Elevator of Legends

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies, August 14, 1996

Veterans Stadium, Section 308 Row 1

A midweek affair. The first place Braves were in town. Tom Glavine was on the mound. A some free tickets. A player from the Phils played minor league ball with my buddy who just came into town to see me. We both were given some baseballs for autographs after the game.

The Fightins got to Glavine quick with some small ball in the 1st. Mickey Morandini drove in another run in the 2nd for the Phils. David West kept the Braves off the board until Chipper Jones RBI single in the 5th.

Tom Glavine pitched 6 innings surrendering 7 hits and 4 runs and suffered the loss. West was credited with the win. 28,206 were on hand.

After the game we were taken downstairs by another old minor league teammate who now worked in the Phillies offices. We waited outside the locker area for some time before my buddy's old roomate emerged. He autographed a ball for each of us.

That left me 2 unsigned balls. Players started tricking out one by one. I feel weird appoaching them. I saw some other people doing the same and they didn't seem to mind. Most people down there were family, friends of other players. So when the chance to get Chipper Jone on one ball and Tom Glavin on the other, I took the opportunity.

We boarded an elevator along with Jones and Glavine to go up the the parking lot. And on the elevator already were both Phillies Broadcasting legends Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas. I had nothing else to get signed.
Which was no problem really as I had already had an Ashburn and Kalas signed ball. Ashburn came from a show. Kalas was the guest speaker at one of my baseball banquets years ago.

Whitey suffered a heart attack a year later and died on September 9, 1997 while on a Phils roadtrip to Shea Stadium. Harry died earlier this season in the broadcast booth at Nationals Park in Washington preparing for an afternoon game on April 13th.