Evening star., 1950-08-20
Former Futile Phi|s,
Club, Now Whiz Kids
Is Toast of the Town
BY the Associated Press

tion of baseball fans, burns hot in
Philadelphia today with all eyes
and ears turned to the progress OF
the Phillies.
On the streets, in offices and
practically everybody's home the
National League pennant chase is
the No. topic.
Everybody admits it hasn't hap
pened yet, and in the next breath
says:
But t."
And in the same breath comes
the question: How do we get world
series tickets?
So It's been 35 years since Pat
Moran and his team brought the
only pennant the Phils ever won
to old Baker Bowl. Since then
there has been a stretch when the
club was the doormat of the league
and deserved the nickname" Futile
Phils."
I Not any more, though. The club
stopped being a doormat shortly
after young Bob Carpenter bought
control back in 1943.
Today it's new, young ball
club, complete even to pepper
mint-striped red and white home
uniforms and a set of new nick
names, "Whiz Kids" and "Fightin
Phillies."
And they've got the whole town
talking. The sports page is the
best-read part of the newspapers.
Radios in homes and offices,
on street corners and in autos,
blare the play-by play of daytime
games. At night you can walk
any city or suburban residential
neighborhood and keep track of
the score.
Requests Pour In.
There's greenbacked evidence in
the Phillies Office as mailmen
every day add to the pile of series
ticket requests faster than they
can be sent back to the requesters.
We've already returned $4,000
applications" says Publicity Di-
rector Babe Alexander.
You can't pick up the phone
that you don't get one. A fellow
haven't seen in 10 years got me
out Of bed at 8 am. last Sunday
to ask for a set of ducats.
1--WE aren't accepting any ap-
plications now, and won't until
we get a green light from Com
missioner Chandler"
Shibe Park, which hasn't seen
q series since the Athletics won
the American League title in 1881,
figures to seat about 33,125 for a
World Series. Only about 5000
seats will be available for game
Tby-game general admission sale.
All the rest will be reserved.
Attendance Shows.
And anyone dubious of sellout
prospects need only look at the
Phillies' last home stand at
tendance. Six single games, two
daytime and four night affairs
with the Giants and Braves, drew
1857 paying customers. That
averages to more than $4,000 per
game.
City Council looked into the
attendance possibility this week,
suggesting the series might be
played In Municipal Stadium
which seats 100000. There was no
official comment, but some mighty
big changes would be needed at
the stadium to lay out a baseball
diamond of major league size.
The home parks of all clubs ira
ditionally are preferred as World
Series sites.
For Carpenter and his staff and
team, the championship prospect
is a dream come true with only
one regret-that Herb Pennock
isn't around to enjoy it, too.
Carpenter. then the 34-year-old
scion of family allied with the
duPonts of Delaware, took over
the Phillies in their darkest day.
The club had stumbled for years
under a series of owners who
stayed in business largely by ped
ding stars to other teams. Bill
Cox. previous owner, had been
banished by Commissioner K. M.
Lands. and the National League
took over the franchise and sold
it to Carpenter.
Pennock Laid Plans.
He chose Pennock, his boyhood
lido. to head the organization as
general manager. Pennock laid
the plans for the farm system
that now is harvesting major
league stars. okeyed the bonus
boys Carpenter signed with five
figure checks, and nodded a
smooth-working organization.
Results didn't show at once in
the won-lost column. The club
was dead last in 1914 and 1945,
spurted to fifth in 1916 and fell
back to a last-place tie in 1947
before Pennock died in New York
In January, 1948.
That year the climb started,
with Carpenter taking over Pen
nock's duties as general manager
In addition to being president of
the club. Eddie Sawyer moved in
as manager late in the season.
The club finished sixth in 1946,
and climbed to third last year,
the first time the Phils had been
in the first division since a fourth
place finish in 1882 and the high
est since they were second III
1916-17.
Unbelievable Change.
The change that a winning
Phillies' club produced among
Philadelphia fans is almost unbe-
lievable. For two or three base
ball generations the town has
been called IAN American League
city" Often there was talk of
moving the National League fran
chise, leaving the Athletics a clear
field.
But last year the Phils were
the top drawing card, and this