Tommy Greene (left), Michael Sadowski (middle), and Mitchell Nathanson (right)
In case you missed it on Monday, October 30, Phillies Nation held its first Book Club meeting. It took place in the Education and Technology building auditorium on the campus of Holy Family University. At the event we discussed Macho Row: The 1993 Phillies and Baseball’s Unwritten Code by local author William Kashatus. It featured a guest appearance from former Phillies starting pitcher Tommy Greene, who was available afterwards for a photo opportunity and a one-on-one meet and greet.
At the event people in attendance had the opportunity to ask questions about the book, life or anything they wanted to know about the NL Pennant winning 1993 Philadelphia Phillies
. Greene was joined by Mitchell Nathanson a professor of sports law at Villanova University, Michael Sadowski a Phillies Nation Staff writer, and Brian Michael the CEO of Phillies Nation and coordinator of the sports marketing-management program at Holy Family University. As stated at the beginning of the event by Brian everyone in attendance was there “to discuss a team with a lot of guts, grit and a blue-collar personality that everybody in this city fell in love with. The 1993 Phillies will always hold a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia sports fans.The panel discussed the ’93 season from the perspective of an historian, fan and a former player. With topics such as problems in the clubhouse, the team’s impact on what we know as baseball today, and the role of players like the late Darren Daulton, all the panelists were insightful, informative and open about why a team that was one of the worst in baseball the previous season found themselves in the World Series that year.
After about 45 minutes of discussion, the panel opened for a question and answer session. People in attendance asked questions such as “Do you think Phillies management knew they laid the ground work for the use of analytics in baseball?” and “What made that team mesh so well together with that cast of outspoken and colorful characters?”
At the end of the night Tommy Greene met with some of the fans in attendance, personally greeted them, took photos with them. Even though he wasn’t there to sign autographs he did anyway.
A video recap is below but also look out for an audio recap of the discussion in podcast form available next week. Phillies Nation will hold future book club events and provide fans with more opportunities to meet players and get more insights on the team they love. Stay tuned!
