Record And A Reuben

The Phantastic Phillies
Fleetwood Communications Company (1980)
There are a ton of baseball card and sports memorabilia shops in downtown Cooperstown.  We stopped at one called the On Deck Circle where I found an awesome vinyl record called The Phantastic Phillies.  These were produced in 1980 to commemorate the Phillies first World Series Championship in the franchise's then 97 year history.

 

The Morning Call (Allentown, PA) - November 7, 1980

These record albums were available at Kiddie City toy stores less than a month after Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to clinch the deciding Game 6 of the 1980 World Series.  It was narrated by the great Harry Kalas and includes dozens of interviews and recordings from the radio broadcasts of games during the regular season and the post-season.

As if the record itself isn't awesome enough on its own, this one was autographed by six members of the 1980 World Champion Phillies.

Del Unser started in left field in Game 4 and appeared as a pinch hitter in Games 1 and 5.  He only had six plate appearances during the season, but he made them count by going 3-6 with two doubles and two RBI.

Right fielder Bake McBride hit the a three run homer in the bottom of the third inning of Game 1 for the Phillies first home run of the series.  He started all six games and bat .304 with a double, a homer and five RBI.

Bob Boone caught every inning for the Phillies during the 1980 World Series and was about as productive as a 9-hole hitter could be, batting .412 with seven hits, two doubles, four RBI, and four walks.  It was reported that his knees were so sore when he caught the final strike of the series that he could barely make it to the mound to celebrate with Tug McGraw and the rest of the team.

To this day, if you mention the name of this center fielder in a room full of Phillies fans, you can be guaranteed that at least one person will make the following statement in an almost reverent tone: "Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the other third is covered by Garry Maddox".  The Phillies Secretary Of Defense solidified his nickname by earning a Gold Glove in each of his first eight seasons, from 1975 to 1982.

Phillies second baseman Manny Trillo hit a career best .292 during the 1980 season and won the Silver Slugger while playing phenomenal defense.  His success continued into the post-season.  He was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series and his RBI single was the winning run in the pivotal fifth game of the World Series.

Keith Moreland was the Phillies backup catcher during the 1980 season, but he also got time at third base and in right field.  The versatile player didn't play any innings in the field during the World Series, but he started Games 2, 3 and 5 as the Phillies designated hitter and bat .333 for the series.

 

The man who sold me the record sweetened the deal by throwing in a free lunch at the Pioneer Patio Restaurant, which he also owns and operates.  I had a reuben sandwich, which was loaded with meat and absolutely delicious!