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Larry "LC" Christenson was a pitcher with the Phillies from 1973-1983. The right-handed Washington State native spent his entire career pitching for Philadelphia after being drafted by the Phils as the 3rd overall pick in the 1972 amateur draft. In his Major League debut on April 13, 1973, at age 19, Christenson hurled a complete game against the Metropolitans and came within 1 out of a shutout, until he tossed a wild pitch that plated New York's only run of the game. The Phillies won 7-1, earning Christenson his first big league victory, but much to the surprise of everyone, it would be LC's only win of the season. Christenson started just 8 more games for the Phillies that in 1973, before he was demoted back to the minors by June. The following off-season, Christenson would have elbow surgery to repair a nagging injury. By 1975, Christenson worked his way back to the Phillies' starting rotation. That season he won 11 games and posted a 3.67 ERA. He hurled 2 shut...

In 1973 Dick Ruthven was drafted first overall in MLB's secondary amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. The secondary draft would only feature players who were previously drafted, but did not sign. Ruthven had previously been picked by the Orioles and Twins. After being selected by the Phillies out of Fresno State, Ruthven signed with Philadelphia and skipped the minor leagues all together. He made his Major League debut on April 17th, 1973. In his second big league start, Ruthven was matched up against eventual Hall of Famer Bob Gibson and held St. Louis to just 1 run in 7-plus innings, helping the Phils win, 2-1. His next time out, Ruthven faced the defending league champs, the Cincinnati Reds and held them to just one hit over 7 innings, leading the Phillies to a 1-0 victory. In July, when Ruthven faced Gibson and the Cardinals again. he shined, beating the Cardinals with a 2-hit complete game shut out. In 25 games as a rookie, Ruthven posted a 6-9 record and a 4.21 ERA. R...

Garry Maddox was an outfielder with the Phillies from 1975-1986. Maddox entered the Majors with the San Francisco Giants, where he established himself as an everyday player in 1972. In May, 1975 Maddox was traded to Philadelphia for outfielder/first baseman Willie Montanez. Upon joining the Phillies, Maddox quickly became a key part of the team. In his first full season in Philadelphia, Maddox ranked third in the league in batting, with a .330 average, scored 75 runs and stole 29 bases to finish 5th in league MVP voting. A superior defensive outfielder, Maddox was a nightly human highlight reel long before the national and regional cable sports shows were broadcast into millions of homes on a daily basis. He won many Gold Glove Awards during his 12 seasons in Philadelphia, earning him the nickname "The Secretary of Defense". Metropolitans broadcaster and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner once summed up Maddox's abilities well by stating, "Two-thirds of the Earth is covered b...

Who’s the furthest away from setting the green grass at CBP on fire? Brett Myers , “the #1 starter”, has a 7.71 ERA in 3 May starts this season. Myers’ career ERA in May is 3.34, which is actually his best month. After scorching every bit of turf he stepped on during April, with a 1.136 OPS and only striking out 15 times in 27 games, Pat Burrell is hitting .231 in May with 15 strike outs in 12 games played. Burrell’s career OPS in May is .933, which is his best month aside from the small sample size of October games he has played. Ryan Howard has a 6-game hitting streak going, which has raised his batting average to .182 for the season. Howard’s career splits improve each month of the season. His batting avg in May is .017 higher than April, June is .033 higher than May, July is .014 higher than June and so on. So, with typical improvement in production expected from these 3 home grown talents not happening, should the Phillies be worried? I’d have to say no. There is too much talent...