Synopsis "The Year of Blue Snow: The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies"
Catcher Gus Triandos dubbed the Philadelphia Phillies' 1964 season"the year of the blue snow"a rare thing that happens once in a greatwhile.The Phillies were having a spectacular season in which everything wasgoing right. They held a 6 1/2 game lead at the conclusion of play onSeptember 20. With just 12 games to play, they seemingly had it made.But the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals never gave up, andwhen the Phillies lost ten consecutive games, it became a thrillingpennant race for Cardinals and Reds fans, but a horrific collapse forPhillies fanatics.But wait a minute. When it was seemingly too late, the Philliesfinally won a game--and the first-place Cardinals lost two games to thelowly New York Mets, so on the last day of the season there was thedistinct possibility of a three-way tie for first place. It would havebeen a first in baseball history. On the final day of the season, thePhillies beat the Reds handily, 10-0. All eyes and ears were fixed onthe Mets-Cardinals game. Could the Mets knock off the first-placeCardinals for a third straight game? The Mets carried a 3-2 lead intothe bottom of the fifth inning, but finally succumbed, 11-5.But what a season for Phillies fans. Jim Bunning had thrown the firstperfect game in the last 84 years of NL history. The hero of the 1964All-Star Game was the team's right fielder Johnny Callison, whobrought the National League victory with the third walk-off home runin the history of the All-Star Game. The team also boasted theelectrifying NL Rookie of the Year - the team's slugging third basemanRichie Allen (later called Dick Allen).St. Louis won the pennant, and went on to beat the Yankees in theWorld Series. But in Philadelphia, the '64 campaign left an ache thatlasted for years. The 1964 Phillies not only "lost" the pennant but, following 1964, they got steadily worse.This book sheds light on the facts for the reader to determine answersto lingering questions they may still have about the Phillies team inthe 1964 season--but any book about a team is really about the players.A collaborative effort by 37 members of the Society for AmericanBaseball Research (SABR), this work offers life stories of all theplayers and others (managers, coaches, owners, and broadcasters)associated with this star-crossed team, as well as essays of analysisand historical recaps.Includes: Foreword by Mel MarmerIntroduction by Mel MarmerOpening Day 1964Dick Allen by Rich D'AmbrosioRubén Amaro by Rory CostelloThe Amaro Chronicles by Rory CostelloTwo Gold Glove Shortstops by Rory CostelloJack Baldschun by Chip GreeneDave Bennett by Mark ArmourDennis Bennett by Mark ArmourJohn Boozer by Andy SturgillJohnny Briggs by John SaccomanJim Bunning by Ralph BergerJohnny Callison by John RossiDanny Cater by Brian EnglehardtPat Corrales by James RayWes Covington by Andy SturgillRay Culp by Mark ArmourClay Dalrymple by Rory CostelloRyne Duren by Gregory H WolfTony González by José Ramírez and Rory CostelloDallas Green by Gregory H WolfJohn Herrnstein by Brian EnglehardtDon Hoak by Jack V MorrisAlex Johnson by Mark ArmourJohnny Klippstein by Gregory H WolfGary Kroll by Neil PoloncarzBobby Locke by Paul GeislerArt Mahaffey by Ralph Berger and Mel MarmerCal McLish by Joe WanchoAdolfo Phillips by Rob NeyerVic Power by Joe WanchoEd Roebuck by Paul HirschCookie Rojas by Peter GordonBobby Shantz by Mel MarmerCosten Shockley by Chip GreeneChris Short by Andy Sturgill
