Beloved '93 Phils reminisce on Alumni Weekend

PHILADELPHIA -- It is Alumni Weekend at Citizens Bank Park, and the Phillies on Saturday celebrated the 20th anniversary of the 1993 National League championship team.

"They haven't changed a bit, I'll tell you," former manager Jim Fregosi said Saturday afternoon. "They're still kind of a grisly little group."

Fregosi, former general manager Lee Thomas and former players Mickey Morandini and Danny Jackson reminisced with reporters for nearly 25 minutes about a team that, despite not winning the World Series, remains as beloved in Philadelphia as any World Series championship team.

"This city has embraced the '93 team so much," said Jackson, who played on World Series championship teams with Kansas City in 1985 and Cincinnati in 1990. "In Cincinnati, they still remember the 1990 team, but not to this extent with this city. The Royals, they've only won one in their whole history. There's a lot of people that remember it, but there's a whole lot of people that don't even know when I walk around the street who I am. But when I walk around here they all know exactly who I am. Especially when I take my shirt off."

Along with many of their teammates, they had been sharing stories throughout the weekend.

"That particular team, we were all hard-nosed players," Jackson said. "We were down to earth. When we were out in the community, whether we're eating or gassing up cars or whatever, we were always respectful to the fans. I think that team as a whole, we were in a situation that a lot of Philadelphia may have felt themselves. We're supposed to be the outcasts."

"Yeah, you've got it right!" Fregosi bellowed.