Meet the Authors

Kevin's Phillies Backstory

My name is Kevin Reavy, author of the porcelain throne series of sports books, “This Day in Philadelphia Sports” vols. 1-3 with Brian Startare, “Incredible Baseball Stats”, and the colloquially named “Incredibler Baseball Stats” with Ryan Spaeder. And I wouldn’t have written any of it had it not been for the 1993 Phillies.

I’d like to think (or hope) my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles infatuation would have naturally dissipated in either case, but the summer of ‘93, I discovered the Fightins and nothing else mattered. Like Jack, it all started when I was 9 years old— yeah, there’s a 10-year gap between us, but Jack’s an old soul and I’m immature; we’ll call it even— Phillies baseball altered my DNA.

There’s no singular moment I can recall that lit the fuse of my Phillies fandom. It was more of a movement that summer, permeating the air like dueling neighborhood barbecue grilles on full blast. Even the most apathetic, crotchety old grinches would be hard pressed to deny their hearts grew three sizes that summer. Personally, there was nothing I could do but obsess.

Perhaps it was the son-of-a-bartender in me, but I related to blue-collar, beer-guzzlin’ ballplayers way more than any 9-year-old should.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, all it took was one look at John Kruk to convince me that exercise was a waste of time and I was destined to be a Major League Baseball player. I spent that summer collecting baseball cards, cutting out Phils newspaper headlines/photos, and obsessively watching SportsCenter and every… single… replay of SportsCenter that aired following the initial morning offering. Kruk, Dykstra, Daulton, Mitch, Schilling, et al— the Ninja Turtles had nothing on this crew.

Alas, I loved and the Phillies lost, leading to what may have been the last good, meaty kid-cry of my childhood. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Heartbreak aside, my first year as a Phillies fan was so positive that I never gave up hope.

I thought Ron Gant would be a superstar. I had Danny Tartabull penciled in for 40 home uns a year. When the Phils signed Andy Ashby, I figured this is it. There were so many lean seasons I stuck by the team with sheer, admittedly misguided optimism.

And it was all worth it. I was born just after the 76ers championship parade in 1983. When Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske to win the World Series, the 25-year championship drought in Philadelphia was over and I could finally shake the nagging feeling that my birth meant the death of Philly sports success.

Really, I’m not that special. These kinds of stories are pretty familiar to the average Phillies fan. It hasn’t always been easy, but they always make it worth the ride.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book, we had a ton of fun putting it together and I hope that is shown all throughout. Now, let's get into it.

Jack's Phillies Backstory

My name is Jack Fritz and I am currently a host on the afternoon show with Ike Reese and Spike Eskin on 94WIP and I also am the co-host of the Phillies podcast, "High Hopes," (subscribe wherever you get your podcasts) alongside James Seltzer.

The Phillies have been my "thing" my entire life. Whether it was trying to emulate Jim Thome's swing as a youngster or telling teachers that I simply couldn't focus in class that day because I had a "Phever," the Phillies have always been the sports team that I have cared the most about.

Was it tough from 2013-2017? Sure, but we power through.

I think I can speak for Kevin here when I say that this book is like a love letter to the franchise. We live and breathe the Phillies. Our hope is that this book brings back some of the good memories, with some fun stories along the way, and unfortunately the bad times as well-- but hey, that's a part of the whole fan experience.

We all have someone that gets us into baseball, after all, it's a generational sport. For me, it was my granddad. I won't get to mention him as we go throughout the book, but he took me to my first Phillies game, taught me the game (and the greatness of Ted Williams), and I begrudgingly admit that he was right about Charlie Manuel being a good fit for this team (I was like twelve… give me a break). Anyway, if my Phillies fandom seems like a little too much, you can blame my granddad.