Occasional Glory: A History of the Philadelphia Phillies

By David Jordan

McFarland Publishing Company has just come out with Occasional Glory: A History of the Philadelphia Phillies, by David M. Jordan, the president of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society and the author of the highly-acclaimed book The Athletics of Philadelphia. Jordan's new work is an engaging, realistic and sometimes surprising history of the team that has finished in last place more than any other club but which has had unforgettable players and some notable triumphs through the years.

This history of the Phillies from the move of the Worcester Brown Stockings to Philadelphia in 1883 to the hiring of Larry Bowa as manager covers the team's finer seasons as well as the low points. Highlights include the great outfield of the 1890s, Pete Alexander and the 1915 flagwinner, Chuck Klein's slugging feats, Roberts, Ennis, Ashburn and the Whiz Kids, the era of Gene Mauch, Jim Bunning, Dick Allen and the heartbreak of the lost pennant in 1964, Schmidt and Carlton and the 1980 World Series, and the Krukker, the Dude and the surprise pennant in 1993. Also discussed at length is the team's relationship with the city of Philadelphia and with Connie Mack's A's through 1954. The Phillies are the only club to have two owners expelled from baseball, and Jordan covers these and other front-office figures like Billy Shettsline, Al Reach, William F. Baker, Gerry Nugent, the Carpenters, and Bill Giles.

The book is a feast for fans of the Phillies as well as for those interested in a major aspect of life in Philadelphia.