Many Phillies alumni reunite in Spring Training
Numerous Phillies alumni stopped by Spring Training this year at Bright House Field. Among the group were Darren Daulton, Pedro Feliz, So Taguchi, Jim Bunning, Greg Luzinski, John Kruk and Mitch Williams. Jim Fregosi, special assistant to the GM for the Braves and a resident of nearby Tarpon Springs, Fla., scouted a lot of games in Clearwater. Lee Thomas, in a similar role with Baltimore, was at one game.
Participating in tossing the ceremonial first pitches were Lee Elia, Rob Ducey, Sixto Lezcano, Larry Christenson and Dave Cash.
Honors
The Amaro family received all kinds of honors in January. Ruben Amaro Sr. and Ruben Amaro Jr. were inducted into the Latin American International Hall of Fame in Laredo, Texas.
Santos Amaro, father of Ruben Sr. and grandfather of Ruben Jr., was inducted posthumously by the Veterans Committee into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame at Casa de Campo, Dominica Republic. Santos, who was born in Cuba, played and managed in both Cuba and Mexico. He was previously honored by the Hall of Fames in both countries.
The same night Santos was honored, Cookie Rojas was inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame. Cookie and Ruben Sr. were teammates on the Phillies.
Phil Bradley will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in April in Springfield, Mo., and Jeff Cooper will be inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame on May 15. In June, Rob Ducey will be among the 2013 class that is entering the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Book Shelf
"The Mouth That Roared," by Dallas Green and Alan Maimon; foreword by Jayson Stark; Triumph Books; May 1, 2013.
"Philadelphia's Top 50 Baseball Players," by Rich Westcott; foreword by Dallas Green; University of Nebraska Press; April 2013.
"Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium," by Rich Westcott; Arcadia Publishing; currently available.
"View from the Booth," by Chris Wheeler; Camino Press; April 2013.
"This Date In Philadelphia Phillies History," by Skip Clayton and Don Bostrom; Camino Press; spring 2013. Originally published in 1978 by Allen Lewis and Larry Shenk; Stein & Day.
"The Phillies Experience: A Year-by-Year Chronicle of the Philadelphia Phillies," by Tyler Kepner; MVP Books; May 2013.
"Game of My Life Philadelphia Phillies, by Bob Gordon; Sports Publishing; April 2013.
"Almost A Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the 1980 Phillies," by William Kashatus; University of Pennsylvania Press; April 2013.
"More Than Beards, Bellies and Biceps," by Bob Gordon, Tom Burgoyne and Larry Andersen; Sports Publishing; June 2013.
Saying Good-bye
Brad Lidge, Kevin Millwood and Brian Schneider have all retired from the game. Bobby Abreu had hoped to play again, but when Spring Training ended, he was still searching for a job.
Millwood tossed the last no-hitter at Veterans Stadium 10 years ago, come April 27.
Tim McCarver is retiring from broadcasting for FOX at the end of the season. He's broadcast 23 World Series, a record.
Elsewhere
Bill Dancy is the Minor League field coordinator for the Detroit Tigers. ... Paul Quantrill is back with the Toronto Blue Jays as a special assistant. ... Richie Hebner is back in the game as a hitting coach for New Hampshire (Blue Jays, Double-A). .. Bobby Thigpen is the new bullpen coach for the White Sox . ... Greg Gross is the hitting coach with Reno (D-backs, Triple-A).
Gene Garber was in the Atlanta Braves' camp for two weeks for the third straight year as a guest instructor. When asked about making road trips, he responded, "Relievers always went on the trips." When told that Mike Schmidt is a guest instructor with the Phillies and doesn't go on the road, Garber replied, "That's because he has 'HOF' behind his name."
Did You Know
Larry Bowa wore the Phillies uniform for more years than anyone in franchise history, 25. He was a player (1970-81), coach ('88-96) and manager (2001-04).
Second to the Sacramento, Calif., native is another product of that city, John Vukovich, who spent 24 years in a Phillies uniform.