For many years during Alumni Weekend the Phillies included a 3-inning old-timers game featuring, well, old-time players. Yet another promotional gem from Bill Giles, executive vice president. That idea was passed on to me to execute. Co-workers formed a great team.
Giles joined the Phillies in October 1969. One of his ideas to celebrate the final season at Connie Mack Stadium was an old-timers game, July 25, 1970. Former A’s vs. former Phillies. The 1950 Whiz Kids, who won the National League pennant, formed the nucleus of this Phillies old-timers team managed by Eddie Sawyer. The Athletics team was managed by Jimmy Dykes, who succeeded the legendary Connie Mack as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1951.
It was a typical hot and humid summer Philadelphia day. The A’s Hal Wagner, 55 at the time, insisted on catching one inning. He came back to the dugout sweating profusely and red-faced. I thought we were going to lose him. But he had a smile on his face. He was wearing big-league uniform and caught one inning one more time. Priceless. (Wagner’s career: 1937-49, first eight seasons with the A’s and last two with the Phils).
Attendance that day was 20,292, second largest crowd for a single game up to that point of the season.
The first such game at Veterans Stadium was August 21, 1971. Theme that night was Left-handers vs. Right-handers. Earlier in the afternoon, we unveiled the Connie Mack statue that has stood across Lehigh Avenue at Connie Mack Stadium. Giles felt it should be relocated to the Vet. What was eerie, as we were unveiling the statue word came that a fire had broken out at Connie Mack Stadium.
Special Guest was Dave Bancroft, the 79-year-old shortstop on the 1915 Phillies pennant-winners. Attendance that night was 46,633, third largest of the season.
The 1952 All-Star Game was played at Shibe Park, halted after six innings because of rain. A first. The old-timers theme for 1972 was completion of that All-Star Game.
The 1950 Whiz Kids Silver Anniversary took place pre-game on August 16, 1975, and drew 40,127. Pennant-winning teams didn’t receive rings back then. Giles decided to present a ring to each player as part of the reunion. An extensive program capturing the 1950 season sold for 25 cents.
As the weekend host, I had a suite at the hotel. After the Friday and Saturday games, the old-timers would fill the suite. Storytelling was amazing and endless. Really endless. The Whiz Kids partied Saturday night until the sun arose on Sunday morning.
The 15th anniversary of the 1964 Phillies happened in 1979. The game featured the Phillies vs. a team of 1964 All-Stars.
In the 1980s, companies such as Equitable Insurance and Upper Deck became sponsors through Major League Baseball. Equitable’s events were the “Old-Timer’s Game Series.” Upper Deck changed the name to “Heroes of The Game.”
A reunion of the 1983 Phillies vs. select 1983 Upper Deck Heroes of Baseball was the theme of the last such game at Veterans Stadium, June 19, 1993 (50,391).
Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider, Whitey Ford, Hank Aaron, Lefty Grove, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Monte Irvin, Enos Slaughter were among Hall of Famers who participated over the years.