the first couple of years when he was a player manager). During the times that he was strictly managing, he wore a suit and was often seen wearing a bolo hat.
Outside the south gate, there are statues of Phillies heroes. The first is Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
It is the only park that I have seen that the bull pens are co-located in the outfield, one right above the other. We were a bit surprised by the condition of the field. There were quite a few brown spots in the outfield that we had not seen in other stadiums.
Right across from the main gate is the statue of Conny Mack that I had referred to earlier. During his 50 years of managing, he never wore a uniform (except for the first couple of years when he was a player manager). During the times that he was strictly managing, he wore a suit and was often seen wearing a bolo hat.
Outside the south gate, there are statues of Phillies heroes. The first is Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
And a statue of probably the greatest pitcher in Phillies history, Steve Carlton.
As I stated earlier, my uncle Stan had the chance to attend one of the games with us. We stayed with him through the All-Star break, and we had a really great time.
We got the opportunity to watch the "Big Unit" pitch. To say that he was dominant would be a gross understatement. And to add insult to injury, with runners on 1st and 3rd (the Phillies walked the number 8 hitter to get to him ) he hit the ball off of the left field wall. When he reached first and was told by the first base coach to head for second, you could almost see him protest. The game was able to continue after oxygen was administered.
The Diamond Backs won this one in a romp. Johnson gave up three earned runs
, but still looked pretty sharp.
The second game was a different story. In this one the game was close right up until the bottom of the eighth when the Arizona bull pen collapsed. Needing three pitchers to get out of the inning, Arizona was unable to recover in the top of the ninth.
As I stated earlier, my uncle Stan had the chance to attend one of the games with us. We stayed with him through the All-Star break, and we had a really great time.
We got the opportunity to watch the "Big Unit" pitch. To say that he was dominant would be a gross understatement. And to add insult to injury, with runners on 1st and 3rd (the Phillies walked the number 8 hitter to get to him ) he hit the ball off of the left field wall. When he reached first and was told by the first base coach to head for second, you could almost see him protest. The game was able to continue after oxygen was administered.
The Diamond Backs won this one in a romp. Johnson gave up three earned runs
, but still looked pretty sharp.The second game was a different story. In this one the game was close right up until the bottom of the eighth when the Arizona bull pen collapsed. Needing three pitchers to get out of the inning, Arizona was unable to recover in the top of the ninth.
